Customer Ratings & Reviews

These JLab Hear model hearing aids and earbuds are a bit of a mixed bag. There are some positives and some negatives here, but the overall impression is not great. The experience IS improved by using the app to take more control over the EQ and background noise blocking, but even with that, the overall result is just ok. People who really need some targeted help with hearing in difficult environments can likely find a combination of settings that will produce decent results, but nobody will mistake these earbuds for high-quality professional hearing aids. Pros: • They come with multiple ear cups and cushions to allow you to customize your fit and feel • They can operate without connecting to a phone, which makes their battery last much longer • They can provide some assistance with hearing voices in a noisy environment and amplifying quiet sounds while blocking out some background noise Cons: • Very hard to dial in usable sound profiles in hearing aid mode, but the JLab Hearing Health app helps • They don't really help with hearing things like TV shows because they amplify background frequencies too much • Performance as bluetooth earbuds lacks bass and clarity I really wanted to like these over-the-counter hearing aids, because I needed help with hearing in a few settings. First, I was looking for something to help amplify voices in crowded, noisy environments. Second, I was hoping for something to make watching TV more pleasurable, as I often have to turn up the volume so loud that it is not pleasant for others. The JLab Hear hearing aids help some with my first need, but only very little with my second. I was able to pick out my partner's voice better at low volumes in casual conversation in our house and in public. The JLab buds add some clarity as long as the background noise isn't at the specific frequencies they accentuate. Unfortunately, when it comes to watching TV at home, the frequencies they accentuate are all around. While the JLab buds *do* make it easier to hear the TV, they also make every other sound in the house easier to hear. A fan in the other room becomes a medium-loud thrum. A YouTube video playing on my kid's phone (even through a closed bedroom door) rises to audibility, and the TV just becomes part of the cacophony. Of course I tried the numerous settings of the earbuds to try to find the best one for each situation. The settings are Loud, Restaurant, Conversation, and Quiet, and they aren't that much different overall. I do appreciate that the earbuds offer individual volume controls so I can set the right level for each ear based on its specific needs, but other than that, the basic customization doesn't do enough. There is, however, another way to improve the outcome. By downloading the JLab Hearing Health app, you gain some more control over EQ and background noise. By tweaking the settings for your specific needs, it becomes possible to find an acceptable setting that actually does accentuate the intended sounds. The resulting performance still sounds microphonic and digitally manipulated/delayed, but it works! "Acceptable, not amazing" could be the tagline for this product. Or perhaps "better than nothing." Another thing I appreciated about the buds is the bevvy or ear cups that come in the box. I was able to find a fit that worked for me (and even discover what I didn't like about other options), and that is a very valuable and somewhat rare thing in this style of earbuds. Finally, using these as standard Bluetooth earbuds is possible, but not pleasurable. The sound is generally thin and reedy, with very little bass. That said, the earbuds do seal well, so outside sounds are fairly well blocked-out while you're listening. Just don't expect a lot of dynamics and instrument separation. Overall, I'm not very satisfied, but not wholly disappointed. I will use these in certain situations like noisy gatherings and when watching TV with others, but when I'm by myself, I'd rather crank up the TV and get the full dynamic range of sounds rather than having to listen to the JLab buds.

First off, there is no real substitute for getting a professional hearing test and having actual hearing aids tuned to your needs. With that said, lets get this review going. First the good points: 1. Small 2. Easy to insert into the ear and have it stay (with proper sized buds) 3. Rechargeable using standard USB port 4. Has long battery life as a hearing aid (would last a work day if you don't change settings all the time) 5. Can be used a regular ear buds for calls, music, etc 6. Has very compact carry case with built-in charging cord Not so good points: 1. As regular ear buds the sound is just ok. there is 1 default setting and 1 you can configure yourself (which is not easy to do, unless you know how to use a bandwidth slider) 2. Built-in cable is really short and if it gets broken you can no charge the case or earbuds 3. No hearing test section on the app. so you are up in the air to configure as best you can on your own. 4. Once switched to hearing aid. there is no way to change the sound you hear. Just how loud you want to hear it (restaurant, crowd, conversation, or quiet) 5. All the above settings are tuned to high end of the spectrum. So when I wore this, it would be too sharp sounding for me. 6. When putting them in, they are really touch sensitive, so I would be changing settings and loudness even before I could get them in all the way 7. getting them paired was a chore, with only one getting paired at a time. 8. touch controls are not intuative, as I was trying to change hearing levels and kept switching to music on my phone in the process. So the question is, do they work? The answer is yes they do to a certain point, But, I would not recommend these to any older people due to complexity of setting up, controls, and not being able to tune them to your hearing needs. These are basically like have a loud speaker close to you the whole time with little way to change how it sounds.

