Jabra Enhance Select 700 review

Receiver-in-ear hearing aids sold direct with remote audiology care, and the symptoms that mean see a doctor instead.

The verdict: Before buying any hearing aid, get the ears looked at. Over-the-counter hearing aids are intended for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, and the FDA lists red flags that mean seeing a doctor instead: visible ear deformity, fluid, pus or blood from the ear, sudden or rapidly worsening hearing loss, hearing loss in one ear only, dizziness, pain, or a blocked feeling that could be wax. Buy it if none of those apply and you want clinic-grade hardware with remote audiology support at roughly half a clinic's price. Skip it if any red flag applies, or if your parent cannot manage a smartphone app and small rechargeable devices without help.

Best OTC with real audiology support

Jabra Enhance Enhance Select 700 Hearing Aids with Audiology Support

~$1,995

Rechargeable receiver-in-ear hearing aids sold direct with remote audiology care included, supporting Bluetooth streaming and hands-free calls.

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Specifications

Spec	Detail
Style	Receiver-in-ear, rechargeable
Support	Remote audiology support included with purchase
Sound processing	SoundScape with Auto Focus
Connectivity	Bluetooth streaming from compatible Apple and Android devices, Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast
Calls	Hands-free calling with double-tap Tapcontrol on compatible phones
Positioning	Manufacturer describes it as clinic-quality technology at roughly half the price of in-person clinics

Specifications above come from Jabra Enhance's published feature list. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

Remote audiology support is included, which is the difference between over-the-counter hardware and an over-the-counter product with a professional attached. For an older adult, that support is often worth more than the processing.
Receiver-in-ear styling with rechargeable batteries, which removes the fiddly size 10 battery that defeats arthritic fingers.
Direct Bluetooth streaming, so phone calls and television go straight into the aids, which is frequently the single biggest quality of life change.
Auracast and LE Audio support, which points at venue and public broadcast audio becoming usable over time.
A genuine price gap against in-person clinic pricing for comparable hardware.

Where it falls short

Over-the-counter means self-perceived mild to moderate loss. If your parent's loss is severe, or is in one ear only, or came on suddenly, this is the wrong product and the right step is an audiologist or a doctor. Sudden hearing loss can be a medical emergency.
It needs a smartphone. Setup, fine tuning and remote appointments all run through an app, and if your parent cannot manage that, someone else has to be involved on a continuing basis rather than once.
Two thousand dollars is real money for a device that can be lost, and hearing aids are lost regularly. Ask about insurance and replacement terms before buying.
There is an adjustment period, and the manufacturer says so. The brain has to relearn filtering, and people who expect an instant fix return them in the first fortnight.
Rechargeable means a charging routine. A missed night is a day without hearing, which matters more for someone living alone.

What owners report

Owner reports on direct-to-consumer hearing aids with included professional support are consistently more positive than reports on pure self-fit devices, and the reason people give is the same one every time: someone adjusted them properly. The recurring successes are television and phone calls, where streaming bypasses the room entirely. The recurring frustration is noisy restaurants, which remains hard for every hearing aid at every price.

The other consistent theme in published reviews is the family's role. Older users repeatedly need help with the app, with pairing and with the first few weeks of adjustment, and the households where that help is available report far better outcomes. That is worth knowing before you order, and it pairs with our guide on communicating with someone who has hearing loss, because the equipment is only half of it.

Who it suits

Adults with self-perceived mild to moderate hearing loss and none of the FDA red flags.
Someone who wants professional adjustment without clinic pricing and has a smartphone, or a family member who does.
People whose main difficulty is television and phone calls, where streaming helps most.

Who should skip it

Anyone with sudden hearing loss, one-sided loss, ear pain, discharge, dizziness or a visible ear abnormality. See a doctor, not a shop.
Anyone whose loss is severe or profound, who needs an audiologist and prescription devices.
A person with dementia who cannot manage or keep track of small devices, where amplified phones and room-level solutions often work better.
Households where nobody can help with an app.

Alternatives worth considering

Budget Pick

MDHearing VOLT OTC Hearing Aids, Behind-the-Ear

~$397

A fifth of the price for rechargeable behind-the-ear aids with preset programmes rather than personalised fitting. A reasonable first step for someone unsure whether they will wear hearing aids at all, before spending two thousand dollars finding out.

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Different Problem

Clarity XLC8 DECT 6.0 Extra Loud Big Button Amplified Cordless Phone

~$161

If the difficulty is really only the telephone, an amplified phone solves it for a tenth of the price and needs no app, no charging routine and nothing in the ear.

Check price on Amazon

Cheaper Phone Option

Panasonic Amplified Cordless Phone with Slow Talk, 40dB Volume Boost

~$113

Slow Talk slows recorded speech playback, which helps when the problem is processing speed rather than volume. Cheap enough to try alongside hearing aids rather than instead of them.

Check price on Amazon

Common questions

Are OTC hearing aids as good as prescription ones?

For self-perceived mild to moderate loss, current over-the-counter devices can be very good, and this one includes remote audiology support that closes much of the gap. For severe loss, complex loss, or loss in one ear, prescription care is not optional. Our OTC versus prescription hearing aids guide sets out where the line falls and lists the FDA red flags in full.

When should we see a doctor instead of buying hearing aids?

If there is visible deformity of the ear, fluid, pus or blood draining from it, sudden or rapidly progressive hearing loss, loss in one ear only or noticeably worse in one ear, dizziness or vertigo, ear pain or discomfort, or a feeling of blockage that might be wax or a foreign body. Any of those means see a doctor first. Sudden hearing loss in particular is treated as urgent.

Does Medicare cover hearing aids?

Original Medicare does not cover hearing aids, though it may cover diagnostic hearing exams ordered by a doctor. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a hearing benefit, and there are state and veterans' programmes worth checking. Our benefits checker covers what may be available.

Will my parent actually wear them?

The strongest predictors in published owner reports are whether the aids were adjusted properly, whether someone helped in the first month, and whether the person themselves wanted them. Hearing aids bought for someone who does not think they need them generally live in a drawer. That conversation is worth having before the purchase.

Do they help in restaurants?

Somewhat, and less than people hope. Background noise remains the hardest problem in hearing at any price. Choosing quieter tables, sitting with the back to the room, and the practical steps in our communicating with hearing loss guide do as much as any setting.

Keep reading

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.