Jabra has a strong pedigree in Bluetooth gadgets including the stylish Jabra Stone headset and the excellent in-car Jabra Freeway speakerphone.
The Supreme is a bit different, yes it's a Bluetooth headset, but it's the first mono headset to include Active Noise Cancellation technology. We sent our Technical Manger Owen Gerrard out with the Supreme to put it to the test walking, driving and of course talking.
Bluetooth headsets are certainly not fashion accessories, but we're pleasantly pleased with the Supreme's appearance. Weighing just 18g, it hooks over your ear and the flip-boom arm (complete with volume controls) pulls out and sits alongside your cheek. It's certainly comfortable, but it's so light we were continually checking it was secure and it did almost fall out on a couple of occasions.
At around £99, the Jabra Supreme is at the pricier end of the Bluetooth headset market, so it's a shame it doesn't quite have the level of fit and finish we'd expect, there are some uneven joins of plastic, but it still feels sturdy and usable.
Pairing the Supreme with our iPhone, we tried it driving on the motorway, walking down a busy road and in the office and call quality from the 24mm speaker is outstanding; crisp and clear both for us and the people we talked to.
The Active Noise Cancelling technology used here is similar to that used in headphones such as the Bose QC3 and Sennheiser PXC 450 which works by analysing the environment and creating a sound wave to counteract and cancel out noise.
When combined with other Jabra technology like Wind-noise Reduction and Noise Blackout, it works incredibly effectively. Owen said callers reported his voice remained loud and clear – despite battling against background noise like lorries. in fact it adjusted so well to our surroundings, he didn’t need to turn the volume button up and down when we swapped between loud and quiet environments.
Even more impressive is battery life, with moderate to light use Owen got around five days, which is fantastic.
Of course the Jabra Supreme is not just for use with voice calls, you can also pair it with a computer using Bluetooth and A2DP support means you can stream music. quite why anyone would want to do this, we don't know because you are never going to get outstanding sound quality from a mono speaker.
We're really impressed with the Jabra Supreme. it is expensive, but in terms of performance it's definitely the best Bluetooth headset we've tried and effortlessly handles loud and quite situations. our only gripe is the build – we just wish it felt a bit studier. But otherwise this comes recommended.