I wasn't sure what to expect with these JLAB Hear OTC Hearing Aid Earbuds. The idea behind them intrigued me though. I'm well familiar with the JLAB brand, however, so expected the sound quality to be good at least. Which it sorta was, but ... Pairing the earbuds to my phone proved to be a bit of a challenge, surprisingly. But I persisted and eventually got that to work. Same issue when opting to just use the earbuds for simply their hearing aid aspect. Was a bit tricky switching between both mode options depending on what I was wanting to use the earbuds for. When in just Hearing Aid mode the sound I was hearing of the environment around me was way too loud! Almost as if the earbuds were seriously overcompensating to the point of the sound being uncomfortable listening to. Even changing the volume to level 1 (it goes from 1-4), and trying each of the four different sound modes - loud environment, restaurant, conversation, quiet environment - while I could definitely hear the difference between each mode, I could still hear myself when speaking really really loudly, and that was quite unpleasant. Now the hearing aid mode with Bluetooth enabled on my phone was much better. I could hear the difference right away. Audio for my immediate surroundings could be heard with greater clarity because of the amplified sound from the hearing aid aspect, but for phone conversations and listening to music/podcasts, etc. the audio was more like I've come to expect from other "less expensive" JLAB earbuds I've used previously. Because these earbuds are newly released, I couldn't add them to my JLAB app, so I was unable to customize any audio settings. The app is pretty good though, and is definitely worth using along with your JLAB earbuds. I do appreciate that the short USB-C charging cable is attached to the case itself. That's super convenient especially for carrying these earbuds with you as you travel, or tucked away in a purse or pocket. Bottom line: I can certainly see how these JLAB Hear OTC Hearing Aid Earbuds could be useful to people with minor hearing loss that don't, as yet, need traditional hearing aids. I do, however, think that there's room for improvement here.

As much as I wanted to like these, I just can't justify giving them more than a mid-tier rating. The experience started out with the instruction book. The QR code takes you to a JLab site that gives you the wrong download program, at least on android. I couldn't figure out why the app wouldn't recognize the earbuds until I looked up the actual name in the app store and found the correct app for the earbuds. And I was really hopefully from here. You have multiple settings you can tweak, as well as an equalizer, and the ability to turn off Bluetooth on the earbuds to save battery life. However, I kept running into things that ruined the experience. First was the equalizer. It seems to work for adjusting volumes when playing music from Bluetooth, but it appears to have no response to the world your hearing. This shouldn't be bad, but the default sound profile used for the outside world sounds very metallic and tinny. The wind cancellation on these is almost none existent as well unless you have it set to block out all background noise via the app. But at that point, you also miss out on most of the world around you. Also, don't touch the top and bottom of the earbud at the same time while removing it or you'll get some nasty feedback. All in all, I can't recommend this, at least not at full retail. I was able to use it in a dining situation to better hear my partner, but at that point it's a very limited use and not an all day wear like I had hoped for. I also love JLab earbuds and regularly wear a pair at home. However, if you can, spend a little more and invest in something that's got a better sound profile than this one. Maybe the next revision will get some of the issues under control as I don't know if they'll be able to fix the issues via firmware updates.

Opening the earbuds, the box contained the charging case with the earbuds installed and several sets of different sized eartips. Some are vented for more natural hearing and some are closed for focused hearing. The earbuds came mostly charged (2 of the 3 lights were solid), so I charged them the rest of the way. Pairing would have been easy if the QR code on the instructions had taken me to the correct app. After almost an hour of not being able to pair the earbuds, I realized the app was the wrong one and searched for and downloaded the correct app. After that, pairing was a breeze. There are 4 “situation modes”: Loud Environment, Quiet Environment, Conversation, and Restaurant. There are also 4 volume levels. You can change the situation mode and sound level by tapping or long-pressing the earbud, but you can also do this on the app, which I found easier. I’ll have to get used to handling them when putting them in my ears because I keep accidentally changing the settings. When fully charged, the charging case holds enough power to charge your earbuds 3 or more times. There are LED lights on the case and on the hearing aids which lets you know the status. I can plug in the case at night with the hearing aids in them so that I’ll always have a full charge in the morning. On an important note, I had trouble getting one of the earbuds to stay in. I don’t know if it is the shape of my ear canal or what, but it kept falling out. Luckily, because I registered my earbuds, I was given a free gift and I chose the Memory Cloud Foam ear tips. With these ear tips, they are made out of the same kind of memory foam that you see in earplugs, except these have a hole through them so that the sound is channeled into your ear. After attaching these ear tips to the earbuds, you squeeze the tip and roll it into a point, then insert the earbud in your ear and they are designed to expand after being placed in your ear to never slip out. I also found these tips to be much more comfortable than the ones that came with the earbuds. Pros: Sound is superior compared to not wearing hearing aids prior to this. I can turn down the television, hear better in conversation situations, as well as improved hearing in general. I preferred the Loud Environment because, otherwise, I was hearing my footsteps! I started with level 2, but bumped it up to level 3 after a couple of days. Cons: Easy to accidentally change the settings while handling the earbuds. I ended up checking the settings on the app to ensure they weren’t changed. However, I’m getting better after a couple of days practice. Also, one of them kept falling out, but changing to the memory foam ear tips fixed that problem.

