Jabra Enhance Plus Hearing Aid

Jabra, a Danish audio and video equipment manufacturer, launched Jabra Enhance™ Plus in February 2022, and the device was among the first over-the-counter hearing aids available after the FDA established rules for this new class of hearing aids in August 2022. These medical-grade FDA-approved hearing aids, offered for $799 per pair, look like modern wireless earbuds but deliver speech amplification, directional microphones, noise reduction, and feedback suppression—functionality more often associated with traditional hearing aids. They also stream audio and provide hands-free calling via Bluetooth^® (iOS only).

HearingTracker rates Jabra Enhance Plus as one of the top-10 best OTC hearing aids of 2024. Although significantly different from Enhance Plus, the Jabra Enhance Select OTC hearing aid was recognized as an Expert Choice Winner by HearAdvisor in 2023.

In this video, HearingTracker Audiologist Matthew Allsop provides an overview of the Jabra Enhance Plus OTC hearing aid. Closed captions are available on this video. If you are using a mobile phone, please enable captions clicking on the gear icon.

What we love about Jabra Enhance Plus OTC hearing aids

Limitations

Jabra Enhance Plus is marketing as a solution for the millions of people worldwide with hearing loss who have yet to purchase traditional hearing aids. The OTC hearing aids are intended for those with mild to moderate hearing loss and are personalized based on the unique hearing loss profile of the wearer. It should be mentioned that the company also markets Jabra Enhance Pro at Costco and Jabra Enhance online hearing aids.

Let's take a closer look at some of the features of the Enhance Plus.

Highlights

• Miniaturized earbuds that are certified OTC hearing aids
• Self-fitting hearing aid for mild to moderate hearing loss
• Jabra Enhance Plus iOS app for personalization and control
• Rechargeable lithium-ion battery with portable charging case
• Bluetooth wireless functionality compatible with iOS devices
• Ear to Ear data communication
• Stereo audio streaming
• IP 52 rating
• Available colors include dark grey or gold beige
• 1-year warranty
• Available through Jabra Enhance Plus certified providers, as well as many online and mass merchandizers from Amazon to Best Buy

Miniaturized earbuds

Jabra notes that the Enhance Plus earbuds are 50% smaller than their Elite 75t earbuds, launched in 2020. Jabra also draws a size comparison between Enhance Plus and IQbuds² MAX, a competing hearing enhancement earbud, stating that the IQbuds are 50% larger. These are some of the smallest earbuds I have seen, and they are lightweight, coming in at only 33.7 grams (just over an ounce).

Enhance Plus was designed to be cosmetically appealing, lightweight, and comfortable. The earbuds come with three sizes of "EarGel" tips (the little mushroom that goes into the ear canal) to accommodate users with small, medium, and large ear canals. I had to change the tips from the default medium size to the smaller size. Despite my small ears, they fit reasonably well, and the tips were simple enough to change.

I was able to wear the earbuds for several hours before I experienced any discomfort, and then only in the left ear. This is not unusual for me as most non-custom earpieces eventually cause some degree of discomfort, particularly for my left ear. In general, I would consider these to be lightweight and comfortable earbuds. The charging case is also quite small and can easily be carried in your pocket.

Self-fitting

The earbuds are personalized to your hearing via the iPhone / iPad app during the initial setup process. The app takes you through a multi-step process that begins by asking you to go to a quiet place where you can listen through the earbuds. The app then determines if the environment is quiet enough to proceed with a hearing test (you will listen for very soft sounds).

The app asks you for your gender and birth year (you can refuse to answer) and then takes you through a hearing test practice run. You'll tap the screen each time you hear a tone, regardless of how quiet the sound is.

Your test results are used to create a personalized hearing profile. A well-researched hearing loss prescription fitting formula, NAL-NL2, is used to determine the appropriate amplification levels. This same formula is used by hearing care providers (HCPs) to fit conventional digital hearing aids. However, keep in mind that a full spectrum of frequencies (pitches) is not tested; only a handful of frequencies are measured during the in-app hearing test.

