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JLab Hear OTC vs. Signia Active Pro IX

Check out our comparison of the JLab Hear OTC vs Signia Active Pro IX. Listen to audio samples and see how the two hearing aids differ in terms of sound performance, features, accessories, and more.

Score
3.9
JLab Hear OTC
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JLab

Hear OTC

SoundScore 3.6/5
$99.99 per pair
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Score
4.5
Signia Active Pro IX
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Featured Products
Signia

Active Pro IX

SoundScore 4.6/5
$2,348 per pair
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Hear OTC
$99.99 per pair
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Active Pro IX
$2,348 per pair
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Product Overview

Hear OTC
Active Pro IX
Form Factor
Form FactorNon-custom earbud style device.
Form FactorNon-custom device that typically sits inside the ear canal. The device will be clearly visible to the naked eye.
Expert Rating
Score
3.9
Score
4.5
User Rating
3.71 reviews
3.71 reviews
Hearing Loss LevelHearing Loss LevelThis represents HearingTracker's best guess on suitability. Please consult a licensed audiologist to confirm your own candidacy for this device.
MildModerate
MildModerate
Product Features
Hands-freeRechargeableiPhoneAndroid
Hands-freeRechargeableAndroidIP68

Expert Ratings

Compare comprehensive test results and expert opinions.

Hear OTC
Active Pro IX

HearingTracker Score

Hear OTC
3.9ABOVE AVERAGE

The JLab HEAR OTC Hearing Aid offers an affordable and user-friendly solution for those with mild to moderate hearing loss, featuring customizable sound settings and a sleek design. Extensive testing reveals its effective performance in various environments, making it a reliable choice for everyday use.

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Active Pro IX
4.5EXCELLENT

The Signia Active Pro IX offers the functionality of a high-performance hearing aid in a sleek, earbud-like design, making it ideal for those who value both modern aesthetics and advanced hearing enhancement. Lab tests showed strong performance in speech clarity and music streaming, though its instant-fit design has some limitations, such as reduced feedback handling and lack of custom-fit personalization.

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HearAdvisor SoundScore

Hear OTC
3.6AVERAGE

JLab Hear OTC achieved a SoundScore of 3.65/5 and a SoundGrade of B in HearAdvisor lab testing. It ranked #26 of 61 OTC Hearing Aid devices tested. The OTC Hearing Aid category average SoundScore was 3.47/5.

Active Pro IX
4.6EXCELLENT

Signia Active Pro IX achieved a SoundScore of 4.63/5 and a SoundGrade of A in HearAdvisor lab testing. It ranked #3 of 35 Prescription Hearing Aid devices tested. The Prescription Hearing Aid category average SoundScore was 3.91/5.

Build Quality

Hear OTC
3.8BELOW AVERAGE

The portable charger is flimsy and HEAR have a lower egress rating of IPX4. However, with some extra care and cleaning they should hold up to regular daily use.

Active Pro IX
4.9EXCELLENT

Active Pro IX has an IP rating of 68, meaning it has excellent protection against dust and moisture. This is consistent with my hands-on testing which suggested it is built well and will hold-up to daily use.

Battery

Hear OTC
3.0BELOW AVERAGE

HEAR do not offer enough power for all-day use with a battery life of 10 hours (less with streaming). The battery life is however respectable for a wireless earbud.

Active Pro IX
4.4ABOVE AVERAGE

I love the all-day rechargeable battery life of Active Pro IX. Even with 5 hours of audio streaming, you can expect around 29 hours of user per charge.

Bluetooth

Hear OTC
5.0EXCELLENT

HEAR offer wireless connectivity for both iOS and Android users. I personally experienced stable streaming and phone calls with my iPhone 12.

Active Pro IX
5.0EXCELLENT

Signia Active Pro hearing aids are Bluetooth compatible with both iOS and Android devices, allowing for audio streaming and hands-free calling. While streamed audio quality is not the best, I did not run into any issues while testing.

App Features

Hear OTC
3.3BELOW AVERAGE

The JLab Hearing Health app offers a nice feature set for personalization. Some elements could be more user friendly, but it makes sense after a little troubleshooting.

Active Pro IX
5.0EXCELLENT

Signia's hearing aid app stands out with its user-friendly interface and modern, appealing design. It includes practical features like the ability to control the focus of your hearing aids and a mask mode to enhance speech clarity. Additionally, the app offers wellness features, utilizing hearing aid motion sensors for activity tracking.

Comfort

Hear OTC
4.5EXCELLENT

HEAR are comfortable and had good retention in my ears. They completely seal your ear when worn properly but feel less “plugging” as they are lightweight.

Active Pro IX
4.5EXCELLENT

I found the instant-fit comfort and retention of Active Pro good. Your hearing care provider can demo various ear tips to find the best fit for your ears and hearing needs.

