Jabra Enhance Select 300 Review
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SeniorLiving.org is supported by commissions from providers listed on our site. Read our Editorial Guidelines
If you’re like lots of older adults, you may need hearing aids. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, age is the strongest predictor of hearing loss among U.S. adults.1 Hearing aids don’t cure hearing loss, but they do improve your hearing.
Prescription hearing aids aren’t usually covered by Medicare, and costs can be hefty. Over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, such as Jabra Enhance Select 300, are more accessible and affordable, so they may be a great choice for seniors with mild to moderate hearing loss.
Jabra Enhance offers some of the best hearing aids we’ve reviewed. I recently tried the Jabra Enhance Select 300, the company’s top-tier model. In this review, I’ll share my experience with the hearing aids, from unboxing and charging to daily use and trying the Jabra app.
Jabra Enhance Select 300 Pros & Cons
Pros
- Unlimited virtual appointments (included in the Premium package)
- Custom programming (included in the Premium package)
- Crisp sound quality
- Fast-charging
- Easy to set up
- Comes with comprehensive instructions for setup, care, and use
- Easy-to-use app
- HSA/FSA eligible
- 100-day risk-free trial
Cons
- More expensive than some other OTC hearing aids
- Some hearing-aid components require hand dexterity
- App tends to freeze
- In-person support is not available
- Requires technological comfort with apps and Zoom
Jabra Enhance Hearing Test
The best over-the-counter hearing aid brands, such as Eargo and MDHearing, provide an online hearing test. Jabra Enhance Select is no exception. Jabra offers a free, online hearing test you can use on your computer or smartphone. You’re not obligated to purchase hearing aids after taking the test. You have the option to discuss your results virtually via Zoom with a hearing professional. I appreciate that someone from Jabra Enhance is available to help without being too pushy.
Taking a Jabra Enhance hearing test
The test is comprehensive and easy to take. You’ll need good-quality headphones and a computer or phone. Each ear is tested separately.
Before I started the test, I was asked a series of questions that included my age, my perception of my level of hearing loss, and the types of places where I struggle to hear. I did a sound check of my headphones, and then I was ready to begin. I got my results immediately, along with a recommendation for next steps.
No online test, however, can take the place of an in-person medical assessment. If you have sudden hearing loss or your test results indicate severe or profound hearing loss, follow Jabra Enhance’s test with an in-person assessment.
Pro Tip: If you or a loved one has severe hearing loss, take a look at our choices for the best hearing aids for severe hearing loss.
Ordering the Enhance Select 300
Ordering my hearing aids online was simple. I noticed that the Enhance Select 300 has come down in price by several hundred dollars since last year. That’s great news for seniors on a budget! It’s important to note, however, that the Enhance Select 300 comes with two differently priced options for Care and Protection Packages. You’ll choose between them at checkout.
- Basic: At $1,495, the Basic package gives you preprogrammed hearing aids that you fit, set up, and manage yourself. You also get a one-year warranty and loss and damage protection.
- Premium: At $1,695, the Premium package, which I got, offers much more. At the Premium level, you get custom-programmed hearing aids you can adjust to meet your specific needs. You also get unlimited virtual, professional hearing care for three years, plus a three-year warranty and loss and damage protection. Through the app, you also get three years of remote adjustments if you need them.
In my opinion, if you’re new to hearing aids or simply like having professional input, the hand-holding provided by the Premium package is well worth the additional $200. Luckily, both packages come with a 100-day return policy. If you buy the Basic package and decide to switch, you can do so during this time frame.
Before purchase, you may also want to compare the Enhance Select 300 to some of our other top choices for OTC hearing aids.
Unboxing the Jabra Enhance Select 300
Unboxing my Enhance Select 300 package from Jabra Enhance
The hearing aids came in a slick, beautifully designed box, which contained:
- Fully charged hearing aids in their charger
- Charger cord and plug
- Lots of multisized earbud domes
- Ear-measuring tool
- Receiver tool
- Cleaning cloth and brush
- Wax-guard kit
- Enhance Select 300 user guide
- Premium charger user guide
- Mobile app user guide for iOS and Android
- Six tip cards on topics such as charging, what’s in the box, and what to expect
Charging Jabra Enhance Select 300 hearing aids
The hearing aids arrived fully charged, with their lights glowing green. I plugged them into the charger to be on the safe side.
