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INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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   Where i live it seems that people have just invented the "art" of running both at the gym and outdoors so i see more and more of them every day wearing wired and wireless earphones while running and of course while exercising. Now the ones who are really into running and exercising have actually invested quite a bit of time, effort and money in them so they always seem to use the most popular secure fit models by most of the leading manufacturers in this industry like SONY, Panasonic, Philips, Jabra and BlueAnt and since I’m always looking for a good pair myself i decided to check and see what's really selling in the market today. Well after visiting a few local stores i noticed the ROX Wireless earphones by Jabra and since i liked their design and quality quite a lot i emailed our friends over at Jabra who a few months back send over a pair for me to test.


   Jabra is the brand of GN Netcom, a subsidiary of GN Store Nord A/S (GN) - listed on NASDAQ OMX. Jabra employs approximately 850 people worldwide and in 2011 produced an annual revenue which amounted to DKK 2,106 million. Jabra is a world leader in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of a broad range of hands-free communications solutions. With a reputation for innovation, reliability, and ease of use that goes back more than two decades, Jabra’s consumer and business divisions produce corded and wireless headsets, plus mobile and in-office speakerphones that empower individuals and businesses through increased freedom of movement, comfort, and functionality.


   The ROX Wireless in-ear buds by Jabra feature Bluetooth v4.0 connectivity (support NFC, A2DP v1.2, hands free profile v1.6 and AVRCP v1.4), IP52 protection rating (dust and water resistant) and offer full stereo sound via two 6mm dynamic drivers (20Hz-20KHz frequency response with 92dB sensitivity and 16 Ohm impedance) connected together by a 55mm long cable. To complete the "package" Jabra has also made use of a MEMS (MicroElectrical-Mechanical System) microphone with a frequency range of 100Hz-8KHz 14dB sensitivity (+-3) and a lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack capable of powering the ROX Wireless for up to 5.5 hours. However we mostly care about how they look and sound so let's get a much closer look at the ROX Wireless in-ear stereo buds.

 



 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

featspecs



 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

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As accustomed by the boxes Jabra uses you can see the ROX from the front.

 

 

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Printed at the rear is a quick product description in several languages as are some of its features and specifications.

 

 

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Contained inside the box are the ROX Wireless in-ear stereo earbuds, carrying/storage pouch, USB to microUSB cable, 4 sets of colorcore eargels, 3 sets of earwings (secure fit), small piece of paper with the Sound App access code, registration paper, quick start guide and the warranty information paper (now that's what i call a rich bundle).

 



 

THE ROX WIRELESS

 

 

 

 

 

 

jabra rox wireless 04tjabra rox wireless 05tOffering a total of 3 earwings sets and 4 colorcore eargel sets the ROX Wireless can be used by anyone (regardless of ear size) not only while exercising and running but pretty much all the time.

 

 

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Thanks to the large cable which connects both earbuds you don't have to worry about dropping the 19g heavy earbuds.

 

 

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Both earbuds are tagged with left and right so you don't need to guess which is which.

 

 

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The outside of the earbuds is made out of brushed metal and as you can see from the above picture Jabra has printed their logo on them (the microphone hole is also visible).

 

 

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Removing the default/stock eargels to use one of the bundled ones is easy, just pull to remove it and press to mount (the 6mm drivers are not the largest ones we've seen in a similar product but not the smallest ones either).

 

 

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An activity/charging LED is placed at the top of the left earbud.

 

 

jabra rox wireless 11tjabra rox wireless 12tThe Jabra logo is also placed on the exterior brushed metal surface of the in-line controller (can be used to increase/decrease volume, answer/end calls and turn the device on and off).

 

 

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You can recharge the lithium-ion battery pack from the left earbud by opening up the exterior (opens from the activity LED area).

 

 

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The activity/recharge LED turns red when recharging and flashing green when the device is in use.

 

 

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A nice feature the ROX wireless has is the built-in magnet placed inside the right earbud (right behind the Jabra logo) since you can use it to attach both together and thus hang them somewhere or wrap them around your smartphone (the devices goes to standby mode automatically when the two earbuds are attached like this).

 



 

JABRA SOUND APP

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Just like with many of their products Jabra gives you a code which you can use in iOS AppStore or Android Play Store to download and use their Sound App which supports Dolby Digital Plus. Personally i think that even if you don't like that feature this player is so good with audio playback that you never have to think about purchasing one for your phone.

 

 

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Of course this player is ment only for Jabra products as you can see from the above picture (Revo/Revo Wireless/Vega/Vox/Rox/Solemate/Solemate Max/Pulse).

 

 

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You also have power over the equalizer but for people who are not into this Jabra has placed a total of 16 presets in it (Blues/Classical/Country/Dance/Electronic/Flat/Hip Hop/Jazz/Jungle/Latin/Metal/Pop/RnB/Rock/Speech/Urban).

 



 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

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   Having used and tested numerous wireless earsets and headsets the first two things I noticed about the ROX Wireless was its design and build quality. You see it’s not every day that I decide to use a wireless headset even after a review but the ROX Wireless looks great and it also looks like it’s going to last forever. Of course you can’t expect the same level of quality from earbuds as you would from a regular headset but it also stands out in that area as well (for how long it will last however is something that only time can tell – out of simple curiosity when and if it fails on me I will update this review). As for audio quality things are very good there too and although I was left wanting more volume and bass levels mids and highs are actually quite detailed and accurate. It still can’t compete with a good full sized headset in that area either but unless you’re willing to spend a lot more you can’t expect miracles from a pair of 6mm dynamic drivers. The same applies to the built-in microphone but although it’s certainly not among the best ones we’ve ever used (people on the other end would complain often about background noises) it gets the job done. As for the battery I still don’t know the exact capacity of the lithium-ion rechargeable pack used but we did manage to squeeze slightly over 4 hours from it while listening to music and answering calls so although it could do better we really have no complaints here. As for stability well if you were to compare the ROX Wireless to the PUMP HD earbuds by BlueAnt or the SPORT Wireless+ (again by Jabra) in really fast running conditions they’d fall behind (even with the earwings installed) but not by much.


   With a current price tag set to USD79.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 83Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) the ROX Wireless is priced just about right. Now the reason I even say this is because the ROX Wireless is almost 2 years in the market already so I’d expect Jabra to lower the price a bit more. Still I can’t deny that Jabra has once again released a great pair of earbuds in almost every conceivable way and that’s why we’re awarding the ROX Wireless with our Golden Award.

goldPROS


- Build Quality
- Design
- Rugged (IP52 Certified)
- Good Stability
- Stereo
- Bluetooth v4.0
- Jabra Sound App
- Magnetic Feature (On/Off)
- Rich Bundle
- Also Available In White
- Current Price (USA)

 

CONS


- More Volume and Bass Would Be Nice
- Price (EU)