Design

Hear OTC
4.0BELOW AVERAGE

This is highly personalized, but HEAR look like modern earbuds and distance themselves from the negative stigma some attribute to hearing aids.

Active Pro IX
5.0EXCELLENT

Active Pro IX have a modern earbud-like look, which may be desirable depending on your preferences, and you can choose among 6 colors.

Value

Hear OTC
5.0EXCELLENT

JLab Hear OTC has a value score of 5.0/5 based on lab performance and public display price.

Active Pro IX
3.6AVERAGE

Signia Active Pro IX has a value score of 3.6/5 based on lab performance and public display price.

Handling

Hear OTC
4.0AVERAGE

I ran into a few issues with my initial Bluetooth pairing but HEAR and the touch controls work well otherwise.

Active Pro IX
4.8EXCELLENT

I did not run into any issues while testing Active Pro IX. However, I do wish they offered ear-level controls such as buttons, or tap controls, as it would make the streaming features more user-friendly.

Pro Support

Hear OTC
1.0BELOW AVERAGE

JLab falls short on actual hearing care as help is limited to their online Help Center and or standard Customer Support.

Active Pro IX
5.0EXCELLENT

You should receive quality hearing care and support from your provider. The Signia App should enhance your experience with AI assistance and user-friendly virtual appointments, given your provider offers telehealth services.

Lab Recordings

Listen to direct output recordings from our acoustic test lab.

Hear OTC
Active Pro IX
Busy CafeBusy CafeSpeech intelligibility improvement in loud environments
Hear this scene unaided, for comparison
Hear OTC
Active Pro IX
Quiet OfficeQuiet OfficeSpeech intelligibility improvement in quiet and moderate environments
Hear this scene unaided, for comparison
Hear OTC
Active Pro IX
Streaming MusicStreaming MusicStreaming music provides a full range of bass and treble
Hear this scene unaided, for comparison
Hear OTC
Active Pro IX

HearingTracker partners with HearAdvisor to provide recordings and performance data from an acoustic laboratory that follows standard scientific procedures. All hearing aids are fitted and performance-tested for mild sloping to moderate hearing loss. All audio samples cutoff above 10kHz.

Hardware

Hear OTC
Active Pro IX
AccelerometerAccelerometerThis hearing aid is capable of measuring acceleration through an embedded sensor.
No
Yes
Bluetooth® AudioBluetooth® AudioThis hearing aid is capable of streaming Bluetooth® audio certain phones and/or devices.
  • Bluetooth® (A2DP)
  • SBC
  • AAC
  • Made for iPhone (MFi)
  • Android (ASHA)
  • Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE)
Hands-Free CallingHands-Free CallingIt is possible to have a hands-free phone call with this hearing aid. You are not required to hold the phone up to your mouth.
  • Bluetooth® (HFP)
  • Made for iPhone (MFi)
IP RatingIP RatingIP Ratings rate sealing effectiveness of hearing aids against intrusion from foreign solid matter (dirt, dust) and moisture.
IPx4
IP68
Rechargeable BatteriesRechargeable BatteriesCharge your batteries overnight in a docking station and get a full day's use (in most cases) of battery life the following day.
Lithium-ion
Lithium-ion
Tap ControlsTap ControlsThe hearing aid may be controlled by physically tapping it with your fingers.
  • Change program
  • Accept/end calls
  • Accept/end calls

