Hearing loss is a highly prevalent chronic condition that degrades the quality of life. Although hearing aids provide immediate and efficient benefits to listeners with mild-to-moderate hearing loss, the prevalence of hearing aid use has been low. Consumer wireless earbuds are increasingly being equipped with the ability to amplify external sounds, which can be an affordable alternative to hearing aids. This study compared the amplification performance of non-customized Bluetooth consumer hearables to high-end hearing aids when used by people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. We found that such a non-customized consumer device significantly enhances the speech recognition of listeners with mild-to-moderate hearing loss, although its performance did not reach the hearing aids. These results determine the extent to which inexpensive and accessible non-customized Bluetooth hearables can help people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This study was funded by Samsung Electronics, CO., LTD.

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

Yes

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

IRB of the University of Iowa gave ethical approval for this work.

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Yes

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

Yes

I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.

Yes

All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors.