Elehear Alpha Pro OTC Hearing Aids Review: Elevating Everyday Sound Quality with Customizable, High-Tech Features

When Judie, my mother-in-law, asked me to check out the Elehear Alpha Pro Over the Counter (OTC) hearing aids she had received, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Thanks to the doctors who fixed my ears when I was younger, I have always had better-than-average hearing. After decades of shooting sports, hunting, working around heavy equipment, and a couple of years being deployed, I still have normal hearing, more or less. However, I tested them and came to a surprising conclusion: Even though I can hear relatively well, I had no clue I was missing out on so much!

Once I received the Elehear Alpha Pro hearing aids, I was impressed by their quality. They came in a sturdy cardboard box that included extra earbud tips, a charger, a case, and the hearing aids themselves. I was extremely happy to find that special cleaners for the speakers and earbud channels were also included.

I was also disappointed that this is the first time those incredibly useful tools had been included with any earbud product I’ve ever owned.

The quality was immediately apparent when I picked up the portable charging case. I noticed it was a little longer and bulkier than most earbud cases and felt dense, but that’s to be expected because it’s also battery.

The Elehear Alpha Pros have a 20-hour battery life, and the charging case gives you seven extra recharges for up to 160 hours of use.

Every component seemed beefed up, from the thick plastic lid on the case to the earbuds themselves. The Elehear Alpha Pro OTC Hearing Aids are of higher quality than some of the pricier normal earbuds I’ve purchased.

Wearing the Elehear Alpha Pros is very comfortable once you’re used to them. However, getting used to them takes a little while because the Alpha’s earpiece sits slightly deeper in the ear than the standard earbuds you might be used to.

As recommended, I initially wore the Elehear Alpha Pros for short intervals and gradually extended my wear time; it didn’t take long for them to become comfortable for all-day wear. The cool thing is that they are barely noticeable when wearing them!

The three dome rubber tips work well for noise cancellation, helping you get the most out of this system. The only real negative to the Elehear Alpha Pro, aside from the short adjustment period for extended wear, is that the body of the hearing aids behind the ear can get in the way if you wear glasses.

I found that if I put the hearing aids in first and then placed my glasses arms between my head and the body piece, my gripe became fairly negligible.

Once I had everything downloaded, charged, and synched and was ready to go, I, unfortunately, ran into my first and only hiccup: the left-side Elehear Alpha Pro’s microphone was inoperable.

Normally, this is where frustration and irritation set in for me as I have terrible luck with customer service, and I wasn’t thrilled I would have to contact them.

To my surprise and relief, Elehear has immaculate and accommodating customer service. They killed it by helping me with what was wrong, walking me through interesting resets, and troubleshooting. It was a very stress-free and easy experience. When they had made sure it was a non-fixable issue on my end, they didn’t hesitate to send out a new set ASAP.

While waiting for the new Elehear Alpha Pros, I could still test all the other features, as the Bluetooth still worked fine. Once I installed the app, I was surprised by everything they could do. These are not your grandma’s hearing aids!

So, the next week, they became my replacement for everything ear-related. The sound quality, with even only one working microphone, still puts them on par with every Bluetooth headset I have ever used. I was able to pair them with my smart TV and watch without disturbing my sleeping wife next to me.

The only real time I felt the Elehear Alpha Pros were more or less “just average” was when I listened to music on my phone. That wasn’t a fair test with me, though, as I have worked as a sound technician and am mildly obsessed with headphones. Even so, my nitpicky self couldn’t find much to complain about besides a lack of bass and some definition loss while listening to busier music.

I would still place them above cheap earbuds any day, and for them to be hearing aids, not dedicated earbuds, I would still consider that a win. When I received my replacement set and finally got to use them for their intended purpose, they really started to shine.

The Elehear app was a huge bonus out of the gate itself. I am a rather large human, and my big fingers and small buttons just do not mesh well (a common theme in my life).

Being able to control the volume and function through the Elehear app on my phone mitigated so much of the frustration I usually face with anything fairly small.

