Jabra Enhance Plus vs Nuheara IQBuds Max

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.

The Nuheara IQBuds Max is a budget-priced OTC hearing aid that earns a B grade with a SoundScore of 3.3/5 in our lab testing. Priced at $499, this visible-in-ear device from 2021 ranks #46 of 65 OTC hearing aids tested, placing it in the top 69% of its category. The standout feature of the IQBuds Max is its exceptional music streaming performance, scoring 4.3/5—a strong result that sits 2.38 points above the category average. For users who prioritize audio entertainment alongside hearing assistance, this device delivers notably better streaming fidelity than most OTC alternatives. However, speech performance presents a mixed picture. Speech in quiet scores 2.0/5, falling 0.78 points below the category average. Speech in noise is essentially at par with competitors at 1.5/5, which is above average for the category but low in absolute terms. Own voice comfort also trails the category average by 0.31 points with a score of 2.2/5. Feedback handling scores a solid 3.4/5 in absolute terms, though this falls 1.14 points below the category average. The IQBuds Max is best suited for users who value music and audio streaming quality over speech clarity, particularly those seeking an affordable entry point into amplification. Competing devices in this price range—including the Elehear Beyond (4.34/5) and Apple AirPods Pro 2 (4.04/5)—offer stronger overall sound performance for similar investment.