Customer Reviews

Jabra A125s Bluetooth iPod Adapter

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Ok, just got it charged up and it seems to work well with my new 160GB iPod Classic and my slightly older Motorola s9's.

What I don't understand is why there seem to be various different versions of this Jabra BT adapter here on Amazon. There's this one (I purchased it and got one that turned out to be the A125s.), one called "Jabra Bluetooth Music Adaptor for Ipod," another called "Bluetooth iPod Adapter," and another called "A125 JABRA BLUETOOTH IPOD ADAPTOR." Kind of confusing!

Anyway, it's still a bit early to tell, but other then some immediate issues getting it paired, it seems to stay paired whether it gets unplugged or not. This is because the Jabra has a battery built into it. I used to have an iCombi iPod Bluetooth Adapter before this and it sucked it's juice directly out of the iPod's battery and so every time I unplugged it, and plugged it back in, it had to be paired again. There are obviously pluses and minuses to each approach.

The Jabra is more bulky then the iCombi. This is bad for obvious reasons, but it's also good in that it makes it more visible. The iCombi was so compact that it was easily lost in plain view! That's actually why I bought this - I lost my iCombi. It could actually be somewhere in my car or my house, but it's so small that it can hid really well! The picture here of the Jabra makes it look like it's wafer-thin, but in fact it is as thick as my 160GB Classic (or the older 60GB/80GB iPod Video).

The Jabra requires that you charge it in addition to your iPod and your BT headset. That's a lot of charging! So it's annoying and you have to deal with more chargers and batteries running out, etc. On the other hand, it's not depleting you iPod's battery, so especially when you're using it to watch videos, which take a lot of battery power, you know you're going to get your full X hours of video rather than something less.

The iCombi had some kind of fastener that made it so it would stay attached to the iPod and not come out unless you pressed these two buttons on its sides at the same time. The Jabra can be removed easily, and my skin case, even though it's just 1mm thick, makes it so the Jabra doesn't stick in very well. The slightest touch will make it come out. I'm going to have make a cut in that skin case to accommondate it!

The Jabra has a button on the side for added functionality which is good, except that I keep finding myself touching it inadvertantly and am wondering if that's going to cause problems down the road...

If I come up with any other feedback, I'll update this.

I use mine with a Ipod Video 60GB and HT820 Bluetooth Stereo headset by Motorola. Both the transmitter and headset have 8-10 hours and there was no problem pairing them up. The remote controls (rewind, fast-forward, etc.) work great.

The only issue I have is that I can't find a case that protects both the ipod and the adapter. I would be relatively easy to drop and break the connector. Jabra should offer a case that holds both.

I gotta say, Jabra poorly designed this adapter. One major thing they overlooked while designing this product is a lock. There is one on the USB iPod charger to lock it in place so that it doesn't slide out. Well Jabra blindly overlooked this little detail. So beware, the adapter won't stay connected to your ipod at all times, in addition to that there's no case either. Other than that I works perfectly, and the pairing with the headphone is fast and easy.

The A125s paired with the Jabra BT620s headphones works great. I use them at the gym w/o wires and the sound is very good. Initially the high end sound was missing but after I played with the EQ on the IPOD I was pleased.

The unt works well and pair's well with my Motorola HT820 as well as the Jabra BT620s. It's simple and well throught out. My Ipod Video works well is close proximity(up to 3 Feet, but when walking on the street, cars with bluetooth do cause interference.

I'll start with the 'good' before going to the 'bad', since the 'bad' is a longer list.

GOOD

Works with the two stereo bluetooth headsets I paired them with (Lubix NC1 and the Plantronics Voyager 855). A2DP control was good, having the ability to control my iPod (30gb Video, 5th Gen) remotely was very convenient.

BAD

If you're moving, this is worthless. If you're in a heavy metropolitan area, where there could be much more bluetooth interference, this is worthless. I spend much of my time in Downtown San Francisco, and on my commute there, this worked. But, my commute involves me sitting down and not moving for half an hour. Once I get outside and start walking around, the audio cuts in and out CONSTANTLY. In fact, it's not just the audio that would cut out for a second or two (as is the habit with many bluetooth products), sometimes it would cut out for MINUTES AT A TIME. Unacceptable.