I have moderate hearing loss in both ears, I was in law enforcement for 26 years and was a firearms instructor. In the years that I served in that capacity there wasn’t much emphasis on hearing protection. We literally used those foam, formable earplugs. I now pay the price. I really like the JLab 2 in 1 hearing aid and earbud feature. I can use them to listen to music or answer phone. I wore them into a box store just the other day and I was pleasantly surprised that they are not like the other OTC hearing aids I have purchased and tried, in that, they were not “overwhelming” I heard conversations and was able to speak w/ others but I didn’t get the uncomfortable background noise that I have w/ others. I like that JLab includes a variety of the ear tips in this package, as I have to wear one size in one ear and another bigger size in the other. They are not that heavy in your ear and I didn’t experience ear fatigue as I do w/ most inner ear earbuds. I charged them and have used them everyday since I have received them and I have not had to recharge the case. I love the App that you download from the App Store and JLab really put a lot of effort in the App to make using these earbuds a lot more user friendly. I downloaded the App and had them paired in no time, as well as connecting to my phone. They really are well made and I like the Graphite color that the earbuds are. My only dislike, not so much a complaint is that I do have issues keeping the right earbud in my ear and the left seems fine, I have tried all the different tips in this ear but for some reason it will just “randomly” fall out. Whether it is just walking in a store, sitting at home watching television, etc. I really like these earbuds and I think that JLab may be onto something w/ these types of OTC, in that they do fit in your ear and you don’t have the part that goes behind your ear like the other OTC hearing aids I have tried. W/ those it seems that I get overwhelmed w/ the background noise. I would recommend these JLab 2-in-1 Hear OTC hearing Aid and Earbuds.

When seeing the availability of a 2 in 1 hearing aid/earbuds, my interest was definitely peaked! I have moderate hearing loss. Nothing I need prescription hearing aids for, but I felt this would be a welcome alternative to not being able to hear in loud environments, which is when my hearing loss is the most notable. Another benefit I was excited about was being able to keep my earbuds in when someone at work needed to talk to me during the workday. I know it seems trivial, but the number of times I take my earbuds in and out to hold a conversation could make a big difference. So please understand that it hurt my heart to give these earbuds a 3-star review. I WANTED to give them more, but at this moment, I can’t do it. When I received the ear buds, I will say I was impressed with their quality. For their price point, they felt well built and solid. The charging case has a built in USB C charging wire that tucks underneath when it’s not in use. I’m 50/50 on whether I like this or not. I guess the thought process is that you don’t have to look for or keep a charging cord with you, but now I have to find a USB-C port. And then if I do, there’s not a lot of length to the built in charging cable. Keep in mind, most phones use USB-C to charge and can power share through the USB-C, so that would be an easier way to charge them. I would just rather have a USB-C connection in the back. Better yet! How about adding a wireless charging capability? The style of the earbuds and the case are somewhat lacking too. The earbuds don’t really “lock in” to the case, especially with the larger ear canal adapters, which make it hard to seat them into their charging slots. The case is also a little small and hard to handle when opening. The earbuds themselves are just an odd shape. Once I put the ear tips and the Cushion fins on they felt comfortable, but I felt as though any sudden moves would make them fall out of my ears. Even with all of the additional cushioning, they do not block out much ambient noise during Bluetooth music usage. I was surprised, considering that the hearing aid function allows the ear buds to pick up ambient noise. How hard would it be to add active noise cancellation? I’m also surprised that considering the 2 in 1 application, there is no active speech recognition that would automatically switch between Bluetooth and hearing aids when it recognizes the wearer is speaking. Just a suggestion. Which brings us to sound quality. Ooooof. When I first put the ear buds on, they were in hearing aid mode. I went through the different presets and tested them. All in all, they were just, ok. Everything sound tinny and distant. I would’ve been fine with this if the Bluetooth audio sound was at least comparable to my current ear buds. It was far from that. The sound continued to be tinny with little to no bass. And the max volume was miniscule. I’m no audiophile, but I am also not going to listen to music that sounds like it’s being played between two cups tied together with string. Another fun fact, if you scan the QR Code on the paperwork it sends you to the main app for their other ear buds. It does not send you to the app made specifically for the hearing aid/earbuds subsection of ear buds. I also had problems initially connecting the Bluetooth to my phone. It took me four tries of following the directions. Both of these issues were time consuming and frustrating. As I said at the beginning, I really tried to like these ear buds. I wanted to like them! But if I’m being honest, I would not recommend these to anyone at this point in time. I hope JLab goes back to the drawing board though. This is an innovative idea that has promise.

