Jabra Enhance Select 50R Hero

Jabra Enhance Select 50R Expert Review

Premium OTC
Released 
2023

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Summary

The Jabra Enhance Select 50R is a premium-priced OTC hearing aid that earned a B grade in HearAdvisor's lab testing, ranking in the top 32% of the OTC hearing aid category. At $1,195, this behind-the-ear device sits in the upper price tier for over-the-counter options.

In our testing, the Enhance Select 50R demonstrated notable strengths in speech clarity during quiet listening situations, scoring well above the category average. Feedback handling was excellent, earning a perfect score in both fit conditions—a meaningful advantage for users concerned about whistling. Own-voice comfort was particularly impressive in the initial fit with open domes, though this decreased when switching to more occluding domes for the tuned fit.

The device showed limitations in challenging listening environments. Speech in noise performance fell below average, which may impact users who frequently encounter noisy restaurants, gatherings, or outdoor settings. Music streaming quality also measured below the category average, scoring roughly half a point lower than typical OTC devices.

While the Jabra Enhance Select 50R offers reliable performance for quieter environments and everyday conversation, consumers in this price range have alternatives worth considering. Several competitors at similar or lower price points—including the Jabra Enhance Select 300 and Audicus Omni 2—achieved notably higher overall scores in our testing. Budget-conscious shoppers may also find comparable sound performance from devices like the Sony CRE-C20 at a lower cost.

With open domes in the initial fit, the Jabra Enhance Select 50R delivered above-average speech clarity in quiet settings and excellent feedback control with a perfect 5.0 score. The open coupling contributed to outstanding own-voice comfort at 4.60, well above the category average. However, speech in noise performance was below average at 0.80, and music streaming measured at 2.10—below typical OTC devices. This configuration favors natural sound quality and comfort over maximum audibility in difficult listening situations.

Switching to closed vented domes in the tuned fit improved speech in quiet from 2.80 to 3.80, a full point gain reflecting better audibility with the more occluding coupling. Music streaming also improved to 2.80. Feedback handling remained perfect at 5.0. The tradeoff appeared in own-voice comfort, which dropped from 4.60 to 2.50—a common consequence of more occluding domes. Speech in noise remained unchanged at 0.80, suggesting this device's noise performance is a consistent limitation regardless of fitting approach.

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Lab Review Scores

B
SoundGrade
Initial Score
3.8
Tuned Score
3.9
Speech in quiet
best
2.8
5.0
Own voice
best
4.6
5.0
Speech in noise
best
0.8
5.0
Feedback handling
best
5.0
5.0
Music streaming
best
2.1
5.0

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Lab recordings

Adjust volume to make "No hearing aids" as loud as it would be in the real world, without hearing aids. Remove hearing aids while auditioning. High-quality headphones will improve results!
Jabra Enhance Select 50R Lab

Lab notes

Initial Fitting
Tuned Fitting
Ear Coupling
Initial Fitting
Open Dome
Tuned Fitting
Closed Vented Dome

Specs

Behind Ear
Behind Ear
Rechargeable Batteries
Rechargeable Batteries
iPhone Streaming
iPhone Streaming
Android Streaming
Android Streaming
Hands-Free
Hands-Free