After a long search for the perfect BT stereo headset for my 8125, I've found it.
The Plantronics Voyager 855.
Over the past couple of years, I've had the opportunity to try a number of BT stereo options, from Motorola, Sony Ericsson and some lesser known companies like Sonorix and i-Clip, amongst others.
I was never quite happy with any of them though.
I take the subway to work, and every set of Motorola headset I tried would lose it's pairing to the phone whenever I either lost the cell signal, or regained it (which meant re-pairing 4 times a day). This also happend with non-stereo Motorola when working in conjunction with BTToggle.
The i-Clips actually functioned alright although the stereo quality was only so-so. For answering the phone, the sound quality was really poor unless I held that big clip close to my mouth, and cupped it if I was outside (even if it wasn't really windy).
The Sonorix, though cool because it allowed me to use my own headphones with it's jack, would need to be re-paired every 3 days or so. I don't know why. I was wondering if it was my phone, even though I had flashed to a ROM that everyone else enjoys.
The Sony earbuds sounded good, and functioned great (the only set who's audio controls functioned flawlessly to this point). Having the dangly stick and extra wires made me wonder why I'm bothering with bluetooth at all, though. Wearing a pendant with to earbud extensions running out of it wasn't as practical or cool as the promo material made it out to be.
In short, no bluetooth stereo headset quite met my criteria... either functionality wise, or form factor.
Until I tried the Plantronics Voyager last month.
It's design is perfect for my needs. It's a typical in ear BT headset, with a clip on ear hook. What makes it cool is the clip on ear hook is the connection to the second earbud (and the cord is braided to be more durable).
The sound quality is right up there with the best of the bunch.
I've not run into any re-pairing issues.
The slide out boom works flawlessly for answering/hanging up calls and all the controls work as they should (only the Sony matched that previously).
6hrs of stereo seemed a fair assessment for battery life from my tests.
The Plantronics comes with a good selection of ear buds (small, medium and large as well as the foam type that mold to your ear canal shape), as well as a couple of optional ear clips if you don't want the stereo dangler.
To conserve battery, I often just use BTToggle to get mono audio (out of both sides) when I'm listening to podcasts. It's definitely a hit on audio quality, but that's okay when it's just talking heads.
The only place where Plantronics loses marks is it's charging situation. Though they can be charged from a USB cable from a computer, Plantronics opted for a slightly different connector than a typical mini-USB one, even though there's plenty of space for one.
Of course the old Wizard barely manages to keep up if I'm running Core Player to watch a DivX vid and streaming BT stereo. If a call comes in, it's slowdown time. Then again, I'm usually watching the vids on the subway, so that rarely comes into play.
In short, I finally found the perfect BT stereo headset for me, and just wanted to share. They're discreet, multifunctional and just reek of quality (the braided cord made the difference in keeping them).
PS: I wanted to try out the Jabra 8010 but couldn't find them locally. The Jabra headset has call-display, and apparently a vibrate feature, so if anyone's tried them, I'd be curious to hear about their performance.
Cheers.
Any skipping like the Motorola s9 ?
Related
What stereo blue tooth HEADSET do you recommend for Wizard? I am interested into a head set not very expensive ...but I want also to be able to listen music or to speak at the phone with it.
Sony DR-BT30QS
http://www.play.com/Mobiles/Mobile/...30QS-Bluetooth-Headphones-Silver/Product.html
Only £17.99 delivered, from play.com
Jabra BT620s
About 60 euro's here in the netherlands. Great piece of headset Good quality audio, has buttons to control the mediaplayer (WMP as well as the HTC Audiomanager work ) and can offcourse accept calls and control voice command.
what about sony ericsson HBH-DS970 ?
thx
well I am answering my own post, ,
the working features are,
1. smooth A2DP (skipping in case of high proc. usage e.g. wifi brosin and stereo bt music simultanous)
2. after a call music resumes and in the earphone.
3. AVRCP
4. Caller ID ! u can see both the name & the number on the lcd ( with jetware ).
regards
I'll have the Jabra BT620s in the mail today... I'll post a review asap.