Getting Started With the Welcome Card and Quick Start Guide Link
I really appreciated the inclusion of brightly colored tip cards that included everything from charging tips to app use. The guide was also user-friendly and easy to read.
The welcome card included info on getting started. I followed the instructions and scanned a code on the card with my phone’s camera, which opened up the Quick Start Guide.
My orientation appointment was scheduled for the next day, so I took some time to explore the Quick Start Guide on my phone. Since I’m new to hearing aids, I appreciated the diagram of a Jabra Enhance 300 device, which clearly outlined what was what and where everything was located.
Pro Tip: Head to our full Jabra Enhance review to compare all your options with the brand.
The instructions included information on how to tell the hearing aids apart. The devices aren’t stamped “Right” and “Left.” Rather the left hearing aid receiver is blue and the right hearing aid receiver is red. I memorized that quickly by simply remembering that the words left and blue both have an L and right and red both have an R. The charging case has red and blue buttons so you know which hearing aid to place in each compartment.
The Quick Start Guide also included information about cleaning, care, and charging case basics. Email, call, and chat features were included, so I could reach out to Jabra if I hit any snags.
Testing the Enhance Select 300
Jabra Enhance Select 300 hearing aids
The hearing aids came with eight bags of variously sized open, closed, and tulip domes. I tried on the hearing aids with the dome that was already attached. They felt very comfortable in my ears, so I didn’t experiment with the other sizes.
My Jabra Enhance Select 300 came with a wide variety of domes
There was no whiny feedback noise or humming sound when I popped the hearing aids into my ears. I heard a slight crinkling noise, which I found out was the sound of the receivers touching my hair.
I decided to take a quick walk outdoors, and I noticed that the sound quality on my city street was very clear and natural. I didn’t change the programming for the quick walk, since I knew I’d be meeting with the audiologist shortly.
Testing out the Enhance Select 300
Charging the Hearing Aids
The Enhance Select 300 devices come with a portable charging case, which makes it easy to charge your devices on the go. All you have to do is set the devices in the case’s designated slots to begin charging.
Before moving forward, I wanted to make sure my hearing aids were fully charged. They arrived with a line of five solid green lights on the inside of the charging case. That indicated full power, but I wasn’t sure how long the charge would last. I used the Premium Charger User Guide to learn more. Turns out, a partial charge does not hurt either the hearing aids or the case.
The charger case has three lights on the back, which show the charge level of the charger when you plug it in. The lights come on for only a few seconds. When the charger has a full charge, it’s able to fully charge the hearing aids three times. Then you need to plug in and recharge the case.
The lights on the hearing aids are solid green when they’re fully charged. If they’re blinking, they are in the process of charging. Red means they need a full charge. If you charge your hearing aids for three hours, you’ll get 30 hours of battery life. In contrast, a fully charged Eargo hearing aid gives you 16 hours of listening time. It takes around four hours to fully recharge most Eargo hearing aids.
Meeting With the Audiologist
I met with Dr. Dena Franciotti, Au.D., a Jabra Enhance audiologist, over Zoom. She was articulate and professional during our first 30-minute meeting. Franciotti told me I could schedule unlimited additional meetings, and that I could request the same audiologist each time. That’s a terrific service for people who buy OTC hearing aids, and I was super impressed with the level of care.
Franciotti asked me to place the hearing aids in my ears and turn my head so she could see them on the Zoom screen. She determined that I needed longer wires for the best possible fit. I was surprised by that, because the hearing aids were very comfortable in my ears.
Did You Know? If you have hearing loss, using hearing aids can reduce your risk for dementia.3
She ordered the wires for me and showed me how to change them on the hearing aids. There’s also a YouTube video on Jabra Enhance’s channel that walks you through the steps. I’m on the clumsy side, so it occurred to me that the process may be challenging for anyone with hand dexterity issues due to conditions such as arthritis, or shaking hands caused by conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. There’s no in-person option for help with Jabra Enhance, so Franciotti said she recommends asking someone in your household for help. That’s not optimal, but it’s one of the built-in deficits of any OTC hearing aid.
Franciotti walked me through making sound adjustments and program changes on the hearing aids using the Jabra Enhance mobile app. You use the button on your right hearing aid to increase volume and the button on your left hearing aid to decrease it. You can also switch between programs by pressing the hearing aid buttons. Each program is indicated by the number of beeps you hear.
