I love wireless technology and will write-off a lot of its downfalls for the advantages. For instance, it doesn’t bother me that the audio quality of the Jabra Halo is sub-par, because they are wireless and very comfortable. Plus, I can deal with a lot of connection issues if I can eventually get it to connect, but the Jabra Halo headset failed me one too many times.
Here’s what I like:
The Halo headset is super comfy. It’s by far the most comfortable headset of any type I have ever worn. It just slips on your head and stays put. They somewhat feels like ear muffs. I also think most people should be able to wear them while running or biking, and the fact that they can connect to two different devices at the same time could make that convenient.
But that’s it. That’s the only upside to the Halo headset.
Here’s what I don’t like:
The Halo headset is supposed to be one of those devices that are smarter than you. To turn on the headset, simply unfold it, says Jabra. That doesn’t always happen so sometimes you have to keep opening and closing the flimsy hinges to get it to turn on.
Those hinges make me nervous. I always feel like I’m going to break them. You have to give the arms of the headset a little tug while bending them downward to snap the hinge open. But there isn’t any metal in there and I’m afraid that the mechanism will not hold up. Plus, the fact that you have to do this to turn on the headphones makes it almost self-destructive.
This hinge also controls the Bluetooth connectivity. I had issues syncing it to my Blackberry, Windows 7 notebook and Mac a lot. It never once connected like it was supposed to. Instead I had to go into each device and tell it to look for the Halo headset.
The headset charges off of microUSB – well, sort of. I could get it to charge sometimes. The port is at the bottom of one of the headphones and is recessed deep inside. I had to jam the charger up in there and then slowly let go while praying it stays put.
Then there are other things like the audio being just okay and that sometimes it sounds like AM radio for a bit. Let’s just say that these headphones leave a lot to be desired.
Here’s what you should do:
There are a few other Bluetooth stereo headsets out there and I would steer you towards something other than the $129 Halo if you really want to go wireless. Even if you could deal with the connection issues, the flimsy hinge makes me question how long the headset will last. Maybe if there was a dedicated power/sync button and you didn’t have to unfold the headset to power it on, I could somewhat recommend these. Maybe the Halo 2 (if one’s in the works) will keep the same comfy design but improve on everything else. Until then, look elsewhere.
On a whim, and based on the suggestion of a certain other gizmo review site, I bought the Motorola S305’s and I have to say for the $40 they work pretty well. They feel cheap, but the sound is good and connection seems pretty consistent. The range is pretty good too – I walked away from my phone today while wearing the earphones without even thinking about it and got about 20 feet a way with 2 walls between, and it didn’t drop the signal. My only issue with them is that the buttons (power and volume) are super cheap and rattle – that wouldn’t be a big deal, but since I bought these with the idea that I would be jogging with them, it’s a little annoying. I’ll keep ‘em for a week and see if I can live with that, since I don’t really want to spend $100+ on some higher end ones. Overall though, I’m more impressed with A2DP than I thought I would be, and the Motorola S305’s are a great deal.
I’m thinking you may have a defective set.
I have had mine for about a month, and use them daily. The hinges on mine are solid and lock securely, and I have never had an issue with the unit turning on. Similarly with charging, I haven’t found the connector to be fiddly at all.
I HAVE had an issue with pairing if I switch devices – it seems once I pair it with, say, my iMac, I have to re-do the pairing with my iPhone 3g. That said, I use it almost exclusively with my iPhone, so don’t deal with this hassle very frequently.
The sound quality has been consistently quite good – the only issues being when it first turns on there being a couple of seconds of cutting in and out while it locks the signal.
Try getting your hands on another set – the overall reliability and build quality of mine seems much higher than what you are experiencing, so either I got lucky, or you got a lemon.
It’s possible that he got a review unit – one that has been sent to other reviewers before. But even that wouldn’t let Jabra off the hook; although reviewers are probably rougher than your average consumer, a review unit will pretty accurately what the consumer’s unit will look like in 6 months to a year. So it may be that he got a jinky one, but it might also be that the kinds of problems he’s having are one’s you’re going to be having in a bit.
I bought these recently. A couple of things to keep in mind:
(1) The documentation leaves out a critical issue about charging. You must lock the headset hinges before charging. If they’re not locked in, it won’t charge. No mention of this in the documentation (wtf?).
(2) The headset includes an audio jack so that you can listen to devices that require a corded connection. Seems nice, but… when you do this, Bluetooth is disabled. Gee, wouldn’t it be nice to listen to your corded MP3 player or FM tuner while simultaneously being connected via Bluetooth to your cell phone, so that when a call comes in you can take it? Sorry!
i got these and they work just fine for me. been quite satisfied. also i wish you had mentioned the dual pairing feature. that is really important!
http://skattertech.com/2009/10/jabra-halo-review/
I’ve had these for a few months now. They are excellent. i had the same concerns as you regarding the hinges (at first) – but with use, I got over it. You just bend them and they work.
Positives:
- super comfy
- great sound
- “just works” – as in, open them and they re-pair with my iPhone
- Multi-pairing – I use them with both iPhone and with the Mac (as Skype headset, or listening to music from the Mac)
Negatives
- worrying about those hinges – which passed!!
And meant to say, my original review here:
http://www.rococosoft.com/weblog/archives/2009/09/jabra_halo_this_is_the_bluetoo.html
I have bought this Halo as well and I am having issues with it. The first one would not charge. So I returned them, The second one will not pair. So I am going to return it in the morning as well. I can not believe that the entire shipment of these Jabra Halos at BestBuy are defective, but I am not going to keep trying. I think that 2 is enough.