The JLab 2-in-1 OTC hearing aid and earbuds seemed like a good option for someone who feels like they may have some hearing issues, but don't want to go with a full-blown hearing aid. Out of the box they were in hearing aid mode. The manual didn't include instructions for how to change modes to allow pairing, but I found it on their website. Simply press the button on both earbuds while they're still in the case and the lights will blink blue to indicate that they're ready to pair. Then you can open your device and select to pair them. Once paired, they operate as a decent set of standard wireless headphones. There is no noise cancelling, so outside sounds will filter in. When you're playing music or listening to your device, it takes a few seconds for it to switch back to hearing aid mode when you pause, so you have to be prepared ahead of time if you intend to utilize the hearing aid feature. For those who are using this type of technology for the first time, it takes some getting used to hearing your own voice get amplified. They're comfortable to wear and have good battery life. I think that society has kind of changed in a way to were wearing earbuds while talking to people isn't seen as uncommon. These are a great way to bridge the gap between hearing loss and prescription hearing aids.

These Jlabs are getting 4 stars from me simply for the innovation. Combining headphones with a hearing aid is a new one and personally I think there may be some opportunities here. From older generations (like my dad) to younger folks (kinda me…gimme a break here :-) who grew up using headphones and might not have the best hearing anymore anyway, there are a lot of people who could benefit from a product like this. Now, with all of that said, as much as I like the idea here, I also found room for improvement. The audio quality isn’t bad, especially considering the price point. These aren’t (nor were they ever intended to be) the highest quality headphones, so overall it’s acceptable. However, if you’re marketing toward those who need hearing assistance, every little bit counts. I could hear clearly, but the sound isolation wasn’t really there as advertised. When listening to phone calls the voices sounded a little…off. Kind of hard to explain that one but I I could hear a difference in people’s voices (particularly with people I know). I will also say that frankly I’m used to using more expensive headphones, and well, you get what you pay for. These stayed in my ears but they weren’t the most comfortable and after using for around 60-90 minutes, my ears felt a little fatigued and I was ready for a break. I personally would rather spend an extra $25-50 if it meant I could get a more comfortable, long lasting fit. So, while these do work, there is also definite room for improvement. If you want to try them out, they’re a good starter, but I hope JLab puts out a second generation with some improvements to fit and sound quality.

I was a firefighter for 25 years and have some hearing loss due to my time being subjected to loud sirens and diesel engines along with all the other aspects of the job. When I heard JLab makes these 2 in 1 hear OTC hearing aid and earbuds I was interested to see how well they worked first off it’s not my first JLab product and they make reliable good products especially for those looking for a low budget cost. These work well fit wise and I really like the weight of them. The graphite color is nice. The sound quality is what you would expect and the ability to amplify sounds is very helpful and just right for me. What is also cool is that no one knows you are receiving help because they just look like stylish ear buds. Battery was not tested but that’s because I like to charge the case more than I need. Overall for the value and the dual purpose they work great and are a product I would recommend for us younger guys that might need some help in the hearing department lol. Nice product

One of the biggest issues with getting my dad to wear his traditional hearing aids is embarrassment. He is fairly new to hearing aids, so I understand where he is coming from. It's going to take some getting used to. Full disclosure: my father has minor hearing loss and was prescribed traditional hearing aids. So, we needed an alternative that would help him hear and look discreet. Lo and behold, the opportunity came up to try the JLab 2-in-1 hearing aids. These were perfect!! My dad enjoys listening to music, so he gets the best of both worlds. He can listen to music when he wants, and also has the ability to switch over to hearing aids whenever he needs them. These look just like any regular earbud style headphones, so he is no longer embarrassed to wear hearing aids in public. He says that his music sounds great, and that the hearing aid feature really improved his hearing. We no longer have to repeat ourselves more than once to get him to hear what we say. Although he is not fully tech savy, I got the JLab 2-in-1 earbuds setup for him. This is just like any other bluetooth connecting device. So setup is really easy. These are definitely a great alternative for folks who are new to hearing aids and are not fully comfortable wearing traditional style hearing aids.

