Jabra Sport Wireless+ earphones – Review

Jabra Sport Wireless+

It’s about time that we should be able to listen to clear audio on our earphones without having to mess with wires for a reasonable price. If we can have a microphone on it as well and the ability to control music all on said earpieces then we’re really getting somewhere.

For several months I’ve been playing around with the Jabra Sport Wireless+ and I’ve been really impressed with the features of this Bluetooth wireless headset. Let’s take a look at what they have to offer and then go into detail about the pros and cons.

Features

• Wireless Technology – Bluetooth 3.0
• Controls audio from your earpieces
• Microphone – Omni-directional with noise reduction and mute function
• FM Radio
• Supports multiple device types (e.g. I tested it on Smartphones, tablets, laptops, and Desktop PCs)
• HiFi – built for music
• Talk Time – 4.5 hours
• Standby Time – 120 hours
• Music Play Time – 4 hours
• USB Charging (Micro)
• Multiple ear bud styles (large, medium and small)
• 3 month subscription to Endomondo fitness universe
• MSRP:$99.99 (but often on sale for less)

Testing

Over the months of testing I used this to listen to music on my home computer, on my smartphone in my car (My car stereo wasn’t working), and on runs as I trained for a 10k. In my testing I did not use the Endomondo functionality.

Connecting

There are only three buttons on the Jabra: Play/pause (which is also on/off), Volume bar, and FM radio. The Jabra announces to you when the power is on, when it is connecting and when it has a connection. Long pressing or short pressing determines if you are choosing to play/pause or turn it on or off.

The buttons are simple and with a bit of practice they are easy to use. I could switch between devices without any problem.

Connecting to different device types was easy. I never had to struggle to set up a connection to a tablet, PC or smartphone. I had no problem reconnecting to a device after the battery had died.

Wireless

Obviously the most marketable feature about this headset is the fact that it is wireless. I can’t stand getting tangled in cords while I work out, run, ride or even wander around the house. The Jabra was great in that I could do what I needed to without worry about any of those problems… or the growing issue of our 1-year-old who loves to play with earphone cables.

The device does include tips on using the headset while moving. It indicates that one should keep your smartphone or MP3 player on an arm band or somewhere close to the headset to prevent breaks in the connection.  To test this I let it bounce around loosely in a pocket and notice it cutting out from several times a minute. That said, if I used an arm band, or held the device in my hand I had no issues whatsoever. I am pretty sure this is a Bluetooth issue, and not Jabra specific.

I should mention that the cable connecting the earpieces to each other is a bit beefier than your typical earphone cable, so you’ll be less likely to damage it. It’s a close-to-perfect length for staying out of the way, while allowing a bit of movement.

Audio Quality

Audio quality is good. The highs and lows are decent and I could easily listen to music on an hour run without getting tired of the speakers. The only real discomfort was listening to a podcast that hadn’t been normalized, and that I had to adjust the volume on, and that wasn’t specifically an earpiece issue.

Microphone

Although I didn’t scientifically test the earphones, I used this many times for phone calls while in my car… which is missing a muffler. I normally have to crank my volume just to hear the stereo (when it is working), but despite that, I can carry on phone calls with the caller being able to hear me clearly.

The microphone feature means that you can also use the headset in conjunction with the voice command feature on your phone.

Battery

Battery life is posted at 4 hours. It has been fine for me for runs and normal use. It helps that it charges in an hour. As with all devices, it would be nice to have more battery life (say maybe 8 hours). Battery technology is currently the limiting factor in things like this.

4 hours should get you through most training and workout, and there are USB plugins pretty much everywhere now-a-days.

Oh, and the charging port cover has held up to regular use without falling off!

Weather-resistant.

While I haven’t been out running in a rain storm, I can say that the Jabra has held up to months of dust, sweat, humidity and damp weather without a problem.

Earpieces

The headset comes with a dauntingly large set of earpiece covers. I tore a set trying to put it on over top of another set (my bad), but figured it out the human error and was able to inter-change them without a problem. My wife had trouble using the same earpiece covers as me as her ears are smaller, so we dug through the bag and were able to find a set that worked for her training. I think it’s safe to say that the majority of us will be able to find a set that works for our ears.

FM Radio

I don’t typically listen to the radio, but I did give it a squizz and found out that there are a number of stations that are still operating in our area. Quality was on par with my car radio.

Price

Maybe I’m cheap, but the $99 price tag is a bit high. That said, I notice that Amazon has it on for $60 (affiliate link here).

Conclusions

The Jabra Sport Wireless+ is a solid set of earphones built with the outdoors in mind. They are feature rich, easy to configure and easy to use.  Although the MSRP is high, the actual retail price is more than reasonable for what you get.

Check out the Jabra Sport Wireless+ and let me know what you think of wireless headsets. Do you listen to music while your workout or run?