Elehear Beyond Hearing Aid Review

Our overall impression

The Elehear Beyond is an affordable over-the-counter hearing aid option for users with mild to moderate hearing loss or who struggle with tinnitus. This receiver in canal (RIC) hearing aid is lightweight and sleekly designed for comfort. While some users have commented that the design is slightly larger than other models, overall comfort was nevertheless a notable perk of this model. In addition, it comes in champagne and silver colors, which allows for more discreet wearing. There is a wide selection of ear domes to help each user find their perfect fit.

I found the model to be noticeable while wearing, but still comfortable. Elehear Beyond also uses AI to eliminate unwanted noise, including wind noise management and feedback cancellation. I found that background noise was significantly reduced while wearing the device, while direct sound was prioritized and clarified by the device.

Pros of the Elehear Beyond

• The design was light and comfortable. The device has a sleek, well-fitted and lightweight design to suit active lifestyles. While wearing the device for an extended period of time, I found it easy to forget it was even there. I also found it did not grow less comfortable when wearing it for hours.
• The tinittus-masking options are excellent. The Elehear Beyond offers 20 different sounds for tinnitus masking, and all are of high quality. The sounds continue even while streaming music.
• The streaming music feature has superb sound quality. Along with producing high-quality sound while listening to music, it’s nice that the tinnitus-masking sound features continue while streaming music. For example, I could listen to calming music while using a layered tinnitus-masking effect of birds, a babbling brook, and a waterfall. I could see this feature being a perk for users seeking help with relaxation, focusing during work or studying, or falling asleep at night.

Cons of the Elehear Beyond

• The tinnitus-masking feature switched off fairly often. I noticed it would turn off if I used the voice-dictate feature on my iOS device, as well as when I walked into another room. It would then need to be manually switched back on.
• Customization in the app was hard to find. I found it slightly confusing to navigate the app and set up customization options. While the overall setup of the device and app took less than 30 minutes for me, I could see how the customization could be challenging for a less tech-savvy user.
• Not for highly active users. Elehear Beyond’s water resistance level is IPX5. So, while a small amount of sweat or water droplets will not harm the device, large amounts are not recommended. The device is not waterproof, which may require the user to take extra care while wearing or maintaining/cleaning it.

Battery life

Elehear Beyond offers up to 20 hours of use on a single charge in hearing aid-only mode. However, it lasts 15 hours when using other features such as streaming music. Our audiologists say this is lower than competitive models on the market. Nevertheless, a 15-minute charge of the devices in the charging case provides 6 hours of additional battery life. The portable charging case also offers a built-in battery for four extra charges when a user is on the go. The hearing aids have a convenient indicator light to indicate the battery life remaining. For example, three lights indicate a full charge is present, two lights indicate the battery is at 60% or less, one light signals battery life of 30% or less, and the absence of the lights lets the user know it’s time to charge the battery.

Elehear Beyond

Over the Counter

• $399 (HSA- and FSA-eligible)
• Rechargeable
• Mild to moderate hearing loss

Shop Elehear

Setup is fairly simple and straightforward

The Elehear app can be quickly downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. The app allows users to set up and personalize their hearing aids according to their hearing preferences. It also allows for remote management of the hearing aid settings by connecting the hearing aids to the user’s cell phone.

The Elehear Beyond has Bluetooth to connect with Apple iOS and Android phones. When connected to a phone, the hearing aids can play music and answer calls hands-free. To answer or hang up calls, you simply press the volume down button for two seconds. The same process works to play or pause music being listened to.

Further app capabilities

The app allows users to customize the mode, the volume of the left and right hearing aid, tuning, phone call boost, and tinnitus-masking soundscapes. These soundscapes ranged from different types of white noise and nature sounds to the sound of a cafe. The app allows users to layer up to five sounds and then save and label them as a favorite combination. I found the masking to be high-quality without covering up environmental sounds.

There are customized settings for a user’s default mode, a restaurant environment, and mods for listening to music or watching TV.  I could edit the names of these various modes or add a mode. However, it wasn’t instantly clear to me what the difference in the modes was, or how to adjust them with custom settings.

The app also offers remote sound capture to adjust the device to the source of sound, adjusting for environmental noise, in-app hearing testing and support options. I did notice the tinnitus masking switched off while I was exploring the app and needed to be manually switched back on, but that could have been due to clicking the hearing test feature.

Elehear Beyond can also translate conversations in 11 languages with just one tap in the app: English, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Italian and Portuguese. Users can hear real-time translations directly through their hearing aids. It may be difficult for some users to figure out how to turn on auto translation, rather than translate manually through the app. Once over the learning curve, however, this is a useful feature, especially when traveling.

High-quality sound output, with a few quirks

While the sound was amplified well, I noted an ever-so-slight delay. I also experienced a faint but noticeable constant white noise. I also found that while walking around, I could hear the hearing aids make a clicking sound as if there was a rattle in my ear. This became worse while mimicking a light jog. I could see how this could be bothersome to an active individual or while out for a walk with a friend.

Another thing I noticed was a slightly short or unstable range for the Bluetooth connection. Hands-free call answering and music streaming are great features, especially for convenience and hands-free answering. However, the device lost connection when I walked into the other room. If a user needs to be close to their phone to maintain the connection, this may not provide the benefit expected of hands-free answering or convenience during calls.

The app offers several customized settings for a user’s default mode, including a restaurant environment, listening to music, and watching TV.  I could edit the names of these various modes or add a mode. However, it wasn’t instantly clear to me what the difference was in the modes or how to adjust them with my own custom preferences. However,  Elehear Beyond also has readily available user support through the app for any technical or other issues. The app also provides remote audiologist support options for more user-specific assistance.

What our audiologists say about Elehear Beyond

Dr. Jessica Hinson, AuD, recommends the Elehear Beyond for mild hearing loss with no more than moderate loss in the high frequencies. Akin to our review, she says those who are savvy with smartphone technology will benefit more from this device than those without smartphone connectivity.

“[Key perks include] tinnitus maskers available in an easy-to-use app, and the use of DNN (deep neural networks) to train the hearing aid noise reduction features,” says Hinson. “Also, they are rechargeable.”

While she notes that 20 hours of battery life without streaming is less than the standard and includes no in-person support, she says those who like to have a little more control in their hearing journey will love the user-friendly app.

“For a patient seeking an affordable OTC solution, Elehear Beyond seems like a great option,” Hinson says.  “Medically, the patient would need to have moderate loss or better, symmetric hearing, and no draining or excessive wax [in the device] to make this the right choice.”

Otherwise, however, Elehear Beyond is one of the most affordable hearing aids for those on a budget who still seek a comfortable fit, as well as a broad range of features.