With the recent changes being made to how we access hearing care, we want to get all the facts straight and ensure that everyone here in our corner of Massachusetts is getting the best care possible.
Part of that is experimenting with new products to see if they perform as they have been promised. As we all know, sometimes companies like to elaborate on their achievements to increase sales.
The Jabra was first introduced in February of this year and gained a lot of attention. It was one of the first over-the-counter devices to encourage people to see a professional first. This was great news, as we have always encouraged people to do this.
ReSound has always needed a consultation before buying, so with this change, does the Jabra outperform prescription hearing aids like the ReSound?
To find out, we conducted a trial with one of our patients. We asked him to wear both for an equal amount of time and then report back his findings based on our inquiries.
Here are the results.
First Impressions
Our gracious volunteer started with the Jabra Enhance Plus and wore it for two weeks. The trial was supposed to be three weeks, but unfortunately, the results of his experiment were quite definitive, and continuing was not an option.
Next, our volunteer wore the prescription hearing aid from ReSound and had a much different experience. At the top of his list was comfort; the ReSound was the clear winner in this category, as it was smaller and easier to wear.
In-Depth Analysis
Comfort level seemed to play a big part and was a significant point of concern for our volunteer. The size of the ReSound is much smaller and more discreet. Our volunteer was able to hide all evidence of him wearing it with a few strands of hair around his ear.
ReSound One Prescription Hearing Aid
He mentioned that the plastic tube that connects the receiver to the inner ear is so thin that he “had to look to find it” at times. This is great for anyone who wants a minimal feel.
Our volunteer was also very impressed by the performance and mentioned the sound quality. This is a common theme we hear from many patients, as it can be challenging to get used to listening to sound through a mechanism.
The sound quality was a big help to him in restaurants and anywhere with background noise. Although this patient’s hearing loss is not severe, it’s great to know that even someone with a minimal hearing loss is impressed by the sound quality.
Jabra Enhance Plus
Our volunteer had less than encouraging words to say about the Jabra. First was the size; it’s larger and therefore was more cumbersome around his ear. This is particularly problematic if you wear glasses—which our volunteer does—and even more annoying when you add a mask.
Hopefully, the mask aspect won’t be an issue for much longer, but glasses aren’t going away any time soon.
During his two-week usage, he noted having problems when around other sounds. Wind presented a huge issue, and our volunteer said that the Jabra Enhance Plus was “not usable” in the wind. Any kind of background noise presented a problem and performed far less than the ReSound.
Final Thoughts
With this experiment, it seems our volunteer has declared a clear winner. With comfort and performance a key factor, the ReSound prescription hearing aids were preferred over the Jabra Enhance Plus OTC.
He also mentioned that the app associated with the ReSound was easy to use and even fun at times. He said he was adjusting it a lot to find the most optimal settings for his surroundings and doing so was a breeze.
Experiments like this give us great insight into how these products are being used and help us to recommend the best ones to our community.
If you have any personal experiences you would like to share, please contact us at your earliest convenience. We would love to hear about how any product has changed your life for better or worse.
