Review: Jabra BT3030 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones

If you haven’t heard of Jabra, you’ve probably been living under a rock somewhere. The New Hampshire based subsidiary of Danish GN Netcom (the maker of the worlds first Bluetooth Headset) is one of the top manufacturers for Bluetooth Hands free solutions.

The Jabra BT3030 ($59.95 from WMExperts) is a Bluetooth Stereo Headset which allows you to listen to and control your multimedia playback from any A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) and AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile) compatible device. After using this device from a number of weeks, I can tell you it’s even better than it sounds. Keep reading to find out why.

I’ve had real trouble finding an A2DP headset that I really like. I love the concept of being able to walk around listening to my music without having the wires. All of the Bluetooth stereo headsets that I have used have been limiting in some way (usually more than one). Either it’s too heavy, or the style is all wrong, or it still has the wires that you can’t do anything about.

Features

I’m going to touch on the hardware first. The BT3030 is designed to look like a dog tag, with a lanyard for suspending the receiver from around your neck. If you don’t like the lanyard idea, a clip for the back of the device allows you to attach the receiver to your clothing. Both the Lanyard and the clip are detachable, meaning you can use any or all of the above.

My use of the word “receiver” is intentional. I have a hard time calling this device a headset, because it’s so much more than that. In truth there are two separate parts to this device. The dog tag like “receiver” contains the playback controls as well as the microphone for placing phone calls. It also features a standard 3.5mm stereo headphone connector for attaching any headphones you wish, as well as a mini USB connector for charging the device (a wall charger is also in the box). A set of headphones is included, along with an assortment of earpieces to match your ear. The headphones themselves are similar to some of the other hybrid stereo/mono designs that I’ve seen in that the wire on the right side is significantly longer than the one on the left.

On the Bluetooth side of things, this device supports both the Hands Free and Stereo Headset Bluetooth profiles. The pairing code is the standard “0000”. The device performs as advertised on all accounts. The only thing that I encountered any problems was when I was trying to use the controls on the receiver it sometimes took a while to respond. I have experienced similar issues with other Bluetooth Headphones.

Look and Feel

Jabra describes the dog tag design as “stylish” and they have a slogan for this device that reads “Music & talk meet the streets”. I really wouldn’t go that far…one thing that I do love about this design is that you can choose how you wear it. You’re not tied down to using it with the lanyard, or stuck with using the clothing clip. You don’t even have to use the included headphones if you don’t want to. There playback controls feature a blue backlight to enable you to see what you’re doing in the dark. The Jabra Logo also lights up different colors to communicate when it’s charging and such.

Usability

The usability of this device is where Jabra really starts to pull away from the rest of the pack. Not only is the method of carry fully configurable, this device can be used any number of ways. Because it features a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, you can even connect it to the stereo in your home or car (much like the recently reviewed Blackberry Bluetooth Audio Gateway) to wirelessly stream your music.

The one area that I’m not sold on the usability is with the Hands Free use. The microphone for the headset is in the top of the dog tag. No matter how you use it (lanyard, clothing clip or in your pocket), the microphone is going to be a long way from your mouth.

The playback control buttons appear to have an indentation on them to allow for some feel to the buttons, but in fact the symbols on the buttons are raised, permitting you to use your sense of touch to navigate. Battery life is rated at a respectable 7 hours of music or 8 hours of talk time.

One device that I can’t help comparing the BT3030 to is the Sony Ericsson HBH-DS970 stereo headset. One of our readers that commented on Hobbes’ review noticed the similarities as well and requested a comparison of the two devices. Having used both fairly extensively, I would say that the HBH-DS970 performs much better when used for phone calls. The real difference is in the hardware. With the Sony model, you are limited to using the headphones and lanyard that comes with the device (there is no clothing clip), an LCD for displaying song information is also included for listening to music. Sony built their device all in one piece, so there is really none of the flexibility featured in the BT3030.

Conclusion

This is the best (and most flexible by far) solution that I’ve seen for Bluetooth Stereo audio. That does not mean that this is a perfect device. For one, you are still stuck with a traditional wired pair of headphones (so much for wireless). For another, the usability as a Hands Free device for your phone is almost an afterthought. Keep both of these thoughts in mind as you’re considering this purchase.