Not all headphones and/earphones are created equal. While I am by no means an expert, I would never buy earphones that cost P99—not because they are cheap but due to the fact that I’m sure I’ll wear them out in a week.
Jabra is one of the top headphone and earphone brands in the mid- to high-end range. I say “mid- to high-end range” because while Jabra prices are considered budget-friendly by First World standards, P6,000 is not loose change by ours.
Jabra has always been acknowledged as the makers of headphones and earphones with good and solid designs that provide full and consistent sound.
The company recently launched four new members of the Elite series in the Philippines: the Elite 45e, Elite 65t, Elite Active 65t and Elite 65e. These were first announced at CES 2018.
I consider this a good move because while Jabra is at the top of its game in the business area, particularly BPOs, the brand’s consumer products are seriously underrated.
The four new products model the best-selling Jabra Elite Sport, the most technically advanced true wireless sports earbuds which set the standard for the Elite product suite by incorporating leading audio technology. They draw on the GN Group’s long-standing audio, headset and hearing aid expertise, with each new product utilizing unique microphone configurations to ensure users will always be heard. This is whether you’re speaking to voice assistants such as Alexa or your family or at the gym for a workout. The companion Jabra Sound+ app, meanwhile, allows you to personalize your music to the sound that suits you.
The new Elite products also come with the security of a two-year warranty against dust and water ingress (two years for the Elite Active 65t also including sweat ingress).
The four new products allow voice support for all major voice services, including Amazon Alexa on-the-go. Jabra will be among the first movers to enable this mobile feature, providing customers with access to Alexa directly from the earbuds.
The Elite 45e is engineered for the best voice and music experience. It has a soft neckband (with memory wire) with a lightweight form factor and a unique box microphone solution that delivers the clearest voice communication on any stereo wireless headphone.
The Elite 65t is engineered for the best true wireless voice and music experience. It is engineered to ensure a stable wireless connection and best call and voice quality. It includes one-touch access to Siri, and Google Now, new integration for Amazon Alexa on-the-go and has up to 15 hours of battery life (with cradle).
The Elite Active 65t is engineered for active users who want a true wireless voice and music experience while working out. The earbuds have enhanced grip through a special coating, integrated accelerometer for tracking features, and IP56 sweat, water and dust certification. It has five hours of listening time on one charge with two additional charges in the cradle.
The Elite 65e is engineered for best-in-class wireless calls and music. It has two levels of noise cancellation, including Jabra’s leading Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) solution. It also offers incredible conversation quality with three-microphone technology that creates a noise-blocking zone.
Jabra also has Engage 50, a professional digital corded headset that offers superior call quality for call centers. We all know that Jabra is considered one of the best in professional headsets, of course.
The Jabra Engage 50 has a unique three-microphone system that filters background noise and breathing sounds to improve call quality and customer satisfaction. The headset also supports stereo sound and super wideband audio quality for vibrant, lifelike conversations, while providing hearing protection for call-center agents.
The Engage 50 addresses the issue of interruptions that affect agents’ work focus. The multicolor status lights on both earcups can be customised for the needs of the business, ensuring that a user is not interrupted in the middle of an important call. Jabra’s noise cancellation technology further blocks out ambient noise and improves agents’ ability to focus.
A total of 54,280 engineering hours were spent to develop the Engage 50 headset, which now holds three patents for features that improve call quality: its three-microphone system to reduce unwanted sounds, embedding the processing chip directly in the earcup, and the audio improvements that balance the incoming sound and automatically adjust to the users’ preferences.
“When it comes to improving call quality and outcome, it’s vital that we listen to customer service agents who know better than anyone what distracts them from doing their job, or completing calls satisfactorily,” said Holger Reisinger, SVP Business Solutions at Jabra.
The Jabra Engage 50 headset is available in in Stereo or Mono versions, and is compatible with on-premises and cloud-based softphone platforms. It incorporates USB-C for easy connection to PC and mobile devices, with the option of USB-A connectivity as an accessory.