Jabra - Enhance Select 300 - Gold

THIS…. Is the Jabra Enhance Select 300 over the counter hearing aids coming touting premium accessibility and versatility in a significantly cheaper package than you would find at your doctors office. Something unique that I enjoyed before we dive into this review is that, usually you will go to your Dr. to get the earbuds tuned and adjusted, but Jabra through the ‘select’ package that comes standard with these hearing aids allows you to adjust most things on your own, and set up an appointment to have an expert dial them in from the comfort of your own home - and the best part of this process is that you can do it as often as you need to from wherever you are at making this a significantly more accessible option. I work in the healthcare field and watch people wait over a significant period of time with varying degree's of mobility and cognition, so the ability to do this from your home/facility or have a loved one expedite this process makes it almost priceless to me. That being said, this is still a decent bit of cash to spend on hearing aids, but my grandfather needed a new set to replace his aging battery-powered hearing aids, so we took the leap to see if these hearing aids are easy for the elderly to setup and operate daily - so lets see how they performed! For setting up the hearing aids, it was so simple that my grandfather could set them up himself! Thanks to the well thought out app and numerical step by step cards provided in the box, there was no guessing on what to do as it was all well laid out. Jabra also made things color coordinated and simple to understand physically on the product where they could. Red tipped hearing aid was for the right ear, blue tipped was for the left ear, this is carried over into the charging case where there is a red indicator for the right, and blue for the left. As far as volume options, there are thirteen settings 1-13 and you turn it up and down by clicking the buttons on the left (lower) or right (higher) hearing aid…this is also the only button on either one so you can’t miss click a button. The hearing aids also come with an extensive amount of tips and cleaning items to both adjust your tips to your specific ear canal but also keep them clean. Once you have set up the hearing aid, changing the settings is relatively easy. In the app there are four modes corresponding to what you are doing (nature, public, music and home) that can be tailored to reduce wind noise, increase bass, noise cancel and many more options. The app was well laid out for my grandfather - who is admittedly not the most technically proficient person, yet he found it intuitive and simple. As far as build quality, its what you would find on any other hearing aid, and we were happy with how they wrapped around the ear and comfort. My only gripe on the build quality would be the charging case. The plastic shell felt a little thin, and the clasp to close the lid could have been done better. I am use to earbud cases snapping closed, so it could just be a difference of preference as it was never anything my grandpa noted. On the topic of the case, it holds three additional charges after your hearing aids die, leading to several days worth of hearing. Three hours charging also nets you enough battery for 24 hours of hearing, Something nice is that the hearing aids automatically turn on when removed from the case and also turn off when placed back in, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting them on or fussing about turning them on. Sound quality is very good, obviously not going to make anything sound better, but my grandfather did note how clear it was to hear in complex hearing environments due to him being able to change the settings to match the environment. This is different than his prior hearing aids as they were locked into one setting for all environments, but my grandfather noted that even if he never changed the settings, these performed better overall in almost every environment. This is due to the soundscape technology that Jabra has developed which my grandfather said made the average conversation sound sharper. Audio is a strong point, and I think that the app certainly helps, the best part is that if something seems off or you are having any problems, you can reach out through the app and have them adjusted at anytime. The app though, is not required to use the product. Some cool features that these earbuds also have is that you can Bluetooth them to your phone and discreetly take phone calls/listen to any audio from your phone. This is as if your hearing aids are earbuds, which I think is super cool. It was easy to pair, and easy to switch over but did seem to drain battery life more… but not enough to be concerned. High Points: -SoundScape Voice Clarity Tech -Anywhere unlimited mobile adjustments for 3 years -mobile rechargeable case -easy to use app -silver color really blended in well with my grandpas hair -3 year warranty -IP68 water resistant rating Low Points: -Case could be more well built To sum this up, Jabra really made an all-star product. Yes it is still a pricy option, but it is a well made product with a warranty and adjustments guaranteed for three years which I think is almost unbeatable. The setup process is easy enough for the less tech savvy to still figure out and operate, and the adjustment process is easy enough that I find it better and faster than making an in person appointment and having them adjusted. All of this paired with a pretty nifty rechargeable case and really crisp, clear hearing in almost any environment is exactly what I was excited for when I heard about over the counter hearing aids becoming a thing. This is cheaper, faster and higher quality that what my grandfather was getting from his Dr, and it comes with some very cool Bluetooth options that were not previously available. The best part of the whole thing is when you buy this at Best Buy… you never have to worry about getting the wrong hearing aid for you, they have this model and several other variations as well to fit all needs and budgets. I loved this hearing aid for my grandpa, but it is a very subjective item … which is what makes Best Buy awesome as they have an excellent return policy and even better customer service, so you never have to worry about buying a the wrong product or product that you don’t like especially when they are as expensive as hearing aids.