The entire Elehear Alpha Pro system is customizable to a degree I had no idea was available in hearing aids, OTC, or otherwise. You can individually control each hearing aid’s volume and switch from mild to more advanced hearing loss modes.

You can also fine-tune different frequency volumes to accommodate sensitivities, like toning down high-pitched birds or adding a little more low-end to your music.

They even connect to your phone’s microphone to pick up anything the capable mics on the hearing aid themselves miss. This capability means you can place your phone closer to a quiet noise source instead of physically putting your head closer, which is surprisingly useful. Throw in the four settings (general, restaurant, outdoors, and TV), and the fine-tuning in the app makes the Alpha Pros completely customizable.

I started my testing wearing the Elehear Alpha Pro while out in public, shopping, and wandering our city with my wife. I set them to mild hearing loss, low volume, and passive noise amplification.

Immediately, the difference was apparent. Store intercom announcements were loud and clear, and the wall of noise I usually encounter became defined voices and sounds in our local supermarket. Ending my wife’s usual frustration of trying to hold conversations with me and my missing half of it unless we were making eye contact was also a welcome highlight.

Switching the mode to directional/conversation, I was met with crystal-clear conversation while only dampening the now clear ambient noise. Walking behind my wife, I could hear her voice clearly above the rest of the chaos, as if she were right beside me.

When we stood in checkout lines or were loitering in the aisles of our local haunts across town, we could talk face-to-face in a crowded room. I could hear her clearly, whether in a calm bodega or a bustling market.

After my experience exploring the urban jungle with my revamped hearing, I couldn’t wait to try the Elehear Alpha Pro out in nature. I kept the volume one notch above what I used in the city, switched from directional to passive listening, and started with a walk around one of our local lakes. I have grown up hunting and camping my entire life and have never had many issues hearing when I am away from the bustle and noise of people.

With that in mind, I happily realized that my hearing was elevated with clarity and definition, even in nature. I could hear more than ever in quieter surroundings, even in the lower settings. The clarity was great, from hearing all the birds individually to hearing the wind through the trees!

When I got a little further into my hike, and things became a little more physically intense, I was concerned that the hearing aids might slip into an uncomfortable position or even fall out like my normal earbuds, but I needn’t have worried. The lightweight over-ear wires and the snugly fitting buds kept the Alpha Pros locked securely and comfortably in place and functioning perfectly.

Going into this, my first review, I wasn’t sure how I could reliably test the Elehear Alpha Pro, but I was surprised and impressed with how comfortable they were to wear and how easy they were to use. Finding flaws in these hearing aids for anyone looking to supplement their hearing would be a task of nit-picking.

Though I started this review with the unfortunate happenstance of an initially broken microphone on the left earbud, when I contacted the company as a customer, not through Judie’s PR contact, they showed exemplary customer service and dedication to their product.

The only real drawback I can think of is their price. However, when you consider that prescription hearing aids typically cost five times as much or that passive listening earbuds might cost half the price but come with less than one-third of the features, even on the most customizable earbuds, these are definitely a great option.

I can solidly recommend the Elehear Alpha Pro OTC Hearing Aids; the benefits I gained while wearing them vastly overshadowed the only small detriment I found: they are not ideal for my use when listening to music.

The Elehear Alpha Pro OTC Hearing Aids retail for $499; they are available directly from the manufacturer and other retailers, including Amazon.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: More affordable than prescription hearing aids; Exceptional sound clarity with clear, defined sound, even in complex environments; Highly customizable app for individualized sound settings; Comfortable, securely fitting earbuds stay in place even during physical activities; Bluetooth connectivity for easy pairing with devices for hands-free calls or TV viewing; Excellent customer service if you have any issues; Comes with a nice charging case; Everything is made of high-quality materials that feel premium; Passive and directional listening modes for hearing different levels and types of sounds effectively

What Needs Improvement: The earbuds aren’t what I would consider ideal for listening to music, but that’s not their primary purpose; The body of the hearing aids behind the ear can get in the way if you wear glasses; It takes a few weeks of wearing them for gradually longer periods for the ear pieces to feel comfortable for all-day use