Eargo SE vs Jabra Enhance Plus

The Eargo SE is a premium-priced OTC hearing aid at $1,699, featuring an invisible-in-ear design and earning a B grade with a SoundScore of 3.1/5 in our lab testing. This places it in the top 85% of the OTC hearing aid category, ranking #56 of 65 devices tested. In our testing, the Eargo SE demonstrated solid performance in speech clarity for quiet environments, scoring 3.2/5—0.43 points above the category average. Feedback handling was excellent at 4.6/5, meaning users should experience stable performance without whistling issues. However, the device showed limitations in challenging listening situations, with speech in noise scoring 1.3/5, which falls 0.23 points below the category average. A notable weakness is the complete absence of music streaming capability, scoring 0.0/5 compared to the category average of 1.92/5. Own-voice comfort scored 2.4/5, slightly below the category average. These mixed results suggest the Eargo SE prioritizes its discreet form factor over comprehensive audio features. The Eargo SE may appeal to users who prioritize an invisible design and primarily need help hearing conversations in quieter settings. However, given its premium price point and the availability of alternatives like the Jabra Enhance Select 50R that deliver stronger overall scores at lower prices, value-conscious consumers may want to explore other options before committing.

The Jabra Enhance Plus is a mid-priced OTC hearing aid priced at $799, earning a B grade with a SoundScore of 3.7/5 in our lab testing. This visible-in-ear device ranks #28 of 65 OTC hearing aids tested, placing it in the top 42% of its category. In our testing, the Enhance Plus demonstrated notable strengths in speech clarity and audio streaming. Speech in quiet scored a strong 4.2/5, measuring 1.36 points above the category average. Music streaming performance was equally impressive at 3.8/5, a full 1.88 points above average—making this a solid choice for users who prioritize phone audio streaming. Feedback handling was excellent at 4.7/5. However, the device has a significant weakness: own-voice comfort scored just 0.3/5, falling 2.21 points below the category average. This suggests pronounced occlusion effects that may make the user's own voice sound boomy or unnatural. Speech in noise performance was mixed at 2.1/5—above the category average by 0.62 points, but still limited in absolute terms for challenging listening environments. The Enhance Plus showed meaningful improvement with tuning, jumping from a normalized Initial Score of 3.6/5 to a Tuned Score of 4.2/5. Buyers should note that several competitors in the same price range score higher, including the Sony CRE-E10 at 4.66/5. This device is best suited for users who prioritize music streaming and speech clarity in quieter settings, and who can tolerate own-voice occlusion.