Software Features

Hear OTC
Active Pro IX
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)ANC is different than typical hearing aid noise reduction in that it reduces both steady state and dynamic background noise using sound wave inversion.
Yes
No
Adjustment BandsAdjustment BandsThese are frequency-divided sections that can be adjusted in a hearing aid in order to amplify sounds. Although there are rarely more than 10 frequencies measured in a hearing assessment, having more bands that can be adjusted may allow for improved speech understanding and user comfort.
No
20
Adjustment SynchronizationAdjustment SynchronizationThis feature allows for a more pleasant listening experience by ensuring that both hearing aids process sound the same way. If one hearing aid changes its processing in response to noise or speech, it will send a wireless signal to the other hearing aid so both process sound in the same way.
No
e2e wireless 4.0e2e wireless 4.0Control coupling, synchronization, binaural directionality, Spatial Speech Focus, CROS/ BiCROS.
Direction SelectionDirection SelectionAllows the user to select one or more directions to focus their hearing aids on. For example, some hearing aids allow the listener to focus on sounds coming from in front or back, or from the right or left.
No
  • 5/5
DirectionalityDirectionalityDepending on the types and number of microphones a hearing aid has, the hearing aid may be able to boost sounds from specific directions (by reducing sounds from other directions). This can be helpful to focus on a speaker directly in front of the hearing aid user, as well as to give the user information about where different sounds are coming from.
Yes
Binaural DirectionalityBinaural DirectionalityDirectionality provides scientifically proven enhanced speech understanding in noise. Available for bilateral fittings with directional microphones and e2e wireless link.Spatial SpeechFocusSpatial SpeechFocusAvailable for bilateral fittings with Ultra HD e2e.
Ear SimulationEar SimulationThe outer ear, or pinna, can have a significant effect on the frequency shape of sound arriving at your inner ear. Some hearing aids mimic the "pinna effect" when producing sound, to deliver more natural sound to the listener.
No
TruEar 360TruEar 360Reproduces benefits of the natural pinna effect by highlighting the difference between front and back sources of sound.
Echo ReductionEcho ReductionThis feature improves speech audibility by reducing the “blurring” of speech sounds that can occur in the presence of echoes.
No
Auto EchoShieldAuto EchoShieldAutomatically creates a more comfortable hearing experience in high-reverb environments leading to increased speech clarity and natural room perceptions.
Environmental AdaptationEnvironmental AdaptationThe hearing aid can detect different acoustical environments, like speech in noise, and adjust the sound of the hearing aid accordingly to drive comfort or speech understanding, etc.
No
RealTime Conversation Enhancement: 5/5
Extended bandwidthExtended bandwidthHearing aid provides amplification at frequencies (pitches) higher than the typical hearing aid.
No
12kHz
Extended Dynamic RangeExtended Dynamic RangeExtended dynamic range typically makes louder sound clearer. This may help with the reproduction of loud music or loud speech in a very noisy environment.
No
Yes
Feedback SuppressionFeedback SuppressionIf any sound amplified by the hearing aid escapes the ear canal, it may reach the hearing aid’s own microphone and cause a harsh whistling noise. Some hearing aids are able to recognize when this feedback occurs and reduce or eliminate it.
Yes
Feedback cancellationFeedback cancellationHigh-speed monitoring and control of feedback risk in individual processing channels.
Listening ProgramsListening ProgramsNumber of manually accessible listening programs (using push button, remote, app, or other switching method)
No
6
Noise ReductionNoise ReductionThis feature uses modern hearing aids’ processing power to examine the incoming sound signal, determine if noise is present and reduce the volume of the troublesome sound to increase comfort.
No
SoundSmoothing™: 3SoundSmoothing™Reduces the sound of clattering cutlery and rustling newspaper, etc.
Own Voice ComfortOwn Voice ComfortAmplification is applied differently to your own voice versus the other voices around you. This allows adequate amplification of people you want to hear and no over-amplification of your own voice.
No
OVP™ 2.0OVP™ 2.0Processes the wearer's own voice independent from ambient sounds, providing improved speech clarity and a natural perception of their own voice as well as background noise.
Processing ChannelsProcessing ChannelsThese are all the frequency-divided sections the hearing aid is able to examine at a single time. The hearing aid uses this information to determine whether the contents of each section are noise, speech, or something else and amplify the sound in each section accordingly.
No
48
Tinnitus ReliefTinnitus ReliefTinnitus, or ringing in the ears, can be addressed by hearing aids in several different ways, such as introducing a soft therapeutic signal or targeted notched noise.
No
Yes
Unique Amplification StrategyUnique Amplification StrategyHearing aids all process sounds a little bit differently. Sometimes it varies even within one model.
No
Advanced Focus StreamsAdvanced Focus StreamsAdds up to 3 additional focus streams providing the correct amount of boost for each conversation partner's speech while allowing the wearer to stay connected to their environment.Augmented Focus™Augmented Focus™Separates the focus sound (speech) from surroundings, creating a clear contrast between the two, which makes it easier to follow conversations.Conversation BoosterConversation BoosterDetermines the optimal balance of speech enhancement & noise reduction to augment speech while preserving the acoustic environment.Dynamic Soundscape Processing 3.0Dynamic Soundscape Processing 3.0Integrates inputs for precise hearing aid optimzation, including (when available): acoustic sensors, motion sensors, OVP 2.0, noise detection, SNR analysis, and RealTime Conversation Enhancement.Speech & Noise ManagementSpeech & Noise ManagementReduces listening effort using sophisticated sound processing.SpeechStabilizerSpeechStabilizerPreserves the natural envelope of speech in any situation, including very noisy situations, which preserves acoustic cues that are important for speech understanding.
Wind Noise ReductionWind Noise ReductionAs wind blows against the microphones of hearing aids, unpleasant noise may be generated. Some hearing aids have the ability to recognize this wind noise and reduce its level. Such reductions may also affect the audibility of desired sounds, like speech.
No
eWindScreen binauraleWindScreen binauralBinaural processing of the audio signal (using Ultra HD e2e) delivers superb performance in asymmetrical wind environments.