Whether you are 22 or 82, your hearing is one of a kind. We all hear different frequencies, better or worse, depending on our genetics, sound exposure, and age. That means you'll hear something different than I do when you put on a pair of headphones.
For years, headphone makers haven't worried too much about the differences in our hearing and have created products that work for most people. That left people with unique hearing configurations or hearing loss without good options and the rest with "just ok" audio.
Thankfully, technological advances and innovative new companies like Mimi Hearing are making way for a new generation of headphones that customize audio to match your hearing needs.
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These are the 5 best headphones for anyone with hearing loss. 👇
Apple AirPods Pro 2
- Personalized Audio: Spatial Audio with head tracking provides a tailored listening experience.
- Extended Battery Life: Up to 6 hours on a single charge with noise cancellation enabled.
- Seamless Apple Integration: Quick setup and automatic switching between Apple devices.
- Comfortable Fit: Comes with four ear tip sizes to ensure a snug, secure fit.
The Apple AirPods Pro 2 deliver an enhanced audio experience with intelligent noise cancellation and a comfortable, customizable fit.
- Advanced Noise Cancellation: With up to twice the noise-canceling power of its predecessor, these earbuds create a focused listening experience by blocking out unwanted distractions—ideal for commutes or busy environments.
- Personalized Fit & Audio: Four sizes of silicone tips ensure a secure fit, while Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking provides immersive sound tailored to your ears.
Designed for those seeking a seamless blend of comfort, sound quality, and integration with Apple’s ecosystem.
- Impressive Sound Quality: Users highlight the clear highs and deep bass, making these ideal for music lovers.
- Effective Noise Cancellation: Many praise the substantial improvement in blocking background noise, even in busy areas.
- Comfortable Fit: The inclusion of four ear tip sizes helps achieve a secure, comfortable fit for various ear shapes.
- Longer Battery Life: Users appreciate the extended battery life, especially with Active Noise Cancellation on.
- Convenient Controls: The intuitive swipe and press controls on the stems are a favorite for quick volume adjustments and call management.
- Occasional Charging Issues: Some users report rare connectivity glitches when charging with non-Apple chargers.
- Excellent built-in hearing test
- Industry leading headphone features and Apple connectivity
- Affordable hearing aid alternative
- Limited functionality with non-Apple devices.
- Not as good in background noise
- Not as comfortable or socially acceptable for all-day wear
Jabra Elite 7 Pro
- Personalized Sound: Customize your audio with the Jabra Sound app to match your unique hearing profile.
- Call Quality: MultiSensor Voice technology ensures clear, reliable calls in any environment.
- Noise Control: Adjustable Active Noise Cancellation lets you tailor sound isolation to your needs.
- Battery Life: Enjoy up to 8 hours of use per charge, with a total of 30 hours using the case.
The Jabra Elite 7 Pro combines personalized sound and advanced call features, making it a versatile option for diverse listening needs.
- Featuring Jabra MultiSensor Voice technology, these earbuds ensure crystal-clear calls with four integrated microphones and an advanced Voice Pick Up sensor, perfect for seamless communication.
- The adjustable Active Noise Cancellation allows for immersive music experiences, while the HearThrough technology lets users maintain awareness of their surroundings, accommodating various environments.
For those prioritizing adaptability and quality in their audio experience, the Jabra Elite 7 Pro offers a well-rounded solution that meets diverse sound and communication demands.
- Impressive Sound & Noise Cancellation: Users appreciate the excellent sound quality and effective noise cancellation, making these earbuds suitable for both workouts and daily activities.
- Customizable Listening Experience: The Jabra Sound app allows users to personalize their audio settings, enhancing their listening experience to suit individual preferences.
- Comfort & Lightweight Design: Many find the earbuds comfortable and lightweight for extended use, though some mention they occasionally struggle with fit.
- Effective Call Performance: The call quality receives high praise, with clear audio during conversations, which is valued by many users.
- Minor Fit Concerns: A few users note issues with fit, indicating the earbuds can sometimes be easy to misplace.
- Potential Drawbacks: Some mention volume consistency and rare allergic reactions to the ear gels, though these appear to be isolated incidents.
Users generally regard the Jabra Elite 7 Pro as a reliable choice for high-quality audio experiences.
- Clear call quality with advanced microphone technology.
- Customizable sound settings through the Jabra Sound app.
- Lightweight, compact design without compromising sound quality.
- Effective noise control with HearThrough technology.
- Noise cancellation might not be as strong as some competitors.