II have had a chance to use the Jabra Select 300 hearing aid which is a combo of cutting-edge technology with a user-friendly design. I will go over some of the features, performance, pros, and cons of the Jabra Select 300. The Jabra Select 300 is designed with a sleek, modern aesthetic that is both discreet and stylish. Its behind-the-ear design ensures that it remains out of the way while providing powerful amplification. It is device is lightweight, which enhances comfort for extended use. It also comes with various ear tip sizes, ensuring a snug fit. CONNECTIVITY AND ADDITIONAL FEATURES The Jabra Select 300 offers Bluetooth compatibility. This allows you to connect their hearing aids to smartphones, televisions, and other devices for direct audio streaming. It is a stable connection and has a good range. The quality of the music sound is ok, it's not meant for music speakers but it amplifies and retains the integrity of the sound. SOUND QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE It delivers clear and natural sound. It uses advanced signal processing technologies to enhance speech clarity and reduce background noise, which is crucial for various environment. EASE OF USE AND CUSTOMIZATION User-friendliness is a key aspect of the Jabra Select 300. The hearing aid is designed to be intuitive, with easy-to-access controls and straightforward customization options.Despite the intuitive design, new users may experience a learning curve in mastering all the features and controls. While automatic adjustments are helpful, there are situations where manual fine-tuning is necessary, which can be cumbersome for some users. RELIABILITY AND SUPPORT Reliability and customer support are critical factors for any medical device, and the Jabra Select 300 is backed by Jabra's reputation for quality and service. It comes with 3 years of customized sessions and support. The sessions help you adjust your hearing aid to you needs. You will get help along the way when adjusting the settings and profiles. PROS: The slim profile and behind-the-ear design make the hearing aid barely noticeable. Lightweight and multiple ear tip sizes cater to long-term wear without discomfort. The build quality feels solid for such a small design and is made for daily wear. Effectively differentiates between speech and noise, prioritizing clarity of conversation. Ability to stream audio directly from devices The Jabra app allows users to customize settings, monitor battery life, and receive firmware updates The physical controls on the device are simple to use, allowing for quick adjustments Users can create personalized hearing profiles through the app The hearing aid can automatically adjust settings based on the environment The device comes with a comprehensive warranty and access to customer support CONS: Despite its discreet design, the device is still visible, which might be a concern for users looking for a completely invisible solution. Some users may find that it takes time to adjust to the sound profile of the hearing aid. The battery life may not be as long-lasting as some users expect, requiring frequent recharges Initial setup and pairing with devices can be complex and might require assistance Reliance on the app for full functionality means that users without smartphones might not fully benefit from all features. The Jabra Select 300 hearing aid stands out as a sophisticated and user-friendly device that uses advanced technology with a practical design. Its strengths are in its sound quality, connectivity options, and customizable features, making it a versatile choice for a wide range of users. However, the device is not without its drawbacks, such as the initial setup complexity and battery life.The PROS outnumber the CONS and it easily falls into the category of a quality design and performance hearing aid. It is a worthy investment for improving hearing and quality of life so I definitely recommend it for all those looking to improve their hearing with a device that is discrete, rechargeable and versatile with todays streaming/viewing devices.

Love how I can hear my family jabber and choose to enhance my enviorment with differnt settings. I could hear the crickets chirping so clearly. It was insane how specific the sounds came through and I thought I could hear well enough. The hearing aids really do enhance my hearing. The thought that you can slowly lose hearing and realize it with an amazing product like the Jabra Enhance isn't a bad thing. I'm so glad technology has come far enough that a wire as thin as a hair wraps around my ear and can help with my hearing. A few of my favorite enhancements are noise cancelling, how light they are, battery life, and the mutliple features in the Jabra application. Form factors for me are important with any technology, especially those items that are on my person at all times or most of the day. The Enhance aids are about the size of a penne pasta noodle. There are mutilple ear cushions (the variations are noto endless but there are so many so that you find the comfort best for you). Now, the setup was concerining for me because these aids are delicate and I knew that I was going to have sound profiles to tailor for myself. However, Jabra's Enhance app walks you through it and essentially holds your hand and offers you with support as you progress. It's summer and getting closer to the holidays means that I'm going to be able to be a part of conversations in more meaningful ways. I sweat a lot and knowing that the Enhance aids are water resistant is awesome because I walk a lot in the eveings and I don't want to ruin these. Overall, this is going to be a great second half of 2024!

