Jabra BT8040 Review
If I had to give an award to the best Bluetooth accessory manufacturer this year I wouldn’t hesitate to give it to Jabra as the range of their recent offerings (from the excellent Jabra BT5020 and gorgeous Jabra SP5050 speakerphone) with top build quality and beautiful design is truly setting the company apart from its competition.
The newly released Jabra BT8040 (pictured above) is no exception as it is a Bluetooth headset that impressed me the moment I got it out of the box. From a purely aesthetic perspective it really offers stunning looks with a silver band wrapping it and a body covered with a black mildly rubberized coating.
The Jabra BT8040 also happens to offer an ultralight (only 0.35oz or 10g) and ultrasmall solution while still delivering easy access to the Call Answer/End button at the front as well as the Volume Up/Down. Additionally, I particularly like the built-in USB charging socket which makes it simple to charge your headset with the included USB cable while on the go.
In this respect, the accessory kit of the Jabra BT8040 (above) is very complete with not only the USB charging cable but also a wall charger and seven spare ear gels (2 small, 2 medium and 3 large).
Naturally, great external design is but one part of the equation and the Jabra 8040 also happens to deliver when it comes to performance. With up to 6 hours talk time and 200 hours standby time and its DSP technology you’ll be able to speak all day long with excellent inbound and outbound audio quality (as long as you are in a relatively noise free environment). Additionally, it is also the only standard headset that I’ve come across that offers A2DP music streaming support (albeit naturally not in stereo since there is only one earpiece).
Although I typically prefer on-ear instead of in-ear design, I have to admit that the Jabra BT8040 is extremely comfortable to wear (above) as well as easy to quickly fit in your ear when receiving a call and the lack of an ear loop also makes it a good pocketable solution.
Overall the Jabra BT8040 is a very beautiful headset, with a terrific kit and excellent audio quality as well as battery performance.
Having said this however, it’s still not quite good enough when it comes to audio quality in noisy environments to replace my favourite Jawbone (image right) which offers the best noise cancellation of any headset available today.
If you’re looking for a top rated headset that is smaller, lighter and offers longer standby time as well as being slightly cheaper than the Jawbone then the Jabra BT8040 will make a great pick but if you’re after the best audio quality in any environment then the Jawbone undoubtedly remains my personal favourite.
Treonauts always find the best options… 
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Comments
Don't waste your money. Ear gels are a cheap substitute for old style (JX10) and everyone has complained that I sound garbled.
I have a Treo 800w. Just got the BT8040. Not sure if I'll keep it yet. Here are my issues/observations:
* Pairing - perfect
* Works with Voice Command to dial out via BT
* A2DP music play - perfect
* Outgoing voice quality - Very good, even from noisy environment - car on the freeway, etc. Hint: If the microphone is snug against your cheek, sound gets muffled. I put a spacer (stick on plastic bumpers they put on cabinet doors) on the inside, and it's much improved.
* Incoming call quality - poor in the car. I think it might be a combination of the 800w's sound level and the poor fit of the earpiece. Has anyone actually tried the Jabra MiniGels, and has this improved volume noticably?
* Incoming ringer. It shuts off 800w's speaker when the phone rings. You get a ring in your ear but it's the default ringer of the headset. With my Plantronics 655, both the phone ringer and the headset ring at the same time so you can tell who's calling.
* Fit and comfort - It's just passable. I'm hoping to hear from those that may have used the MiniGels and if the feedback is positive, I'll try them.
Thanks,
Rob
Regarding sound quality this headset is possibly the worst I have ever had.
I am a heavy user and 80% of the week on the road and most likely using one full blackberry (bold) battery per day. Again 4 out of 5 people I talk to through the phone and the headset complain about the sound quality.
I can not recommend.
The search is over. I have a Palm Centro and have tried a LOT of BT headsets. You all know the Centro is very finicky and supposedly fantastic headsets all sucked on the Centro. I tried and returned: Plantronics Voyager 510, Motorola Motopure H15, Motorola HS-850, Motorola H700, Samsung WEP200, and LG HBM-730.
Believe me, my friends were growing tired of my weekly call, "so how does this headset sound?" This new Jabra BT8040 is cheap (less than $30!), very small, and charges off your laptop's USB port. I have always been a fan of the Jabra eargels, which fit perfectly on the BT8040 and improve the volume in the earpiece. With the volume maxed out on the Centro, I can hear the callers pretty well. Most importantly, the callers say that my voice sounds very good, even when driving at freeway speeds. No tinny sound, no cracking, the BT8040 just works.
Well, I love the sound when I am listening to my music. I have no complaints on calls either. I can hear them, they can hear me. However, I do wish I could find an eargel that felt more secure. It has never fallen off, but it feels like it could. It also looks very strange sticking that far out of my ear. I would recommend this headset....you can get it online for around $40....well worth it for a stereo bluetooth headset.
I absolutely loved my 8040. It was the most comfortable fit I've experenced and I have had several. Unfortunately I forgot to take it out of my pocket after a meeting and allowed it to be washed and destoyed. I will buy another and HIGHLY recommend it for streaming music and for phone calls.
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