Jabra BT headphone
As promised;
I got the Jabra headset yesterday, and last night I was able to try it. First of all, sound quality is better than expected. Setup was somewhat confusing, since the manual is not so clear. But, I managed. Made a couple of phonecalls, all fine. Overall, nice set of headphones. Luckily, the flashing blue leds can be turned off.
Hi
I use the Anycom BSH-100. The Headset is not bad at all, with HS/HF/A2DP/ AVRRCP and a up to 200 h standby + upto 12 h music playtime.
Tech data here: http://www.anycom.com/products/bluetooth_audio_video/stereo_headset_bsh_100/?id=102&partno=CC3300
There is no buildin Microphone. A small (about 3 cm) mic is attacht to the side mini usb-jack. This mini usb-jack is also used to charge the batteries. Most of the time i forgett the mic, when charging the Headset, so i use the Headset often to listen to mp3s and recive calls without using the headset. ( a bild in Mic would be better) The headset goes to mute when a call comes in.
picture here: http://files.anycom.com/images/products/lifestyle/cc3300_lifestyle_01.jpg
+ (plus):
Handling is very easy.
Long Standby & playtime
small transport size (faltable)
- (minus):
seperate Mic
Sound Quality is OK but not as good as a normal wired-headset. (maybe normal for BT)
no option to turn of the flashing blue led
best regards Oliver
Hi, Anyone using Jabra Bt320 with the Touch? I tired to connect for stereo headset but its fails. I had the same problem with Dopod 810 but some after making some changes in the registry the problem was solved. I tired the same tweaks in Touch but it fails. Any suggestion from the forum? Thanks
I used the BT320
and the stereo was fine. I also made the adjustments to the registry and it carried on working fine.
However, I sent the unit back because I bought a Jabra 120s with it and found that, after initial pairing problems (which went away), there was an audio lag which made watching TV rubbish!
When you pair with the BT320s, you should have the option to use it as either
1. a hands-free or
2. wireless stereo.
If you don't, delete the device from your Touch then...
...plug the BT320s into it's charger, three times, for 4 seconds each time.
Now pair again and the option for wireless stereo will magically appear.
Try Motorola S9. Nice and solid. Matches Touch design too.
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826555005&Tpk=motorola+s9
EmilianM said:
What stereo blue tooth HEADSET do you recommend for Wizard? I am interested into a head set not very expensive ...but I want also to be able to listen music or to speak at the phone with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You get what you pay for comes to mind with BT headsets.
I have yet to come across one headset that plays great stereo sound
and gives you great call quality. However, for stereo sound the Motorola
S9 kicks arse over anything out there and the Jawbone does the voice
calls better than anyone out there. S9 is around $100US and the Jawbone
is $130US ish. Not cheap but you won't be looking to replace them because
they don't do their job. Now if you have a big melon the S9 maybe a problem.
AE!
Hi.
I got the HT820 from Mototola.
Sound is good.
Easy installation on Touch.
Noise cancelling.
Looks a little bit spacy but fits good.
AND I payed 12€ for it on ebay.de.
I use BT320s
Hi,
I am using Jabra BT320s, It just works fine with my Touch. I did the in pairing initially, but after I upgraded with latest firmware I don't have any problem in pairing.
firmware can be found here
http://rapidshare.com/files/51865424/JabraBT320swebupdate_1077.zip
Please read the instruction to update the firmware
Well i got the Motorola BT820 last week, very satisfied
great sound nice volume, little weakness but accepteble by my standard
when theres a lot of static noise the build in mic does piick up on that a bit.
i use it for mp3 mostly, and o yeah its comfortoble too
price is nice if i compare to other headsets,
still thinking about trying the new logitech headset
is there anybody who has experienced it
I have posted a question regarding a small problem with the Bb20s right here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=326489
This is a description of my problem, as posted. Does anyone have an idea?
---
Received my Jabra 620s yesterday. First impressions: it is quite big and heavy, but it is better than earplugs ;-) Sounds quality is quite good.
