Traditional hearing aids are a critical investment if you've lost your hearing. However, they can be expensive and are often only available with a prescription. Hearing loss can also be a gradual process, with your response often declining over several years. You might find it hard to keep up with events and conversations around you during that time but be ineligible for medical intervention. That's where Jabra's new Enhance Plus wireless earbuds come in.
Over the past few years, the company has built a solid reputation for high-quality consumer audio equipment, including Bluetooth headphones, office headsets, and some of the best workout earbuds. The Jabra Elite Active 75t certainly scored well in our review, and these devices are much-touted for their impressive noise cancellation. This technology is centered on multiple high-resolution microphones placed strategically around the headset and AI-based software capabilities.
Most of the firm's latest headphones come equipped with the much-touted HearThrough feature. This offers partial noise cancellation while still allowing you to hear important events going on around you. The Jabra Enhance Plus earbuds use a similar system of four microphones on each earbud to enhance your hearing in the time before you seek treatment, which the company estimates to be six years.
"People should seek professional help for hearing issues, but that can be a bit daunting," notes Bruce Sharpe, CEO at Singular Hearing Inc. "Assistive tech has come a long way and Jabra and similar earbuds are an exciting concept that can make it easier to discover what might help."
The true wireless earbuds fit neatly into your ears without cables and connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth. You can adjust the sensitivity settings and customize your experience with the new Jabra Enhance app, available for Android and iPhone. This app is separate from the company's headphone-focused Jabra Sound+ smartphone app.
The earbuds come with three Listen Modes; Adaptive, Focus, and Surround. If you want the earbuds to automatically pick out essential sounds, you can enable the Adaptive mode. This is well-suited for crowded or busy environments where you need to hear speech from across the space. But if you talk to someone one-on-one, Focus uses the earbuds' beamforming microphones to prioritize sounds close to you.
Alternatively, the Surround mode is best for when you aren't listening to anything in particular but need to be aware of your surroundings. The Jabra Enhance Plus offer 10 hours of use on a single charge, but this can be increased to 30 hours with the charging case. At launch, you'll have a choice of a Dark Grey or Gold Beige set of IP59-rated water-resistant earbuds.
The company hasn't given a release date for the assistive earbuds, but they are expected to be available in the US by the end of 2021. There's also no indication of price, but most of the company's in-ear headphones retail for less than $200.
You may be wondering if you need assistance, so be sure to look out for the early warning signs of hearing loss
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