The hearing environment programs you can choose among are:
- All-around
- Restaurant
- Music
- Outdoors
Did You Know? Audiologists help people with issues other than hearing loss, including dizziness, balance problems, and tinnitus. Check out our guide to the best hearing aids for tinnitus to learn more.
Jabra Enhance Mobile App Experience
Downloading the mobile app was easy and fast. I have close to 50 apps on my phone, so I was tickled pink — or should I say yellow — to find out that the Jabra Enhance app icon was bright yellow. It may sound like a silly thing, but I could see how finding the icon quickly could be a game changer for easy adjustments. It’s easy to find if you need to reach out for help quickly or make a fast program change through the app instead of the hearing aids.
The first step to using the app was syncing my hearing aids. I simply placed my fully charged hearing aids next to my phone, and the app pretty much did the rest.
Using the Jabra Enhance mobile app
The app had a tendency to freeze on certain screens. To fix it, I was instructed to force-close the app and reopen it. That fixed the problem.
With the Premium package, your hearing-aid settings are custom programmed by the hearing specialist based on your online test results. You can further fine-tune your settings by using the noise filter and speech clarity functions.
The music program lets you optimize the qualities of the sound you hear based on your personal preferences. The program contains a slide bar that lets you control the bass, middle, and treble frequencies of the music you’re listening to.
The noise filter in the outdoor program lets you reduce the level of wind and road noise you hear. I appreciate the various ways to customize the hearing aids in different settings.
Making adjustments using the Jabra Enhance mobile app
You can also use the app to check your battery life and connection status, and to keep track of your audiologist appointments.
Scheduling an appointment with a Jabra Enhance audiologist
Streaming Phone Calls
The Enhance Select 300 devices are Bluetooth enabled, so you can stream phone calls and media directly into your hearing aids. If you have an early model phone, you’ll need to keep it pretty close at hand to get the best sound quality during conversations.
Hands-free calling is available for iPhone models 11 and up. With newer phones, you won’t have to hold your phone up to your ear.
I used the hearing aids to call my daughter, and I found the sound quality to be pretty natural. (I have an embarrassingly old phone). I didn’t experience any humming, buzzing, or feedback.
Enhance Select 300 Price
Jabra’s Enhance Select 300 is more technologically advanced than the brand’s other models, and it has the price tag to match. Of all the company’s offerings, the Enhance Select 300 has the fastest processor. For the wearer, that translates to more speech clarity and higher levels of noise reduction.
Here’s a breakdown of Jabra Enhance hearing aid costs.
| Jabra Enhance hearing aid model | Enhance Select 300 | Enhance Select 500 | Enhance Select 50R |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium package | $1,695 | $1,995 | $1,195 |
| Basic package | $1,495 | $1,795 | $995 |
Wondering how Jabra Enhance prices compare to similar brands? Here’s how the Enhance Select 300 compares to hearing aids from other OTC brands.
| Jabra Enhance Select 300 | MDHearing Volt | Eargo 7 | Lexie B2 Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,495 to $1,695 | $1,599.98 (currently on sale for $397) | $2,950 | $999 |
Jabra Enhance vs. the Competition
Cost, of course, is only one factor to keep in mind when choosing hearing aids. Below is a quick comparison of Jabra Enhance and other top OTC hearing aid companies.
MDHearing
One of the things that sets MDHearing apart from Jabra is the option to buy only a right-sided or left-sided hearing aid, rather than a pair. When the hearing aids aren’t on sale, that represents a potential cost savings. MDHearing also offers a completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aid, as well as a behind-the-ear (BTE) model. Jabra Enhance hearing aids are all receiver-in-canal (RIC). To learn more, read our MDHearing review.
Eargo
Eargo manufactures completely-in-the-canal, virtually invisible hearing aids. A nice thing about the brand is that it will send you a hearing aid sample before you buy to see how you like the fit and style. Like Jabra, its more expensive hearing aids let you make customized changes to your hearing programs through an app. Check out our Eargo review for more details.
Lexie
Like Jabra, Lexie offers an RIC hearing aid. It also manufactures a BTE model. All of Lexie’s hearing aids are rechargeable. Lexie hearing aids are some of the most budget-friendly around. They’re self-fitting and Bluetooth enabled, but the company doesn’t offer the follow-up care that Jabra Enhance does. Read our Lexie review to learn about our experience.