You'd also need good line of sight from this adapter and the headset you're using. For example, my iPod and adapter are in a bag pocket that I sling over my left shoulder. The bluetooth receiving end of my headset is in my right ear. Even when not moving, this causes problems. I tested this in my kitchen with my iPod on the counter to my right and the headset in my left ear and I stepped about 3 feet away. I got interference.

Also, the length I can step away without my music cutting out is 10 feet or less. While 10 feet is what is advertised on most specs for this item, my older bluetooth adapter, the Logitech Freepulse, can get twice that, sometimes more. And, that adapter had way less frequent drop-outs, and you don't need perfect line of sight. The only reason I don't use that more is that it doesn't support remote control from my headset.

Ease of use is also a pain in the ass. The light on the device is hard to see in the daylight, so sometimes I'd have to guess if I turned it off properly or not. Also, if I sync this to the my Plantronics headset first, then my headset to my phone, I lose audio from the Jabra until I do some fancy combination of detaching it, pressing its multifunction button, and pressing the button on my headset.

Also, there are no clasps on the connector, meaning this has a very good chance of falling off your iPod. While it never fully fell off, it did get loose a few times in my bag.

In short, this thing is useless. I could forgive almost everything else if only it didn't cut out as much. Losing audio for half a song makes this thing worthless. NOT RECOMMENDED AT ALL.

The product is not exactly what I expected. It does connect easily and well, but it's hard to charge because of the need to use a computer for it. It also does NOT stay in well and will fall out very easily. The connectivity goes out all the time if you slightly nudge it.

I would not recommend this product.

I was really excited when I got this, as I could pair it with my new Oticon EPOQ hearing aids. This looked like a great way for me to listen to my ipod during my commute, and, for a while, it was. However, after about 2 months of use, mine seems to have stopped working. It pairs and connects to my streamer, but no sound comes through. Also, as other reviewers have pointed out, its connection to the ipod becomes very loose after some regular use, and it will separate from the ipod easily.

I used this with my Sony MEX-BT5000 car stereo. I later upgraded to the "Sony tmr-bt8ip Bluetooth Transmitter for iPod".

If you are planning on doing the same thing (bluetooth iPod to car stereo) here is some info for you that apply to all bluetooth ipod transmitters. The sound quality sounds very good to me. Defiantly better than an FM transmitter and even better than plugging it in via an auxiliary port. The only controls you get through the stereo are fast forward, rewind. skip forward and back, play, and pause. You can not skip albums or navigate any menus via the stereo, that must be done on the iPod itself. Volume control is controlled through the stereo and is not affected by the volume on the iPod. Track info is not transmitted (ie. Neither the song name or any other info will appear on the stereo display.

A couple point on this device...
1. It does not click in to the iPod. If you look at the connector on your iPod charger you will see 2 little teeth on either side of it that click in to the iPod jack. The A125s doesn't have these teeth so it can be knocked out very easily (it will not fall out under its own weight though). the Sony tmr-bt8ip clicks in and is very secure.
2. It runs under its own power. This has pros and cons.
Pro, it will not lose connection if it comes unplugged from the ipod. The music will just stop until you plug it back in. other transmitters, that are powered by the Ipod, need to reestablish connection if the, come unplugged.
Con, it needs to be recharged via usb. It also needs to be turned on and off, which is done by holding the button down for a few seconds (its a bit of a pain). where as the Sony tmr-bt8ip turns it self on when you hit play on the iPod.
3. It is kinda bulky, thicker than my 80gb classic (6th gen).


Having used both I would highly recommendSony Bluetooth Wirleless Transmitter for iPod (Black). It is considerably more expensive, but if you going to use it on a daily basis, its worth the extra $50. But if price is a concern, this will do the job

Easy to use. I use this with my oticon hearing aids, but you have to pair the hearing aid streamer before the Jabra. Until I learned that, I had frustration, but really like the product.