One of the hardest things in life is not being able to communicate effectively or easily. This is a common problem for those of us who are hard of hearing. Not only is it frustrating, but for some it is embarrassing, especially when you have to repeatedly say “What?” all the time. Not being able to hear can lead some people to isolation and loneliness. Many people have been forced to live like this because of the high cost of prescription hearing aids. JabraGN and their line of Enhance Select over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids have brought down the price of admission to improved hearing considerably. OTC hearing aids are relatively new to the marketplace and are quite different from the “personal hearing amplifiers” that many people may be familiar with that come with a somewhat modest price tag. You do get what you pay for when it comes to those devices and with true hearing aid products. Just like with vision, hearing varies from person to person, sometimes a great deal. The jabraenhance.com web site offers a simplified hearing assessment to determine if you are a candidate for OTC hearing aids as they are intended for people experiencing mild to moderate hearing loss (greater loss is usually referred to as “profound”). In my own situation, I am at the upper end of moderate loss, but have found that OTC hearing aids (HAs) work just as well as my set of prescription HAs which are now just over 5 years old and nearing the end of their anticipated life expectancy. I have been a hearing aid user for the past 12 years and am in my late sixties. These JabraGN Enhance Select 300 hearing aids (I’m going to abbreviate as ES 300) are comparable to many prescription HAs on the market in size, technology, adaptability to your needs, and quality of both the hardware and the professional care experience. The parent company, GN Group based in Denmark, also makes prescription hearing aids under the ReSoundGN banner and has been a major player in this industry for many years and has a reputation comparable to the other big players in this arena. In fact these ES 300 HAs look virtually identical to a ReSound product and have the feel, functionality, and user-adjustability via smartphone control as many prescription HAs have. With hearing aids, not only are you buying hardware, you are buying “professional care” delivered by both licensed audiologists (AuD), and hearing instrument specialists (HIS), and this is just as important as the hardware in my opinion. JabraGN offers their Enhance Select HAs with both a “Basic” and “Premium” package, with differing price points. The additional charge for the Premium Package gets you 3 years of warranty and loss & damage protection instead of the 1 year offered in the Basic Package, but more importantly you receive 3 years of customer service consisting of custom programming to your individual needs and access to JabraGN’s AuD and HIS staff. To me, this is a true bargain considering the price differential, especially when you consider that there will not be the need to travel to an office to access these services. Meetings with staff are held via Zoom on your phone, tablet, or computer, and any custom programming is accomplished via a download through the app on your phone or tablet. And I can’t tell you enough just how slick these services work. If you have ever had experience with older or inexpensive HAs where you had to have your hearing professional connect them with a wire to their computer to make adjustments or updates, you will be amazed at just what is available nowadays with modern technology. JabraGN includes a wealth of accessories with the ES 300 and they allow you to tailor the fit and sound to your ears using different soft rubber domes that fit into your ear canal and are at the end of the receiver (which most people would call a “speaker”). Don’t underestimate the effect these little pieces of rubber can have on the sound quality - it isn’t only about fit and comfort when it comes to domes. They can have a noticeable effect on the sound amplification of the HAs. The kit also comes with a supply of maintenance products to clean the HAs and keep them functioning as new for a long period of time. Also included is a measuring tool to determine the proper length of the receiver wire for your particular ear shape. If the included receivers are not the proper length that you need, Jabra will send you another size of receiver at no additional charge. The one thing that I did find missing when compared to my prescription HAs is a storage container (Sta-Dri is a brand name for this product) that contains a renewable desiccant to remove moisture from the HAs or to keep them dry when not being used or charged. Another option is to purchase separately, an electrically operated dryer where you put the HAs into it and run it through a cycle that takes a couple hours to gently remove moisture from the devices. I think either option is money well spent to extend the life of your HAs. The User Guide for the Enhance Select 300 is remarkably well written and illustrated when it comes to walking through a user who is new to hearing aids. It goes into great detail about proper fit of hearing aids, how to care for them, and gives a great general overview of the how, what, and why of hearing aid use. While detailed, the information is presented in an easy to understand way that should not be overwhelming or intimidating to a new user. That said, hearing aids and their care is not entirely foolproof and do require some manual dexterity of the fingers as everything is rather small, and the end user should also be of sound mind to properly use and care for the devices. The Jabra Enhance Select app for your smartphone and the manufacturer’s web site are also great sources of additional information and contain short videos about a variety of use and care topics. The app for your smartphone or tablet is well designed for ease of use and provides a number of functions to allow for control of the HAs and to allow for some customization of the settings by the user such as noise