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Self-Fitting Jabra Enhance Plus

The Self-Fitting Jabra Enhance Plus Is Now Available – Here’s The Verdict From Our Patients

03/14/2022 | Hearing Aids, Industry News, Patient Resources, Technology

The Jabra Enhance Plus 3-in-1 earplug with hearing aid technology is now available for purchase through a hearing professional. It joins the Bose SoundControl as another large brand manufacturer to bring a hearing tech device to the hearing market.

Since President Biden’s executive order last year for low-cost hearing aids to be made available without the need for professional care, we’ve been watching to see who would step forward to meet the request.

Jabra’s device is a good device that will hopefully meet the needs of those ready to take a small, initial step toward treating their hearing loss properly.

Why Buy The Enhance Plus?

The Jabra Enhance Plus earbud is a good option for individuals who are at the beginning of their hearing loss journey.

  • Occasional help – They may have situational hearing issues but do okay for the most part. They just need assistance in specific situations, such as restaurants, parties, or other difficult listening environments.
  • Streaming – Some patients who are doing well with their prescription devices, like the Jabra Enhance to stream music while exercising because it improves their listening experience. Every other type of audio can be streamed directly to the earbuds as well – phone calls, video, TV, etc.
  • Cost – There is a need for devices like these because we often see patients who are not quite ready for prescription hearing devices either due to cost or degree of hearing loss, and this is now a viable option.
  • Generic help – I view these devices as no different to readers in the eyeglass world. Sometimes, people don’t need a full prescription; they just need a bit of help in certain situations, such as personalized volume control while watching TV with loved ones.
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What Does “Self-Fitting” Mean?

Self-fitting means that the person purchases the devices, downloads the app, and walks themselves through the process without the assistance and comprehensive testing a hearing healthcare professional would provide.

  • Hearing test – This is done through the iPhone app and is a very basic hearing assessment. We highly recommend that people have a comprehensive audiologic evaluation to determine the type and degree of hearing loss you have, as well as to assess if you are truly a candidate for these devices.
  • Fitting in ear properly – The Jabra Enhance Plus comes with three canal tip covers that will fit certain ear canal sizes. Some patients say the device can fall out because it won’t fit well. This may be remedied through intervention with an audiologist, although the canal tips may just not be the right size for the patient.
  • Tech-savvy – The limitations initially will be on how tech-savvy the individual is regarding the self-fitting process.
  • Battery life – Our patients who have tried these devices have mentioned they find they want to wear them more, but there is a limit to the battery life. They need to be charged within ten hours, and they aren’t intended for full-day use. This is where we would recommend prescription hearing aids over the Jabra Enhance Plus.
  • Sound quality – Feedback so far has been mixed, despite Jabra’s claim that its auto-adjust feature to each sound environment works well. For the most part, people have been liking the telephone call streaming but feel that hearing in more difficult listening situations is still lacking.

If someone is only having trouble in specific situations, the Jabra Enhance Plus earbuds could be the perfect solution for them.

They are also for anyone who we find doesn’t quite have enough hearing loss to justify the purchase of prescription devices yet but who might be experiencing minor hearing difficulty.

Compared to prescription hearing aids, self-fitting hearing aids aren’t in competition with the Enhance Plus; they are just a good starting device that helps people see what hearing help can do.

Not Quite Ready For Hearing Aids?

There are so many ways to treat a hearing loss that it makes no sense to hold off on doing so.

Consider all you are missing out on – important conversations with friends and loved ones, work meetings, details in phone calls, a better TV volume. You’re also missing being able to benefit from all of the amazing features now available on hearing devices. They can easily fit into anyone’s lifestyle while still being discreet.

The beauty of the Jabra Enhance Plus device is that it looks like a regular earbud rather than a hearing aid, so no one need even know you’re wearing one, and you get to test the difference hearing help can make without the high cost.

But even if you are still sure you want to hold off on treatment, be sure to get a comprehensive hearing assessment to see exactly what’s going on.

You might have a medical issue causing your loss or a buildup of earwax (that’s easy to fix).

And if all looks good, we’ll have a baseline result of your hearing ability on record to compare any future hearing tests to.

Book your hearing test at the location closest to you, and after taking it, we’ll offer our advice on what to do next based on our years of study, experience, and knowledge. Ultimately, though, the decision is yours.

We hope you’ll choose us to walk with you on your hearing journey.

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Nancy Duncan, Au.D.

Dr. Nancy Duncan graduated from Somerset High, Somerset, MA in 1991 and received her B.S. in communication disorders and psychology from Worcester State College. Her master of science in audiology was awarded at the University of Arkansas in 1997, after which she worked for several private audiology practices in Arkansas, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Returning to the area in 2003, Dr. Duncan founded Duncan Hearing Healthcare, allowing her to apply her passion to her community through rehabilitative audiology and individual patient care. She earned her clinical doctorate in audiology degree from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (now Salus University) in 2005. Her passion for her family and community is an integral part of what drives her to provide trustworthy, professional hearing healthcare to her patients.

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