This video is a review of the Nuheara IQbuds, which are a personal sound amplifier and not an FDA-cleared hearing device, designed for people with minimal hearing difficulty.
Hi, I’m Anne Marie Egan, the Audiologist at Now Hear This, and today I’m giving you a review of the Nuheara IQbuds. These are a PSAP, or a personal sound amplifier, designed for people with some hearing difficulty who don’t technically have a significant hearing loss.
It comes in a box that looks like this. The box includes a manual, the devices, the charger, and some rubber ear tips. You can see they provide quite a variety of ear tips to choose from. I selected the size small, but some of these get pretty big. Working with ear tips in the clinic all day, I can assure you that most people are never going to use some of these larger sizes. I’m not quite sure what they were thinking.
The charger looks like this—it’s pretty sleek! It can charge on the go and needs to be plugged into a wall outlet occasionally. It includes a cord, but it does not include a charging block, so that is something you would have to get on your own if needed.
The devices themselves look like this. One of my complaints is that they’re kind of bulky. When I put them in my ears, they take up quite a lot of space, and I have pretty average ear shapes. So, that’s definitely something to consider. They’re much larger than the average AirPod or other earbuds, but they work pretty well.
You have to have a smartphone in order to use these, which could be a downside if you don’t have one. However, they do connect very easily to the phone. You download an app, which has quite a lot of features. If you’re tech-savvy and enjoy customizing your devices, this could be a good fit for you. However, if you struggle with learning new technology, this may not be the best product for your needs. That being said, the app itself is great.
Another huge perk compared to the Bose self-fitting hearing aid is that it can stream audio from your smartphone directly to your ears. You can have environmental sound boosted, enhance smartphone audio, and experience good-quality streaming. I didn’t experience any issues with streaming, which was great.
Regarding sound amplification, I definitely noticed that I was able to get a boost in the soft high pitches, which is where we most commonly lose our hearing as we age. However, I had to get used to the boom-y sound quality that comes with fully plugging the ear. Other devices with more natural airflow provide better voice sound quality. With these, I initially had a hard time regulating the volume of my voice.
Overall, I think they are a very good value for the cost. We purchased them for $500, and compared to the Bose self-fitting hearing aid, which costs several hundred more, these might be a much better fit for someone who is tech-savvy. However, if voice sound quality is important to you, a different device may be a better option.
My biggest concern is that they include a “hearing test” in the app, which does not provide results as reliable as those from a calibrated sound booth test. I wouldn’t trust the programming done through the app alone. I would still recommend having your hearing tested first to ensure you are truly a candidate for this borderline, entry-level device before investing $500.
Additionally, they only have a 30-day trial period. Most hearing devices come with at least a 60-day trial period, so that’s another limitation when adjusting to new technology under a short time frame.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to our clinic, and as always, have a wonderful rest of your day!
