Fortell AI Hearing Aids vs Jabra Enhance Plus

The Fortell AI Hearing Aids are a premium prescription behind-the-ear device priced at $6,800, earning an A grade with a SoundScore of 6.0/5 in HearAdvisor lab testing—an exceptional result that places this device at the top of the prescription hearing aid category. Speech performance is where the Fortell AI truly distinguishes itself. Speech in noise scores an outstanding 6.0/5, a full 3.89 points above the category average of 2.11/5—the kind of margin that represents a meaningful difference in challenging listening environments like restaurants or group conversations. Speech in quiet also excels at 4.6/5, sitting 1.20 points above the category average. Music streaming performs strongly at 4.2/5, coming in 1.44 points above average for the category. The device does have a notable limitation: own-voice comfort scores just 1.5/5, falling 1.20 points below the category average. This low absolute score suggests wearers may notice occlusion effects when speaking. Feedback handling is excellent at 4.8/5, essentially matching the category average. Best suited for: Users who prioritize understanding speech in difficult listening situations and value streaming quality, and who can tolerate potential own-voice occlusion. Given the premium price point, buyers should weigh whether the exceptional speech-in-noise performance justifies the investment compared to alternatives like the Oticon Intent or Oticon Zeal, which offer strong performance at lower price points.

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.