- Fit issues reported by some users, occasionally leading to discomfort or loss.
- Volume inconsistency experienced by a few users during playback.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 2
- Customizable Sound: Galaxy Wearable app offers tailored EQ settings and an onboard hearing test for personalized audio.
- Active Noise Cancellation: Effectively reduces external noise, allowing users to focus on music or calls in louder settings.
- Comfortable Fit: Lightweight, ergonomic design with multiple ear tip options for secure, comfortable all-day wear.
- Seamless Connectivity: Easy pairing with Samsung devices and automatic source switching for uninterrupted audio.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 2 combine high-quality sound and practical functionality for a versatile listening experience.
- Enhanced Audio Control: Equipped with Samsung's Galaxy Wearable app, users can personalize sound settings, including an onboard hearing test and customizable equalizer, ensuring sound preferences align with individual needs.
- Noise Management and Comfort: The Intelligent Active Noise Cancellation effectively minimizes background noise, while the ergonomic design and multiple ear tip options provide a comfortable fit, making these earbuds suitable for extended use.
For users seeking adaptable sound quality and comfort, the Galaxy Buds Pro 2 deliver a well-rounded experience.
- Rich Sound Quality: Users appreciate the clear, immersive audio, especially for music and podcasts, though a few mention that bass levels could be slightly stronger.
- Effective Noise Cancellation: The Active Noise Cancellation performs well in noisy settings, though it may not match the strength of some high-end models.
- Comfortable Fit: Many users find the earbuds comfortable for extended wear with multiple ear tip options, but a few report occasional fit issues depending on ear shape.
- Easy Pairing and Device Switching: Galaxy Buds Pro 2 connect seamlessly with Samsung devices, allowing smooth transitions between phones, tablets, and more.
- Decent Battery Life: Battery life meets most users' daily needs, although some note it may require frequent charging for prolonged use.
- Minor Connectivity Hiccups: A few users report occasional signal drops, particularly when the device is at a different height, but most find connectivity stable and reliable.
Overall, users find these earbuds deliver solid value for versatile, high-quality audio experiences.
- Strong active noise cancellation for better focus in busy environments
- Personalized sound settings via the Galaxy Wearable app
- IPX7 water resistance for worry-free workouts and light rain
- Stable, automatic switching between paired Samsung devices
- Comfortable fit with multiple ear tip options
- Touch controls may be too sensitive, leading to accidental taps.
- Limited compatibility as Galaxy Wearable app isn’t available for iPhone users.
- Battery life may require frequent charging with extended active noise cancellation use
- Occasional signal drops reported when paired device is at a different height
- Noise cancellation may not match that of higher-end models
Soundcore Liberty from Anker
- Dual dynamic drivers deliver detailed audio with customizable sound profiles
- HearID technology creates personalized noise cancellation for your ears
- 360° spatial audio with head tracking enhances immersion
- CloudComfort ear tips in 4 sizes ensure secure, comfortable fit
The Soundcore Liberty 4 earbuds deliver premium audio features and personalization options at a competitive price point, making them a compelling alternative to more expensive brands.
- The dual dynamic drivers and HearID technology work together to create a personalized listening experience, analyzing your hearing patterns to optimize sound delivery and noise cancellation specifically for your ears.
- The innovative CloudComfort ear tips with their dual-layer design and four size options ensure a secure, comfortable fit for extended listening sessions, while the 360° spatial audio with head tracking enhances immersion for both music and movies.
Overall, the Liberty 4 stands out as a value-driven choice for users seeking customizable sound quality and comfort, particularly appealing to those who seek personalized audio features without the premium brand pricing.
- Impressive Sound Quality: Users praise the deep bass and clear audio, ideal for both music lovers and podcast enthusiasts.
- Comfortable Fit: Many report a secure fit during workouts and daily activities, with multiple ear tip options ensuring comfort.
- Long-Lasting Battery: Users appreciate the extended battery life that keeps music playing throughout the day.
- Reliable Performance: The earbuds provide a hassle-free listening experience during daily activities and commutes.
- Customizable Controls: Users value the ability to personalize touch controls for convenient operation.
- Value for Money: Consistently praised for delivering excellent performance at a budget-friendly price point.
Overall, users find Anker's Soundcore Liberty 4 earbuds strike an impressive balance between sound quality, comfort, and value, making them a popular choice for budget-conscious listeners seeking premium features.
