Why You Can Trust CNET Jabra Clipper (Black) review: Jabra Clipper (Black)
Jabra Clipper (Black)
Stereo Bluetooth headsets are a great idea for those who want to be rid of entangled wires, but many people don't want to give up their precious earbuds either. Luckily, there is a compromise: you can get a stereo Bluetooth pendant like the Jabra Clipper, which lets you use your own headphones. Of course, it comes with a set of earbuds if you don't have your own. As the name suggests, the Clipper clips easily onto clothing for a more portable wearing style. Even though the Clipper retails for $59.99, you can get it for as low as $40 if you shop around online. As with all stereo Bluetooth devices, the Jabra Clipper only works with A2DP-capable handsets.
Jabra Clipper (Black)
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The Jabra Clipper is really more of a Bluetooth clip than it is a headset. All of the controls are housed inside a small 1.8-inch-long-by-1.0-inch-wide-by-0.7-inch-thick unit. The clip narrows down to around 0.4 inch thick, and has a small opening in the middle so you can clip it to your clothing--a jacket, T-shirt, or thin sweater would do fine. We did find that it's a little difficult to fit the Clipper over thick sweaters though--Jabra suggests the maximum thickness of clothing to be around 4mm or 0.16 inch.
The Clipper is coated in a rubbery soft touch material. Located on the front is the multifunction button with the volume controls on either side, surrounding it in a circle. The buttons are all raised above the surface, so they are easy to press by feel. We did think the volume controls were a bit on the small side, however. On the right side of the Clipper is a 3.5mm headset jack. You can use the provided wired earbuds with the Clipper, or you can use your own. Also on the Clipper is a tiny microphone located above the volume button. Because of this, you do need to place the Clipper somewhere around the collar for the best outgoing audio.
We paired the Jabra Clipper with the Apple iPhone 4 and used the provided earbuds. The earbuds fit very comfortably in the ear, and we like that Jabra included a few different-size earbud options, too.
Sound quality was really good on the whole. Music was vibrant and clear, with rich tones and decent bass. Of course, if you have a pair of really good headphones, the sound quality might be better. You can use the multifunction button to play and pause music, and you can also switch tracks by holding down the volume buttons for a few seconds.
The Clipper is able to switch seamlessly between music and phone calls. When a call comes in, you can press the multifunction button to pause the music and answer the call. When the call ends, the music will resume where it left off.
Call quality was actually pretty decent. There was little difference between when we were using just the phone versus the headset. Sure the audio quality was sometimes muddy and there was the occasional static, but it wasn't distracting. It doesn't handle background noise canceling very well, however. Callers could hear busy crowds around us, and there was little wind noise reduction. Still, we think the Clipper has admirable sound quality for the price.
Other features of the headset include a mobile distance alert. If you wander away from the phone, for example, the Clipper will alert you once you're more than 10 meters or 33 feet away from it. You also get multipoint technology so you can connect it to two devices simultaneously.
The Jabra Clipper has a rated battery life of 6 hours talk or music time, and up to 8 days standby time.