The Jawbone 2 vs. The Discovery 925 - Which is the best Bluetooth headset?

Contender #1: The Jawbone 2 Bluetooth Headset

Aliph Jawbone 2 Bluetooth Headset List Price: $ Your Price: $ You Save: $ (%)

Aliph has struck gold with the Jawbone 2 Bluetooth headset. After 2 years of listening to Customer feedback from the first generation Jawbone, Aliph made the Jawbone 2 with that feedback in mind. The Jawbone 2 is sleek and small at 2 inches long and .35 oz. Made with perforated, military grade plastic, there are mixed reviews on the look of both the original and the newer, smaller version. Personally, I think the Jawbone 2 looks stylish and classy. With the release of the Plantronics Discovery 925 and this new Jawbone, headset makers are attempting to make Bluetooth earpieces look more like couture accessories than the boxy old predecessors. Aliph could very well become the Versaci of Bluetooth headsets.

I would say there are 3 major differences between the first Jawbone and the Jawbone 2. First and most noticeable, the Jawbone 2 is half the size of the original and much lighter. Reviews of the first Jawbone were unsympathetic to its size in comparison to other popular Bluetooth earpieces, so I was impressed to see this new small and sleek design of the second generation Jawbone.

Second, the earloops are much thinner and more pliable than on the first generation. Better yet, there is a leather-wrapped earloop that I found extremely comfortable, even with my glasses on. Another improvement regarding the earloop is the ability to simply not use one. I found the Jawbone 2 to be more stable than I would have imagined when wearing the earpiece without an earloop, but it did feel more stable with the earloop attached.

The third difference between the first and second gen Jawbone earpieces is the improved noise-cancellation. The Jawbone's noise-shield has been upgraded to "noise-assassin" status to block outside sounds from your callers better than the first generation. Testing the headset indoors with minimal noise, one caller didn't think I was using a headset at all. Testing the headset on a noisy street, callers complained my voice was cutting out.

Overall, I think the Jawbone 2 is an excellent second generation version of the Jawbone headset. Aliph should be very proud of this earpiece. It's not the lowest priced headset on the market, but I definitely notice the difference between this Bluetooth earpiece and others that are lower priced.

And in the other corner: Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Headset

34 Reviews Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Headset Black List Price: $129.95 Your Price: $71.95 You Save: $58.00 (45%)	List Price: $ Your Price: $ You Save: $ (%)

This headset is gorgeous. In fact, Plantronics doesn't call this a headset - they call it a Bluetooth 'earpiece' and rightly so; as it looks more like a pendant or a piece of jewelry than your typical boxy headset. The lightweight 925 weighs .3 oz and boasts a flashy 'Vframe' design, which is both visually appealing and functional. Plantronics intends to release this style of Discovery 925 in 12 colors, including peach and pear. The first to be released were the cerise pink, black onyx, and alchemy gold versions.

At 1 ¾" long, the boom microphone is intended to follow the contours of your face to place the microphone closer to your mouth. The closer the microphone is to your mouth, the easier it will be for the AudioIQ technology to differentiate between your voice and sounds around you; thus allowing for improved sound quality. Remember to angle the earpiece so that the tip of the microphone points to the corner of your mouth to experience the best voice clarity. Audio IQ is the industry's first DSP (digital sound processing) sound technology that automatically optimizes audio levels on both sides of calls. While there isn't active noise-cancellation technology on this earpiece, Audio IQ does a good job blocking out background noise in most situations.

On the outside of the diamond-shaped speaker is the multi-function button, which doubles as your visual indicator for battery level, Bluetooth pairing, call status, etc. There is also a volume button on the earpiece that will be below the speaker when you wear the earpiece on your right ear and on top of the speaker when you wear the earpiece on your left ear. To adjust the volume, you'll tap the volume button through the 3 volume settings. Each tap will increase the volume until the maximum is reached and you hear two tones. Tapping again brings the volume back to the lowest setting.

One neat feature is that you can completely turn off the online indicator lights if you want to be less conspicuous. To do that, simply press and hold the volume button for 4 seconds while the earpiece is on and the blue light will dim. Repeat this action to activate the online indicator. You'll see the blue light brighten again and hear a few tones in the earpiece to let you know you've been successful.

QuickPair technology is included on the 925 device so that the first time you turn your earpiece on, it automatically goes into pairing mode for 10 minutes. Once paired successfully, your earpiece stays on for instant use. If the earpiece doesn't successfully pair within 10 minutes, it automatically powers of. Turning the earpiece on again sends the earpiece into pairing mode until it successfully pairs with a Bluetooth device.

To pair up your earpiece to a Bluetooth device after the first time, all you do is hold down the call control button until the indicator light flashes red/blue. Flashing red/blue means the earpiece is in pairing mode. If you turn the earpiece on and it flashes red 3 times, that means the battery is very low and should be recharged. Since the online indicator turns off during standby mode to preserve your battery, you can simply press any button on the earpiece to check if your earpiece is turned on. If it is, you will see a blue light flash.

The earpiece comes with up to 5 hours of talk time and 7 days of standby time. I got 4 hours and 45 minutes of talk time during my test before the battery died, so Plantronics is pretty accurate there. The earpiece will fully charge in 3 hours via the USB charger, the AC/DC charger, or the charging case.

Speaking of the charging case, that's another really great feature of this earpiece. It comes with a stylish and protective case that will give your earpiece another 5 hours of talk time while you're out and about. My 925 still looks brand new, thanks to the protective case. Plantronics recommends that you remove and replace your earpiece into the charging case at an angle, and not straight down. You'll see that it's much easier to slide your headset back into the charging case if you tilt the tip of the microphone up a bit, allowing you to slide the earpiece onto the micro-USB charger at an angle.

Overall, this is a great earpiece with some really excellent features. It's stylish and sophisticated looking, and while the sound quality doesn't quite match up to the Aliph Jawbone 2, it's still good enough for this earpiece to sound great in an office, your car or at home. The charging case will protect your earpiece while it's not in your ear, so you'll enjoy your Discovery 925 for quite some time to come.

Comparing the two Bluetooth headsets side by side

To Summarize:

Both the Jawbone 2 and the Discovery 925 are great Bluetooth headsets. They both look great. Fit and style really vary among the users as people have different tastes and different shaped and sized ears. Although the 925 "won" in terms of talk time, both Bluetooths are really pretty much the same. The Jawbone "won" in MSRP, but not by much, and actually on our site, we carry the Discovery 925 Bluetooth at a lower cost.

For a Bluetooth that's easy to use, the Discovery 925 Bluetooth headsetwins hands down. It's easy to pair, easy to put on and easy to turn on. That is the main reason the people who love the 925, love it.

For sound quality, you can't get much better than the Jawbone 2 Bluetooth headset. The NoiseAssasin really lives up to its name. Check out our audio test for the Jawbone 2 Blueooth to hear how it sounds!

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