Editor rating – 4/5
PROS
- Great fit
- Fast charging
- Works well with many third-party applications
- Fantastic bass response
CONS
-
Below average battery life
VERDICT
The Jabra Sport Pace wireless earbuds will please all users who can appreciate their no-frills nature and improved sound quality. They are far from cheap, but we believe that their price is reasonable considering their flexibility and quality. Jabra did another great job and cemented their place as one of leading manufacturers of Bluetooth sports earbuds.
The Jabra Sport Pace headphones are the third addition to Jabra’s line of sports-oriented Bluetooth earbuds. They introduce many important tweaks and changes to further improve what is already considered to be one of the best pairs of wireless earbuds on the market. Our short review will tell you exactly what has changed to help you decide whether they are worth your money.
Design and build quality
The Pulse earbuds come in three different colors: blue, yellow, and red. Each color is used only sparingly to highlight certain design features and construction elements, such as the cable or the logo.
The over-ear construction does an excellent job of keeping the buds securely in place and tweaks the overall fit just ever so slightly to provide a great seal and minimize sound leakage, which is something that plagues the Jabra Pulse earbuds. The entire headphones are sweat-resistant and designed to live through the most vigorous workouts.
The right side of the cable has a very handy in-line remote controller with a total of three buttons. There’s the main button in the center and one volume button on each side. The remote also includes a microphone for phone calls and voice control. A long press on the main button will turn the earbuds on and off.
One crucial thing missing is the heart rate sensor that used to be a signature feature of the Pulse model. The Jabra Pace relies solely on the GPS built into your smartphone to track your movement and give you a basic overview of your activity level.
Surprisingly, the omission of the sensor didn’t extend the total battery life, which still hovers only around four hours. However, pairing the earphones is still very simple and free from any frustrations that you might be familiar with from other manufacturers.
Sound quality
The main problem with previous generations of Jabra’s earbuds was the excessive noise bleed and poor isolation which forced users to drastically increase the volume. Not only could such practice lead to ear damage, but it also distorts the sound and lowers the sound quality.
The Pace fix these issues and deliver a powerful audio performance with fun bass signature. There’s some digital sound processing going one, which can be noticeable at times; however, once you get into your workout session, you won’t even notice it.
What’s in the box
The earbuds ship with two extra pairs of replaceable ear tips and a short Micro USB cable for charging. Unfortunately, Jabra didn’t include any case or pouch to help you keep the earbuds protected.