The Jabra Speak 510 is a portable speakerphone that has the size of a hockey puck. But regarding audio quality, the Speak 510 is a heavyweight.
Because just like any other Jabra device, the Speak 510 delivers a nearly flawless two-way acoustic experience.
Another highlight of the Speak 510 is its battery life. It can last for up to 15 hours. This gives Speak 510 a competitive edge over similar products by less established companies.
Table of Contents
Variations
There are two variations to the Speak 510 – MS Teams and UC versions.
The MS version is specifically preconfigured for Skype-for-Business. This means the speakerphone’s buttons directly access any call-related functions on the softphone.
The other version is the UC version. This version works well with major enterprise communication platforms like Cisco, Avaya, and others.
If your business is not using Skype-for-Business, the UC version would be the more sensible.
At a Glance
The Speak 510 is the smaller version of the Speak 710. Except for the obvious mismatch in sizes, other differences between the two include the number of participants each is suitable for.
Then, Speak 510 is recommended for personal workspaces or small conference rooms with up to 4 participants. In contrast, the Speak 710 works effortlessly with up to 6 people.
There are a few other differences between Speak 510 and 710, such as the kickstand and the multi-button. Both of these are more fully addressed in the Speak 710 review, as it has both of them.
Interface & Functionality
The Speak 510 comes with a simple carrying case. The case feels slightly padded, while the device itself fills it perfectly. The case also contains a little pocket on the side. This is where users can store the optional Jabra Link 370 Bluetooth dongle.
Although it is a nice accessory to have, the soft case is everything but shock-resistant. It may be good as an anti-dusting solution but certainly not anti-impact.
The Speak 510 device itself is slim and lightweight. Its compact design has all the buttons positioned circularly at the speakerphone’s edges.
Using the Speak 510 is as simple as it gets. As can be seen above, the buttons are quite self-explanatory. Perhaps the one button that needs to be explained a little bit is the ‘smart button’.
The smart button is a programmable button that is off by default. It is activated from the settings of the Speak 510 in the Jabra Direct app (the app is freely available for download on Jabra’s official website). The application is also used for programming the button.
Users have two options for the programming part. When pressed, the first is programming the button to activate a virtual voice assistant (e.g., Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana). The other option is to program it as a speed dial command.
In addition to the buttons, there are also flashing dots at the speaker’s periphery. These dots indicate whenever a device is connected via USB or Bluetooth.
Another case when the buttons light up is when the volume buttons are pressed. In such a scenario, a portion of the dots lights up to show the exact volume level.
Finally, a portion or all the dots become visible whenever users press the ‘battery’ button. Thus, users can check how much battery they have left.
The Speak 510 has a permanently attached USB cable. When not in use, this cable remains wrapped around the lower part of the speakerphone body. This makes it even easier to carry the device around while also reducing the cable clutter.
The Speak 510 has voice guidance for all of its functions. This makes it only more user-friendly.
The Speak 510’s lower part functions as a cable management system.
Audio Quality
When tested, the Speak 510 delivered excellent two-way audio quality.
This solid acoustic performance results from The Wideband Audio system, the DSP (Digital Signal Processing) technology, and the omnidirectional microphone.
What role does each play?
The ‘Wideband Audio system (HD Voice) is an advanced audio system that picks up a greater frequency range than traditional audio systems.
In other words, the human voice is more accurately transmitted through wideband audio. In its turn, this creates an extremely life-like effect during calls.
The other factor determining the on-call audio quality is the Digital Signal Processing technology. Its role is to reduce background noise, as well as to reduce signal distortions.
And it manages to do just that. The Speak 510 delivers noise- and glitch-free conversations, even at high volume levels.
The Speak 510’s other audio-related component is the omnidirectional microphone. ‘Omni-directional’ means that it can pick up voices from all sides.
The microphone works because it first ‘detects’ where the voice is coming from. Afterward, the signal from this direction is amplified while background noises are isolated. This results in clear speech with few to zero interruptions.
One excellent feature of the microphone is the auto-echo cancellation. This way, repeating sounds are blocked out before making it to the other side of the line.
This is a must-have feature for any business speakerphone. After all, repeating sounds are a common problem that all speakerphones must deal with.
The Speak 510 can also be used for music. Moreover, it is optimized for streaming music because of its Bluetooth A2DP.
The A2DP is a special Bluetooth profile that enables seamless music streaming from other devices with the same Bluetooth profile.
Also, the maximum output power of the speaker is 10 watts. This is enough for turning a small room space into a loud place if desired.
Connectivity & Integration
The Speak 510 connects several devices via its in-built USB cable or Bluetooth. In either case, the pairing process is quite straightforward.
All it takes is simply connecting the speakerphone to another device, and that’s it. There is no manual configuration to be done.
If users wish to connect the Speak 510 to their laptops wirelessly, the best practice is to do it with the Jabra Link 360 Bluetooth dongle. The reason for this is that most laptops’ Bluetooth connectivity is generally not very reliable, especially for calls. This is one problem that the dongle solves.
Moreover, the dongle extends the wireless range of the Speak 510. Since the Speak 510’s Bluetooth is ‘Class 1’, with the 360 Link, users can take advantage of up to 100 feet (the Speak 510’s default range is just 55 feet). This way, users can be on a call while sometimes in a different room.
The Link 360 is an optional accessory but can also be sold as part of the Speak 510 pack. In such cases, the speakerphone and the dongle are pre-paired and ready to use. All that needs to be done is plug the dongle into the laptop’s USB port.
Battery
A rechargeable battery powers the Speak 510. This battery exhibits remarkable life, enduring a total of 15 hours. It should be mentioned that it endures 15 hours, regardless of whether the speakerphone is used mainly for music or mainly for calls.
The Speaker 510’s battery is recharged by plugging the speakerphone’s in-built USB cable into a laptop. Alternatively, users can obtain a power switch adaptor or a power bank. The battery’s charging time is only two hours.
This way, the Speak 510 lasts 15 hours, taking just two to charge fully. Regarding the ‘battery endurance – charging time’ ratio, the Speak 510 significantly exceeds most of its competitors.
For example, the Yamaha YVC-200 lasts 10 hours and takes 5 to charge. Similarly, the Yealink CP900’s battery lasts 12 hours and takes 3 and a half to charge.
Warranty
As with most Jabra products, the Speak 510 has a 2-year warranty (only applies to authorized resellers).
Customers can be further reassured by the fact that Jabra has perhaps the best online support.
Final Word
Jabra is known for the enterprise-level quality of its products. But with portable products like the Speak 510, this quality is easily carried over from the corporate building into the home office.
And so, what would be the bottom line about the Jabra Speak 510?
There isn’t much else to be asked out of a compact speakerphone. It is easy to use, the audio quality is flawless, and the battery life is impressive. The Speak 510 would make one trusted work assistant in the wake of the new normal.
Check our other Jabra product reviews: Speak 410 UC, Speak 710, Speak 810.