Hardware Review: Jabra Halo – Stereo Bluetooth

Jabra Halo – Stereo Bluetooth Headset

Specifications/Features:

• Wireless music and calls or corded from your Mp3
• Great sound experience with A2DP and DSP technology
• Remote control your music via touch sensors
• Easy to use – answer/end and volume touch control on one side of headset
• Intuitive on/off – Fold to turn off, unfold to turn on
• Ideal for all day usage – Up to 6 hours wireless music time
• Discreet wearing style without flashing lights
• Noise Blackout™ technology with dual microphones – For clear communication
• Discreet display for instant battery connectivity status
• MultiUseâ„¢ , for connection to two Bluetooth devices
• Weighs approximately 3 oz.
• Dimensions: Folded (off) D 0.2 x W 0.5 x H 0.3 inches   (on) D 0.2 x W 0.5 x H 0.6 – 0.7 inches
• Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR & eSCO technology – for clear conversations with Bluetooth

What’s in the box?

• Jabra Halo
• Standard Micro USB charger
• Micro USB to USB charging cable
• Micro USB to 3.5mm plug
• Carrying case

The Jabra Halo brings stereo Bluetooth connectivity with a very comfortable headset.  At 3 oz, it is a lightweight set of headphones.  I was very much interested in experiencing stereo Bluetooth as I had always held off on the ear bud style stereo BT headsets due to the cord extending from one ear to the next. The idea of having a cord connecting my cordless headset seemed a little backwards.  That being said, having the ability to use these headphones with a non-Bluetooth capable device is a brilliant and welcome move.

Build Quality:

The Halo feels solidly built.  I have had this headset with me for almost two weeks and have not necessarily treated it, let’s say, carefully.  Instead of putting it in the included carrying case (the case is too bulky in most situations), I’ve tossed it in my bag, on the car seat, and of course dropped it a few times.  It has proven to be very scratch resistant.  The headset folds at the midpoint of the ear stalks which causes it to turn on and off. This worried me at the beginning as it is the weakest point of the design.  I am very confident that as long as someone does not step on the headset when folded there will was no need for concern.

Build Quality [rating: 4.5/5]

Design Quality:

The Halo has a number of great design features.  LEDs – hidden, Volume control – on the headset, Call control – push button on the headset.  These features all add up to an incredibly functional and non-intrusive experience.  Having the ability to keep my phone in its car cradle or in my pocket while listening to music is a great feature.  I am able to pause and play as well as adjust the volume.  It really simplifies the music listening experience.  Instead of broadcasting to the world that you are wearing a BT headset, you have a discreet solution.  It might not seem like a big thing to most but I prefer to not have a bright blue light illuminating the interior of my car creating the illusion that I’m a douche.

Design Quality [rating: 4.5/5]

Sound Quality:

Music: I was very happy with the sound quality on the Halo.  There are many steps to the sound levels, allowing you to find the perfect balance.  Adjustment of volume was very easy, there was not a single time when the volume increased too quickly it was always gradual.  I tested the audio quality with music ranging from Folk, Rap, Brass Band, and Classical.  Sounds were fairly accurately recreated.  The bass levels surprised me, I did some fine tuning with the DSPManager just to get a little more pop, it was unnecessary but I wanted to test the Halo’s ability to produce deeper bass.  I was very happy with the results.

Calls: I also tested the Halo’s ability to act as a BT headset for phone calls.  With it’s dual microphones the Halo managed to remove many of the background noises, although not all.  In a very high wind situation people complained that they could not hear me.  Keep in mind that this was extreme winds (35 mph sustained), in every other situation people said my voice was clear and that background noise was virtually non-existent.  I could hear callers clearly in every situation.  It is somewhat odd hearing people in stereo though I got used to it.

Sound Quality [rating: 4/5]

Battery Life:

Jabra claims a 6 hour battery life with music streaming.  I used the Halo for two full days streaming music and using the phone throughout the day.  The first day I spent 6.5 hours and the following day nearly 10 hours, with music playing the entire time and occasional phone calls.  10 hours is significantly higher than the 6 that Jabra states.  It only takes about 2 hours to charge the battery from dead to full.  I was absolutely blown away by the battery life.  I have not tested the standby life.

Battery Life [rating: 5/5]

Comfort:

I have owned many sets of headphones over the years, as I’m sure you have as well, and I’ve never had a pair of headphones that I could wear for more than 4 hours.  I did not experience much “ear fatigue” with these.  Whenever they began to be uncomfortable I was able to easily adjust their position by retracting/extending the ear pieces.  I was able to basically wear this headset non-stop for the entire ten hours that I tested them on day two.

Comfort [rating: 5/5]

Overall:

The Jabra Halo easily wins big points from me.  The sound and call quality are very good.  The comfort levels are top notch as is the battery life.  Looking at pricing I see them available between $55.47 through $125.46, according to shopper.com.  Even at the high end, I think this Bluetooth headset is well worth the money.  I would recommend them for anyone who enjoys listening to music but would prefer to not deal with the cords.  They may not be the BEST sounding headphones on the market, but they more than make up for that with their feature set.

[rating:overall]