- Extensive sound personalization options for individual hearing needs
- Universal compatibility with both iPhone and Android devices
- Adaptive noise cancellation adjusts to environment
- Multiple ear tip sizes for optimal fit
- Immersive spatial audio experience
- Manual EQ adjustment required without built-in hearing test
- Sound quality slightly below premium brands like Apple and Samsung
- Call quality not quite matching flagship competitors
- Setup process more involved due to personalization features
Sony WH-1000XM5
- Personalized Sound: Impressive preset options or a fully customizable EQ with five bands of adjustment.
- Battery life: Up to 30 hours on a single charge
- Comfort: Comfortable, lightweight option with vegan leather ear cups and a slightly larger size
- Phone call quality: Sony can compete with the best in shutting down background noise and isolating your voice.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 delivers an impressive mix of advanced noise-canceling technology, comfort, and battery life. Designed to offer an immersive listening experience, these headphones are ideal for users who want uninterrupted audio quality and clear communication on the go.
- With advanced noise cancellation powered by two processors and eight microphones, these headphones reduce external sounds, creating an isolated listening environment ideal for both commutes and busy workplaces.
- The hands-free calling feature includes four beamforming microphones, allowing for clear voice transmission even in noisy settings—an essential for professionals and those who prioritize clear conversations.
Overall, the Sony WH-1000XM5 combines high-end audio, comfort, and functionality, making it a top pick for users seeking reliable sound quality and convenience in any setting.
- Rich Sound Quality: Users appreciate the high audio clarity, making music and calls sound immersive and full.
- Powerful Noise Cancellation: The noise-canceling feature is widely praised, allowing for distraction-free listening even in loud settings.
- All-Day Comfort: Many find the lightweight design comfortable, noting it’s well-suited for long listening sessions.
- Intuitive Touch Controls: Users highlight the convenience of touch controls for easy playback and call management.
- Long Battery Life: With up to 30 hours of use, battery performance is a popular feature, plus the quick charge option for added convenience.
- Slight Bulk: Some mention the ear cups feel a bit large, which can impact portability.
Overall, users find the Sony WH-1000XM5 to deliver a comfortable, high-quality experience, ideal for uninterrupted listening.
- Beautiful and comfortable design
- 30 hours of battery life
- Customizable EQ
- Works with all phone types
- Easy earcup tap and swipe controls
- Bulky for travel
- Transparency mode is not quite as good as Airpods Max
- Ears can become hot after a long wear-session
Jabra Enhance Select
- Bluetooth enabled and rechargeable
- 100-day risk-free trial
- Nearly invisible with a sleek design
- Professionally programmed before shipping to your home
The Jabra Enhance Select 500 offers an impressive blend of clinic-grade technology, affordability, and user convenience. Here’s why it stands out:
- Professional-Grade Technology at a Lower Price: Jabra’s Enhance Select 500 provides the advanced sound quality of clinic-only brands like ReSound but at less than half the price.
- Professional Programmed Hearing Aids From Home: Jabra’s pre-programmed approach ensures a personalized fit without needing in-clinic visits—customers simply take or upload a hearing test, and Jabra's audiologists program the hearing aids before shipment.
- Seamless Bluetooth Streaming: Equipped with LE Audio, the Enhance Select 500 delivers high-quality, direct streaming for calls and media, with excellent sound quality and range.
- Purchase Perks: Jabra offers 100-day returns, unlimited remote adjustments, and seven-day-a-week customer support.
Overall
Users commend the Jabra Enhance Select 500 for its natural sound quality, discreet design, and effective customer support. Many report significant improvements in hearing clarity and comfort.
Positives
- Natural Sound Quality: "The sound quality is excellent, and the ability to adjust settings via the app is a great feature." — Timothy T.
- Discreet Design: "These hearing aids are virtually invisible and very comfortable to wear throughout the day." — Angel M.
- Customer Support: "The customer service team was incredibly helpful and guided me through the setup process with ease." — Damian.
Complaints
While the majority of feedback is positive, some customers have reported issues with device durability and the need for adjustments. However, these concerns are relatively infrequent compared to the overall satisfaction expressed by users.
For a comprehensive view of customer experiences, you can visit Jabra Enhance's review page.
