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Jabra Enhance Select 500 Review

Prices, Sound Recordings, Models
Blake Cadwell
Blake Cadwell

Blake Cadwell is a hearing aid wearer and co-founder at Soundly. He regularly tests and reviews hearing technology to share his experience with Soundly’s readers. Blake's research and perspectives have been featured in the The New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, AARP and FastCompany.

About Soundly
i

Soundly is an independently owned hearing health research tool. Our reviews are conducted by hearing aid wearers and audiologists. We physically review the leading hearing aids on the market for sound quality, comfort, durability, and more. Our review process starts with hands-on unboxing and days, weeks, or months of wear. We also record live sound demos using a calibrated binaural microphone (read more here). We experiment with backend fitting software for prescription products and use test box measures to measure prescriptive accuracy and flexibility. Our work is funded through reader support. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Read more about our story here.

Watch a video about this product.
Behind the Ear
Bluetooth
PROFESSIONAL FITTING
Rechargeable
No items found.

Jabra Enhance hearing aids (previously named Lively) are built by the world's 4th largest hearing aid manufacturer (ReSound). Jabra Enhance made a name for itself by recreating the full-service audiology model online. Instead of requiring you to come into their office, Jabra reduces the cost by programming remotely and shipping to your home. All Jabra products come with a 100-day return policy and 3 years of unlimited remote care.

You can find the same product for sale at a local clinic for around $4,500.

Jabra Enhance Select 500 is the brand's top-end model with Bluetooth streaming, Bluetooth LE Audio, hands-free phone calls for iPhone (11 and newer) and compatible Android users, TapControl, rechargeable batteries, and the latest sound algorithms.

Pros 👍
  • One of the most affordable and convenient ways to purchase online while maintaining professional care
  • Comes with a 100 day free-return period
  • Offers rechargeable batteries and Bluetooth streaming
Cons 👎
  • Remote care requires users to be somewhat tech savvy
  • Jabra only offers styles that sit behind the ear
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Soundly Scorecard
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Hearing Loss Level 🔊
Mild - Severe
  • Jabra Enhance Select is a fully customizable, prescription hearing aid appropriate for mild-severe hearing loss
  • If you have severe hearing loss and struggle with feedback (squealing) you may need a custom earmold (not available through Jabra Telehealth)
  • If you have profound hearing loss, you may be a better fit for a high-powered BTE style hearing aid (note available through Jabra Telehealth)
Care Type 🏥
Telehealth
  • Jabra is a remote care brand that programs and delivers your hearing aids through Telehealth
  • Take or submit a hearing test and a Jabra professional will program your hearing aids and ship them to your door
  • Three years of unlimited support is included with every purchase
  • Jabra Enhance Select hearing aids come with the capability for remote adjustments. This feature means you don't need to ship your hearing aids back to get program updates
Sound Quality 🔊
Strong in Background Noise
  • Jabra Enhance Select is manufactured by GN Hearing (the makers of ReSound hearing aids)
  • Jabra devices come with a strong set of background noise handling features and app controls
Comfort 🦻
Very Comfortable For All-Day Wear
  • Jabra Enhance Select comes in a small and comfortable receiver-in-canal style that is easy to wear all day
Style  💫
Behind The Ear
  • Sits behind the ear with a receiver (speaker) that reaches into the ear canal
  • The form factor of Jabra Enhance Select is comparable to ReSound hearing aids
  • Choose between five colors including: Sparkling Silver, Champaign, Gold, Bronze and Warm Grey
Battery 🔋
Rechargeable Or Disposable
  • Jabra Enhance Select offers three levels of technology. Select 500 and Select 300 come with rechargeable batteries and as of May 2024, Select 50 also comes with rechargeable batteries
  • 30 hours on a full charge
  • Comes with a portable charger (does not need to be plugged in)
Connection 📡
Bluetooth Available
  • All Jabra Enhance Select technology levels allow Bluetooth streaming, music listening, and phone calls.
  • Jabra Enhance Select 500 uses Bluetooth LE Audio (Auracast ready) and is handsfree for iPhone (11 and newer) and compatible Android models
  • Jabra Enhance Select 300 allows iPhone users to take calls hands-free, while Android users must keep their phones close to pick up outbound audio
  • Jabra Enhance Select 300 uses Apple's MFI connection and Android's ASHA connection to stream content through Bluetooth
Dexterity Level 🤏
Average
  • Jabra Enhance Select is reasonably easy to handle but does require the wearer to place the hearing aid behind their ear and insert the receiver into the ear (consistent across all behind-the-ear styles)
  • If dexterity is a concern we recommend Select 300, which is larger and easier to grasp than the microRIE (Select 500)
  • The Jabra Enhance Select charge case uses induction charging and is fairly easy to handle
Waterproof Level 💦
IP68
  • All levels of Jabra Enhance Select have an IP rating of 68
  • These hearing aids can withstand dust and water submersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes
App features 📱
Has An App, Telehealth Capable
  • Customization: Treble/bass, volume, microphone directionality
  • Jabra Enhance Select includes Telehealth capabilities through the Jabra app
What's Included
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2 hearing aids and a charging case