After the hearing test, the app allows you to select a preferred speech filter— "clear," "normal," or "full." You can change this setting at any time. You may find that certain filters work better for you in certain situations.

The personalization process took roughly 8 minutes, but I did pause a few times to take screenshots and make notes. Most people should be able to set up and pair the devices within 10-15 minutes. If you aren't comfortable with technology, worry not; an expert should be able to assist you with the setup process. As you'll learn below, these earbuds are currently only available for purchase through a network of expert hearing care professionals.

How loud do they get?

Jabra Enhance Plus earbuds are intended to help those with mild to moderate hearing loss hear better in everyday listening situations. They are capable of providing up to 25 decibels of amplification (in the high pitches) for conversational speech, which should meet the needs of most people with mild age-related hearing loss. The high pitches are typically the first to go as we age, and high-pitch consonants are vital for good speech clarity.

Noise handling

Enhance Plus also incorporates two types of noise reduction: steady-state noise (think fan noise) reduction and impulse noise (think clattering dishes) reduction. In addition, the hearing aids create a four-microphone adaptive directional microphone array using the two microphones on each earbud. These noise handling features are consistent with many of today's more conventional digital hearing aids and are intended to improve listening in noisy environments, such as restaurants.

Wearing the Enhance Plus

After setting up the Enhance Plus earbuds for my hearing, I tested them out in a local restaurant where I had recently had difficulty following conversation with my family. I have only the slightest high-pitch hearing loss, but I still struggle to follow conversations in loud restaurants.

I sat in the same booth to see if I could hear any better with the earbuds. While hardly a scientific trial, I can report that I did hear speech more easily and didn't need to concentrate as much to follow along. They also made listening more pleasant—the overall listening experience was more focused and slightly more relaxed.

Unfortunately, I did experience the occlusion effect when I was speaking. The occlusion effect is that feeling of "talking in a barrel" that many people report when first wearing hearing aids. This effect occurs when our ears are blocked and low-pitched sounds can't escape. Vented EarGels would probably help, but they aren't currently available. The occlusion effect can be very bothersome, and for those who can't learn to ignore it, wearing hearing aids can be a challenge.

iOS Connectivity

Jabra Enhance Plus incorporates Bluetooth® 5.2 for wireless and hands-free connectivity with compatible Apple® devices using the Made-For-iPhone (MFi) protocol. Unfortunately, hands-free calling is only available for iPhone® 11 or newer devices, and iOS 15.1 or later. This means that my iPhone XR, which was released in October 2018, allowed audio streaming for phone calls, but I had to speak into the mic of my phone to be heard. The earbuds work with iPhone 6 and up, but hands-free is only supported by the newest Apple devices.

Enhance Plus supports audio streaming for music and podcasts from your phone or other Bluetooth-enabled and compatible devices. I used this feature to stream music using my iPhone and the Spotify app on several occasions. I found that the overall quality of music was good, but not as good as other wireless headphones that I've used, particularly when the Jabra Enhance Plus earbuds were set to my typical listening profile. Selecting the "Full" speech filter provided a richer listening experience for music. Unfortunately, switching the speech filter requires opening the app and clicking around a fair bit.

Pairing your phone with the earbuds is a bit cumbersome as the pairing process takes place outside of the Jabra Enhance app. For those who struggle with technology, this could be a pain point.

Android connectivity

Android™ phones are currently not compatible with Enhance Plus, and Jabra has not provided a timeline for that functionality.

Charging case

A portable charging case is included with the purchase of Enhance Plus. The internal lithium-ion rechargeable batteries in the earbuds will last up to 10 hours on a single charge for regular listening. Streaming will reduce run time significantly. The portable charging case, once fully charged (after ~3 hours), will allow for up to 30 hours of listening on a single charge. The fully-charged case will allow for up to 3 charges of the earbuds without being connected to power.

During my testing, I left the charging case unplugged for about ten days, and it was able to recharge my earbuds without difficulty.

This will be a handy feature when traveling, during power outages, or for those that might only use the device intermittently.

