Source
r/Jabra•
binaryvisions

Can we talk about Jabra's position on connecting earbuds to a computer?

In RE: this comment from Jabra support, it led me to this FAQ answer.

First, let's start with out utterly ridiculous this position is. They are Bluetooth earbuds; they should work with Bluetooth audio sources. If you manufacture this kind of product, especially at the price point that these are, you should be expected to support them during normal usage.

Second, how is a user supposed to know that Jabra is going to ignore customers with computer-related problems? If they're going to leave those customers out in the cold, they must document it on their technical specs, right? Nope.

Okay, but surely they must give this information to their retailers to publish that these are only intended for "mobile devices" (apparently my laptops are not mobile?) - specifically tablets and phones (what about Windows tablets?), to include before you plunk down $200 on fancy new buds, right? Nope.

At the very least, it must be highlighted on their FAQ page, right? A top answer, right? Nope.

So you're expected to dig through a 77-question FAQ, looking for a piece of information that no reasonable person would think to look for.

 

TL;DR: Jabra doesn't support using their expensive Bluetooth earbuds on computers but doesn't actually tell anyone this until you seek support. WTF?

Posted May 6, 2020, 6:19 PM UTC

2122
overpourgoodfortune•

Windows implements Bluetooth connectivity awkwardly compared to your phone, which is probably one reason why Jabra does not support this - plus the extreme variety of Bluetooth antennas/adapters out there.

In short, Windows (& Mac!) trip up switching between the Stereo and Hands-Free-Audio Bluetooth profiles. It's not as seamless as on a mobile device like a phone or tablet.

Apple actually explains this experience very well here, and the same applies to Windows:

"If you listen to music or other audio via Bluetooth headphones, and then you open an app that uses the Bluetooth headphones' built-in microphone, the audio quality and volume are reduced. You might also hear static or popping sounds.

This happens because Bluetooth has two modes: one for listening to higher-quality audio, and another for both listening and speaking through the microphone. When Bluetooth switches to the second mode, the quality of the audio that you're playing is reduced until the microphone is no longer in use."

Jabra actually tries to improve on this experience and bring things into their control for the user experience by providing the Jabra Link adapters. This simulates how the experience works with a mobile device on the PC - circumventing the poor Bluetooth implementation by Windows.

You can pair your AirPods, or Bose, or Sennheiser headphones with Windows or Mac and experience problems... Jabra isn't exactly alone on this. They tend to work better with a mobile OS - Android or iOS.

Here's a brief sample of threads regarding audio/connectivity issues for Bluetooth headsets on Windows/Mac. This is why Jabra provides the Link adapters to simplify things and improve on the experience... otherwise these kinds of threads are the support Jabra would have to deal with:

"I think that the biggest problem with the AirPods Pro is the real poor quality of the microphone when utilised with a MacBook of any kind!"A response:" It's not a macOS issue. Whenever the mic is turned on for AirPods or AirPods Pro it switches to the SBC protocol. This is low bandwidth for both incoming and outgoing audio. When it's just playing it uses the AAC protocol. Happens on macOS, iOS and anything else you can pair the headphones to, it's not just on macOS. You can easily see and hear the protocol switch on macOS. Play some music and listen on your AirPods, then go into System Prefs->Sound and click the input tab. This will cause the mic to turn on and you'll immediately hear the quality of the music you are listening to become terrible. To see this, just hold the option (alt) button and click the Bluetooth icon in the menubar and it will show what protocol is being used for the AirPods. You can see that when it's just playing it shows the AAC protocol, but when the mic is on and you check you'll see it shows SBC protocol instead."

... it goes on, and on, and on.

​

If you're experiencing connectivity/audio quality issues with your buds on your PC - I'd highly recommend buying one of their Link adapters. While I agree with the "Bluetooth should be Bluetooth, therefore it should just work" sentiment, though it is sadly not the case on computer-based OS.

9
binaryvisionsOP•

I want to be super clear here:

I understand that supporting the laptop and PC market has more challenges than supporting the much-more-limited Android and iOS market (though Android certainly has a huge variety of chipsets and antenna used through its ecosystem).

I am stating that these things are the cost of doing business. Jabra doesn't get to just wash their hands of it unless they are being explicitly clear in all of their technical documentation and on all of their retail listings that these devices are not intended for use outside of Android and iOS. Which they are not.

Jabra can choose to not support the ~260 million unit/year personal computer market if they want, but they cannot both refuse to support it AND refuse to clarify this point, when the perfectly reasonable assumption is someone making Bluetooth earbuds will support their use on a Bluetooth-enabled computer.

That's not to say that your post isn't well-considered and reasonable, but the fact that the PC market is fraught with shitty codecs and Bluetooth implementations isn't my problem. It's Jabra's problem. And they need to either deal with the problem, or state that they will not do so. If they state that they don't support their products for use with computers, or only support them with a Link adapter, that will probably cost them some sales. But they don't get to sell to those people AND refuse to support them afterwards. It's unacceptable.

edit: two quick additions: first, at a $50 price point, it's easier to overlook this kind of stuff. But they're selling an expensive, premium product. Second, a lot of these issues are about sound quality. It'd be reasonable to have a response like Apple does about sound quality that boils down to, "sorry, we can't do much about it," but Apple is still supporting their product.

3
overpourgoodfortune•

I agree with your post. Jabra should be more clear about their support of PCs on their consumer "Elite" products. They are forthcoming about PC support on their enterprise/business focused headsets as those come coupled with the Link adapters.

2
Mayor_of_Loserville•

This isn't Jabra's fault and there is nothing Jabra can do to fix it. This is really a Windows and MacOS issue. The earbuds do work on computers, it's just a subpar experience. The link adapter is just Jabra's workaround the OS's implementation of bluetooth and using their own.