Methodology: How We Tested and Reviewed the Enhance Select 300 Hearing Aids
As an older adult, I understand how hard it can be to make the first move toward finding a hearing-loss solution. Hearing aids can seem daunting to use technologically, not to mention concerns about discretion. With all that in mind, I ordered a pair of Jabra Enhance Select 300 hearing aids so we could provide first-hand knowledge about what wearing them is like. Our team also consulted with resident audiologist Dr. Ruth Reisman for her feedback and opinions on the devices.
Here's what my testing process consisted of:
- I took Jabra Enhance’s online hearing test multiple times, on both my iPhone and my laptop. I compared the results to my existing audiological report, and I was pleased with the accuracy of the tests.
- After taking the test, I ordered the hearing aids online. Ordering them was easy, and they arrived in three days.
- I unboxed and set up the hearing aids, which arrived fully charged. I reviewed all the components that came in the box to assess them for usability.
- I met with a Jabra Enhance audiologist over Zoom. Our meeting lasted for around 30 minutes, but it wasn’t timed or rushed. During our meeting, I asked lots of questions and learned how to use the mobile app. I also got pointers on wearing and using the hearing aids.
- After our meeting, I wore the hearing aids for several weeks. I live in a city that has lots of parks, so I was able to assess the sound quality of the hearing aids in both noisy and quiet settings.
After testing, I broke down my hands-on experience into the following categories:
- Price: I assessed the up-front cost, additional fees, and seasonal promotions for the Enhance Select 300. The model recently decreased in price, but it’s still more expensive than some other OTC brands. It’s far less expensive than comparable prescription hearing aids though. I recommend spending the additional $200 for the Premium package. The high-touch service it provides can make a big difference to your hearing aid experience.
- Size and discretion: The hearing aids are comfortable in the ear, but they’re somewhat visible behind the ear. They come in five lightly metallic colors that have a tech-forward, rather than camouflaging, look. I prefer that, because I think it’s less dowdy than the standard flesh-tone colors that a lot of hearing aids have. If you’re looking for a completely invisible hearing aid, however, these won’t be your best choice.
- Battery type and battery life: Battery life and ease of use are important features for seniors to consider. These hearing aids charge quickly. Unlike hearing aids with tiny disposable batteries, they’re also easy to manipulate.
- Mobile app and remote adjustments: The Jabra Enhance mobile app was easy to use, and I could quickly make adjustments to my hearing aids on the go.
- Follow-up care: I was impressed by the three years of unlimited follow-up care that come with the Enhance Select 300 Premium package. The audiologists I spoke with were knowledgeable, patient, and helpful. The extra care is essential for getting the most out of your hearing aids.
Final Thoughts on Enhance Select 300
The Jabra Enhance Select 300 is a solid choice for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. If you go with the Premium package, you’ll get the benefit of unlimited professional input for three years. The Jabra Enhance Select 300 recently came down in price. It’s not the least expensive option out there, but the hearing aids are cost-effective — particularly when compared with prescription hearing aids.
To get the most out of the hearing aids, you should have at least some level of technological comfort using Zoom and mobile apps. You should also be comfortable making adjustments manually on your hearing aids.
If you don’t know the cause of your hearing loss or you’ve experienced a change in your hearing recently, it’s a good idea to see an audiologist in person before buying OTC hearing aids.
No matter where you are in the process, don’t waste another minute! Life with hearing is better than life without it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jabra Enhance Select 300
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Can I stream phone calls into my Jabra Enhance Select 300?
Yes. The hearing aids are Bluetooth enabled, so you can use them to have phone conversations. You can check your phone model’s compatibility with Jabra hearing aids here.
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Can I use my health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) to pay for Jabra Enhance Select hearing aids?
Yes, you can. Jabra Enhance accepts both HSA and FSA, but it doesn’t accept split payments. Jabra Enhance recommends checking with the company that issued your FSA or HSA card to confirm eligibility as well.
- Who makes Jabra Enhance hearing aids?
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Can I return my hearing aids if they don’t work out?
Yes. Jabra offers a 100-day risk-free trial. If you don’t like your hearing aids, you can return them for a full refund during that time frame.
NIH. (2024). Quick Statistics About Hearing, Balance, & Dizziness.
FDA. (2023). OTC Hearing Aids: What You Should Know.
UsAgainstAlzheimer's. (2024). Alzheimer's Prevention.