BlueAnt Q1 vs. Motorola Endeavor HX1 vs. Jawbone Prime

Introduction:

Bluetooth technology has come a long way, but like cell phones there is a wide array of models, features and price.  Today we will take a look at three of the ultra-premium headsets on the market: the BlueAnt Q1, Jawbone Prime and Motorola Endeavor HX1. The former employs the latest in noise cancellation technology, while the latter two use bone conduction to some extent.  Read on for an in-depth look at each unit.

Design:

Those familiar with the Jawbone II will not find much of a difference in the Prime.  It comes in several colorsand the earbud has a loop, allowing users to ditch the earloop if they wish.  There are six buds available: S/M/L with and without a loop.  We preferred to leave the earloop in and use the normal earbud.  It is easily the most comfortable of the three, especially for extended wear.  It can be worn all day and we often forgot that it was on.



The Motorola Endeavor HX1 follows in Motorola’s traditional industrial design footprints.  It comes equipped both an earbud and earloop.  There are four buds, medium and large with a loop, as well as a spring bud for each ear.  The latter was very confusing to use and we’d have preferred to see a normal bud option.  Motorola suggests that you use both an earbud and the earloop, but we found it worked well enough without the earloop.  The headset leaves no doubt when it is properly inserted; the earpiece protrudes deep into the ear canal so the bone conduction sensor can work properly.  Despite the penetration, it was more comfortable than we had expected.  We could wear it for hours at a time, though we were aware that we were wearing it.



The Q1 is very simplistic, offering just two ear buds and one size earloop.  It is very thin, and immediately fit very comfortably onto the ear.  However, extended wear was an issue; even the small earbud sealed our ear which was good for sound quality, but caused a pressure buildup and we would periodically have to take it out.




Each headset aims to be as stylish as it is functional, but in our opinion the BlueAnt hits the mark best.  It is an extremely stylish headset with an understated elegance.  The Jawbone best blended style and function however as it was the most comfortable to wear.

Performance:

We used a Palm Pre as our test unit in an area of good reception.  We talked to our callers for a few minutes on the handset alone, and then connected the different headsets during the call to get the most accurate caller feedback.

First up was the BlueAnt Q1 with the 8.15, Pre-specific software.  The caller was very impressed, saying we sounded better on the headset then on the phone.  They said we were very clear and loudness was ok, though we sounded nasally.  We activated BlueAnt’s noise isolation feature and users couldn’t tell a difference in our voice quality.  On our end callers sounded thin, but otherwise they were clear and easy to hear.  The voice-command feature of the headset has some merits, most notably being able to answer with your voice, but ultimately we ended up turning it off.  We were rated an 8.5 by callers, and that rating stands on our end as well.

The next headset we tested was the Motorola Endeavor HX1.  It employs Crystal Talk technology for everyday noise cancellation, and in super loud environments Stealth Mode will turn off the microphone and activate the military-grade bone conduction mechanism.  In normal mode users were impressed, but said we were slightly better on the Q1.  Their biggest complaint was that we sounded distant.  Activating Stealth Mode significantly decreased voice quality.  We were told we sounded muffled and they had a very hard time hearing us, but at the same time they also couldn’t hear us clapping right next to the headset.  The noise cancellationworked as advertised, just don’t expect to be heard extremely well.  On our end the sound was not quite as good as the Q1 either, the caller still sounded distant but they were also harder to hear.  Overall it receives a rating of 7.5.

Last up was the Jawbone Prime.  By default the Noise Assassin technologyis turned on to eliminate background noise using the sensor that rests on your cheek.  Clarity was good on the other end, but we sounded distant.  The Prime had issues picking up the first word or two of a sentence, which means callers often missed quick answers.  To us the caller sounded very distant and tinny, quite poor overall.  When Noise Assassin was turned off the background noise picked up significantly, but it was not clear enough to tell what was going on.  We were rated a 7, but on our end we would probably go lower than that and say 6.

For comparison’s sake we dusted off our Jawbone II, and surprisingly results were much better.  Callers said we sounded much more realistic and full and they no longer had issues picking up one word answers.  On our end they sounded more realistic as well; much louder and more full.  We can conclusively say that the Prime is not worth an upgrade for those still using the Jawbone II.

With all of the headsets the caller said we sounded better than on the phone itself, with the Prime being about the same.  On our end it was quite the opposite, and while they sounded best on the Jawbone II and BlueAnt Q1 the handset produced the best sound quality.


Conclusion:

Overall the BlueAnt Q1 comes out ahead in this comparison.  Callers could hear us well, and they sounded best to us in a tie with the Jawbone II.  It was very comfortable, but like we said extended wear caused pressure build-up so it is best to take it out between calls.  The older Jawbone II outperformed its newer counterpart as well as Motorola’s offering, but the Endeavor HX1 was a solid all-around performer.  Noise cancellation was far and away the best on the HX1, but it was at the expense of call quality.  The Jawbone Prime was the real loser here; not only was it outclassed by its competitors, but it was also outdone by the model it replaced.