Develop Bugs

(Q) recommendations on a very discreet headset

Hi all! I apologize if there is another thread like this, did a search and didn't turn up anything useful.
I'm looking for a headset that you can't tell that is being worn. I'm talking like spy style, in the ear, no flashing lights, etc. Idealy able to play music through and use voice dialing. I have seen a few out there which appear to plug into the headphone jack with a wired mic that slips under the collar of a shirt and uses bluetooth to the in the ear, ear buds. These have all been in online spy shops, and the like. Does anyone have any recommendations on something like this? I'd hate to drop $150+ on junk.
Thanks!
Jayson
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You've watched too many spy movies.
I'm sure there are Headphones like that but they will definitely cost more than $150 and they probably won't be available on Amazon or the likes.
Batterylife will be dismal on a headphone that is small enough to fit into your earchannel and have a BT receiver aswell as good sound for music. You have to fit the battery the receiver and a large enough good quality loudspeaker into a very small room. One of the components will have to stand back.
Information about such things probably is hard to find but you can search the internet for inear hearing aids. There are several that are small enough to vanish in your earchannel and barely can be seen from outside. You'll see the prices and you will find tests about batterylife. The custommold of your earchannel will almost eat up your $150, no tech included.
Edit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_aid
If you get one of the itc or cic ones with bluetooth you only have to find a bt mic that can be used with a smartphone. I'm pretty sure those exist but again, the cost will by far exceed your expectations.

Yeah I know it's not gonna be cheap lol. About $150 is the cheapest I have seen, but have seen in excess of $500. I'd just hate to spend the money for something that isn't going function the way I would like was my main concern.
Just stumbled upon this. http://www.spycheatstuff.com/index....l&pop=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=55&lang=
This appears to be like your suggestions of the cic hearing aid, modified bluetooth headset with an external mic all wrapped up in a clunky box lol. Might not be too terribly difficult to fabricate something similar, but cost to purchase or make might wind up being close to the same. ... Uh oh... The wheel is turning now, but the hamster is dead lol.
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That's a weird device. The earpieces don't have a battery. That neckloop probably is a induction coil. I wonder if and how that works.
Even if it does, I can't believe the sound will be anything else than tinny. For that price they just can't use a balanced armature driver which would fit the earpieces size and is also used in hearing aids an high end in-ear monitors.
If they use a cheaper moving coil driver, the diaphragm has to be really small and therefore sound probably won't be good enough to listen to music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headphones#Ear-fitting_headphones
Getting them in and out of your ear canal most likely will be a real *****. Keeping them in for longer periods of time will lead to all kinds of problems, like sweating, itching, increased production of ear wax. And they act as hearing protection, blocking sound from your environment which may be dangerous.
Granted, all in ear headsets do that to some extent but you can easily flip them out when you don't use them and put them back in in a heartbeat.
Do you actually need a device like that or is it just something geeky you would like to have?
Do you mainly want to listen to music or to make phone calls?
For really good sound I'd suggest custom molded in-ear monitors.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-ear_monitors
You can get them in any color, different tones of skin color included. The wire is worn over the ear, and usually behind your back aswell. So no cables dangling around. They are not invisible but way less visible than ordinary ear buds.
They deliver amazing sound quality and the fit just can't be beat.
I have custom molded ear protection and custom molded headsets although not with the more expensive balanced armature drivers of the high end models. Once you get used to putting them in your ear you can do it very fast. There is only one position for them and that is sitting perfectly in you ear. They won't ever come loose accidentally, they won't fall out, they won't break the seal to you ear, so they will never have diminished sound. You can barely feel they are there. You have to try it before you can appreciate how much better they are compared to non-custom in-ears.
If that's too expensive for you, you could get something like that and give it a new paint job.
Cheap, sound not bad at all.
I have a pair of those, too and although they are not custom molded they fit very well. They don't stick out of the concha, giving them a very low profile. Because of the wire worn over the ear they won't come loose or even fall out at the slightest tuck at the cable, like many other in-ears. They aren't as comfortable as my custom molded earphones but I have no problem wearing them over longer periods of time.
Combined with a wired microphone that offers a 3.5mm headphone jack, you'll have a wired headset that offers good sound is not very visible and doesn't use up battery for bluetooth.
Or you get something like this.
That is similar to what you can often see agents and security details use in movies. They usually have those coiled wires/tubes that are quite visible and always make me wonder why they would compromise the low visibility of their headsets with them. Maybe because the tubes without coils aren't good for headmovement. I don't know.
Maybe the absolute invisibility part is important to you. Then my alternatives won't be of much use. But if you want good sound, which is more important to me, those alternatives are the better solution. Still kind of geek devices not many people have but at a more affordable price as long as you don't get professional IEMs.

I'm really more concerned with the voice aspect and the invisibility than the music quality. The music would be nice but not a necessary thing. I see 100% how more likely than not the sound would be very tinny. Thank you, I greatly appreciate the education and help with all of this.
Upon searching ebay I turned up tons of similar items priced from $35 on up, (mostly made in China ) , but if nothing else I think I'm going to pick up a set and if the quality is too crappy I can attempt to modify them to suit my liking. Or possibly ideas for another project. And at the prices they are offered at I'm not out much if I trash it in the process.
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Let me know how it turns out.
I'd find the neck loop annoying but it's a rather ingenious idea when it comes to battery life. You can wear a battery pack of any size anywhere on your body.
I'm pretty sure you won't get stereo sound with that setup, only mono but that's ok for voice only use.
That neck loop creates a magnetic field and your wearing it close to your head. I'd have slight concerns about that and I wouldn't be surprised if that thing would interfere with other technical devices like TVs and radios.
But it's hard to say for sure without ever having seen one of those kits in the wild and not much to be found on the internet. Maybe I'm completely wrong and they offer great sound and are absolutely harmless.

