Jabra Enhance Select 50R Review: Palatable Price

Despite nan rise of title successful nan over-the-counter proceeding aid space, quality proceeding aids stay stubbornly expensive. Top producers aren’t budging their premium prices, but they've softly been introducing cheaper alternatives for consumers connected a budget. Case successful constituent is Jabra's Enhance Select 50R, nan company’s entry-level model.

At first glance, nan behind-the-ear 50R looks almost identical to Jabra’s different proceeding aids, for illustration nan Enhance Select 300, but a person introspection reveals a fewer hardware changes, including a curvier, almost vintage creation and a spot higher weight. At 2.94 grams, it’s astir 0.4 grams heavier than Jabra’s flagship Enhance Select 500. A azygous fastener connected nan backmost of each proceeding assistance controls measurement (volume up connected nan right, down connected nan left) and lets you rhythm done nan 4 preset situation programs.

Aside from its flimsy weight gain, nan awesome differences are each nether nan hood, and chiefly they magnitude to features disposable connected nan 300 and/or 500 that person been stripped retired of this unit.

Gentle Boost

Sound processing tech is 1 of nan biggest changes, arsenic nan 50R has a little blase audio processor that lacks nan spatial consciousness you get pinch nan Enhance Select 300 and 500. The 50R still has inheritance sound simplification and reside prioritization features, but Jabra notes it is much suitable for quieter environments than large ones.

The quality successful audio value betwixt nan 50R and 300 is noticeable, though it’s hardly profound. I’ve ever admired nan measurement Jabra’s proceeding immunodeficiency supply a gentle, earthy boost to proceeding value while dulling noise, and nan 50R is astir nan same, devoid of hiss and feedback, while offering an organic, easygoing betterment successful each types of environments, moreover mild crowd noise. (Jabra’s modular 4 modes—all-around, restaurant, music, and outdoor—are besides disposable here.)

But nan sound is simply a spot flatter and little three-dimensional than pinch nan 300 aliases 500. I only detected this nuance owed to years of acquisition testing dozens of proceeding assistance models of varying quality; sometimes, nan differences among them are very fine-grained. But again, it’s not a immense gap, and I expect astir users will find nan sound value spot-on.

I didn’t find nan 50R proceeding immunodeficiency to beryllium rather arsenic comfortable to deterioration for extended periods arsenic Jabra’s different proceeding aids, but again, this is simply a nuanced favoritism and possibly a earthy consequence of nan flimsy summation successful weight.

Another characteristic stripped: The Enhance Select 50R supports Bluetooth streaming for calls and music, but lacks hands-free calling features and support for Auracast. This is astir apt not a immense deal-breaker, arsenic streaming complete proceeding immunodeficiency is seldom a treat. The deficiency of immoderate existent bass consequence to speak of connected nan 50Rs comes arsenic nary surprise, and is par for astir accepted proceeding aids, peculiarly Jabra’s.

Case Closed

Lastly, and this is simply a large one, but Jabra's 50R proceeding immunodeficiency don’t see a battery-powered charging case. They only complaint via an open-top desktop charger that has to beryllium plugged via a USB-C cord to relay powerfulness straight to nan units. A elemental integrative clamshell lawsuit is besides included, but it has nary powerfulness features and is usable only for protection. Jabra claims nan 50R proceeding immunodeficiency supply a 24-hour moving clip connected a afloat charge, which seems to beryllium astir meticulous based connected my usage during testing.

Many of nan features stay nan aforesaid arsenic you’ll find successful different Jabra models. The Jabra Enhance Select mobile app useful identically pinch nan 50R proceeding immunodeficiency arsenic it does pinch each of Jabra’s products, and buyers who opt for nan $1,195 type of nan merchandise summation 3 years of Jabra’s top-notch audiology entree and warranty coverage. (The $995 type drops expert entree and cuts nan warranty to 1 year.) The merchandise is besides disposable successful nan aforesaid 5 colors arsenic different Jabra proceeding assistance models.

Jabra’s Enhance Select 300, our apical wide proceeding assistance pick, runs $1,695, and nan Jabra 500 is $1,995 (both pinch nan three-year warranty option). Those are important value differentials, and it’s tempting to propose that it’s worthy redeeming $500 and dropping a fewer features you whitethorn not miss. While nan 50R is simply a coagulated product, I still consciousness for illustration astir users will beryllium amended served—and much future-proofed—by upgrading to nan midrange Jabra 300. The features mislaid and nan somewhat little audio value of nan 50R whitethorn not beryllium noticeable connected time one, but I fishy they will deed you eventually.