INTRODUCTION

    Whether you take part in web conferences and webinars or if you just like to put all your calls on speaker spending money on a quality speakerphone can turn out to be a very good investment. Of course most quality speakerphones are far from what we'd call portable and ontop of that they are also not very practical since most of them require wired setups. Over the years we have seen some capable models by manufacturers like Jabra (their SPEAK 510 model was surprisingly good) but they still fell short in terms of audio clarity (on both ends), volume and build quality compared to the far more expensive stationary models. Jabra is not giving up on their portable Speak line of speakerphones so having already reviewed their 410/510 models we just had to test their brand new 710 model out.

   Jabra, part of the GN Group, is a leading developer and manufacturer of communications and sound solutions. We are committed to letting people hear more, do more and be more than they ever thought possible. We believe that through sound, we can transform lives. Jabra innovates and empowers with sound solutions for businesses and consumers, producing corded and wireless headsets, portable and in-office speakerphones, and sports earbuds. Jabra employs 1,000 people worldwide, and produced annual revenue of DKK3.5bn in 2016. The GN Group operates in more than 90 countries, and has almost 150 years’ experience in innovation and delivering reliability and ease of use. Founded in 1869, employing over 5,000 people, and listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen, GN makes life sound better.

    Once you take the new Speak 710 out of its box and turn it on you will notice many extras compared to the previously released 510 model including an center speaker cover made out of brushed aluminum, color LED indicators on the outer ring, folding stand and a special compartment in which you will find the link 370 USB wireless adapter. You will also notice that the brand new Speak 710 does away with the 3.5mm port found in the Speak 510 which means that Jabra focused primarily in wireless connectivity as opposed to its predecessors. Internal differences however are a lot more so this time over inside the Speak 710 we find a 10W (2W RMS) HiFi grade speaker (150Hz-20KHz frequency range) with DSP (digital signal processing) and wideband audio/HD voice, Omni-directional microphone (+70dB signal to noise ratio) and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack which provides the unit with up to 15 hours of talk time. Other features include Bluetooth v4.2 connectivity (100 feet / 30 meter range) with support for BTLE (low energy consumption), A2DP v1.2 (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile), AVRCP v1.5 (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile), headset profile v1.2 and hands free profile v1.6. The Speak 710 can also be connected with another Speak 710 to produce stereo sound (and increase coverage/range), provides coverage for up to 6 people, supports integration with MS Cortana, Siri or Google and is fully certified for use with Skype For Business, Cisco, Avaya, Mitel, Unify, Alcatel-Lucent and Citrix UC platforms (Microsoft Lync optimised versions are also available).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Unlike the previous Speak 410/510 models which came in boxes with clear plastic sections at the front the Speak 710 arrived inside a plain cardboard box that has a partial drawing of the unit at the front right over the company logo and device compatibility list.

A small sticker on which we can see the product serial and barcode is also used to seal the box.

Once you open the box you will see the neoprene pouch which contains the Speak 710 and quick start instructions printed on the interior of the box.

Along with the Speak 710 speakerphone and its neoprene storage/carrying pouch you'll also get the quick start guide (2 pieces translated in almost 30 languages), warning information paper (3 in total) and two warranty information papers.

THE SPEAK 710

The 296g heavy Speak 710 measures just 131mm in diameter and 38mm in height.

The on/off power button is the only button visible while the device is turned off.

Unlike the 410/510 models which were entire made out of plastic the 710 features an aluminum cover over its speaker.

The Omni-directional microphone port is placed right beneath the on/off power button.

Turning the device over we see the folding stand and the link 370 USB wireless adapter.

The tiny Jabra link 370 USB wireless adapter basically gives Bluetooth connectivity on the system you plug it in and is automatically paired with the Speak 710.

You can use the folding stand just by pressing its top as seen above.

By using the folding stand you can point the Speak 710 (and effectively its speaker) wherever you want thus improving audio clarity (always compared to the 410/510 models which sat horizontally).

A 90cm long USB 2.0 charging cable is wrapped around the Speak 710.

Once you press the power on/off button all the other buttons will light up including several white dots all over the outer ring (these represent the current volume level).

The green dots seen above represent the current battery level (once the level drops these dots become yellow and red).

In the above picture you can see the answer/end call buttons left and right of the power on/off button, the volume up/down buttons at the center and the Bluetooth connectivity (press it for 3 seconds to start pairing mode) and battery life LEDs (once you press that the dots will appear on the outer ring.

There are several buttons not visible in the previous picture including the link button placed right next to the answer call button, the smart button (voice assistant for smartphones) placed right next to the end call button and the mute microphone button placed right in the middle between the Bluetooth and battery status buttons.

JABRA DIRECT

You can download the Jabra Direct software from the product page as seen above.

Once you install the software it will detect the device and inform you of available firmware updates.

If you connect both the Speak 710 and the link 370 USB adapter with your computer you will be able to perform firmware updates for both (as seen above).

The firmware update procedure does take a couple of minutes to complete.

Once the firmware is updated you can access a wealth of available settings many of which i recommend not changing unless you know exactly what you're doing.

You can also change some of the settings of the Jabra Direct software, rate your experience with both the Speak 710 and the Direct software and access the help section.

CONCLUSION

   When I had the chance to test the Speak 410/510 models many years ago I was quite impressed with their audio quality and volume levels. True they couldn’t compete with some stationary/fixed models (including the 810 again by Jabra) but for their price and size these were the next best thing especially when compared to regular portable/wireless speakers. Fast forward today and as expected Jabra had two choices either to upgrade the 410/510 models with all the latest technologies or release a brand new one and yes we all think they took the right path. Now we’re not about to say that the Speak 710 can compete with some stationary models that cost at least twice as much but we don’t think Jabra had that in mind when they released it. Instead the Speak 710 does exactly what it was designed to do and that’s to offer substantially clearer (on both ends) and more powerful audio (you will not be throwing a party with just one however) compared to its predecessor (the 510) without an increase in size and with a much higher build quality. Unfortunately the official specifications state that the Speak 710 has the same battery life as its predecessor (after 4 years we were expecting more) and although we no longer have the 510 here to directly compare both we can say that they are pretty much right on the spot since after 17 days of use we were always able to surpass 12-13 hours of calls and/or music playback.

   The difference in quality, features and performance between the Speak 710 and its predecessor the 510 is also reflected on their price since the former costs substantially more than the latter when launched 4+ years ago. More specifically the Speak 710 currently retails for USD230.27 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 215Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which is over twice as much as what Jabra currently asks for the 510 model. Overall the Speak 710 offers much more compared to its predecessor and although its price tag is somewhat hefty it still represents a very good investment not just for professionals but also casual users who may be looking for one of the best speakerphones in the market currently and that’s why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality
- Compact Size & Design
- Audio Clarity And Volume Levels
- Omni Directional Microphone
- Bluetooth v4.2 Connectivity
- Folding Stand 
- Up To 15 Hours Of Battery Life
- Touch/Press Sensitive Buttons
- 12 Multi Color LEDs
- UC, Bluetooth & USB Use
- Ability To Connect Two Speak 710 Together (Stereo Output)

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Battery Life (Compared To Its Roughly 4 Year Old Predecessor)
- No 3.5mm Port (For Some)