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ScreenshotSoundScape app via Christopher Null
ScreenshotSoundScape app via Christopher Null
The other new SoundScape feature for the M3 is an advanced adaptive listening mode that’s responsive to a given environment (whether a restaurant, outdoors, or several other options) in real time to optimize noise reduction. The environmental modes weren’t very useful; keeping the hearing aids in “all around” mode, then tweaking levels manually (especially noise reduction) was the best way to improve the hearing experience.
I tested the M3 hearing aids in a variety of settings and am pleased to report that they work just as well as previous Jabra generations. Clarity in quiet environments (like having a one-on-one conversation or watching television) was just about perfect. Keeping the volume at 30 percent maximized hearing improvement while minimizing hiss, which grows geometrically louder with each upward tick of volume level.
Bluetooth streaming quality has never been Jabra’s strong suit, and while these new devices support Auracast—which lets various audio sources broadcast directly to the hearing aid—I don’t expect I’d use any of the streaming modes much. Overall streaming audio quality on the M3 offers a slight improvement from previous generations, but music and movie audio are both too washed out at any level below the highest volume. And any amount of ambient noise still kills the experience completely.
Programming on Demand
Photograph: Christopher Null
The app and other features in the new lineup remain remarkably similar to previous Jabra models. Jabra has a history of offering great customer service: All purchases include three years of access to on-staff audiologists who can make tuning adjustments live over video chat and train new users on their hearing aids. Jabra’s built-in self-test system also remains top-notch, allowing you to create an audiogram from scratch in just a few minutes.