STYLISH WIRELESS HEADPHONES
Jabra Rox Wireless
CONCLUSION A solid pair air of buds that hat looks as good as it sounds. nds. Everythingg else is a bonus. s.
Bluetooth wireless headphones are a dime a dozen these days, but the new Rox Wireless stands out for its sporty good looks, rugged design and ease of use. These new in-ear headphones are part of Jabra’s Music line and are crafted out of solid steel, which makes them feel really well built. What’s more interesting about its design are the magnetic earbuds. When not in use, simply clip the two earbuds together and it will go into power-saving mode. When you want to listen to music again, detach them from each other and the Rox Wireless will automatically reconnect to the previous source. Jabra claims a battery life of around five to six hours and we found that to be fairly accurate. The Rox Wireless also has a built-in remote and microphone that lets users easily play, pause or skip tracks, and take or reject calls.
The Rox Wireless comes with the usual selection of different sizes of silicon ear tips to ensure a perfect fit, and it also comes with something Jabra calls “ear wings”, which fit into the ridges of your ear for an even more secure fit. It feels a bit unnatural at first, but it does a good job of keeping the headphones in place, which is great if you intend to use it for sports. And if you do, you would be happy to know that the Rox Wireless is IP52-certified, so it is dust, water and sweat resistant.
The Rox Wireless is both Bluetooth and NFC compatible and pairing with devices is a straightforward process. Audio-wise, the Rox Wireless impressed us with its strong bass, clear vocals and a pretty wide soundstage. On our test track, Hotel California, we found the strings to be clearly rendered and the opening intro when the bongo drums came on had lots of punch. The spaciousness of its soundstage was also apparent during the dual guitar solos towards the end of the track. That said, there were times where we found the bass to be a tad overpowering, drowning out the rest of the audio spectrum.
Users can also enhance the Rox Wireless with Dolby Digital Plus technology by downloading the free Jabra Sound App. The app is basically a music player for local files with said Dolby Digital Plus sound enhancements built-in and equalizer functions. In our experience, enabling Dolby Digital Plus made the already strong bass way too overpowering and gave the overall sound a somewhat artificial feel. Note that Dolby Digital Plus can only be turned on using this app, so it does not work with other music streaming apps such as Spotify or Deezer.
All things considered, the new Rox Wireless is a commendable pair of Bluetooth headphones that offers great sound and design. We liked also like its magnetic ear cups, which makes it easy to keep and conserve battery. And at $169, we also think it is reasonably priced for what it offers.