Designed for people with mild hearing loss, the Olive Union Olive Pro ear buds can help boost your hearing and sound quality. They are not meant to be a hearing aid replacement. Instead, they serve the needs of those wanting to amplify sound without paying a fortune for hearing aids. The Olive Union Olive Pro earbuds are the next generation of sound-boosting technology. They help people hear more clearly, especially important in noisy environments.
Similar to vision loss, which can happen at any age, hearing loss can diminish at any age, too. The stigma of wearing a hearing aid can lead many people to avoid doing something about it. In fact, young people often damage their own hearing by listening to music too loud. This is exacerbated by the constant use of headphones with damage appearing as people age.
Here’s how they work
To get started, people download an app and take an in-app hearing test to understand the degree to which they have hearing loss. Once this data is synced with the earbuds via Bluetooth, the sound adjustment can be tailored to you. It is not necessarily turning a volume nob up or down, but rather making it fit your own profile.
They work because the foam tips help to isolate sound and block out background noise so that you hear what you want to hear. It comes in two settings, one that actively blocks out background sound and another that allows pass-through noise. You can adjust the setting via the paired app on your mobile device.
The earbuds are tiny and unobtrusive like others in this category, and the white devices look similar to, albeit a bit larger than, Apple Air Pods. I particularly liked that you can select the size of foam tips you want for the ear bud based on the size of your ear. They operate by charging them via USB-C port in advance of use and will last for seven hours.
You can also charge the earbud case itself, and by doing so, you would give the earbuds additional life since you can remove them and charge them in the case when not in use. This is especially helpful when not near an electrical outlet. An LED light on the side indicates their charging status. Keep in mind, however, they are not ideal for all day use. The seven-hour battery life is not sufficient. You would have to put them back in the case to charge or power them up half way through the day).
Here’s when to use them
They are great for conversations with people in loud environments or outside, to listen to music when synced with a personal device, or for online meetings where sound qualify can vary, which is especially beneficial right now. The best use of these ear buds, in my experience, is when speaking with someone face to face. They are also ideal when listening to a speaker at a conference or event, during an online meeting like Zoom. Through voice enhancing noise reduction, the ear buds pick up on the primary sound you are trying to hear. Two multi-directional microphones help to improve the well-rounded quality of what you are hearing.
While you can use them to enjoy music, the sound quality may not be optimal. Although this is not enough to prevent me from listening to music. I find them especially good when walking down the street where traffic noise is a nuisance.
There is also a setting to stop feedback interference. That can sometimes be a problem when other devices are being used nearby. Wind can sometimes be a problem when walking outside, which can muffle sound.
The bottom line
These ear buds cost just under $300. That is less than the cost of real hearing aids. They look like standard ear buds that people use every day to listen to music. The Olive Union Olive Pro ear buds are an ideal way to enjoy better hearing quality without taking the hearing aid plunge.