I’m a headphone reviewer. These audio hearing glasses work better than I expected

When Bose launched Acoustic glasses frame Nearly six years ago, audio glasses seemed ready to become the next big thing. Although several Audio glasses and Bluetooth sunglasses Releases Since then, the technology hasn’t really taken off. Although Amazon is still selling Echo framesand Smart glasses Like Meta’s Ray-Bans which include audio and video elements, the hearing glasses I’m reviewing here are completely different.

the Nuance Audio hearing glasses A bit similar Meta Ray Ben Generation 2But they are more specialized. They don’t stream Bluetooth audio from your phone, capture video, or interface with AI. They are basically glasses with built-in hearing aids. But when it comes to sound boosting, they work better than I thought.

However, it costs a lot, at $1,200. It’s currently on sale for 30% off ($840).

If you have vision insurance or a health plan with provisions for over-the-counter hearing aids, you may be able to get a portion of the cost of glasses and lenses covered. You can also use money from your flexible spending account or health savings account to help pay for it.

Both Ray-Ban and Nuance Audio are owned by EssilorLuxottica, the Italian eyewear group that includes Oakley and Persol, as well as licensed frames from fashion brands like Chanel, Prada, Armani and Versace. EssilorLuxottica also has retailers like Pearle Vision and LensCrafters, where it has acquired some lenses designed for Nuance Audio frames.

These frames come in two designs and three color options. If you don’t need a prescription, they are also available with over-the-counter transitional lenses.

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Designed for mild hearing loss

Like other FSA-certified hearing aids, Nuance Audio glasses are designed for people with mild hearing loss. They received FDA approval in early 2025 after the French company was acquired by EssilorLuxottica Pulse testwhich developed artificial intelligence software for its hearing glasses.

If you have severe hearing loss, you should consider prescription hearing aids, which are more expensive and require a hearing test performed by an audiologist using specialized equipment designed specifically for your hearing loss.

I test headphones and earbuds for CNET. My hearing is still good, although everyone experiences some hearing loss as they age, especially in the high frequencies, which I can attest to. Over the years, I’ve tried some cutting-edge medical products Phonak hearing aids I also tested some OTC models from Bose And others.

I have also done an extensive review of AirPods Pro 3 ($250), which has an FDA-approved hearing mode also designed for those with moderate hearing loss. The AirPods Pro 3 cost much less than hearing aids, and do more in terms of overall audio. But the big advantage of Nuance Audio glasses is that you can leave your ears open and wear the glasses as you normally would, and still get all the benefits of an over-the-counter hearing aid.

In fact, they are marketed as “invisible” hearing aids because no one knows you are wearing a hearing aid. You don’t have to worry about looking weird while wearing AirPods at a restaurant or other social or work events, especially when interacting with people.

While testing the glasses, I did not retain hearing aids the entire time. You can activate it by long pressing the power button located on the underside of the arm near your right temple. You can turn off the glasses in the same way, or simply fold them up. The glasses come with a carrying case and a wireless charging pad.

I only turned on the Hearing Enhancement feature in situations where I would benefit from sound reinforcement. I generally turned it off while walking the bustling streets of New York, and sometimes, as a busy reviewer, I would wear noise-cancelling earbuds in my ears. Selectively turning off the Hearing Enhancement feature helps preserve the glasses’ battery life, which is rated for about 8 hours of use (essentially a full day).

Open the hearing aids

Since the speakers are built into the temples of the glasses and sit outside your ears, my biggest concern was that the hearing system wouldn’t be very effective. But this is not the case. For some people, in fact, it may be very effective.

Here’s what I mean: Just as with regular hearing aids, you have to get used to hearing your own voice enhanced by other sounds. Even placing your hand on your clothes or glasses can amplify the effect.

The glasses are equipped with six directional microphones. In the Nuance Audio companion app for iOS and Android, you can choose from four different preset settings (A, B, C, or D), as well as a “front” mode to focus on face-to-face conversations, or a “global” mode to amplify all ambient sounds. You can also adjust the volume up or down and control the level of background noise reduction (low, standard and high).

It takes some experimentation with the app to determine which setting you like best, depending on the environment you’re in. Although there is no hearing test that automatically creates a custom setting based on its results, a personal calibration feature is available to adjust the sound to the shape of your head, and is designed to help reduce unwanted “whistles” (feedback) and subjective sound. However, I still sometimes heard whistling noises when I held the tires in my hands.

I generally stuck to the “flat” A setting, which amplifies all frequencies equally, and keeps the volume level in the 60% range. (I didn’t notice much difference from the other settings despite its supposed ability to lean more toward higher and lower frequencies.) I also used the front mode to amplify conversations at restaurants or social gatherings where there was a lot of background noise. I found the glasses effective at this type of gathering, and I could hear people sitting in front of me, or even at the end of the table, noticeably better.

These hearing glasses will also be useful for those who want to increase the volume while watching shows and TV (in the latter case, you will not have to turn up the volume if you have a slight hearing loss). The glasses seem to be pretty good at not leaking sound, so people around you probably won’t notice the sound amplification.

One of the things that amazed me the most is how the glasses can amplify sound from a distance. For example, my son’s soccer team rallied around their coach, who would give them a short speech after practice. I was about 60 feet away and couldn’t hear what the instructor was saying until I turned on the glasses (I had used the front mode). Nuance Audio probably doesn’t want to enhance the glasses’ potential ability to eavesdrop on conversations in quieter environments, but I’m just noting that I tried this in a fairly innocuous way.

Nuance Audio Hearing Glasses: Final Thoughts

I was very pleased with how well the round Panthos version fit my face (I tried the square shape, but it was a bit too big). Although they are a little heavier than regular glasses, I found them comfortable to wear.

I thought the glasses worked just as well as any over-the-counter hearing aids I’ve used, and maybe even better. This may be because four of its six directional microphones point directly out the front of the frames, with two on each side.

To be clear, these hearing glasses are not designed to compensate for your hearing loss, but rather target specific frequencies that are determined in a medical hearing test. Although there are several presets to choose from, they don’t seem to vary significantly. However, I felt that the glasses excel at improving overall sound and filtering out directional sound.

The biggest problem with Nuance Audio Hearing glasses is their high price. If their price was closer to the cost of the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 glasses (under $500), I think people wouldn’t have as much to complain about. But when you go beyond $1,000, people tend to be more critical.

I would prefer them to have a charging case like the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, rather than a case and wireless charging pad. I was also disappointed that the glasses couldn’t stream Bluetooth audio or use them as a headset for making calls. Nuance chose to focus on the hearing component — it says the glasses took more than two years to develop — and that aspect has been done well.

While Ray-Ban Meta glasses recently got a new pair The hearing aid function is called Conversation Focuswhich help filter out background noise, they are not as advanced as these glasses as a hearing aid. However, it would be nice if the Nuance Audio glasses were more versatile. I’m not sure if more functionality can be added to this generation, but I suspect Bluetooth and voice calling are on the roadmap for the second generation model.

That’s my only real complaint. Other than that, there’s a lot to like about the Nuance Hearing glasses, and they seem to be getting better as Nuance sporadically updates the firmware with bug fixes and tweaks.

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