Review: Aliph Jawbone Prime Bluetooth Headset with NoiseAssasin 2.0

Following in the footsteps of the Jawbone 2, Aliph has once again built a luxurious and high-quality bluetooth headset with the Jawbone Prime. We put this sleek and light weight headset to the test for a period of 3 weeks to truly capture how practical it can be. The Jawbone Prime has up to 4.5 hours talktime and up to 8 days standby time. Apart from offering Bluetooth 2.1+ EDR support, one of the best new features in the Prime appears to be its utilisation of NoiseAssasin 2.0 which offers enhanced noise reduction capabilities (6dB to 9dB) as well as Acoustic Voice Activity Detector (AVAD) and Voice Activity Sensor (VAS) technologies.

The Jawbone Prime is the same price as the Jawbone 2, with an MSRP of $199.95. However, you can get it today at 38% off for $124.99 at WirelessGround.com!

The Jawbone Prime is definitely consistent with Aliph's trend for making very stylish headsets. The Prime is offered in black, brown and silver with a number of limited edition color schemes (taking in gold, red, yellow, purple and green).  It has a dimpled oval pattern that is very smooth, letting your finger easily glide over it to find the buttons. Although, the buttons have been made invisible, which it may take you sometime to get used to their exact location. A small press toward the top third of the headset hides the multifunction talk button, and pressing the very top of the headset activates the Noise Assassin or volume button. While it might not seem like the most practical method, hiding the buttons most certainly keeps the Prime looking elegant. 

Aliph understands that not all people are anatomically the same. This is why they have included six different earbud options for your choosing. While not necessarily the softest, they do help in fitting snug in your ear to keep the Prime from jiggling around and thwarting it from falling out. Included with the Prime is a traditional plastic ear hook, but Aliph has stepped it up a notch and thrown in an all leather one in case you wanted to maximize your fashion-forward bluetooth headset. Also included is a USB cord with a wall adapter.


Aside from the trendy look of the Jawbone Prime, it stays true to the sound quality they've built their brand on. There is only one volume key, which makes you have to cycle through each level of sound rather than letting you go higher or lower. The same button also lets you toggle the NoiseAssassin on/off, but we're not sure why you would want to anyways.

At the bottom of the Jawbone Prime there is what appears to be a white button. This is the Voice Activity Sensor, which helps to enhance your voice by detecting sound wave vibrations. In the Jawbone 2, if the VAS was not touching your cheek the sound quality would be affected. However, Aliph has corrected this problem with the Jawbone Prime to allow great voice sound quality whether or not the VAS is against your cheek. Of course, you will still want the VAS to touch your cheek as much as possible for optimal sound clarity.

When receiving a call the Jawbone Prime does have exceptional sound clarity. Although, there are times when it could push the sound out louder without making the earbud speaker crackle and pop. Even with the minor imperfection with the volume level the Jawbone Prime functioned very well in loud environments. We tested it while walking the streets of New York City, at the beach, and in crowded hallways. All of which did not greatly affect the sound quality when on a call nor did it greatly affect our voice quality for those we were talking to. Even with wind and others talking, it was still very easy to hear.

If you are looking for one of the best bluetooth headsets on the market, which has some of the best noise cancelling technology with accompanying good sound quality all around then you will like the Jawbone Prime. It brings a fashion-forward look while not sacrificing any of the advancements to make crisp and clear calls.

Our Score:
4.5 / 5

Get the Jawbone Prime with NoiseAssissin 2.0 for only $124.95 at WirelessGround.com (38% off MSRP)