Review: Jabra BT8040
In the last of couple of years I have been trying many Bluetooth headsets. But my main problems with them are that they are clunky and uncomfortable. During the 2008 CES Jabra Launched their new BT8040 which is small and has an in ear comfortable fit using, according to the size of your ear, flexible loops/rings.
Many in ear headsets never worked for me since I have smaller ears and always had to use the extra provided around the ear loop. Even though I had a good fit they were still very uncomfortable.
Last week during the CTIA I met with the people from Jabra and had the opportunity to take a closer look at the BT 8040 headset and try it on my impossible ears. Instantly I had a very comfortable feeling of this very light weight headset. They were kind enough to provide me a sample for use with a longer period.
I have been wearing and using this headset for a week now and I clearly have to say that it is very comfortable small and light without losing the quality of sound and the ease of use. The small round button is easy to find and feel to answer a call or to start the voice command for starting a call. Two smaller buttons on the top and bottom have different tones indicating the volume. The lower tone is volume down and higher tone is volume up. Even thought the microphone is further away my callers didn’t notice any of this and the noise reduction did eliminate many background noises on the streets of Las Vegas.
The Jabra BT8040 also is great for listing to your music on your phone via A2DP and has great quality. The transfer from listening to music to an incoming call is great and is no hassle at all. After the call is finished it continues with the music where it left off.
In the short time I have been using this great headset. I can’t compare the ease of use, comfort, quality and design to any other headset out there.
The box includes:
- Jabra BT8040 with internal rechargeable battery
- 6 Jabra ear gel (2 small, 2 medium, 2 large)
- Illustrated user
- Quick start Guide
- AC power supply
- USB charging cable
The Jabra BT8040 retails for $ 99.99 but many lower prices can be found online
The specifications are:
Microphone
Sensitivity –44 dB ± 3 dB (1kHz, 0db=1V/Pa)
Omni-directional 4 mm Omni-directional microphone
Speaker
Type 11 mm electro-dynamic receiver
Sensitivity 110 dB ± 3dB rel. to 1 mW at 1.0 KHz
Impedance 16 Ω ± 2.4 Ω at 1.0 KHz 0.2 V
Digital Signal Processing (DSP)
Noise reduction on transmitted and received audio, Noise dependent volume control, Automatic volume adjustment on received audio, Acoustic shock protection
Operating temperature
-20° C to 60° C
Storage temperature
-20° C to 45° C
Waterproof
No
AC power supply
5VDC, 0.25A output, 100-240VAC, 50-60Hz input
Charging plug
Micro USB B – 7.4 x 2,7 mm
BT8040 materials
Polycarbonate (PC), Polycarbonate/Acryl Butadien Styren (PC/ABS), TPE, Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC)
Pairing code or PIN
0000 ( 4 Zeros )
Features
Auto pairing, Answer/end call, Voice dial*, Last-number redial*, Reject call*, Call hold/ call wait*, Mute, Multipoint, Play music, Quiet mode (turns light off after 1 minute)
Bluetooth compliance
Qualified for Bluetooth Specification version 2.0 + EDR (enhanced data rate)
Supported Bluetooth profiles
Headset and Hands-free Profiles for phone conversations and Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) for streaming music
Compatibility
Jabra BT8040 is compatible with other Bluetooth devices with Bluetooth 1.1 (or higher) specifications and supports the Bluetooth headset, hands-free audio and / or advanced audio distribution profiles
Security
128 bit encryption
Operating range
Up to 33 feet
Paired devices
Up to 8 devices - connected to 2 at the same time (multi point)
Talk time
Up to 6 hours
Standby time
Up to 200 hours
Charging time
Approximately 2 hours
Weight
Less than 10 g (approximately 1/3 oz)
Dimensions
L1.54 x W.71 x D.47 inches