MaxHear
Built for the difference between a bestseller badge and a lab result
EarCentric Reviews & Alternative: Worse Than Nothing
HearingTracker's lab testing of the EarCentric EasyCharge, part of a comparison of Amazon's top budget hearing aids, scored it 0 out of 5 for both speech in quiet and speech in noise — and concluded plainly that it "makes speech intelligibility worse than being unaided entirely." Their verdict: "we can't recommend it." Two other budget devices tested alongside it, at similar or lower prices, scored meaningfully better.
MaxHear is a sound amplifier app for iPhone and Android that lets you judge the sound for yourself, for free, using headphones you already own, before you buy any budget device based on its Amazon rating alone.
Free to try with no account, no email and no card. Headphones required.
"Quiet room? I'm fine. Busy restaurant? Not so much. That's really where I noticed the problem. I didn't want to spend thousands before I even knew what kind of help I needed. MaxHear was affordable enough to try without overthinking it."
James R., 59 — Nashville, TN · MaxHear userWhat independent testing found — and how it compares
EarCentric markets itself as a top-selling Amazon hearing amplifier. Independent lab measurement, checked 19 August 2026, tells a different story about what that popularity is buying you.
HearingTracker tested four budget devices side by side, all under $200. The EasyCharge came in last, by a wide margin:
- JLab Hear OTC ($99): overall 3.9/5 — 2.7/5 speech in quiet, 1.0/5 speech in noise
- Linner Saturn ($79.99): 3.4/5 speech in quiet, 1.2/5 speech in noise
- EarCentric EasyCharge ($229): 0/5 speech in quiet, 0/5 speech in noise
Separately, the higher-tier EX2 model scores modestly better than the EasyCharge in HearAdvisor's testing, though still poorly — 0.4/5 speech in quiet and -0.5/5 speech in noise, a C grade overall. Unlike some devices in this category, professional tuning doesn't change those numbers: HearAdvisor's tuned-fit measurements for the EX2 come back identical to its untuned ones. So the EX2 isn't a tuning story — it starts modest and stays modest either way.
The finding worth knowing before you buy: the lab's own conclusion isn't ambiguous
Most weak lab scores on this site come with a caveat — a device that's merely below average, or that improves substantially with tuning. The EasyCharge's result is different in kind: HearingTracker's testers didn't just score it low, they stated outright that wearing it measured worse for speech intelligibility than wearing nothing, and recommended against it by name. That's a rare, specific verdict, not a general "budget devices vary" caveat.
What it costs
Both EarCentric models sit at a similar price point to better-tested alternatives.
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| EarCentric EasyCharge, per pair | $229 | HearAdvisor / HearingTracker |
| EarCentric EX2, per pair | $218 | HearAdvisor |
| JLab Hear OTC (comparison), per pair | $99 | HearingTracker |
| Linner Saturn (comparison), per pair | $79.99 | HearingTracker |
| MaxHear | free to find out, then the plan is shown in the app | — |
Original Medicare covers neither hearing aids nor the exams used to fit them. Both cheaper devices in HearingTracker's comparison scored better on speech clarity than the EasyCharge — price and lab performance don't track together here.
EarCentric vs MaxHear
A device the lab says performs worse than nothing vs. a free way to answer the first question.
| What matters | MaxHear Sound amplifier app | EarCentric EasyCharge OTC self-fit hearing aid |
|---|---|---|
| Independently measured speech benefit | Not lab-tested A general-purpose amplifier, not a clinical device | 0/5, both quiet and noise HearingTracker: "worse than being unaided entirely" |
| Try before you own anything | Yes — free mode, permanently No account, no email, no card | Only after buying Return terms vary by retailer |
| Adjustable by you | Yes, live Four-band equalizer, changes as you listen | Limited Lab data shows minimal benefit even with adjustment on this model |
| Hardware required | None Uses the phone and headphones you own | Yes A physical device with a specific "do not recommend" verdict |
| Cost | 3 days free to try, then the plan is shown in the app Nothing to buy to find out | $229 a pair Medicare pays nothing |
This isn't a close call on the data available. If you want a budget amplifier, HearingTracker's own comparison points toward the JLab or Linner devices tested alongside it, not the EasyCharge. If you first want to know whether amplification helps you at all, MaxHear answers that for free, before any purchase.
Why people check MaxHear before buying a budget Amazon hearing aid
Chosen from what actually recurs in the lab data above — not a generic list.
Judge the sound with your own ears
MaxHear lets you test amplification directly, in your own rooms, rather than trusting a bestseller badge that measures sales, not speech clarity.
No rating to interpret
Test the app directly instead of weighing an Amazon star count against an independent lab score.
Live adjustment you can hear working
MaxHear's four-band equalizer changes what you hear immediately, so you can tell right away whether a setting is helping.
Nothing to spend to find out
Test whether amplification helps you at all before buying any hardware.
Which one is actually right for you
One clear recommendation on this one.
Your hearing loss needs professional care
Severe or profound loss, one-ear loss, or conductive or mixed loss needs a licensed provider. Go promptly if loss came on suddenly or you have ear pain, discharge, dizziness or ringing.
You want a budget way to test amplification that the lab data actually supports
Your struggle is situational, or you want to know whether amplification helps before buying any device — especially one an independent lab specifically advised against. Test it free first.
A ten-minute check before you buy a budget device
Do this before ordering anything based on Amazon reviews alone. It costs nothing and gives you your own answer.
Write down your three hardest moments
The restaurant table, the phone call, the TV at family dinners. Specific beats "I can't hear well."
Grab headphones you already own
Wired or Bluetooth, whatever you have — no new hardware needed to test the question.
Start in a quiet room, level low
The app opens quiet on purpose — you set the level, with one person talking to you.
Then test your actual worst room
The kitchen mid-cooking, or a café at lunch. That's the situation you're really solving for.
Judge it on one thing
Are you asking people to repeat themselves less? If yes, you've learned amplification helps — on real evidence, not a star count.
FAQ: EarCentric reviews and alternatives
Does EarCentric actually make hearing worse?
Independent lab testing of the EarCentric EasyCharge scored it 0 out of 5 for both speech in quiet and speech in noise, and HearingTracker's testers concluded it "makes speech intelligibility worse than being unaided entirely," stating "we can't recommend it."
Is the EX2 model any different from the EasyCharge?
Somewhat. The EX2 scores a bit better than the EasyCharge in HearAdvisor's testing (0.4/5 speech in quiet, -0.5/5 speech in noise versus the EasyCharge's 0/5 on both), but professional tuning doesn't change those scores — HearAdvisor's tuned and untuned measurements for the EX2 are identical, and it still ranks in the bottom third of devices in its comparison set.
How does EarCentric compare to other budget hearing aids?
In a side-by-side HearingTracker test of four sub-$200 devices, the EarCentric EasyCharge scored last by a wide margin; the JLab Hear OTC and Linner Saturn, both cheaper, scored meaningfully higher on speech clarity.
How much does EarCentric cost?
The EasyCharge runs about $229 a pair and the EX2 about $218, per HearAdvisor and HearingTracker.
Can an app replace a hearing aid?
No, and MaxHear doesn't claim to. It's a sound amplifier app, not a medical device, and isn't authorized as a hearing aid. Its purpose is answering whether amplification helps you at all, for free, before you spend anything on hardware.
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Stop asking people to repeat themselves
Install MaxHear, connect the headphones you already own, and hear the next conversation clearly.