Eargo is widely known for its ultra-luxurious over-the-counter headphones; The company makes some of the most expensive over-the-counter medications on the market. But to make their line a little more accessible, there’s Eargo Link, a simple, lower-priced alternative to their more sophisticated options.
At first glance, the Link headphones don’t seem any different from standard Bluetooth headphones. You get a shiny black plastic and a bulbous design that rests inside the shell of the ear, although protruding out a bit. Weighing 4.74 grams (equipped with a small tip), it is considerably heavier in the hand than many modern headphones, but does not feel particularly heavy in the ear, due to the particularities of its design, even after use. sustained. wear. However, it can be difficult to get them in the right place, as you need to carefully twist them inside your ear to make them fit comfortably.
Photography: Eargo
In addition to its design, the Link differs from its predecessors in the lack of application. While it pairs with your phone like a standard pair of Bluetooth headphones, it doesn’t work with The standard Eargo hearing aid control app. It also has no physical controls. Rather, the headphones are touch-sensitive and rely on (well-placed) taps to operate them. More on that in a moment.
These control limitations mean there’s not much to do when using the Link headphones; There isn’t even a traditional way to control the volume. Instead, you’ll spend most of your time double-clicking through four listening programs, each offering a higher level of amplification (reportedly tuned to speech) than the last. A final mute setting turns off all amplification before returning to Program 1. The four programs don’t seem to vary in any way other than overall volume, and there’s no way to tune the aids for certain environments, such as watching TV or outdoors. . wear. Generally, you’ll just have to experiment to find out what works.
The good news is that Link does a solid job of enhancing audio, although I found it a little punchy, amplifying everything across the board from voices to footsteps to wind noise. Moving through the shows, each one is, well, a louder one. Other than increasing volume levels, I didn’t hear any difference between them.
Eargo includes six sets of ear tips, three sizes in open and closed designs. The default medium eartips are gigantic on me, and even the small size fits perfectly. When using open ear pads, I experienced quite a bit of echo and the usual “booming own voice” effect, but neither are overly burdensome. Squeaks were common when inserting the aids, but otherwise I never encountered any. I also didn’t experience any issues with hissing except when using the highest volume program.