Last week, I did a review of the Jabra Sport Pulse wireless ear buds with a built in heart rate monitor. This week, we'll look at the Jabra Sport Coach wireless headphones which is Jabra Singapore's latest release in its already impressive lineup of sports and fitness headphones. The Sport Coach combines great audio quality with a lightweight design, which makes them very convenient for indoor gym use and for outdoor exercise. These wireless ear buds are designed to coach you through a personal fitness exercise routine and can even provide a range of audio-guided crossfit workouts that are easy to follow.
Design and Features
When ordering these ear buds, you have the choice of red, yellow or blue units. The ear buds are robust and are made to withstand splashes and dust.
On one side there is a motion sensor which can track steps, measure pace, distance, calories burned and other actions. The other ear bud houses a micro USB charging port.
The buds are quite bulky and in style they remind me of tiny space helmets. They come with three different sizes of inserts and wings so you can get the best fit for your size and shape of ear.
The wire connecting the buds is of good length, so they can conveniently be kept around the neck when not in the ears. There is an inline remote with a rocker button for volume control and a multi-function button for everything else.
Audio Quality
The buds block out all outside noises during workouts and the audio quality is about the same as on the Sport Pulse. All genres of music sound good through these buds, but the sound does not go up as loud as on some similar products.
Motion Sensor
Information provided by the motion sensor is very useful for outdoor activities such as running. The sensor can be connected to the GPS in your smart phone to track your progress.
Workout Coaching
Setting up the workout programs is very simple, using the multifunction button on the inline remote. Sport coach can be connected to a smart phone or any device that will open up the Jabra headphones Sport app.
You can choose the music you want to play through each cross training session. The app gives you the option of selecting music from Jabra Sound, iTunes or by selecting “Current Active” you have your own choice of download service, such as Spotify. During workouts the music level drops automatically when exercise commands are being given, but can still be heard in the background.
The workout section on the app provides you with multiple choices for exercise routines, and any of them can be modified to suit your own preferences.
I started with the Cardio Core program, which gave me a breakdown of the moves that made up my first four minute routine. One of the things I found most helpful was the drawings and descriptions that I could quickly access for any moves that I had not tried before. They illustrated and described exactly what was involved for each selected exercise.
The app counts down audibly to begin a workout in the Cardio Core section. Then a voice tells you what to do first, for example she explains that you will now start running for thirty seconds keeping your knees up high. A counter on the app shows the seconds and the voice tells you when there are only five seconds to go.
The next exercise starts after a ten second break and the voice tells you what to do for the next move. The app does not show a timer if you are told to do twenty squats. Instead you have to click a button on the app when the task is finished.
At the end of a four minute session, you can start up the same routine again and repeat it as many times as commanded.
After Cardio Core you can move on to more cross training sessions with faster transitions and shorter breaks. These will get you doing more energetic moves in short intense bursts of movement.
I used Push Perfect and Belly Burn routines to focus on toning and strengthening my midsection, because both of these feature push-ups, crunches, planks and wall sits.
The app makes it possible to create your own ideal workout. You just click the plus sign icon, which shows up on the corner of a workout page, and you may add up to 56 different exercises to your own personal workout.
Lengthier cross training sessions can include exercises on an elliptical machine or treadmill, so you can have a mix of high-intensity moves and cardio exercise.
Battery Charging
When you open up the Jabra headphones Sport App, it shows how much battery life is left. Jabra Singapore claims that the battery life of a Sport Coach is 5.5 hours.
On a single charge I used the Sport Coach for three workouts and two journeys to work, which added up to four hours in total. The app showed me that I still had one and a half hours of use remaining before the battery would require charging.
Pros and Cons
The sound quality is good. The ear buds are comfortable to wear and a secure fit. The audio coaching does a great job at getting you through some challenging workouts.
The only downside I could find with these Jabra headphones is that the audio is not as loud as it is on some similar products, and there is no heart rate monitor embedded into the product.
Verdict
The Sport Coach does not have an embedded heart rate monitor but the wireless ear buds provide audio guided routines and all you need to do is listen as you exercise. The top sound level is loud enough for gym use and the audio quality is clear enough for outdoor activities, cutting out all external sounds.
Jabra Sport Pulse vs. Jabra Sport Coach
Having considered the pros and cons for both of these wireless ear buds and after assessing them for their design, audio quality, comfort and fit, battery power and overall performance, I have come to the conclusion that Jabra produces high quality audio products that can be used in the toughest workout regimes.
I can highly recommend the Sport Coach to anyone wanting to use wireless Jabra headphones for personalized workouts with audio coaching. The heart monitor on the Sport Pulse is not quite as accurate as you might expect, but for the average gym goer, runner or cyclist, it does serve its purpose. For the elite athletes, you might be better off sticking to a device that syncs with your chest strap. The app used with these Jabra SG ear buds is an excellent way to keep track of your fitness goals and achievements.