Customer Reviews

Jabra SP700 Bluetooth Car Kit Speakerphone

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Sound quality is great. my car is kind of noisy on the road, and people on the other end are surprised to hear I'm using a bluetooth speakerphone.

The biggest challenge for me is learning not to shout!

I have gotten a few complaints of echo (i.e. caller hears bits of their own voice) when using the built-in speaker. Using the FM transmitter seems to eliminate this problem.

I wish Jabra would've used a standard mini-usb connector for charging and also provided an 1/8" hardwired output to plug into my car stereo aux port.

The FM transmitter is a great feature, but FM is frustratingly noisy in big metro areas.

I did discover a cool trick for getting better FM reception that other US users might be able to try (provided their radio supports different country settings):

My FM radio has a setting for USA and Europe, and the European setting includes both odd and even frequencies.

With the FM radio set to the European setting, tune in to an even frequency (like 89.2 MHz, for example) the SP700 tunes in 0.1MHz increments, so you can tune to match and nobody else is supposed to be using that frequency.

Works much better, and I'll have fun, fun, fun until the FCC takes my SP700 away ;^)

I am very happy with this device. It connects easily and quickly, especially if you leave your cell phone's bluetooth turned on. The first time pairing was easy using the demo on the Jabra website. It had step by step instructions for a variety of phones. There are only three regular buttons on it. One each for volume up and down and one to turn the FM transmitter on. The main on and off button is the entire front angled surface of the device. It couldn't be easier to find and push and it only takes light pressure to engage it. I think it is a very nice interface.
With the ease and speed that it connects, I find that I'm using it every time I get in my car. The sound of the speakerphone is fine and people on the other end of calls seem to be able to hear me well enough. I love that I can receive calls in my car without ever getting my phone out of my pocket.
I was quite suprised how well the FM transmitter worked. Just push the button once and it turns on and announces what frequency it is broadcasting to. It has always been 88.1 so I use a preset to simplify the process. The frequency is also adjustable using the volume buttons and it announces each one that you change it to. The hardest part is getting my phone out and setting it up to play music. Once that is done, the sound that starts playing over the car's speakers is very impressive. After reading some of the reviews, I wasn't expecting too much but I've been quite pleased. It is also very nice to have a phone conversation with this set-up. It has the feel of having an integrated cell phone in your car similar to Synch or Onstar.
The packaging is very simple which at first seemed a bit strange but there was a sheet inside the package to let you know that this was intentionally done to save on useless expensive packaging meant to help sell things on the shelf of a store. Which is not really needed for internet sales. Once I thought about it, it made sense to get rid of the waste. Some reviews have complained about this but in the end I thought this was a good thing. I didn't have to cut it out of the bubble packages or throw so much extra trash in the landfill.

I like the features, and it seems to be well built BUT the people on the other end can't hear me well even when I talk directly into it like it's a phone. Everything sounds good when you're on the Jabra end of things, just not the person you're calling. They have a hard time hearing you. Even during testing from home where everything was very quiet.

Additionally, the FM transmitter is scratchy. It is annoying when you turn the volume up to normal listening range and you hear a consistent scratchy sound in the background.

I hope they get the kinks taken care of. I've opened a case with Jabra. I hope they have a fix. I might try another one to see if this is an isolated case. I'm really disappointed!

My brother gave me a Jabra for Christmas. My phone was so old, it did not have Bluetooth technology and I went out to get a new phone just so I could use it. Well, I'm glad I did. The only time I need to talk hands-free is in the car. This is perfect for that.

The Jabra is wonderful. It's sleek and thin, doesn't obstruct my vision when on the visor. It was quick and easy to set up and use. When calls come in, I only need to touch it to answer. No more fumbling for my phone. The sound is crisp and clear. I talk mostly to my husband on it and he says the sound is clear on his end. My kids talk to him from the back of the minivan and he can hear them, too. I much prefer it to the earpiece, which I had to worry about falling out of my ear and gave listeners on the other end an echo. It's also preferable to the speakerphone function of the cellphone.

This is a wonderful gadget -- one of those nice to have, makes my life easy sort of things. I'm glad I own it.

UPDATE: The battery life is remarkable. It's been three months and I've only charged it once. Admittedly, I only turn it on to make or accept calls about once a week, but most rechargeable batteries discharge over time even without use. Still haven't found any problems with this product. Two thumbs up.

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UPDATE: Jabra has quite a range and I have to be careful to remember to turn it off. Once, when in a building with my car outside, my phone rang. The Jabra picked it up, so I couldn't answer it, at least not before the call was lost.

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UPDATE: I have now been on the receiving end of the Jabra calls and it echoes. I really don't like it. I can always tell if my brother is using it and I have a difficult time hearing him. I will lower the star rating by two stars for this.