Manufacturer loss and damage protection and warranty

3 years of follow-up care with the Jabra audiology team

Free mobile app for easy adjustments

Support from the Jabra Care Team, 7 days a week

Return Policy
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Jabra Enhance offers a 100-day risk-free trial

Technology
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Manufactured by GN Hearing, a trusted leader in the category 

Offers powerful background noise reduction and intelligent sound algorithms

Rechargeable with 30-hour battery life after just 3 hours in the charger

Stream music, podcasts, and phone calls through Android and Apple phones

Change the volume and program using the app or buttons on the hearing aid

Get remote care and program adjustments from anywhere (no office visit required)

How It Works
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Start with a free phone consultation with a Jabra care provider. The professional will arrange for your online test during this call or gather your current test results. 

Purchase the product (with a 100-day risk-free return policy) over the phone or online.

A Jabra audiologist will program your hearing aids to match your hearing loss and ship the product to your home. 

After you have the product in hand, you can make adjustments using your app or schedule free follow-up appointments to make further programming adjustments.

Every pair of Jabra hearing aids comes with 3 years of free service.

What people are saying:

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  • Customer service
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Name

Full Review

Blake Cadwell
Written by
Blake Cadwell

As a new dad I’m willing to try almost anything to save time. That’s why Jabra Enhance’s promise of an online audiologist got my attention.

There are many hearing aids sold online (you can read my beginners guide on online hearing aids here), but Jabra Enhance doesn’t just sell a product. They pair professional-grade technology and full-service audiology and deliver it through Telehealth.

Most hearing aid brands fall into one of two categories:

Category #1 - Go Traditional

Find a local audiologist on yelp. Get a hearing test and purchase hearing aids in person. If you need adjustments you’ll need to set up another office visit or ask for a remote session.

Category #2 - Go DIY

DIY options are available over-the-counter. OTC hearing aids allow you to program your own hearing aids using a smartphone app and offer customer service if you run into issues.

Jabra Enhance Select Lives In A 3rd Category

Jabra Enhance Select merges the convenience and price of online hearing aids with the professional care you would expect at your local clinic. That mix is very intriguing to me, so I decided to give Jabra hearing aids a try.

I purchased Jabra Enhance Select hearing aids online and wore the hearing aids for about two months. Note that I have mild to moderate hearing loss. Jabra Enhance is not best for patients with severe hearing loss.


Jabra Enhance’s Founding Story

Jabra enhance select founder

Jabra Enhance was initially launched in 2019 under the name Lively. The brand had an impressive team and big ambitions. Forbes called them the Warby Parker of hearing aids, and the hearing health community embraced their innovative and patient-first care model.

The idea was simple. Give patients everything they would expect at a local hearing clinic but do it online.

Nicole Cadoret (left) worked at diapers.com and soap.com, which eventually sold to Amazon. She was diagnosed with permanent, sudden hearing loss in 2013 and got her first pair of hearing aids in 2015.

CEO Adam Karp (middle) was an executive at companies like Barnes and Noble and Century 21 and was inspired to work in hearing health after watching a parent struggle with hearing loss.

Dr. Christina M. Callahan, Au.D., was previously at Starkey (one of the largest manufacturers of hearing aids) and joined Lively to make telecare more accessible.

Jabra's founding team.