1
binaryvisionsOP•

You've entirely missed the point.

I am not saying Jabra should be magically able to provide a great experience on computers where other vendors can't.

I'm saying they must support the PC market, or they must state, clearly and unequivocally in their pre-sales listings, that they do not.

0
Badloss•

Why? If this experience is universally applicable to all bluetooth earbuds as the parent comment seems to say then that's just the way it is.

They should market future better-adapted headsets to have PC functionality but there's no reason why they should negatively advertise their current product when other companies are doing the same thing.

If your argument is that all makers of headphones do this then you might have a point but that clearly won't be happening. I don't think it's reasonable to demand Jabra to talk shit about their own product when other companies also can't deliver on this

2
Mayor_of_Loserville•

How can Jabra support the PC market?

1
limduldk•

these things are the cost of doing business

Well there are only one person to pay for these costs and that's the consumer.

I'm not interested in paying more for the headset I use on my phone, just because it must support 300 different PC configurations too.

1
MasterTang85•

I bought a pair of 75Ts for the purpose of videoconferencing now that I'm working from home. I was shocked by the poor audio quality in VC--actually poor is too generous, they do not work for this purpose. This should be clearly flagged on the site or at least in the tech specs. I'm even more surprised it's not mentioned in dozens of reviews I read about the headphones.

Has anyone had any luck with these or the Link adapter on a chromebook?

3
overpourgoodfortune•

I found the same when paired with my generic BT adapter (I'm on a desktop). It was actually still poor on my Surface Book too.

When paired with the Link adapter that I use with my Evolve headset, and Speakerphone it works much better. I think the Jabra adapter is only for Windows/Mac. At least, the Jabra Direct software to manage it is. Once paired, you don't need the software though... it'll connect to the dongle even moving it between computers.

2
notablycaffeinated•

I've had innumerable issues with video conferencing on a chromebook. I would be surprised if the device can handle video conferencing and maintaining a Bluetooth connection of any kind. Mine can't video conference and do anything else. And even when it's only video conferencing, it's still doing it poorly.

1
jhodgert•

YES! This!

A big reason I bought these was the 2-device support. In today's telecommuting world, I fully expected to be able to switch seamlessly from a meeting on a computer to a phone call and back with relative ease.

Had I known that pairing with a PC or Mac was not a supported use case, I likely would have waited for the Pixel Buds or looked at other options.

Technically, they can say the non-PC support is published, but it's sneaky to but TWO DEVICE SUPPORT on the front page and put the asterisk on page 126.

2
Expensive_Rice•

I had the exact same unpleasant surprise with my smartwatch.

2
cr0100•

I agree that it is bogus. People are stating (I'm sure they're right) that Windows/MacOS handle Bluetooth stuff differently than mobile devices, but I have a pair of Bose headphones that cost not-a-whole-lot-more than the Jabras (over-the-ear standard stuff) and they work LIKE A DREAM on my phone/iPad/Macbook/whatever I throw at 'em. It can be done, it just seems that Jabra doesn't feel like doing it, for whatever reason. I'm editing to add that my BeatsX headset ($90!!) also has never had any problems whatsoever transitioning from iPhone to Macbook, with decent sound and no issues.

2
binaryvisionsOP•

The Jabra 'buds connect fine. They work fine.

The problem isn't functionality. It's that Jabra is refusing to support an entire market segment, but they aren't being up front about it.

0
AWAHWAHWEWAH•

I've connected to a Dell laptop no issues, Xbox, Surface Tablet etc.

1
Solid_Drama•

Just get a Jabra link adapter or buy a decent computer. This isn't a Jabra issue and nobody else is highlighting limited support for computers (with shitty Bluetooth radios) on comparable products.

1
binaryvisionsOP•

Other companies are supporting connecting their products to computers.

This is a Jabra issue. Jabra claiming they refuse to support PCs in post-sales channels but not clarifying that in their pre-sales channels is a problem.

0
Solid_Drama•

Well have you tried using all those different headsets on a lot of different computers with i.e. Skype and Microsoft teams? I have a Plantronics headset that works with Skype, but has limited support for Teams on a HP computer, but works fine on my Dell xps. Again, this isn't specific to Jabra and Jabra is in fact offering a solution with the link adapter. Read the best rated comment in this thread again and do some actual research. This is out of jabra's direct control as it depends on the hardware and software it connects to. It would be a hopeless effort to figure out what combinations of Bluetooth radios+operating systems+VOIP programs that is or isn't compatible. The only reasonable thing from a liability standpoint is simply to say that they don't officially support it without the link adapter.

1
binaryvisionsOP•

I can't tell if I'm not communicating properly, or of you aren't reading.

Functionality is not the issue.

Documentation is the issue.

Jabra needs to document this shit. Period. If they aren't supporting computers, they need to be clear and up front before people buy their product.

I've tried and supported numerous headsets. I work in IT. All of those vendors support their products. They don't always work perfectly. Sometimes the answer is, "it's clearly an application problem because the headset works fine in other apps." Sometimes the answer is, "sorry the quality isn't great, but it's a Bluetooth driver problem and we can't solve it."

But they all support their products. The answer is never, "gee, sorry, you connected this to a computer so we aren't going to talk to you."

1
euphoriamisms•

Yeah it works fine for me too. I was shocked when I first saw that laptop connections are not supported (I bought it for a jogging experience ) and then turns out it works. My expectations were probably quite low to begin with haha.

1
Cinderbike•

I struck out on support using my AirPods with a LINK... even with an approved headset it was a nightmare. The Link 370 is a POS IMO.

1