High
End Headset Comparison
Cardo S-800 vs Jawbone - which is best?
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The Cardo S-800 (on
top) is smaller and lighter than the Aliph Jawbone (bottom).
It is also half the price and has a longer battery life.
Part
of our series on Bluetooth - more articles listed on
the right.
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After so many disappointments
and headsets that offer unacceptable compromises, particularly
in terms of sound quality, we've finally found two excellent
headsets that have a lot to like about them, and few if any
serious flaws.
The Cardo S-800 headset costs
less than half the Jawbone headset, however. Do you get
what you pay for - should you pay an extra $40 for the more
expensive Jawbone?
Or is the newer Cardo simply
better, and better value too?
For the fullest answer, you
should read the respective complete reviews on both headsets,
but for a quick summary of differences, the table below will
help you decide which would be the better headset for you.
Feature Table
The following are what we
feel to be the key features and the respective ratings of the
two headsets.
If there are other aspects
of the two headsets you'd like us to add to the table, don't
hesitate to let us know.
|
Feature |
Cardo
S-800 |
Aliph
Jawbone |
|
Link to Full
Review |
Cardo S-800 review |
Aliph Jawbone review |
|
List Price |
$85 |
$120 |
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Street Price
(Amazon) |
$36 |
$75 |
|
Warranty |
1 yr non
transferable |
1 yr non
transferable |
|
Battery life
claimed (standby) |
168 hrs |
120 hrs |
|
Battery life
claimed (talk) |
8 hrs |
6 hrs |
|
Headset
weight |
0.3 oz |
0.7 oz |
|
Headset size
(excluding earloop) |
1.7" x 0.8"
and 0.4" thick, with the earpiece protruding out
another 0.5". |
2.3" x 0.9"
and 0.6" thick, with the earpiece protruding out
another 0.5" |
|
Ease of
putting on and off ear |
Good |
Poor |
|
Comfortable
to wear |
Fair to poor
without the optional loop, average to good with
the loop |
Poor to good
(very subjective) |
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Secure on
ear |
Yes with
optional loop, no without |
Yes - loop
is mandatory |
|
Can wear
with glasses |
Yes with
minimal difficulty |
Not so
conveniently |
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Standard USB
charge socket |
Yes - micro
USB |
No |
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Computer USB
charging cable provided |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Normal audio
quality |
Excellent |
Excellent |
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Noise
cancelling |
Good |
Excellent |
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Can pair to
two devices simultaneously |
Yes |
No |
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Effective
Range |
Short
through obstructions, about 50' direct
unobstructed line of sight |
Short
through obstructions, about 50' direct
unobstructed line of sight |
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Toll Free
Support |
Yes, Mon -
Fri |
No - email
support only, slow responses. |
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Summary
The Aliph Jawbone was
generally considered to be the best headset available when it
was released, way back in 2006.
But since that time there
have been many improvements in what is a rapidly evolving
marketplace, leaving the Jawbone now with a much thinner feature
set than its competitors, and only one remaining positive point
- its extremely good noise cancelling.
If this is a must-have
feature, then you'll probably happily spend the extra money on
the Jawbone. But if it is not essential, chances are
you'll find the new Cardo S-800 works as well as the Jawbone in
all normal respects, and with a smaller size, lighter weight,
longer battery life and lower price - well, what more need I
say!
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Originally published
2 May 2008, last update
03 Nov 2008
You may freely reproduce or distribute this article for noncommercial purposes as long as you give credit to me as original writer.
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