The Jabra Sport is the first Bluetooth headset to unshackle runners from the constraints of their wired headphones. But can Jabra – a company who’s known for making Bluetooth headsets for the home and office – make a smooth transition into the sports world? In a word; yes. The Jabra Sport is comfortable, reliable, and as rugged as any other pair of sports headphones we’ve seen. It’s not perfect, but it’s a solid first attempt at a wireless headset for runners.
The $99 headphones are light and sit comfortably over the top of each ear. The buds themselves rest by your ear canal opening (not inside it), meaning they don’t provide any noise isolation. As a runner, that’s a good thing, since you should always be aware of your surroundings when running outdoors. But for use at the gym, that means you’ll have to crank the volume up high to cancel out any noise from the treadmill or your fellow gym goers.
Providing the right fit has always been a problem with over-the-ear style earbuds, but after a few adjustments we had no trouble creating both a comfortable and secure fit with our headset. Jabra also includes two additional size ear gels should the ones provided not fit. The headset itself is very simple and stylish coated in black with a reflective yellow highlight. They’re a refreshing change from the otherwise dorky Bluetooth headsets we’re used to seeing.
The two earpieces are joined by a yellow, tangle-free cable that does an excellent job to wick away sweat. Fabric cables are known to get damp and soaked with perspiration, but the Sport’s flat, rubberized cable is easy to wipe dry and provides more than enough length to fit around the back of your neck.
Controls are all located on the right ear piece. They include a multi-purpose play/pause button (which is also used to take/end calls, turn the headset on/off, and for pairing), a volume up and down rocker (which is also used to rewind/forward songs or search through FM stations), and an FM radio button (which is used to toggle the built-in FM radio and also to call the last number you dialed). Despite each button’s multi-functionality, operating the headset is simple and since each button is shaped somewhat different, it’s easy tell which button you’re pressing when you blindly slide your finger down the earpiece.
Pairing the device with our iPhone 4S took no more than 20 seconds and the Sport can be paired with up to two devices, so you could have it paired with both a Bluetooth-enabled tablet and your smartphone simultaneously.
When used at home, the headset was near-perfect letting us listen to tracks from our iPhone while walking throughout the apartment. Our music had a nice bass to it, which is something you don’t typically associate with wireless headsets. Call quality was generally solid, though at times we did experience a little static when we were more than 10 feet away from our iPhone. We also appreciated the built-in FM tuner, which gave our iPhone FM-playing capabilities. (Although in a congested city like New York, we weren’t able to pick up reception on more than six stations.)
However, our overall experience took a slight hit when we took our headset outdoors. Even with our iPhone’s volume cranked to high, we found ourselves wishing the headset was louder. At the gym, music sounded faint and was overpowered by our gym’s soundtrack/speakers. Cranking the volume to the max helped a bit, but at high volume we noticed our music suffered from a little distortion and that bass we heard indoors, was all but gone in our new louder environment. We also noticed that calls seemed to pick up more static at the gym than at home.
Fortunately, the device makes up for these shortcomings with its ruggedness. Jabra claims the Sport headset offers U.S. Military Grade rain-, dust-, and shock-protection. Although we didn’t test it in any extreme weather, we did put it through multiple 30-minute runs complete with hills and sprints and we’re happy to report that the headset remained in place and kept working even as sweat dripped down our face and into our ears.
Battery-wise, Jabra claims you can get 4.5 hours of talk time and up to 3 hours of music from the Sport headset. We averaged about 3 hours and 20 minutes with both phone calls and consecutive music-listening. While that’s more than enough for your average workout or run, it’s nowhere near enough to make it through a full day. On the plus side, we liked that the Sports’ battery meter was displayed on our iPhone and we also liked the audible cues warning us of a low battery as the Sports’ battery meter dropped into the red zone. The free Endomondo Sports Tracker app (for iOS and Android) was also a nice touch providing the same type of functionality you’d expect from apps like RunKeeper.
Ultimately, the Jabra Sport does what it claims – it frees runners from the shackles of headphone wires. Volume levels could be louder and battery life could be improved on, but our main gripe was with call quality. In quiet environments it’s more than adequate, but outdoors and at the gym call quality doesn’t come near to the quality you’d get from one of Jabra’s standalone Bluetooth headsets. But if you’re not the type of person to take important work-related calls on the go or if you’re just looking for a reliable (and good-looking) wireless headset, we wouldn’t hesitate recommending the Sport for the everyday athlete.
Pros: Lightweight, comfortable fit, earpieces stay in place during workouts, sweat- and rain-proof design, built-in FM tuner, simple and intuitive controls
Cons: Battery life could be improved on, volume level could be higher, call quality suffers outdoors