Here is my problem: After pairing the headset with my device, everything behaves as expected until some event (this happend on multiple occasions, different trigger but the same result): the headset controls still function (i.e. I can skip songs etc), but the HTCs audio is routed to the HTC speaker instead of the headset. I cannot fix this, the only way is to remove the bluetooth connection, repair and I am good to go again.
I'd second the comment on the Motorola S9. I got the S9 to go with my old magician, but now that I've upgraded to the Touch, things are even better.
The S9 workd flawlessly for stereo music and also as a regular hands free headset. I can't tell you how many times I've been out jogging, litening to music and I get a cal from people. They say the call sound quality is good, but always wonder why I'm breaking fast.
I hve changed to HTC BH S100 (in-ear is better for jogging)
sound quality is good, no problems...yeah should be no problems when using HTC stuff only ;-)
i found the Motorola S9s to be outstanding. I have never been so happy with a BT headet.
Sony DR-BT30 Q
Got it for 34 euro's and they make me happy.
Good reach on the touch compared to my wizard
Hey All,
I drive alot for an expedite company, at times in vans and at times in Straight Trucks. Sometimes these trucks van be very loud, as as I can get bored while driving, I talk alot. Here is what I am looking for in a good bluetooth headset, lets see if all you wonderful people can point me in the right direction. Importance of an item is listed from top to bottom.
Oh, this is for an Alltel PPC6800 (Titan) so it is a bluetooth 2.0 phone i think.
1. It needs to pick up me, and not the noise of the truck or that of the road. This is a very large problem with most Bluetooth headsets I try. The ability of the headset to help block the noise around me so I can head well is also a plus.
2. Voice Quality. So often I get crackle or drop out with some headsets. and this can be with as little as 3ft to the phone, quality is a must.
3. Comfort. I currently have a Jabra over the ear headset, and after I wear it more than an hour or so it is sore in my ear. Good comfort is a must.
4. Battery Life. I talk alot when I am driving, nothing better to do, and in most states holding the phone while driving is illegal. Since there is no headset jack on this damn phone, my bluetooth is primart, thus good battery life is a must.
5. Price. Not a major issue. I have no problem spending on a headset that will do what I want. I am not rich by any means, but not afraid to spend $100+ it is really works well and will do what I want. I am not looking for the hype, I am looking for the function.
As a side note, I have no problem with bigger headsets, even full over the head ones (which in some ways I like better). Or a headset that can be a combo such as a good stereo headphone and good phone headset.
Please help me oh wondrous and great xda geeks, you are my only hope.
Mia
I have a Jawbone. It has noise cancelation technology. I think Plantronics has a similar model, it's a little cheaper.
I would assume the noise canceling works well for people hearing you, how does it do for you hearing them in a loud environment?
Mia
I currently have a 1 ear Samsung bluetooth headset, but it is inadequate for anything but phone calls.
I would like a bluetooth headset that is for both ears so that I can listen to music and especially podcasts without having to use the standard headset. I would also expect it to have a built in microphone.
I know the bluetooth in the HTC S620/S621 is not the newest available so I also don't want to aimlessly buy a headset and find out it isn't compatible with my phone.
Any suggestions on what I should buy?
Thank you,
Tim
I use Sony Ericsson HBH-DS970 Bluetooth headset. I love 'em.
I like my Motorola S9. They got good sound and decent base for lil speakers. They never fall out. They have the following buttons; answer/hang up call, volume up and down, track forward/back (hold for fast forward/rewind), and play/pause. When consider sound quality, I like my music loud with a lot of base and why I have a 1000watt system in my car. Sure they are no where near that, but they make a good alternative for when listening to music on my cell. Plus I can walk like 100ft away from my cell before they loose connection. In my old 2 bedroom house I could walk around my whole house and nevr have my cell on me. Another plus, they use the same charger plug as the Dash (Mini-USB).
for BT headphones //// the jabra BT620's are good.
http://www.amazon.com/Jabra-BT620s-100-96200000-02-Bluetooth-Headphone/dp/B000FJ20CM
for a BT headset that has the ability to use 1 or both earbuds. the plantronics voyager 855 stereo bluetooth is a good choice...so you can walk with one or both earbuds in.
http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-V..._1_3?ie=UTF8&s=wireless&qid=1228156437&sr=1-3
Thanks for the input.
