Stereo Bluetooth Headsets come in all shapes and sizes, from the incredibly tiny Sony Ericsson IS-800 to the rather large Nokia BH-604 – and most of them still involve cables, which to some extent takes away the point of having a Stereo Bluetooth headset in the first place.
Jabra have always made great Bluetooth headsets, but until recently their only Stereo Bluetooth Headset was the Jabra BT3030 – a great handsfree/headphone solution that hangs around your neck and allows you to connect any standard 3.5mm headphones to it. The ‘Dogtag’ style control unit gives you full control over your music playback and volume, but it’s unique styling might not appeal to everyone.
Earlier this month, Jabra released the Halo – a pair of stylish compact bluetooth headphones that are completely free of wires and have dual microphones to reduce background noise during calls. The Jabra Halo supports streaming music in stereo, playback controls (A2DP & AVRCP) and volume control. All sounds great on paper, so I decided to get a pair out and try them.
Jabra Halo
In the Box
Jabra are quite generous with the accessories included with the Halo. As well as a European mains charger, the Halo comes with a Micro USB charging cable that allows you to charge the headset using your PC or laptop. Also included is a 3.5mm headphone to Micro USB lead – this plugs into the Halo and enables the headphones to be used with any non-bluetooth audio device such as iPods, MP3 players, Portable Video Players – anything with a 3.5mm headphone socket. There is also a black carry pouch included, although I can’t see anyone actually using it for more than a week as it makes the headset quite bulky. The only things that aren’t included are a UK adapter and a car charger, but you can use the USB cable with a USB car charger adapter or USB mains charger adapter to charge it when you’re away from your PC.
Jabra Halo Box Contents
Pairing & Set Up
As with almost every Jabra headset I’ve ever used, pairing the headset to my phone was incredibly simple. The Halo automatically turns on when you unfold it and goes straight into pairing mode. All you need to do then is search for nearby devices, select the Halo and enter the PIN code 0000 and that’s all there is to it. (Some handsets will ask you to authorise the device to make connections automatically). Pairing to a second device is just as simple, just turn the headset on and then press and hold the answer key for a few seconds to put it into pairing mode, after that’s done, the rest of the process is exactly the same – easy.
Sound Quality
The sound quality on the Halo is fantastic. I passed the headset around a few of the guys that work here, and everyone was impressed by it. Music is crisp and clear and much better than I currently get with my standard wired headphones and my Motorola S9 Stereo Bluetooth Headset.
Audio during calls is very clear too, the dual microphone definitely makes a difference, separating back ground noise from your spoken voice so that the caller hears you clearly. We made several test calls in the office and outside on the main road and were heard loudly and clearly by the guys back in the office.
Design
The Jabra Halo is a very sleek and stylish Stereo headset. The headband is made from a soft touch plastic with a soft velvet like lining. The earpieces are lightly padded and have the same velvet like cover. Unlike headsets from Nokia that have a padded ring that forms a seal around your ear to block out background noise, the Halo is completely flat and sits flush against your ears. For me, the earpieces don’t quite sit as firmly on my ears as I’d like, but the sprung headband keeps them securely in place. You could easily wear the Jabra Halo around town without worrying about people pointing or staring. It sits nicely on your head and is angled for a comfortable fit, as long as you remember to put it on with the controls on the right you should find it extremely comfortable to wear. When the headset is not in use you can fold the the sides in to make it smaller and more portable. Unfolding the headset will automatically turn it on, folding it will turn it off.
Jabra Halo Can be folded away when not in use
Call Handling
The Jabra Halo can be used to answer and end calls without having to touch your phone. A quick press will answer a call, a second press will end the call. A double tap will redial the last dialled number. If you have 2 phones connected it will redial the last call made on the last phone used. If you’re listening to music when a call comes in, the music fades out and carries on once your call has ended.
Music Control
Some headsets can be quite fiddly to use with just too many buttons. My S9’s have 6 buttons and I’m always pressing track skip instead of volume. Thankfully though, the Halo is nothing like this. as you can see from the image below, the controls are almost none existent. Volume is changed using the touch sensitive control panel – slide your finger up to increase, down to decrease. It can be a little hit and miss sometimes, so you may find that you stand there stroking it a few times in order for the volume to change – having said that, I think that this is more of a problem with the iPhone as it doesn’t handle Bluetooth all that well, especially volume control. When we tried the Halo with the BlackBerry Curve 8900 the Halo was much more responsive.