This product is a great alternative to those who dont want to wear an earpiece, and who want to have the option of using their car stereo for using the phone. EASY to operate, slim design, great battery life, wonderful clarity, and a very attractive piece. After I bought mine, three frinds and family members also purchased them for their own cars.

I bought it, opened the package in my car in the parking lot. Turned it on (it was already charged!) and within 4 minutes it was 'paired' with my iPhone (the older model) and I was on the road and making a call. There are other brands/models with caller ID and lots of other bells and whistles but I have come to dislike tech things with too many gratuitous features. This has several easy to use controls (but not intuitive -- you have to read the very short manual so you know where the controls are and how to use them.) Once you've read it, it's very clear and the unit performed just as I'd like.

Now no bluetooth earphone or handsfree device I've tried has perfect sound --- my generation's hearing is somewhat challenged so there's always someone who can't make out what I'm saying but I've called them back using the cell phone and NO handsfree device and they say the sound 'hasn't changed a bit'. That said, most people tell me that I'm coming across 'loud and clear' and now I feel safer (and more legal here in California) now that I've got this device in my 2004 Toyota Sienna van. I have built-in bluetooth in my Prius which is my daily use vehicle but the van which we use to carry our bikes when my wife and I go biking several times per week was missing this feature and now the Jabra has supplied it.

I haven't tested other bluetooth speakerphones so I can't compare. I just can say that I'm completely satisfied with this new accessory.

I purchased the Jabra SP700 in June 2009 (seven months ago). It worked beautifully until approx. two weeks ago. It now is emitting an ear-piercing screech every time a call is made. There is no info. in the owner's manual or on the Jabra web site re.: this particular problem. I contacted ShopCell, the company which provided the SP700 to Amazon, and asked for advice on how to correct the problem -- I did not ask to return the product. I received a very terse reply form SoftCell that simply states: "Sorry past our 30 day return policy." My question was not answered and I was given no advice at all. Since I paid $79 for this product only seven months ago, I'm extremely disappointed and would not recommend this product, and especially SoftCell, to anyone.

This is a really cool device.

I got one for my wife so she could answer and talk on the phone without looking for her headset and turning it on.

Product works as advertised, and in fact has a number of novel features.

The only "Con" is that it does not support a 2 phone household. It can only be paired to a single phone. It does not support multipoint or dual pairing like some other prodicts (the Jawbone headset). This means that to reconnect it to the secondary phone you must pair it again.

Other than that:
1) It's very loud. easy to hear
2) uses standard USB to charge
3) The FM feature allows you to listen to the caller through your car stereo
4) the caller ID of the caller is spoken to you and broadast on your radio using RDS (so you can see the text of the phone number). Very nead.
5) it announced when it has turned on, off, paired, enabled FM. It's fantastic to get this audible feedback so you know it's working.

I highly reccomned this to anyone who needs a speakerphone for their car. My only caveat is that if you plan to share a car with 2 people it's not so great unless one person only uses the SP700. I would have given it 5 stars if it supported dual pairing.

I'm very pleased with the Jabra bluetooth speakerphone. However, I thought I was getting a new device. It arrived in a way that it was obvious it had been taken from it's original packaging and put into separate plastic zip lock baggies. I'm upset that the seller lists the product as NEW, but it had obviously been used, or at least opened by someone else. Shop Cell should be ashamed.

O.K., the price was right. Moreover, I couldn't afford a new car radio that either could sync via Bluetooth or connect with a 3.5mm cord to my Motorola Q9c cell phone. So, it seemed like a viable alternative.

First, the good. The device is small, unobtrusive and is easily secured out of direct vision on the visor. The device speaker is surprisingly loud and it transmits well between the phone and speaker. So, if you need an alternative for receiving calls without having to grab your cell phone then stop here as this probably will fill your need.

Now the not so good. Unfortunately, I wanted to use the Jabra SP700 to also stream Pandora radio through my car speakers. While it will stream nicely through the device speaker...the sound of course is nowhere near the desired full car stereo musical experience.

Trying to connect Jabra with the car speakers is mission impossible. First, good luck on trying to find an unused frequency on the FM dial in a large urban area. Even if you do find a spot, the sound quality is incredibly poor and so scratchy with constant interruptions that it isn't worth the effort. After numerous efforts and configurations, I constantly picked up other cell phone conversations, radio stations that bleed through, etc.

Other problems have to do with adjusting the volume. Even when I turn my phone to zero volume and push the device volume down, it is way too loud (almost annoying even for receiving phone calls). Most of the function buttons on the Jabra are not raised and it's hard to determine just where one should push to turn it on/off or to receive a call. So too, one is supposed to tap the unit to receive a call but if you tap too hard or too long the call is rejected. It's a real hairpin trigger.

I will keep this mainly as it will probably fill the void until I either get a new car and/or radio or something better comes along. I can't stop thinking that this product is more or less a toy prototype that will no doubt soon be replaced with technology that will leave it far behind.