Review: Jabra Clipper
By @edent
· bluetooth bt3030 clipper jabra · 10 comments · 700 words · read ~2,777 times.
Those delightful coves at Jabra and Wildfire PR have kindly sent me a Jabra Clipper review unit. Could this be the BlueTooth headset to replace my beloved Jabra BT3030 which had an unfortunate encounter with a washing machine last week?
Model Not Included
How does it stack up against my wishlist?
Wishlist
- Micro-USB charger. Yup - it uses the same port as the Nexus One. Although it comes with a charger - the lead on it is really short. The port is located under a rubber flap which I'm sure I'll manage to break off.
- Stereo. Yup. Fully A2DP.
- Control of music and calls. Yes - the controls are a little trickier than the BT3030 - but I'm sure I'll get used to them.
Minimalist Controls
- Pocket sized. It's minuscule. I look forward to looking for it all over the place before I remember that I left it in my pocket. Indeed, there aren't many gadgets I have which are smaller than their plug!
The Jabra Clipper is tiny
All looks good so far...
Oddities
Jabra knows that Apple users don't like to be lumped in to with the Hoi Poloi - so they've thoughtfully included a separate instruction manual for the fragile darlings.
Apple Users Are "Special"
The headphone leads are really short.
Short headphones
However - given this is meant to be worn close to the mouth, it makes perfect sense. Less to get tangled. Because they're standard 3.5mm sized, you can plug in your favourite pair of cans.
The charging cable is short.
Short Charging Lead
Again, you can buy long micro-USB leads for a couple of quid, so it's not the end of the world.
Controls
No one wants to faff around with loads of buttons. My old headset had six - play/pause, ff, rw, Vol+, Vol-, answer/hangup. The Clipper has three. Vol+, Vol-, Multi function. Want to skip a track? Hold down Vol+. Want to switch the device on or off? Hold down the middle button. But not for too long, because that will put it into pairing mode. And don't hold it down for too little time or you'll answer the phone. Confusing? Yup. There's also no way to fast-forward from within a song. Nor, as far as I can tell, use voice activated dialling.
Pairing
I'm sure that there wasn't anyone thinking about user-friendly operation when the BlueTooth specification was designed. Jabra have made it relatively painless to pair. Take a look at this video.
Sound Quality
If you're the sort of audiophile who insists on oxygen-free, gold plated, magnetically aligned cables.... just fuck off.
For the rest of us, sound quality is as good as any BlueTooth headset I've used. There are the usual crackles and drop outs if you wander to far away from your phone, or near a microwave. The supplied headphones are fine - if you're really picky, you can plug in anything with a 3.5mm jack.
Phone call quality is very good - take a listen to this AudioBoo.
🎤 edent
Conclusion
At less than £30, the Jabra Clipper Bluetooth Stereo Headset is a great piece of kit and fantastic value for money.
While the UI is a mite confusing - I think it will become less so with use. The lack of voice activated dialling is a minor weakness.
Overall? Highly recommended. Just remember not to put it though the washing machine...
A Brief History of Killing the Headphone Jack
Naomi says:
Love the review!
I saw another review that implied that the Clipper has no microphone... can you confirm that it does? Also, to answer a call do I just hit the center button (and the same to end a call?)
Thanks, Naomi
Yes, the Clipper has an inbuilt microphone. The centre button will answer the call.
Javid says:
Hay man!! Nice review... A True review... was able to get the feel of it... I just need a favor from from... could yo u please let me know whether it will work with my pc running windows if i connect a Bluetooth usb dongle.
It works on Windows XP and Linux. Haven't tried any other OSes.
Ansgar says:
How did you get it running under Linux? My Debian does connect, but I don't hear any sound at all. I checked and played with all settings without success. Thanks for help.
Thanks for the review. I'd like to use these clippers to connect wirelessly my Bose QC15 to my iPhone 4, do you think it'd be a good combination when it comes to sound quality?
Thanks
Javid says:
Don't buy this product... I bought it and worked for 2 weeks after that it does not turn on even though how many times I try to press that stupid button in the middle.. it sucks guys... I really like this idea but this a failure product looking for a better one if available
Have you tried recharging it?
Seriously, if it broke after 2 weeks, take it back to the shop. Mine has been going for over a year with no problems.
Okay then, now what I am gonna do? I really wanna have a BT headphone which has a good sound quality, I checked the sennheiser MM550 but the negative comments about it are alot, ppl complaining about it's sound quality when the noise canceling is on and they say it's not worth the money, I am really stuck! it seems it's too soon to buy a BT headphone with a good quality of sound.
Javid says:
I came across a new wireless technology called kleer... It produces CD quality sound... and can connect more than one devices at a time from a single source. I haven't tried it yet... still need some thoughts on this...