I spoke with co-founder Dr. Callahan at the beginning of my trial and was immediately impressed by how passionate and hands-on she was. If you go to JabraEnhance.com, you will see Dr. Callahan in many of the videos and photos on the site. This kind of personal touch is vital to successful remote care adoption.

2020 led to a surge in Telehealth innovation and helped Lively (now Jabra) become one of the category's most popular and well-respected hearing health brands.

In late 2021 GN Hearing announced that they would purchase Lively for around $100M. Not a bad outcome for a 4-year-old brand.

As part of the purchase, GN gave Lively a new name, "Jabra Enhance Select". Jabra is a trusted name in audio and is also owned by GN. Think of this as a consolidation of branding power.

From what I understand, the product, team, and leadership all stay the same. You can read my full thoughts on the name change here.

Let’s get into the product. First up, some quick facts:

Jabra Enhance Select hearing aids.

Jabra Enhance offers three levels of technology.

  • 500 comes with rechargeable batteries, Bluetooth LE Audio, hands-free calling, and top-end sound quality ($1,995),
  • 300 comes with Bluetooth streaming rechargeable batteries and slightly lower sound quality ($1,595)
  • 50 offers rechargeable batteries and reduced sound tech ($1,195).

Jabra Enhance Select comes with a strong set of perks.

  • All products come with three years of audiologist support.
  • All products come with a three-year manufacturer warranty.
  • All products come with a 3-year loss or damage warranty (an industry-leading benefit).
  • Jabra Enhance offers a 100-day return policy (industry average is 45 days).

Jabra Enhance Select offers a professional-grade modern product.

  • GN Resound (one of the largest brands in the space) manufactures Jabra Enhance Hearing aids.
  • Jabra Enhance hearing aids come in a well-designed box with a charger and supplies.
  • Jabra Enhance Select hearing aids come in only behind the ear style.
  • All Jabra Enhance hearing aids are Bluetooth compatible and come with an app that allows for volume and settings control.
  • The volume can also be changed using the buttons on the back of your hearing aids.

Overall, the Jabra Enhance Select offering is very impressive. The brand is playing the long game instead of looking to make a quick buck.

How the Jabra Enhance process works

The Jabra process is slightly different from other offerings on the market, so I’ll break down how it all works step by step.

Step 1: Decide if you are a candidate with an online test

Jabra enhance select hearing test
Jabra online test takes about 10 minutes.

If you are reading this article, there’s a good chance that you have already identified your hearing loss or the hearing loss of someone you love.

Even so, there are still a couple of factors to consider. Jabra Enhance is not for people with severe hearing loss.

The product makes sense for around 85% of the hearing loss population, but if you have been diagnosed with something more severe, I recommend you work with a local audiologist.

You can take Jabra’s hearing test here.

Step 2: Choose a technology level (and price)

Jabra Enhance Select technology levels

Once you are ready to give Jabra a try you will need to choose your hearing aid. You’ll have three options.  

  • $1,195 for a pair of rechargeable devices
  • $1,595 for a pair of rechargeable devices with advanced technology
  • $1,995 for rechargeable with the most premium sound quality, smallest size, and Bluetooth LE Audio

If you aren’t sure which route to go you might enjoy our guide to rechargeable vs. non-rechargeable hearing aids.  

Step 3: Submit a hearing test

Jabra Enhance Select hearing test
Screenshot of Jabra's hearing test.

After you’ve selected your hearing aids on the Jabra website, Jabra will ask you to upload an audiogram or take their online hearing test. I had an audiogram from a recent hearing test, so I emailed that to the Jabra team. If you do not have a hearing test, you have a few options.

  1. Take a free online hearing test on the Jabra site.
  2. Take another hearing test like this one from Mimi.
  3. Go to Costco and get a free hearing test in person. Then snap a photo of the results and upload that.

Step 4: Receive your fully programmed hearing aids in the mail

Jabra Enhance Select Hearing Aids Arrive Programmed

It took 3-4 days for my Jabra hearing aids to arrive at my home in California. Unboxing the hearing aids was intuitive and straightforward. I downloaded the app, connected my iPhone via Bluetooth, and got the devices within my ears within 5-10 minutes.

The Jabra mail kit is well-designed and comes with clear instructions on how to use the devices, along with lots of extra ear tip sizes to play around with based on the size of your ear. If you opt for battery-powered instead of rechargeable, your kit will also come with a free first year of batteries.