I decided to go with the Motorola S9. Some of the reviews at Amazon did make me hesitate a bit though.
I primarily use my phone for email, web browsing, music, and podcasts more so than talking. And from most of the Amazon reviews, many were not happy with the sound quality of the S9 during phone conversations.
The jabra option didn't seem to fare much better in that regards and was bigger.
On the plantronics 855 option, many stated it was great in sound quality for phone calls but was inferior to the Motorola for music and podcasts.
I didn't really look into the Sony option listed here though due to the price. It was one of the more expensive ones.
So anyways, this is now on my Amazon wish list to make Christmas shopping for my wife easier.
Glad to be of help and as for incall sound quality. I never had a complaint, been on the phone for hours on end with this thing and a lot better then having a cell against my head all the time lol. I hate being on the phone honestly but this headset made it a lot more tolerable. Actually just bought a USB Bluetooth Adapter for my pc to link these to it for music etc at night when people complain about loud music lol. Especially with that joggr volume issue on the Dash lol. Good luck with your Chrismas gift.
Okay so, I used to own the Jabra Halo which was a great set of heaphones except it was over the head giving me the nastiest headphone hair you've ever seen. Well long story short I lost them and looking for new ones but with some specific features:
Behind the neck
Over the ear (not in!)
An option for wired connection
The Halo came with a cable that was 3.5 mm to microUSB so the headset could play audio that way. This was important as it eliminated the delay caused by bluetooth when watching videos.
Anyone have any ideas?
motorola S9 HD's
have em; love em
but they may not be your cup of tea because of the size
check em out
kinda looking for dual pairing bt headset for both my bt device, dont wanna touch the oily 4,3 big screen from my face
Any of the Motorola headsets are worth a go. They are durable and the pair with mutiple devices. I have my laptop and phone paired with the headphones most of the time with no glitch. I am considering a trial run with the recently available Jabra Sport Bluetooth headphones. Anything else just sucks, really.
Hi all,
I bought a pair of Plantronics Backbeat 903+ headphones yesterday.
Thought I'd put a quick review and warning for anyone that is thinking of using BT headphones for anything that is latency sensitive.
I will use them mainly for music. Probably rarely for phone calls unless I happen to be listening to music when I get a call.
Sound quality is quite good. They sound fuller and not as harsh as the stock headphones that came with the Note.
Better than I expected, but there is a lack of highs. It was very noticeable when compared to my cheap, corded, Philips SHL9500 foldable headphones that I usually travel with.
Had to nudge the highs up in the EQ of Power Amp to be able to hear the treble well.
Range is better than I expected too. I'm just in a small apartment, but I could walk all around the room and into the next room and around the corner (losing line of sight), with no noticeable difference in sound. This was further than the 10m range they claim.
I also put the phone in my jeans pocket and it continued to work fine. I'd read some reviews complaining that it needed line of sight or would drop out, but no such problems for me.
Battery life is awesome on these. They claim a full charge will last 7 hours. I used them for 3-4 hours last night.
When I turned them on this morning, they said they had 5 hours remaining. I probably wasn't listening constantly over the 3-4 hours last night as I was starting and stopping apps, so that is probably about right.
Also, when you turn them, a voice announces how many hours the battery has left which is handy since there is no visual indicators.
Comfort for me was very good. I had them on for almost 4 hours last night and didn't notice them most of the time. Although when I took them off, my ears were a little sore from the buds being in there, but with most in ear phones my ears get sore sooner than that and I notice it whilst they are still in there.
Note that the cord between each ear is quite short and only just reaches around my head. I can fit 2 fingers between the cord and my head, but only just, and I have a shaved head. I also tried on the Jabra Sports in the shop, but they didn't feel as comfortable to me, and also the cord was quite a bit longer and I thought it may get in the way or get caught on something when exercising. So best to try them on in a shop to check if they fit your head.
