Jabra ROX Wireless earbuds

The Jabra ROX wireless in-ear headphones offer very good overall sound quality in a splash-resistant design that's easy to manage, and with technology that makes them easy to to connect to your devices. They work over Bluetooth, which means there are no cables going down to your phone, tablet or computer, and they can be paired to multiple devices at the same time.

Earbud sizing

In-ear headphones are often a hit-and-miss proposition for most of us. Sometimes the headphones don't fit properly, sometimes they fit but don't stay in, and other times they can be downright uncomfortable. With the Jabra ROX, what you're getting is a pair of in-ear headphones that are well built, but large compared to regular, non-wireless earbuds. Each earbud is over 15mm deep, and that's not including the tip that goes into the ear canal. The end result is a set of buds that can be tiring to wear for long periods of listening.

Inside the retail package is a set of tips so that you can adjust the size according to your ear canal; you can also elect to install a pair of 'wings, which have the effect of gripping the inside of the rear of your ear to keep the earbuds from falling out. Three wing sizes are offered, while there are four different sized tips. We went with the medium-sized tips and passed on installing the wings. The earbuds stayed in our ears securely without the wings, as their size was big enough to just sit inside the rear our ears, but they did become uncomfortable when worn for long periods.

Using the earbuds like this, we found that they form an effective seal to block out external noise, and this means they also produce deep bass frequencies that enhanced the overall sound quality. We could walk around with the earbuds in place and they didn't fall out, although they did sometimes get a little loose, at which point we had to push them back in their place. If you're not moving your head too quickly, then they should stay put.

Connect using Bluetooth

The only cable present on these headphones while you wear them is the one that connects both of the speakers together, and this hangs down under your chin (or you can drape it behind your neck if you prefer). This makes them a neat solution if you hate dealing with cables coming from your phone or tablet.

We had no problems connecting the headphones using Bluetooth. Once the headphones were switched on, we enabled Bluetooth on our phone and tapped on the Jabra entry that it found. We never had to pair them again; each time we enabled Bluetooth and the earbuds were within range and switched on, they automatically connected.

Multiple devices can be paired to the headphones at all times, and during our tests we connected two smartphones simultaneously. We could play music on one, then pause it and start playing music from the other without having to mess around with a connection.

NFC is present inside the inline control of the headphones, and this can be used if you don't know how to use Bluetooth. NFC doesn't always work for us, and, true to form, we couldn't get it to work properly with our Samsung phones during our tests. On the Galaxy S5, the headphones weren't picked up at all, while on the Galaxy S4, they were picked up once, but then we were given a message pertaining to an incorrect PIN. Stick with simple Bluetooth pairing and you can't go wrong.

Functions and sound quality

The buttons present on the inline control are for volume and for changing function. You can use the volume buttons to also skip tracks, and you can use function button to pause and play the music. Calls can also be be handled via these controls.

One lovely detail about the design is the magnetic exterior of the earbuds, which allows them to stick together when you're not using them. This means you can simply hang them around your neck like a necklace. The purpose of this is to also switch them off and save battery life — simply separate them again to switch them on. They should run for over five hours off a single charge, and there is a micro-USB port concealed in the cover of the left earbud. We charged ours with a portable USB charger from TP-Link, since this was more convenient than plugging in to a computer or wall outlet.

Sound quality from these earbuds is very good. We have no problems with this aspect of the product at all. Music was rich, clear, and well rounded. Genres with heavy bass, including hip-hop and electronica were represented with a satisfying thump, while lyrics and higher frequencies weren't compromised. Even with rock music, there was a good low-end presence that held up the rest of the music without drowning it out. An app is available to equalise the sound if you wish, but we just use the default processing from our devices.

Should you buy them?

These are worth considering if you're after a pair of wireless earbuds for your daily commute or for when you're out walking. The Bluetooth connectivity is reliable, the sound quality crisp, and the overall design is well thought out. The only quibble we have is that the buds themselves are quite big and could possibly be a little painful to wear, especially if you have small ears.