Regardless of the rise of competitors within the over-the-counter listening to assist house, high quality listening to aids stay stubbornly costly. Prime producers aren’t budging their premium costs, however they’ve quietly been introducing cheaper options for shoppers on a funds. Living proof is Jabra’s Improve Choose 50R, the corporate’s entry-level mannequin.
At first look, the behind-the-ear 50R appears to be like nearly equivalent to Jabra’s different listening to aids, just like the Improve Choose 300, however a better examination reveals a number of {hardware} adjustments, together with a curvier, nearly classic design and a bit greater weight. At 2.94 grams, it’s practically 0.4 grams heavier than Jabra’s flagship Improve Choose 500. A single button on the again of every listening to assist controls quantity (quantity up on the precise, down on the left) and allows you to cycle via the 4 preset surroundings applications.
Except for its slight weight acquire, the key variations are all beneath the hood, and primarily they quantity to options obtainable on the 300 and/or 500 which were stripped out of this unit.
Mild Increase
{Photograph}: Chris Null
Sound processing tech is without doubt one of the largest adjustments, because the 50R has a much less subtle audio processor that lacks the spatial consciousness you get with the Improve Choose 300 and 500. The 50R nonetheless has background noise discount and speech prioritization options, however Jabra notes it’s extra appropriate for quieter environments than loud ones.
The distinction in audio high quality between the 50R and 300 is noticeable, although it’s hardly profound. I’ve at all times admired the best way Jabra’s listening to aids present a mild, pure increase to listening to high quality whereas dulling noise, and the 50R is sort of the identical, devoid of hiss and suggestions, whereas providing an natural, easygoing enchancment in all sorts of environments, even gentle crowd noise. (Jabra’s normal 4 modes—all-around, restaurant, music, and outside—are additionally obtainable right here.)
However the sound is a bit flatter and fewer three-dimensional than with the 300 or 500. I solely detected this nuance as a consequence of years of expertise testing dozens of listening to assist fashions of various high quality; generally, the variations amongst them are very fine-grained. However once more, it’s not an enormous hole, and I count on most customers will discover the sound high quality spot-on.
I didn’t discover the 50R listening to aids to be fairly as comfy to put on for prolonged durations as Jabra’s different listening to aids, however once more, this can be a nuanced distinction and maybe a pure results of the slight enhance in weight.
One other function stripped: The Improve Choose 50R helps Bluetooth streaming for calls and music, however lacks hands-free calling options and help for Auracast. That is most likely not an enormous deal-breaker, as streaming over listening to aids is never a deal with. The dearth of any actual bass response to talk of on the 50Rs comes as no shock, and is par for many conventional listening to aids, significantly Jabra’s.
Case Closed
{Photograph}: Chris Null
Lastly, and this can be a massive one, however Jabra’s 50R listening to aids don’t embody a battery-powered charging case. They solely cost through an open-top desktop charger that must be plugged through a USB-C twine to relay energy on to the models. A easy plastic clamshell case can also be included, but it surely has no energy options and is usable just for safety. Jabra claims the 50R listening to aids present a 24-hour working time on a full cost, which appears to be about correct based mostly on my utilization throughout testing.
Lots of the options stay the identical as you’ll discover in different Jabra fashions. The Jabra Improve Choose cell app works identically with the 50R listening to aids because it does with all of Jabra’s merchandise, and consumers who go for the $1,195 model of the product acquire 3 years of Jabra’s top-notch audiology entry and guarantee protection. (The $995 model drops physician entry and cuts the guarantee to 1 12 months.) The product can also be obtainable in the identical 5 colours as different Jabra listening to assist fashions.
Jabra’s Improve Choose 300, our prime general listening to assist choose, runs $1,695, and the Jabra 500 is $1,995 (each with the three-year guarantee choice). These are vital worth differentials, and it’s tempting to counsel that it’s price saving $500 and dropping a number of options you could not miss. Whereas the 50R is a strong product, I nonetheless really feel like most customers will probably be higher served—and extra future-proofed—by upgrading to the midrange Jabra 300. The options misplaced and the marginally decrease audio high quality of the 50R will not be noticeable on day one, however I think they’ll hit you ultimately.
