Jabra has retired its entire line of over-the-counter hearing aids and replaced it with three new models, the Enhance Select M3, M2, and M1. The company is a leading maker of direct-to-consumer hearing devices sold without a prescription in the US. The previous Jabra Enhance Select 700, 500, 300, and 50R have been discontinued after only a year or two on the market. The M-series devices look and function much like the prior generations, with most changes happening internally.
The M3, M2, and M1 all weigh 2.12 grams, with slight variation depending on the ear tip selected. The M2 and M1 share an identical form factor, while the M3 is a few millimeters shorter and is the only model offered in red. All three use a behind-the-ear teardrop design with a single button on the back for power, volume, and environmental mode changes.
Jabra's SoundScape audio enhancement system, introduced last year, claims to reduce noise and improve speech clarity. Two features are exclusive to the M3. One is a revamped autofocus tool that locks onto speech in noisy settings such as restaurants, which the reviewer found moderately effective. The other is an adaptive listening mode that responds to the surrounding environment in real time. Environmental modes were judged not very useful, and manual adjustments in "all around" mode worked best.
Testing found clarity in quiet settings was nearly perfect, with volume at 30 percent maximizing improvement while minimizing hiss. Bluetooth streaming quality remains a weak point. The M3 supports Auracast, which lets audio sources broadcast directly to the hearing aid, but streaming audio was described as washed out below maximum volume and easily disrupted by ambient noise. A fully charged pair lasted close to 26 hours in testing, above the specified 24 hours.
The carrying case, unchanged from prior models, holds three recharges before it needs to be plugged in. Jabra includes three years of access to on-staff audiologists who can adjust settings over video chat, and its self-test system can build an audiogram in minutes.
The M3 starts at $1,995, the same launch price as the Jabra 700 last year. The M2 costs $1,695 and the M1 costs $1,195. The reviewer rated the M3 an 8 out of 10.
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