As mentioned in my blog post yesterday, a large majority of my product reviews are not sponsored. After the review, I would return the review units. I do not keep them, and I certainly do not get paid. There are a few products where I do get to keep, but it's a privilege and a recognition for my social influence.
After I reviewed the Jabra Rox Wireless, and despite identifying a few product weaknesses, I made a decision to purchase it under my own expenses. Why Rox Wireless and not other headphones that I have reviewed for the past months?
3 contributing factors:
1. Great sound. The moment I hear the sounds, I know it's a keeper. Jabra Rox Wireless sound is comfortable to listen to, has excellent natural bass reproduction without too overpowering, and its treble is detailed yet not annoying. There was no hint of streaming artefacts, it just sounds as clean as wired.
2. Great for running. It's not easy to find a pair of earphones with great sound AND great for active lifestyle, as I'm not going to buy a separate earphones just for running. Rox Wireless fits the bill perfectly. With the earwings, the earbuds do not fall off during my run at all. As the earwings and earbuds are separate, it's easy to mix and match to get the best combination fit.
3. Great price. It is almost impossible to find a pair of earphones that has the above AND great price. S$168 is a reasonable price, plus I get a discount.
Bonus factor: The feature to clip the earbuds together to put the Rox Wireless on standby is so convenient. No need to fumble for the stop button.
As for the weakness, I can live with them. Using the Sun Tzu saying liberally, "knowing your enemy will win you in every battle." As long as I know how to workaround the problems as they occur, I'm totally at ease. I weigh the above factors more important than the minor glitches.
There are definitely better headsets out there that could meet the above 3 points, but Jabra wins my vote for one important reason: I have the opportunity to try it out for a few weeks, to experience it and to determine the fit to my likes and needs. I did buy the Plantronics BackBeat GO2 last year under the same post-review purchase situation, but it was for my wife and the earwings are too soft to hold the earphones during running. Actually, the Bose SIE2/i Sport earphones are the best earphones I've reviewed for running, but the reason for not choosing that is that it's wired, it's brightly coloured, and it's expensive.
Your conclusion may vary, so head down to your favourite electronics store and give it a try. Thanks to my review, someone I know has bought it already. The Jabra Rox Wireless is retailing in Singapore for S$168.
Labels: Audio, Bluetooth, Fitness, Headphones, Headset, Jabra, Life, NFC, Review, Tech