Step 5: Meet an audiologist via video call

Jabra Enhance Select onboarding appointment
Jabra care is conducted through phone and video calls.

After you’ve had a couple of days to adjust to your new hearing aids, a Jabra Audiologist will reach out and schedule a follow-up consultation that will happen over the phone or via video.

The audiologist can help you fit your hearing aids, navigate your app, or make further adjustments to the programming remotely during that session.

If I have any critique of Jabra, it was at this stage. My appointment was rescheduled two times due to conflicts on the Jabra side. In both cases, the Jabra team was polite and helpful, and ultimately, the changes didn’t negatively impact my result.

Step 6: Get used to your hearing aids and call for support when needed

Jabra Enhance Select In My Ears

After the audiologist consult, you will likely be on your way and ready to start getting used to your new hearing aids. Each pair of Jabra hearing aids includes three years of unlimited audiologist support.

Based on my experience and research, it is common for Jabra to program high-frequency sounds to be a bit quieter when they first ship a pair of hearing aids (also called under programming). This technique helps new wearers to get used to the product without too much discomfort. You may want to check back in with a Jabra audiologist after a month or two to get those high-frequency sounds turned up for more speech clarity.

The Jabra team shared that most patients can operate their hearing aids independently effectively after one virtual appointment.

Jabra Enhance Select Vs ReSound

Jabra Enhance Select Vs. ReSound NEXIA

Jabra Enhance Select is made by the same global manufacturer as the popular prescription brand ReSound. The products share a charging case, sound-processing philosophy, and app. They are also priced very differently. ReSound NEXIA costs an average of $6,800 per pair, while Jabra Enhance Select costs $1,995.

Care model: The most apparent difference between Jabra Enhance Select and ReSound is the care model. Jabra Enhance Select is mailed and updated through Telehealth, while ReSound products are prescribed at a local clinic.

Technology: Jabra Enhance Select 500 uses technology from ReSound NEXIA, the newest technology from ReSound. The sound algorithms and beam-forming are identical between the two generations but NEXIA has Auracast-enabled features.

Price and Returns: Jabra Enhance Select has 100-day returns and a simple pricing structure. ReSound NEXIA, on the other hand, has 45-day returns and variable pricing depending on who you work with.

So is ReSound or Jabra Enhance Select better? 

That depends. Jabra Enhance Select is tough to beat if you are looking for a more affordable option and are comfortable purchasing online. If you'd instead rather work with a local doctor and want the latest technology, ReSound is a better option. In my experience, the sound quality of both products is virtually identical.

Overall Review Of Jabra Enhance Hearing Aids

Jabra hearing aid review
Jabra Enhance Select review

If you walked up to me on the street and asked me what hearing aids to buy, I’d probably recommend Jabra Enhance as a serious contender.

While many online hearing aid sellers focus on automating the treatment process, Jabra is betting on remote Telehealth care with staffed audiologists. I believe in the company and they have 1,000+ 4 and 5 star customer reviews.

I wore the Jabra hearing aids for a couple of months from dinner parties to days and home and would include them among some of the best products I’ve trialed. They were comparable to my locally programmed Resound hearing aids hearing aids which retail for 2-3X the price.  

Jabra Enhance is a great place to start if you want overall value.

Pros:

✅ Half the cost of comparable brick-and-mortar products
✅ Conveniently shipped to your home
✅ Impressive customer service, returns and warranty
✅ Professionally programmed
✅ Bluetooth enabled and rechargeable batteries

Cons:

❌ Can be a challenge for those who are not familiar with technology
❌ Still expensive for some compared to OTC options

If you’ve tried Jabra Enhance (or Lively) hearing aids, I’d love to hear from you. Just send us a note at [email protected].

Blake Cadwell
Written by
Blake Cadwell
Soundly Staff
Reviewed by
Soundly Staff

Blake Cadwell is a hearing aid wearer and co-founder at Soundly. Soundly began as a passion project after Blake’s frustrating search for hearing aids. He regularly tests and reviews hearing technology to share his experience with Soundly’s readers. 

Soundly conducts in-depth research to guide prospective hearing aid wearers. Our work is funded through reader support. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.

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