I got these for my girlfriend’s father as he just started wearing hearing aids but doesn’t have to wear them all the time. When I told him about these he was very interested in trying using these to compliment his professional hearing aids. The biggest reason was the ability to use these with his iPad when watching videos and having the benefit of a hearing aid when he’s not. Sound wise when talking to someone, he says they sound fine but have an almost hollow sound to them. He said for the price it’s something he can overlook. He can hear better in his left ear than his right so he likes that you can control the volume independently for each bud. There’s 4 preset modes for hearing but he said he doesn’t notice a dramatic difference in them. His regular hearing aids were very expensive so he likes having an inexpensive pair that if lost or misplaced they’re much less expensive to replace. If you need a set of hearing aids and can’t afford expensive ones or just want an inexpensive backup pair, these are a great option.

Ever since the FDA has approved over-the-counter hearing aids, I’ve been intrigued as I have suffered from slight hearing loss over the years, but not enough to warrant a hearing aid, at least I think. In the short number of years that these have been available, I have tried several pairs myself and while this JLab model is very affordable, they are still very very good. I find it nice to just pop them in to concentrate on the conversation at hand. You can really hear the entire conversation without asking them to repeat or use the dreaded “what” all the time. I really appreciate that these are purpose built and not just a feature that’s added later like some other company is currently doing. If there is one thing I could change is the fitment. They do fit, they just don’t stay in my ears very well. I would like to see greater customization in the next models. Do yourself a favor and take these camping with you. You will be amazed at everything you hear! I highly recommend these OTC buds for anyone suffering from minor hearing loss.

This is my first foray into hearing aids to assist with mild hearing loss. But, I suspect this is also JLabs first foray into hearing aids, as the hearing aid functionality seems like an afterthought to an otherwise halfway decent pair of earbuds. Setup took longer than expected, because to initiate pairing, you're relying on the earbuds to go into pairing mode by themselves when you take them out of the case. This took several tries, and lots of waiting for them to finally start blinking showing they were in pairing mode, and for them to show up as a device on my phones bluetooth. To booklet that comes with the earbuds includes a QR to download the app, but it links to a webpage, which links to the wrong app! You have to search in the app store for the JBuds Health app, and not the regular jbuds app. This again was a bit frustrating and confusing as a part of the setup. It's unclear why JBuds went with a separate app anyway, since the JBuds health app doesn't actually offer much other than instructions on setup and using the earbuds. I couldn't find anywhere where I could adjust the earbud settings themselves. Using them as actual hearing aids was mediocre. They make everything louder, which I suppose is the key goal, but I don't need *everything* louder. For example, I could hear my own breathing quite well, which was rather distracting. It would've been nice if there was some control over what sounds to amplify (e.g. voices). Using them for music is actually where these performed well. I was pleasantly surprised by the audio quality for music. So, if you're looking for earbuds that can double in aiding you to hear everything else, these might work for you. But if you need more advanced hearing aids with more control, these might not fit your needs.

Ive used jlabs for several years now and for the money you just cant beat em. So, I decided to try the hearing aids by jlabs. I gabe em 4 stars bc they hard to get use to but are awsome once you do

The JLab Hearing Aids came very well packaged with plenty of extra rubber ear tips as replacements. The Quick Start guide is extremely well written, with both great illustrations and simple to understand words. The phone app is also extremely easy and well done - with videos tutorials and easy pairing. At first I could not get them to pair with my phone, but quickly learned it was because they were in "hearing aid only" mode. Even this was easy to find and remedy in the Quick Start guide. The case they come in has lights that are easy to understand for charging and pairing. The case also has a built in USB-C charging cord that is awesome - you don't have to keep track of yet another charging cord. This just plugs in quickly to an electrical plug that has a USB-C port. The earbuds themselves are extremely comfortable and fit well. Even when using for a long period (like a movie). The sound quality as an earbud is good - no background noise at all and clear. As hearing aids - they are impressive. You can select the various modes by double tapping the controls. Each mode; restaurant, loud, conversation, and quiet environment is different and you can choose which one works best very quickly. The volume has four levels and when you press the controls, it tells you the number you are at. These hearings aids enhance whatever you are listening to without any screeching or background noise. Plus they can be used to listen to movies and music as earbuds - what a perfect combination. These earbuds are a complete package - easy to use, well written instructions, and excellent sound control and quality. My husband and I both suffer from some hearing loss and these are game changers without the hassle of expensive, fitted hearing aids.