filters and a speech clarifying option. There are four different program settings for differing environmental situations. And within each of these programs are additional customizations to fit your needs. The app also allows you to contact Jabra for help with any issues or questions you may have, or set up an appointment with one of their professionals for a future date. Your account information will also display details about your HA devices, and when the warranty and/or support access expires. The hearing aids will work without smartphone connectivity, and you are still able to adjust volume and change programs. The ES 300 HAs have rechargeable batteries (that are not user replaceable), and they come with a charging case to store them in. There is a small wall charger with a 4-foot-long USB cable that connects to the charging case. The case contains a rechargeable battery inside of it and the hearing aids can be charged from the case’s battery three full times without being plugged into an electrical outlet. There are small lights on the case where the charging cord plugs in to tell you the charge status of the case battery. These lights illuminate when you remove or insert the HAs into the case for charging, or when you plug the charger into the case. There is a second set of small lights inside the case that illuminate when you remove or insert the HAs into the case and these lights indicate the charge remaining in the HA with the lowest amount of charge. The interesting thing is that you cannot get either set of lights to illuminate (to check the amount of charge) by opening the case or pressing a button - you have to remove or replace the HAs or plug in the cord. There is also a confusing statement on page 22 of the manual as it states “turned-on charger” as there is no button to turn the charger on or off. Hearing aids that connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth have for a while now offered the ability to stream either phone call audio to the HAs or stream audio content such as music or podcasts to the HAs. In the past I had to hold my phone up to my mouth while talking on a phone call to use the microphone in the phone as the HAs did not have this two-way functionality built into them like a lot of wireless ear buds do. The ES 300 now has this ability to have a phone conversation using the mics built into the HAs and your phone can stay in your pocket or purse. I do have to admit that for me and my hearing issues, I do find that using my AirPods for phone calls and streaming audio from my iPhone makes for better sound quality than the HAs do. But having this ability is handy if I am somewhere without AirPods and I get a phone call. A tip for users is that when on a phone call or streaming audio to your ES 300s, to adjust the volume you hear, you have to use the volume buttons on the phone. When using your HAs to hear, the buttons on the HAs can be used to adjust your listening volume, but not while streaming audio from your phone or tablet. Pressing the button on the HA during a phone call will disconnect the call. Pressing the buttons on the HAs while listening to music will adjust the sensitivity of the microphones on the HA body to adjust how much you can hear sounds around you, but they will not adjust the volume of the audio material coming from your device. I have only had my first appointment with a Jabra hearing specialist, so I still have some fine tuning to do to hopefully obtain better speech clarity in noisy environments. Better hearing is truly a life changing experience. Best Buy offers a 60-day return window for OTC hearing aids, so you really have nothing to lose in trying them for yourself. To those with hearing difficulties, please seek the help that is available. It is now easier and cheaper to do so than it ever has been.

This is the third set of OTC hearing aids my wife and I have tried. I have slight age-related hearing loss while my wife is moderately hearing-impaired. Dialogue on TV shows and movies has been getting harder for both of us to understand, while my wife in particular has a very difficult time hearing me when her head is turned or when we’re trying to have a conversation in a car or from across the room, etc. We started seeking OTC solutions for our respective hearing conditions, beginning with some lower-cost hearing “amplifiers” which we quickly jettisoned for being little more than pretty-good-sounding earbuds that happened to offer some targeted but unnatural amplification capabilities. When we upped the ante to a set of legit OTC aids from a well-regarded competing brand (that clocked in at just around $1K, by the way), we were blown away with the difference it made. We thought maybe we had stumbled into an endgame OTC solution after just that little bit of looking, but then along came these Jabra Select Enhance 300s—and they COMPLETELY upended our thinking about how good OTC hearing aids could get...read on to learn more. The Jabra Enhance hearing aids come in a box that is literally jam-packed with accessories and consumables that look almost intimidating at first. Unlike a set of high-end earbuds that might come with a few sizes of ear tips, a charging case, and maybe a stubby charging cable, the Enhance Select 300s set you up for a good year or more of steady use with cleaning and wax guard replacement supplies; not three but SEVEN different types/sizes of eartips (open, closed, and flanged “tulip” domes) to accommodate varying degrees of isolation, fit, and comfort; removable sport locks to keep the aids in place during exercise/sports; as well as a charging cable and wall block charger. The charging case is somewhat bulky—it is portable, but not really pocketable. However, unlike the case provided with our other OTC aids, the Jabra charging case also has a battery on board that can provide three full charge cycles for the hearing aids before needing to be recharged itself. A three-segment LED gauge on the back indicates the charge level of the case while the 5-segment LED gauge under the magnetic lid indicates charge level for the hearing aids. A