Jabra Enhance Introduces Its Latest Flagship OTC Hearing Aid: Jabra Enhance Select 500

Jabra Enhance has introduced of its latest flagship over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid, Jabra Enhance Select 500, the company’s smallest and most advanced hearing aid yet, featuring a micro Receiver-in-Ear (RIE) design with SoundScape™ technology and Bluetooth Low-Energy (LE) and Auracast™ audio broadcast connectivity. Enhance Select 500 is available at JabraEnhance.com for $1,795 or $1,995, depending on if you select the Premium package with professional customization and support or the Basic pre-programmed set-up package.

All Jabra Enhance Select models are receiver-in-canal RIE hearing aids (also known as receiver-in-canal or RIC), where the main body of the hearing aid sits behind your ear, and a small transparent wire connects to a speaker (receiver) in your ear. The new Jabra Enhance Select 500 is 25% smaller than a standard RIE hearing aid and 15% smaller than the Jabra Enhance Select 300. Its lower center of gravity gives it greater resistance to movement on the ear, giving it an ergonomic design for people on the go.

Utilizing SoundScape proprietary speech clarity technology, Enhance Select 500 prioritizes speech while reducing background noise for more natural-sounding one-on-one conversations in quiet or complex listening environments. Jabra says the new hearing aid also offers an added layer of uniquely tailored programming for difficult listening situations like restaurants and loud environments.

Technology highlights of the new Jabra Enhance Select 500

Representing JabraEnhance.com's latest flagship hearing aid, the Enhance Select 500 offers:

• A “Micro RIE” design—Jabra's smallest hearing aid yet
• Hands-free calling* with TapControl
• SoundScape™ proprietary speech clarity technology
• Advanced Bluetooth LE Audio streaming for calls, music, and media*
• Ready for the future with Bluetooth Auracast*
• A charging case that provides up to 24-hour listening on a single charge
• A Music Mode in the Jabra Enhance mobile app for improving the sound quality of live music
• App also allows for control of hearing aid settings, streams music, and takes calls
• Weather-resistant with IP68 rating
• Customer service, technical support, and troubleshooting from Jabra's Customer Support Team, 7 days a week

New Bluetooth LE and Auracast advantages

Jabra Enhance Select 500 offers hands-free calling compatibility for Apple iOS and Android phones and devices. You can use TapControl to answer calls with a double-tap on your ear or hearing aid. Customizing settings is simple with the Jabra Enhance Select app, allowing adjustments to bass, treble, and environmental programs to suit individual preferences. With a single charge, the Enhance Select 500 can last an entire day, and the accompanying charging case provides up to three additional full charges for on-the-go convenience.

Bluetooth LE Audio establishes a new standard in connectivity, enhancing audio quality, prolonging battery life, and ensuring more stable wireless connections. Enhance Select 500 hearing aids support Bluetooth LE Audio streaming for calls, music, and media on compatible Apple and Android devices.

The new hearing aid is also “future ready” with Auracast, an exciting new kind of live broadcast audio transmission technology that is expected to come into widespread use in the next few years. With Auracast, venues like concert halls, sports arenas, and places of worship can transmit audio to an unlimited number of devices, including Auracast-enabled hearing aids and earbuds. With built-in Auracast capability, the Enhance Select 500 seamlessly accommodates these direct audio transmissions.

A bolstered product line-up for Jabra Enhance

HearingTracker has described Jabra Enhance as arguably the most modern hearing aid company. Not only do they offer advanced Jabra products that also borrow technology from their GN Store Nord sister company, ReSound, but their product range caters to a new breed of consumers who prioritize convenience, transparency, and low cost.

For those consumers who want premium prescription hearing aids dispensed by a hearing care professional, Jabra Enhance Pro is available from Costco at $1,599 per pair, while those looking for a DIY approach with more limited support but a lower price can purchase the Jabra Enhance Plus OTC hearing aid for $799.

Between these hearing aids is Jabra Enhance Select, which offers three different hearing aids and your choice of online professional support from $995 to $1,995.

The Enhance Select 500 Premium Package is custom-programmable to users’ unique hearing needs and includes 3 years of professional hearing care, warranty, and loss and damage (subject to limitations and deductible) protection for $1,995. For those more confident in the DIY approach, the Select 500 Basic Package is pre-programmed to fit, set up, and manage out-of-the-box and includes 1-year warranty and loss and damage (subject to limitations and deductible) protection for $1,795.

The previous mid-level product, Enhance Select 100, is no longer available and has been replaced by the previous premium product, Jabra Enhance Select 300. In January, Jabra upgraded its "Select 50" to "Select 50R" to reflect its new rechargeable capabilities; however, unlike the Select 300 and 500, the 50R does not have a portable recharging case, instead relying on a desktop charger.

Jabra Enhance Select hearing aids are available at JabraEnhance.com in five colors: Sparkling Silver, Champagne, Gold, Bronze, Warm Gray. According to the company, Jabra Enhance Select 500 will be available at select retailers and partners this summer.