The charger utilizes magnets to guide the earbuds into the proper position, making practical use of the charger easy for most people. There are also LEDs on the earbuds that indicate correct placement in the case and battery status or pairing status. The devices themselves are marked left and right and are color-coded blue (left) and red (right) at the point on the device where the EarGel tips attach. The charging case ports are also marked left/right. However, with the EarGel tips in place, it is difficult to see the colors, and the L/R markings are a bit small to be easily read. In addition, the L/R markings in the charging case are the same color as the case (black) and are also somewhat difficult to see.

Another slight drawback of the charger is that it only comes with a USB charging cable but no AC adaptor. This means you'll need to utilize a USB port on another device such as your laptop, a USB port on another charger, or purchase an adaptor separately to charge the earbuds.

Jabra Enhance iPhone app

As mentioned above, a smartphone application is available for compatible Apple devices and is used not only for the in-app hearing test but also to control the earbuds and allow firmware updates. Support materials such as an FAQ and videos are available as well. App controls include volume changes or muting (in both earbuds simultaneously), listening mode changes, and checking the battery status of the earbuds.

Keep in mind that there are buttons on the device that allow for control, including powering on/off, changing volume, muting, and accepting/rejecting phone calls. However, these buttons do not allow for media control. For example, the buttons will not let you pause music streaming.

The app also makes available three different listening modes including "adaptive," "focus," and "surround ." As with many hearing aids on the market, these settings determine the functionality of the directional microphones. For example, the "focus" listening mode may be ideal when in a noisy restaurant and during my tests, this was the case. "Focus" allows you to focus on speech coming from directly in front of you while sounds to the side or behind you are reduced.

Adaptive mode is used when you expect to be in various listening environments; the earbuds will automatically choose the most appropriate microphone setting. Finally, "surround" will amplify sounds from all directions, which may be ideal when you're spending time outdoors.

Unlike many traditional hearing aids, there are no wireless accessories available for the Enhance Plus. That means no TV streamers or Bluetooth adaptors. Of course, the earbuds can be used when listening to TV but will not provide the same sound quality as a TV adaptor would likely offer.

Where to purchase the Enhance Plus

You can purchase Jabra Enhance Plus OTC hearing aids online at Amazon or in mass retailer stores like Best Buy.

Another option is to purchase the Jabra Enhance Plus from a hearing care practice. On Jabra's Certified Jabra Enhance Centers webpage, you'll notice that Beltone is the primary local distributor on the map (more businesses will likely be added over time). Jabra's parent company GN also owns Beltone, so distributing Jabra's self-fitting device makes a lot of sense; they have licensed hearing care professionals that can help you.

Warranty

The earbuds come standard with a one-year warranty "against defects in materials and workmanship". Warranty claims are initiated directly with Jabra through their service center. Repaired or replacement earbuds are mailed back to the owner. According to the User Manual, the expected service life for the earbuds, charging case and App is 2 years. This includes the battery in the earbuds.

Bottom Line

The Jabra Enhance Plus earbuds are for those who want to take the self-fitting OTC hearing aid route: people who are generally more tech-savvy and want or need little professionally-led support and guidance. The devices are small, lightweight earbuds that provide good sound quality and wireless connectivity to compatible Apple devices. The rechargeable devices also come with an easy-to-use and very portable charging case, which provides extended battery life on the go.

Here are some of the key pros and cons of Jabra Enhance Plus:

If you have difficulty hearing in some situations but aren't ready to try conventional hearing aids, Enhance Plus are a great lower-cost entry-point to better hearing. However, since these self-fit hearing aids cannot be programmed in the same way as professionally fit hearing aids, they likely won't provide the same level of benefit. And unlike conventional hearing aids, they may become uncomfortable after a few hours of use (and won't last a full day).

They also don't offer the same options for online professional support that you'll find with the Jabra Enhance Select line of products, or the Jabra Enhance Pro hearing aids dispensed by licensed professionals at Costco.

On the other hand, Jabra Enhance Plus does offer a high-quality alternative for those who prefer the "look" of wireless earbuds over conventional hearing aids, prefer a do-it-yourself option, or who just need a solution for those occasional difficult listening situations.