The Jabra BT530 came out in late 2009 with a focus on powerful DSP technology for noise canceling and clear sound for voice calls. Like the Jabra BT8040, the Jabra BT530 has Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR. In addition the headset comes with Audio Shock Protection technology which intelligently adjusts the headset’s volume to guard against a sudden volume increase. The Jabra BT530 is comfortable to wear and comes in black.

The Jabra BT530 looks modern with a domed black cover, silver accents and soft touch finish. The headset measures 1.9 x 0.7 x 0.5 inches and is shorter than the Jawbone 2 but longer than the Jabra BT8040. The Jabra BT530 is very comfortable to wear throughout the day. The featherweight headset has dual wearing styles: you can either wear it with a Jabra’s 3rd generation Eargel or with a soft and flexible ear hook. Jabra’s new Eargels have raised tips that extend into the ear and a soft loop on top to wedge the headset in your ear lobe. The Jabra BT530 comes with several Eargels in different sizes. If you wear the headset in the office, home or car, the Eargels are efficient for keeping the headset secure in your ear. But if you wear your Bluetooth headset jogging, the ear hook is a good option. The hook is small, comfortable and the material is soft and flexible.

The control buttons on the Jabra BT530 are easy-to-use and should be big enough for most people unless you have very large fingers. The call answer/end button along with volume up and down buttons live on the front of the headset and they click when pressed. The dual microphones live on the boom and the power button is located on the side of the headset. The charging port is on top of the Jabra BT530 and the LED light sits between the two volume buttons on the front.

Bluetooth headset makers often struggle with finding the balance between providing crystal clear in-call audio and an effective DSP. The Jabra BT530 has a very effective DSP while providing good, though not exceptional audio quality. The Jabra has dual microphones, a setup that’s becoming more commonplace for noise canceling. The headset can filter out most road noise and indoor ambient noise (indoor café, etc.) but is less effective with wind noise. The audio quality on both incoming and outgoing ends is good (above average) but not crystal clear like the Plantronics Discovery 925 (landline like audio clarity). That said, for a Bluetooth headset, the Jabra BT530 performs just fine with most of the phones tested.