Jabra Halo Touch Control
Changing track is straight forward and utilises the same touch controls that you use to adjust the volume. Instead of sliding your finger up or down, you double tap the + to skip forward, double tap – to skip back. If you continue to tap it it will skip several tracks forward. Pressing the answer key will play/pause your music.
Battery Life
The battery life in Bluetooth devices has improved significantly over recent months. The Jabra Halo offers upto 8 hours talk time and up to 13 hours standby time. When I used them with my iPhone, the phone died before the headphones did, so I can’t guarantee that you’ll get a full 8 hours, but Jabra aren’t normally too far off when they quote battery life.
Why Choose the Jabra Halo?
The Jabra Halo is a MultiPoint Bluetooth Headset that can connect to two phones or a phone and a Bluetooth enabled. music player at the same time. This makes it ideal if you want to listen to your music from your PC, 2nd generation iPod touch or games console, but don’t want to miss any calls on your mobile. The fact that you can also use these headphones with non bluetooth devices makes them more useful than most stereo bluetooth headsets and means that you can still use your headphones with your phone if your battery is running low and don’t want to drain the remaining power by connecting using Bluetooth.
Jabra Halo with iPhone
While the Jabra Halo isn’t the cheapest Stereo Bluetooth Headset available, It’s well worth the money. No other Bluetooth Stereo Headset looks as good, has as many features or is as easy to use. Until now my favourite headset has been the Sony Ericsson IS-800. While the IS-800’s are still great (mainly due to their size) they don’t come anywhere close to the Halo when it comes down to features and usability.
Hi Vince, I was surprised at this change too! I’m glad they’ve done it though as it now makes stereo bluetooth a lot more usable. Now if only they’d sort out AVRCP I’d be happy!
I have used with the ipod Touch and love them except for the lowest volume setting being too high. I Just updated the iTouch to 4.0 and was surprised to find the problem solved because iTouch now has the volume control available on bluetooth. It can be turned all the way down or super-loud if you like.
if you want to have a third party adapter then go with sony, but it means that you probably won’t be able to use your iPhone in a case or charge it/connect to your computer, but that’s your call.
But I see the Sony has released a new adapter for iPod and iPhone,and perfectly work with its BT headset.So hesitate to deside which one …sony?Jabra?
at the moment you can’t, unless you change your phone. all bluetooth headphones for iphone will have similar issues. I’ve not found a pair yet that will reliably adjust the volume.
So it is still the best choice at this price level? How can you overcome the volume problem?
I’ve not tried using an adapter with the iPhone as it might cause problems with the bluetooth connection. In theory, using a third party adapter should mean that you’ll be able to skip tracks and adjust the volume, but there’s no guarantee this will work.
It’s not a software issue or a bug, it’s plain and simply not supported by the iphone – it’s a feature the phone doesn’t have.
Hi,Andy.So it is a software issue like OS compatibility? Have you tried other ways like installing an bluetooth adapter for iPhone to fix this problem?
Hi Peter, I just want to clarify that the volume issue isn’t a problem with the headset, it’s how Apple have designed the bluetooth to work on the iPhone. It’s not likely to change unless Apple improve their bluetooth implementation on the iPhone – something that hopefully will happen with the introduction of iPhone 4.0 later this year.
Hi,I’m watching this headset.As most people feedback,the volume control proplem with iPhone really made me upset.Has this problem been solved yet?
Yes, I have an iPhone 3GS and have the same volume problems. iPhone OS 3.1.3. I also pair it with my Mac occasionally. Volume works great then.
I have an iPhone 3GS and have the same volume problem as everyone else. Not sure if downloading the latest iPhone OS will help. The tap skip track doesn’t work and the tap pause/start doesn’t work either. Only the double tap which auto dials the last number.
Sound and fit is great though. Hope Apple can fix the bluetooth connection soon…
Hi, Have you checked to make sure that they are fully locked into the open position? if they’re not, they won’t work.
Andy
the blue tooth icon on the headphones does not blink blue any more!!
I just bought them a week ago and all was fine, all of a sudden they dont work no more. they can not connect to any thing.