One thing I didn't realise about bluetooth headphones is that they introduce latency. It seems to be about 500ms.
You can test the latency by connecting the BT headphones and then changing your ring tone. When you audition different ring tones it will play them through both the phone speaker and the headphones, and you will hear the lag.
In addition to listening to MP3s, what I primarily wanted them for was for music apps and recording, so that I wouldn't have a cord getting in the way, or have to be restricted to the length of the cable.
It's not too big a deal with the multi track programs I use (Loopstack and Audio Evolution mainly, with FourTracksPro) as I can adjust the latency, but it means I have to change it depending on whether I'm using the BT headphones or not).
But for apps that require live input and monitoring (like drum, guitar, piano apps that you play and want to hear yourself playing live), the latency makes them not really useable.
I can still use these headphones to record guitars and vocals through the Note's microphone, but I just need to adjust the latency which is annoying.
Any music app that is program/sequence based like Caustic or Easyband, is not too much of a problem as you don't really notice the latency, apart from the fact that what you see on the screen is slightly out of sync with what you hear.
Also for games that require the audio to be in sync with the screen, the 500ms is not really useable (I have a game called Beats, which is a rhythm game and you need the screen and audio to be in sync).
For video, though using the stock video player, it is in sync, so there must be some latency compensation going on in the software which is good.
When I tried youtube, using the youtube app, it is out of sync at the start, but then it gets into sync, so there is some kind of buffering or compensation giong on there too.
So, if it's just listening to music or watching video is what you want them for, I thin they are really good.
If you want to use them for games or music apps that will be negatively impacted by the latency, then you are probably better off sticking with corded headphones.
I will probably end up carrying corded phones with me when I travel for the times when I don't want any latency.
But for walking around, exercising, just casual use, the Backbeat 903+ headphones are really good and am happy to be free from a cord for those situations.
Cheers,
Rich
good review...I was planning to pick one up.
richlum said:
Hi all,
I bought a pair of Plantronics Backbeat 903+ headphones yesterday.
Thought I'd put a quick review and warning for anyone that is thinking of using BT headphones for anything that is latency sensitive.
I will use them mainly for music. Probably rarely for phone calls unless I happen to be listening to music when I get a call.
Sound quality is quite good. They sound fuller and not as harsh as the stock headphones that came with the Note.
Better than I expected, but there is a lack of highs. It was very noticeable when compared to my cheap, corded, Philips SHL9500 foldable headphones that I usually travel with.
Had to nudge the highs up in the EQ of Power Amp to be able to hear the treble well.
Range is better than I expected too. I'm just in a small apartment, but I could walk all around the room and into the next room and around the corner (losing line of sight), with no noticeable difference in sound. This was further than the 10m range they claim.
I also put the phone in my jeans pocket and it continued to work fine. I'd read some reviews complaining that it needed line of sight or would drop out, but no such problems for me.
Battery life is awesome on these. They claim a full charge will last 7 hours. I used them for 3-4 hours last night.
When I turned them on this morning, they said they had 5 hours remaining. I probably wasn't listening constantly over the 3-4 hours last night as I was starting and stopping apps, so that is probably about right.
Also, when you turn them, a voice announces how many hours the battery has left which is handy since there is no visual indicators.
Comfort for me was very good. I had them on for almost 4 hours last night and didn't notice them most of the time. Although when I took them off, my ears were a little sore from the buds being in there, but with most in ear phones my ears get sore sooner than that and I notice it whilst they are still in there.
Note that the cord between each ear is quite short and only just reaches around my head. I can fit 2 fingers between the cord and my head, but only just, and I have a shaved head. I also tried on the Jabra Sports in the shop, but they didn't feel as comfortable to me, and also the cord was quite a bit longer and I thought it may get in the way or get caught on something when exercising. So best to try them on in a shop to check if they fit your head.
One thing I didn't realise about bluetooth headphones is that they introduce latency. It seems to be about 500ms.