- One of the most affordable and convenient ways to purchase online while maintaining professional care
- Comes with a 100 day free-return period
- Offers rechargeable batteries and Bluetooth streaming
- Remote care requires users to be somewhat tech savvy
- Jabra only offers styles that sit behind the ear
- Jabra Enhance Select is a fully customizable, prescription hearing aid appropriate for mild-severe hearing loss
- If you have severe hearing loss and struggle with feedback (squealing) you may need a custom earmold (not available through Jabra Telehealth)
- If you have profound hearing loss, you may be a better fit for a high-powered BTE style hearing aid (note available through Jabra Telehealth)
- Jabra is a remote care brand that programs and delivers your hearing aids through Telehealth
- Take or submit a hearing test and a Jabra professional will program your hearing aids and ship them to your door
- Three years of unlimited support is included with every purchase
- Jabra Enhance Select hearing aids come with the capability for remote adjustments. This feature means you don't need to ship your hearing aids back to get program updates
- Jabra Enhance Select is manufactured by GN Hearing (the makers of ReSound hearing aids)
- Jabra devices come with a strong set of background noise handling features and app controls
- Jabra Enhance Select comes in a small and comfortable receiver-in-canal style that is easy to wear all day
- Sits behind the ear with a receiver (speaker) that reaches into the ear canal
- The form factor of Jabra Enhance Select is comparable to ReSound hearing aids
- Choose between five colors including: Sparkling Silver, Champaign, Gold, Bronze and Warm Grey
- Jabra Enhance Select offers three levels of technology. Select 500 and Select 300 come with rechargeable batteries and as of May 2024, Select 50 also comes with rechargeable batteries
- 30 hours on a full charge
- Comes with a portable charger (does not need to be plugged in)
- All Jabra Enhance Select technology levels allow Bluetooth streaming, music listening, and phone calls.
- Jabra Enhance Select 500 uses Bluetooth LE Audio (Auracast ready) and is handsfree for iPhone (11 and newer) and compatible Android models
- Jabra Enhance Select 300 allows iPhone users to take calls hands-free, while Android users must keep their phones close to pick up outbound audio
- Jabra Enhance Select 300 uses Apple's MFI connection and Android's ASHA connection to stream content through Bluetooth
- Jabra Enhance Select is reasonably easy to handle but does require the wearer to place the hearing aid behind their ear and insert the receiver into the ear (consistent across all behind-the-ear styles)
- If dexterity is a concern we recommend Select 300, which is larger and easier to grasp than the microRIE (Select 500)
- The Jabra Enhance Select charge case uses induction charging and is fairly easy to handle
- All levels of Jabra Enhance Select have an IP rating of 68
- These hearing aids can withstand dust and water submersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes
- Customization: Treble/bass, volume, microphone directionality
- Jabra Enhance Select includes Telehealth capabilities through the Jabra app
How personalized audio works for hard-of-hearing listeners.
Before we talk about products and brands, let's take a look at how this works. I'll use my own hearing loss for illustration. I have a genetic cookie-bite hearing loss, so I need more volume in mid-frequencies. Here are my results from our 5-minute hearing test.
If I put on a pair of un-customized headphones, I'll need to crank up the volume to get those middle frequencies to a normal level. The problem is that the low and high frequencies are then too loud. I'm stuck.
Headphones with custom audio solve this issue by correcting the mid-frequency without boosting my lows and highs. Some custom headphones do this by administering a short hearing test, while others give me access to a freeform equalizer (more on that below).
Even if you don't have significant hearing loss, you still have one-of-one hearing, and you'll almost certainly like the sound better when it's matched to your specific needs.
Enter headphones with personalized audio, hearing tests, and custom equalizers.
Now that you understand the magic (or necessity) behind personalized headphone sound, let's talk about products.
As with any headphone purchase, you'll probably consider a few factors when deciding on the perfect audio companion:
- Personalized Sound: Naturally, for this guide, we're taking a close look at personalized sound, onboard hearing tests, and EQ controls.
- Power and Charging: Battery power is an essential factor to consider if you spend time commuting, traveling or away from home.
- Comfort: You may prefer over-ear or earbud-style devices. Some hearing aid wearers prefer large over-ear devices that allow them to keep their hearing aids on.
- Noise Canceling and Ambient Sound: Noise-canceling headphones are safer for your ears in background noise (prevent cranking the volume up), but it's nice to have optional ambient sounds for safety on-the-go.
- Phone call quality: While most of us rely on headphones to hear we also rely on them to send clear audio to the person on the other end of a phone call or Zoom call. When it comes to mic quality, not all devices are created equal.
Final Thoughts
If you have hearing loss and are sick of muddy lyrics or frustrating phone calls, one of the headphones on this list might be just the ticket.
Of course, there are other options out there. Just ensure the devices you are looking for have an adjustable EQ or a built-in hearing test.
Oh... and get ready to hear the actual lyrics for all the songs you've been singing wrong.
