Jabra Enhance Select 50R Review: Palatable Price

Despite the rise of contention successful the 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, the company’s entry-level model.

At archetypal glance, the behind-the-ear 50R looks astir identical to Jabra’s different proceeding aids, similar the Enhance Select 300, but a person introspection reveals a fewer hardware changes, including a curvier, astir vintage plan 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 the backmost of each proceeding assistance controls measurement (volume up connected the right, down connected the left) and lets you rhythm done the 4 preset situation programs.

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

Gentle Boost

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

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

But the dependable is simply a spot flatter and little three-dimensional than with the 300 oregon 500. I lone detected this nuance owed to years of acquisition investigating dozens of proceeding assistance models of varying quality; sometimes, the differences among them are precise fine-grained. But again, it’s not a immense gap, and I expect astir users volition find the dependable prime spot-on.

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

Another diagnostic 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 implicit proceeding immunodeficiency is seldom a treat. The deficiency of immoderate existent bass effect to talk of connected the 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 lone complaint via an open-top desktop charger that has to beryllium plugged via a USB-C cord to relay powerfulness straight to the units. A elemental integrative clamshell lawsuit is besides included, but it has nary powerfulness features and is usable lone for protection. Jabra claims the 50R proceeding immunodeficiency supply a 24-hour moving clip connected a afloat charge, which seems to beryllium astir close based connected my usage during testing.

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

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