I’ve had the Halo for about 2 weeks. Except for the minimum loudness (which IS loud on my Iphone), I totally love them. They fit well on my female head, unlike the Motorokr S9 which were way too big. The sound definition is great on the music AND on my calls. People can hear me clearly & I can hear them clearly. Can’t ask for more than that!
If you’re using the generic drivers built into the OS, you may find that your pc won’t support Stereo Bluetooth or music controls (A2DP & AVRCP).
If you can find out who makes your bluetooth dongle you’ll be able to download updated drivers from the manufacturer – it’ll be either broadcom/widcom, toshiba or bluesoleil. details on how to download them can be found here: https://www.mobilefun.co.uk/blog/2008/06/how-to-download-your-bluetooth-drivers/
Has anyone tried to connect their Halo to a Windows 7 PC? I am struggling to connect mine but it just wont work. It connects to my PC but it won’t install the peripheral’s drivers.
The fault is on Apple’s side as their implementation of Bluetooth isn’t great. It seems to be hit and miss as to whether volume works or not. for the music controls and volume to work properly the iPhone needs to support A2DP & AVRCP.
I am having the same problem as Mikko. I bought two new I-phones and two new Jarbra Halos but I can’t turn down the volume enough to use the headphones with music. I am ready to take them back. The volume control goes from loud to louder. I don’t recommend you buy Jabra Halo unless you are planning on losing your hearing.
Both Apple and Jabra needs to know their products don’t work together. Apple need to give us control the volume of the output. I could not find any way to do it.
Has anyone figured out how to solve this issue?
Thanks Andy –
I will wait until after the 9th before I take them back. Thanks!
Wendy
Hi Wendy,
both the track skip and the volume problems are iphone issues. apple haven’t yet rolled out support for track skip, so this won’t work on any headset. Volume control is a flaky one, on some it seems to work fine, others it doesn’t work at all. I’ve got the 3G and it works intermittantly, a colleague has a 3GS and it worked ok all the time.
I’ve heard a rumour that iPhone OS 3.1 will add support for music control and volume, and that it might be being announced on the 9th september. Guess we’ll have to watch this space and cross our fingers.
Andy
Hi – I received a Halo for my birthday yesterday. I love gadgets, and have long been a Jabra fan. I tried the Rocketfish wireless bluetooth headset a couple of months ago and took it back. It just didn’t fit my head well and was uncomfortable to use.
I love the fit of the Halo, and the sound quality is excellent. I have it paired with my iphone 3G and am having lots of trouble with the volume control and the skip track functions. I understand this is an iphone issue. Any hints on a work around? Is there a way to adjust the volume on the phone rather than on the headset?
I am really tired of that little white cord around my neck and don’t want to take these back. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Wendy
Hi Anne,
The play pause function is done using the round button, not the touch sensitive controls. press it once to start the music, press it again to pause it.
to track skip you have to double tap the + or – sign. When we wrote this review we were using the Halo on an 8900 Curve and an iPhone and didn’t have any problems. It might be worth checking in the bluetooth settings to make sure that the headset is authorised to access the music player, BlackBerry Bluetooth can be a bit temperamental sometimes.
Andy
I just bought one and paired it with my Blackberry Curve 8900. Volume works, calls come in, but I can’t pause music, or any other “tap” function. Anyone else have a problem with this?
On August 25, 2009 at 3:20 pm
It’s not a fault, its just that the bluetooth on the iPhone is temperamental to say the least. On my iPhone 3G sometimes the volume works sometimes it doesn’t but on the iPhone 3GS that we used for the review it worked perfectly.
Hopefull a fututre update from apple will fix thi
Okey. Thanks for the answer. Now I have one more reason to buy new iPhone :)
It’s not a fault, its just that the bluetooth on the iPhone is temperamental to say the least. On my iPhone 3G sometimes the volume works sometimes it doesn’t but on the iPhone 3GS that we used for the review it worked perfectly.
Hopefull a fututre update from apple will fix this
Hello!
I have Jabra Halo headphones too and I have a problem with iPhone. Volume is very loud when use with iPhone via bluetooth.
I can increase and decrease volume but still when volume is setted to mininum volume is still too loud?
Have you any problems with volume?