You can test the latency by connecting the BT headphones and then changing your ring tone. When you audition different ring tones it will play them through both the phone speaker and the headphones, and you will hear the lag.
In addition to listening to MP3s, what I primarily wanted them for was for music apps and recording, so that I wouldn't have a cord getting in the way, or have to be restricted to the length of the cable.
It's not too big a deal with the multi track programs I use (Loopstack and Audio Evolution mainly, with FourTracksPro) as I can adjust the latency, but it means I have to change it depending on whether I'm using the BT headphones or not).
But for apps that require live input and monitoring (like drum, guitar, piano apps that you play and want to hear yourself playing live), the latency makes them not really useable.
I can still use these headphones to record guitars and vocals through the Note's microphone, but I just need to adjust the latency which is annoying.
Any music app that is program/sequence based like Caustic or Easyband, is not too much of a problem as you don't really notice the latency, apart from the fact that what you see on the screen is slightly out of sync with what you hear.
Also for games that require the audio to be in sync with the screen, the 500ms is not really useable (I have a game called Beats, which is a rhythm game and you need the screen and audio to be in sync).
For video, though using the stock video player, it is in sync, so there must be some latency compensation going on in the software which is good.
When I tried youtube, using the youtube app, it is out of sync at the start, but then it gets into sync, so there is some kind of buffering or compensation giong on there too.
So, if it's just listening to music or watching video is what you want them for, I thin they are really good.
If you want to use them for games or music apps that will be negatively impacted by the latency, then you are probably better off sticking with corded headphones.
I will probably end up carrying corded phones with me when I travel for the times when I don't want any latency.
But for walking around, exercising, just casual use, the Backbeat 903+ headphones are really good and am happy to be free from a cord for those situations.
Cheers,
Rich
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reviews. I am looking for ones to go to the gym.
I actually own the same model. Owned the previous model up until i wore it out. It's a perfect set of bt headphones to work out with and it's discreet when wearing it around. It fairs well functionality-wise; haven't had an issue with my note.
Thanks for the review.
I have just bought my Note2 and Plantronics 903+ and as i am a normal user (phone calls and music) it is really awesome.
But I have few issues with this and i need your confirmation
1) The Music forward and backward buttons doesn't change the music track? I have my corporate mail and hence have set up PIN lock in my phone. Is that dur to auto locking of phone with PIN or the Bluetooth buttons are not compatible with Samsung Note2?
2) While making calls outside, the noise cancellations is pretty good, but at times i hear some disturbing sound/noise in the call and i am pretty sure it is only through the Bluetooth i hear the noise.
The forward and back buttons work on my Note 2.
You have to hold them for a few seconds otherwise they just do volume up and down.
I'm using N7 player.
I notice that the headphones get A LOT of wind noise when outside. I notice it a lot when riding my bicycle. But, also when just walking.
I've since bought a pair of Jabra Halo 2 and use them most of the time now. They are more comfortable and sound better. Plus, I can connect them with a cord for zero latency.
I use the Plantronics if I'm going to be sweating a lot.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
Nice review and good advice for all potential buyers. However, I feel a clarification about BT latency is in place. Not all bluetooth headsets introduce so much lag. I'm an avid Motorola S10 user and altough some delay is present, it's nowhere near the 500ms OP estimated for the Plantronics set. In fact, even rhytm games like Tapsonic are still playable on the S10, which leads me to believe the delay is more around the 50ms mark. Huge, half-second lag seems to be more a sign of bad implementation by the manufacturer than limitation of the bluetooth standard. Let's not forget that Playstation 3's joypad uses BT technology, but it's implemented so well that tests found it to be practically lagless down to less then a frame ([email protected]) compared to wired connections.
Is that low latency for media playback, or phone calls?
When you connect BT headphones to your phone (or PC) they make 2 connections. 1 for phone calls and 1 for media playback.
Both of my BT headphones have low latency for phone calls because they use a lot lower quality when in phone mode.
But both have high latency for media playback mode. (ie. Anything other than phone calls)
The amount of data required for the BT controllers is a lot less than that required for stereo audio.