quick 30-minute charge juices the aids enough for 8 hours of use while 3 hours in the charging cradle will give you about 30 hours of battery life. With a fully charged set of hearing aids and a fully charged case in tow, you can theoretically get about 120 hours of use before needing to plug the case in again! The hearing aid assemblies themselves are tiny, much more so than we had expected. This translated into AMAZING comfort because they literally disappear behind your ear. I don’t know what kind of voodoo Jabra used to smush all that capability down into such a tiny form factor, but the end result really does feel like you’re not wearing anything at all. As an added bonus, the portion of the aids that rest behind the ear did NOT interfere with the fit or comfort of our glasses while they were in use. Each hearing aid has a single push button on the back—it's an actual button, not a touch-panel, so it’s easy to feel/know when you’ve pressed down on the right spot. The buttons let you control power, volume, and cycle through the 4 hearing enhancement modes. These modes are available directly in the aids, or you can select and further customize them in the companion app for your smartphone. Like most personal smart products these days, you’ll need to download a companion app to get your hearing aids activated, set up, and dialed in to your tastes and preferences. Within the app, the range of adjustments and ambient sound accommodation programs are impressive. There is an “all-around” setting that is kind of a generic “do-it-all" program for hearing enhancement, a restaurant setting that is best suited to noisy social environments, a music setting (which my wife used during a recent outdoor concert to great success), and an outdoor setting that limits wind noise. Each program can be further tailored to either reduce ambient noise or enhance speech clarity, with additional customizations available for low, mid, and high frequencies. The app is also your starting place for customizing the hearing aids to your personal hearing needs as well as your portal to all manner of support. This includes guided videos for fitment and use, as well as a hearing test to get you started. Once the test is complete, the results of your audiogram are uploaded to Jabra where initial sound profile adjustments are made and pushed to your hearing aids. You also have the option of a virtual setup consultation with an audiologist. Our video consultation was extensive, and the physician clearly knew the ins and outs of the hardware and app/phone settings necessary to get us up and running. She pushed some adjustments to the hearing aids in real-time during our session to improve in-ear telephone performance, and scheduled a follow-up meeting 2 weeks later to see how things were doing and to help make additional adjustments. I even got an email from Jabra support a few days later telling me how to adjust some account information we entered online based simply on an offhand comment I made to the audiologist during the initial consult. This level of support came bundled with the Enhance Select 300s and is frankly WAY above and beyond what we would ever have expected for OTC hearing aids. If this is your first set of hearing aids and you’re not sure what to expect, or would simply like to feel more confident about your purchase, I highly recommend taking advantage of Jabra’s incredible customer support features. With all of that said, I suppose I should make some notes of the performance, right? In a word, FABULOUS. The Enhance Select 300s turns in an incredibly natural-sounding audio performance—there was none of the telltale watery, tinny, or artificial-sounding amplification that sometimes accompanies digital signal processing for hearing enhancement. The distracting sidetone effect (hearing your own voice echo during speech) we noted from the last set of hearing aids we tried was also thankfully missing with the Enhance Select 300s. In fact, the enhancement effects were SO natural that my wife was convinced the hearing aids weren’t working at all, until she took them out and realized just how degraded her “normal” hearing really is! From the other side of the equation, I was finally able to carry on a normal conversation with my wife from across the room, even at a whisper, or have her hear a question I asked while driving without me having to get her attention two or three times. And before we decided to fully devote these hearing aids to my wife, I also tried them out with the soundtracks to my typically more troublesome TV shows and movies and found that I didn’t need to turn the volume up anywhere near as high to clearly understand and enjoy the dialogue. Given our experience, I HIGHLY recommend the Enhance Select 300 for anyone with mild to moderate hearing loss where the naturalness of the resultant sound is of paramount importance. The only things we felt were just slightly short of outstanding were streaming media and phone performance. Audiobooks sounded just fine using the hearing aids, but music streamed from my iPhone 14 Pro Max sounded—passable; my wife reported the same sentiments using her iPhone. Similarly, talking on the phone using the hearing aids like wireless earbuds was not as ideal as we would have expected given how well the aids performed with ambient hearing enhancement—in fact, it was necessary to max the volume just to carry on a conversation, and even then, the results weren’t necessarily stellar. The audiologist said there were more adjustments she could try pushing to the hearing aids during the next consultation to improve performance, but until that follow-up appointment, let’s just say that phone call performance could be better. Still, those issues don’t completely detract from the primary function of these hearing aids: to improve your hearing, especially for conversations, in complex or noisy environments. And in that capacity, it’s not hyperbole to call the results we experienced were life-changing, at least in terms of the conversational life my wife and I have had trouble sharing these past few years.