Wearing a Bluetooth headset has one inevitable problem. No matter how well designed it is, using it will almost certainly look silly. If we add to this that the price of Jabra Supreme is a little more than 7,000 rubles, it becomes obvious that a hard fight awaits her for a place in the sun.
This model is another product in a long line of Bluetooth-headsets of the company, the main feature and main competitive advantage of which is the active noise reduction function, first proposed in headphones of this class. Prior to that, it was the exclusive prerogative of stereo head phones. Did the manufacturer manage to fully implement this technology in the mono earphone?
Equipment
The headset is packaged in a typical Jabra box in black and yellow, in which you can find a case, a LINK 360 adapter, a USB cable, a charger, a car adapter, spare ear cushion and earband, as well as a user manual. There are many accessories, and if necessary they can be found on the manufacturer’s website, as well as a headband with a vertical arm, providing an alternative head mount.
Jabra Supreme Design Review
First of all, it is worth stopping at one of the most important parts of a Bluetooth headset - its design. Jabra company is famous for the release of rather stylish headphones, the culmination of which was the unique Stone line, which demonstrated the highest level of skill of the manufacturer. However, this design had its drawbacks. The lack of a mic boom meant that voice transmission was not entirely flawless.
In the Supreme model, the manufacturer returns to a more traditional design, in which the main earphone is combined with a folding bar and an adjustable ear arch. The first thing that catches your eye is that Jabra focused its efforts not on creating a stylish design, but on improving the sound quality. The whole product weighs only 18 g and is enclosed in smooth black-gray plastic and rubber with dimensions of 90x30x22 mm. When folded, the wireless headset can be hidden in the enclosed hard case. The microphone foot is nice looking and durable. But the case looks a little flimsy, and its class does not match what could be expected from the cost of the device. The bar is mounted on a hinge. When it is opened, the headset turns on, and when folded, the power turns off. In the first case, the headphone automatically establishes a connection with the last device connected to it, and a friendly American will kindly inform the user about this.
Mount
The headset is held on the ear with a replaceable bow. It can be inserted for both the left and right ear. The Jabra Supreme comes with two such arms (small and large), and both have a movable end that is designed to prevent an accidental fall. On the inside, the headset is equipped with two ear cushions that should suit most people. It’s not easy to put them on, as well as to ensure a reliable fastening, but after installation they keep in place not flown. The extension bar has a length of 55 mm and does not cause any inconvenience when folded. The owners claim that she clings a little to her jacket, but this is a small concern that can be put up with for the sake of better sound quality.
In general, Jabra Supreme is not called the most comfortable headset that they have ever worn. On the ear, it does not seem completely safe, and because the ear arch is replaceable, it seems that the device hangs from the ear, despite its small size and light weight.
Controls
There are only 4 buttons in the headphones. Outside is the most basic of them, which is designed to receive and end a call. At the back there are 2 volume buttons, between which under the plastic valve there is a micro-USB connector, which serves to recharge the built-in battery. The fourth is located on the microphone bar and is used to activate voice control. All buttons are easily accessible and instantly respond to pressing. Below (it depends on which side to wear the headset) are LED indicators for Bluetooth connectivity and power.
Preparation for work
How to connect Jabra Supreme? Pairing with a phone is a fairly simple procedure. When you turn on the headset for the first time, it automatically goes into pairing mode. Then you just need to go to the Bluetooth menu on your phone and connect to your Jabra device. If the smartphone requires you to enter a password, you should dial four zeros. If this is too complicated, then the voice guidance system can provide additional assistance. If you wish, you can turn it off by pressing the Voice Control button when expanding the microphone boom. In this case, an audible signal will sound.
On a PC, just plug the Bluetooth LINK 360 adapter into a free USB port and wait for Windows to install the necessary drivers. Upon completion, you must turn on the Jabra Supreme headset. LINK 360 is already paired with it, so the connection will be established automatically. But the real advantage of the model, according to user reviews, is its ability to connect to a smartphone and PC at the same time. You can, for example, receive calls on both devices without having to disconnect one of them. The range of the headset is up to 10 m.
Jabra Supreme: instruction manual
The headset supports wireless connections with two devices at the same time, which is very convenient if, for example, you have a working and personal smartphone (or a phone and PMP with Bluetooth support). To establish a second connection, press the voice control activation button and say the phrase: “Pair new device”. Switching between phones is a relatively simple process when the first (main) one has a higher priority than the second.
If you receive a call while listening to other sound sources, it will automatically switch to receive mode, and after the call is completed, the smartphone will return to the original task. However, while listening to the podcast, he will continue to work in the background, and therefore part of it will be skipped.
