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JLab Hear OTC vs. Signia Insio Charge&Go AX

Check out our comparison of the JLab Hear OTC vs Signia Insio Charge&Go AX. 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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Signia Insio Charge&Go AX ITC 7AX
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Signia

Insio Charge&Go AX ITC 7AX

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Hear OTC
$99.99 per pair
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Insio Charge&Go AX
Review

Product Overview

Hear OTC
Insio Charge&Go AX
Form Factor
Form FactorNon-custom earbud style device.
Form FactorThis is the second largest style of in-the-ear style hearing aids. The hearing aid is more visible than a CIC but often has directional microphones and a telecoil.
Expert Rating
Score
3.9
N/A
User Rating
3.01 reviews
4.34 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
MildModerateSevere
Product Features
Hands-freeRechargeableiPhoneAndroid
RechargeableAndroidIP68

Expert Ratings

Compare comprehensive test results and expert opinions.

Hear OTC
Insio Charge&Go AX

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.

Read full review
Insio Charge&Go AX

Not yet rated by our experts

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.

Insio Charge&Go AX

Not yet rated by our experts

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.

Insio Charge&Go AX

Not yet rated by our experts

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.

Insio Charge&Go AX

Not yet rated by our experts

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.

Insio Charge&Go AX

Not yet rated by our experts

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.

Insio Charge&Go AX

Not yet rated by our experts

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.

Insio Charge&Go AX

Not yet rated by our experts

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.

Insio Charge&Go AX

Not yet rated by our experts

Value

Hear OTC
5.0EXCELLENT

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

Insio Charge&Go AX

Not yet rated by our experts

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.

Insio Charge&Go AX

Not yet rated by our experts

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.

Insio Charge&Go AX

Not yet rated by our experts

Lab Recordings

Listen to direct output recordings from our acoustic test lab.

Hear OTC
Insio Charge&Go AX
Busy CafeBusy CafeSpeech intelligibility improvement in loud environments
Hear this scene unaided, for comparison
Hear OTC
Insio Charge&Go AX

Lab recordings not yet available

Quiet OfficeQuiet OfficeSpeech intelligibility improvement in quiet and moderate environments
Hear this scene unaided, for comparison
Hear OTC
Insio Charge&Go AX

Lab recordings not yet available

Streaming MusicStreaming MusicStreaming music provides a full range of bass and treble
Hear this scene unaided, for comparison
Hear OTC
Insio Charge&Go AX

Lab recordings not yet available

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.

Accessories

Compatible accessories for each hearing aid

Hear OTC
Insio Charge&Go AX
Battery Charger
None

Insio AX Charger

Bluetooth Streamer
None

StreamLine Mic+2

A wireless clip-on mic that streams audio to hearing aids from any Bluetooth device.

Remote Control
None

Signia App+2

The Signia App provides a remote control, directional hearing control, telecare access, and access to connectivity and streaming settings.

TV Streamer
None

StreamLine TV

Streams television sound to hearing aids over a distance of up to 30 feet (10 meters).

Hardware

Hear OTC
Insio Charge&Go AX
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)
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)
No
IP RatingIP RatingIP Ratings rate sealing effectiveness of hearing aids against intrusion from foreign solid matter (dirt, dust) and moisture.
IPx4
IP68
Push ButtonPush ButtonThe hearing aid features a push button which allows toggling across different sound processing programs
No
  • Program control
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
No

Software Features

Hear OTC
Insio Charge&Go AX
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.
Automatic Phone ProgramAutomatic Phone ProgramHearing aids with this feature can detect when a phone is placed near them and automatically switch to a phone program. In this setting, the hearing aids will reduce background noise and increase the volume of the phone.
No
TwinPhoneTwinPhoneTwinPhone is the optimal solution for these wearers. It is automatically activated by a magnetic signal, so the wearer hears the caller in both ears for better understanding.
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.
Echo ReductionEcho ReductionThis feature improves speech audibility by reducing the “blurring” of speech sounds that can occur in the presence of echoes.
No
EchoShieldEchoShieldDedicated program for reverberant environments.
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.
Frequency LoweringFrequency LoweringUnderstanding certain speech sounds is dependent on the high frequency parts of these sounds. For individuals with high frequency hearing loss, this feature can take high frequency speech information and move it to lower frequencies where it will be audible.
No
Frequency CompressionFrequency CompressionImproves the detection of speech sounds for wearers with reduced high frequency hearing thresholds. Frequency compression is selectively activated based on audiological criteria.
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™: 3
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
Speech Quality: 5/5
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.