There is a huge market out there for iPhone enabled sports headsets. I have tried a few over the years, and none has really blown me away. Some fail when it comes to being water- and sweat proof, others fail because of being clumsy and others have too many parts clanging about when running. Now I have tried two headsets from Jabra: SPORT Corded and the wireless SPORT. First out is the Corded one that to no surprise is a corded sports headset.
The SPORT Corded has large loops going around the back of the ear. There is limited room to adjust the size, and fit. I have medium ears, but it still feels like the earphones are kind of large, and bending the hooks helps just a little bit. Despite feeling large the headphones stay on during exercises: running, cycling or explosive lunges all works well.
The sound of the Corded is balanced with a pronounced bass. The sound image is quite cluttered, and lacks direction. It is hard to tell where I am in relation to the sound source. Some sounds are centralised, where others are all over the place. Depending on the source material this can either be horrible, or really cool. Rock, and metal don’t work as well because those need a rather tight sound. Hip hop, rap and jazz on the other hand get a varied sound without missing out on the central bass. Overall I would still classify the sound as ok, and definitely good enough when out running.
One thing the headphones lack is noise isolation. The flat design with nothing entering the ear canal means that there is nothing blocking traffic from entering the ear. It is almost as bad as the stock Apple earphones. To me it is a real nuisance trying to listen to a podcast or book riding my bike to work.
The Corded has a short main cord, and comes with a long extension cord. The flat cord is strong, durable and there is absolutely no noise transferred from rubbing againt clothes. This is imperative to any sports headset. Furthermore having it with a detachable extension means you can have a short cord that is perfect for armbands. The longer cord is a tad bit too long for ordinary use, but I can understand the use if you place your iPhone/iPod on a Stairmaster/rowing machine. A handy clip on the cord helps to keep it in place.
The durable military grade design, and materials used makes for a product that can used for years. Having a microphone with volume controls is really handy even though you might not take calls when out running it is perfect to control music playback. After three years of testing headphones the Jabra SPORT Corded is the second best solution for exercising I have encountered. It is only beaten by the T-Jays Four. If you are looking for a set of earphones that isn’t in-ear when exercising it is the best.
Final Rating
SPORT Corded at BuyJabra.com $69.99