Although the design and ease of use are important factors in evaluating a Bluetooth headset, if they are not accompanied by excellent sound quality, then in the end the owner will only become the owner of a rather extravagant earring. Jabra Supreme finally begins to show its capabilities when it comes directly to a telephone conversation. A wonderful American reports on incoming calls, she even tries to talk about who is calling, although her pronunciation is sometimes quite funny. You can answer an incoming call with a simple click of a button. According to the owners, the sound quality, regardless of the situation, always remains excellent. Active noise reduction works very well. This technology uses a combination of a single dedicated microphone and an electronic chipset to create sound waves that compensate for the ambient noise that a bluetooth headset user hears.
Voice control
Pressing the Voice Control button gives the owner access to a number of voice commands. Battery (Pair), Pair new device (search for a new device), Redial (redial), Call back (call back) and Cancel (cancel) do not require explanation and work well, although the foreign emphasis confuses the program a bit. This is convenient since there is no need to memorize sequences of sound signals or combinations of light indicators. The headset informs the user about the connection, low battery and calls the name of the caller. The last and most important indication is Phone command. It will give access to the menu of the smartphone and allows voice dialing of any contact that is on the list. According to user reviews, this function works fine with the iPhone, but, for example, with HTC Evo 3D, this fails.
Compatibility
The manufacturer introduced a list of compatible devices, according to which most HTC models do not support voice dialing, even high-end smartphones such as Sensation. However, the wireless headset should work well with all BlackBerry and other Android phones. Before buying your model is still worth checking. Although a problem like this is certainly a big drawback, it does not concern the headset itself, but depends solely on the specific manufacturers of mobile communication devices.
On sale there is a modification of Jabra Supreme UC MS, certified to work with MS Skype for Business. A wireless headset allows you to receive and end calls, change the volume level and turn off the sound.
Active noise reduction
While other Bluetooth headsets claim to have such a system, the manufacturing company is adamant that it included it in its model for the first time. For other devices, technology requires support at two ends of the communication line, which is exactly the same thing. Such a system does not actively combat noise, as Supreme does. Users who tested the headset in a wide variety of situations (from the busy central streets of a metropolis to a crowded bus and a car with windows open) have never experienced problems listening to people on the other end of the line. At the same time, the interlocutors did not even realize that they were talking via Bluetooth wireless technology. In addition to active noise reduction, Jabra Supreme uses Noise Blackout 3.0 technology to reduce background noise. The headset also uses a wind control system (not yet patented), which is useful when calling from the top of the mountain. According to the reviews of the owners of the headset, who used it during a slightly quieter hurricane, the communication quality remained very high, since the movement of the air masses did not interfere with the conversation, and it was amazing.
Playback Rating
Ensuring high-quality sound when listening to music or podcasts for the headset is not a priority, since it was not created for this. However, Jabra Supreme supports the A2DP profile, which allows you to play audio from multimedia applications. Users who listen to podcasts and radio note that the sound of the headset is far from ideal. However, this may be due to the usual problem of streaming audio over Bluetooth. Given that the monaural headset is not intended for listening to music in the first place, this cannot be considered its main drawback.
Battery life
Jabra claims that a full charge of the battery should be enough for 6 hours of talk and 15 days in standby time. According to the reviews of the owners, the actual figures do not differ much from the stated ones, since the headset works 5–5.5 hours before the battery runs out, which is a very worthy indicator.
You can charge the battery from AC power, through the car cigarette lighter adapter and the included USB cable. When traveling, for example, you can connect to the USB port of the laptop.
Software
The user can install several compatible free applications. For example, GN Netcom's Jabra CONNECT Android program allows you to turn your smartphone into a control center for devices connected to the headset. In addition, the program provides the ability to choose between 3 profiles with different audio settings depending on the place of stay - in the office, on the street or in the car. An intuitive graphical interface allows you to control the battery charge, change the noise reduction level, record sound notes and send them by e-mail, register the location of the headset and display it on the map, and in case of an active connection, force the model to signal.
Jabra PC Suite for PC provides similar functionality extended to Internet telephony. The program also allows you to update the firmware for the Jabra Supreme.
Advantages and disadvantages
According to user reviews, the advantages of the model include high quality voice, the ability to simultaneously work with the phone and PC, the presence of a case and a car adapter, as well as the availability of free applications for Android and PC. Among the disadvantages of a headset are its high cost and limited Mac support.
Conclusion
At first glance, the Jabra headset certainly looks decent. It is compact, stylish and does not attract unnecessary attention. And if you add to this the excellent sound quality at both ends of the communication line due to active noise reduction, it may seem that the Jabra Supreme is an unrivaled winner. However, poor support for voice commands, rather fragile assembly and high cost mean that it will be very difficult to recommend it to others.