Covert acoustic tube earphones
Hi. I am interested in the same exact thing, just for recreational purposes.
i own the iphone version and can attest to it's clarity and comfort.. but i posted a samsung version i'm getting soon too.
hope this helps
i am so sorry, i am not able to post links as yet.
but if you search google for
Covert Acoustic Tube Earpiece / Headset for Samsung Phone: Galaxy S2, S3 etc
and also for
FBI Style Covert Acoustic Tube Headphone / Earpiece For Apple iPhone 3G 3GS 4 4S
i'm sure the first ebay links will lead you right to them. Both are under $20.
And finally, this one is absolutely tiny and hidden in your ear with no exposed wires. Here you go
wireless invisible gsm earpiece for test
you will find that on amazon. But if you do choose to try it please let me know how it goes

Review of SMS Audio SYNC by 50 on-ear wireless headphones (2013) w/lots of pics!!!

This is a review of a new model of SMS Audio SYNC by 50 on-ear wireless headphones. http://smsby50.com/products/sync-by-50-on-ear-wireless
Before anyone makes a judgment of "uh, another pair of status headphones by a rapper", I want you to open up your mind and your ears because this is one of the BEST pairs of wireless headphones I have tested and reviewed so far. Period. And since it offers a hybrid option of being used either wireless or wired - the sound quality is almost the same when comparing it. To be honest, I didn't have a high expectation when I received these for review. But after charging it up and running through 4+ burn in (white/pink noise loop to condition drivers), I couldn't believe my ears how sweet these sounds and even took a trip to a nearest Best Buy for a/b comparison with the latest Beats Studio. By far the clear winner was SYNC by 50. Now let's go more into review details.
First, let's start with packaging. This sets a tone of the product quality even before you get to the headphones itself. Opening it up definitely felt like x-mas time going through your presents. You slide off the outside sleeve to reveal a big blue box, a common color scheme of black'n'blue with these headphones. Under the cover you are greeted with Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson picture pointing at you like Uncle Sam "I want you" to join him. Another flipped cover and you get to the middle where you see a well crafted hard shell carrying case with a same black'n'blue design. Also in a side pocket you have owners manual, product catalog brochure, soft touch cleaning cloth (blue), and SMS Audio stickers (nice touch!). Yes, presentation is very impressive but it means absolutely nothing without a golden egg inside of that football shaped hard shell case. That's where we are headed next.
Once you take headphones out of the case you notice how light they are, at only 190g and with a neatly foldable design they fit snugly in the case which makes it easy for traveling. With a precise click action of the hinges, after unfolding these you can adjust the headband to your liking. The design and construction felt very sturdy, and plastic parts had a nice shiny piano finish where use of cleaning cloth will come very handy. The inner side of headband top has a foam cushioning wrapped in black leather with blue stitching. Earpads are marshmallow soft made out of ultra plush memory foam OVALFIT. Here is something a lot of people get confused, a difference between on-ear versus over-ear headphones. These are on-ear headphones which mean earpads will be smaller pressing against your ears creating an air pocket between drivers and your ear canal. Over-ear are typically bigger and go "over" your ear. I actually prefer on-ear design since it improves sound quality and doesn't "sweat" as much. One side of earphones has micro-usb charging port and opening for charging led, and I assume that's where battery is housed. Full charging from empty takes less then 4hr and battery should last 10-12hr which also depends on level of your listening volume. The other side has 3.5mm port to use a cable for wired application, built in mic, power on/off switch, and VERY WELL laid out playback and volume controls. The large round button in the middle, discretely hidden by S logo, is your play/pause/pickup/hangup call button. Volume up and down positioned logically at the top and the bottom, and track skip next/prev positioned at the front and the back. There is no second guessing or fumbling to locate these buttons, the layout makes perfect sense without looking at it, in daylight or at night.
I was happy to see physical on/off switch which also has dual functionality with a spring loaded push for Bluetooth pair up that was very fast and painless. These headphones support the latest Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX codec, and backward compatible with BT2.1, 3.0+EDR, and support HFP, HSP, A2DP, and AVRCP protocols. If you are out of battery juice or want to listen to a device without bluetooth connection, it's just as simple as plugging included cable and going wired. As a matter of fact, while paired up with my Note 2, I was going back'n'forth wired and wireless by connecting and disconnecting the cable. And speaking of cables, both usb to micro-usb and audio cables were included and neatly stored inside of the inner pocket of hard shell case. Both of the cables are crafted with black'n'blue theme, felt very heavy duty with a nice shielding and overall cool design details. I tested and found included usb cable to be ONLY for charging, not for data transfer. The audio cable has in-line remote with a single multi-function button and built-in mic. Multi-function button worked perfectly with Android devices with single click play/pause/call controls, double-click to skip next and triple-click to skip prev to control playback of music tracks. I also thought it was a great idea for the side of the connector going to your phone/tablet to be angled for a better strain relief.
With design and built quality covered, here comes the most important part - the sound quality. According to their website, these are professionally tuned 40mm drivers, and from my personal experience you always have to burn in these before starting to judge the sound. I did give it initial 4+ hours of burn in connected wired to my laptop while running white/pink noise loop. That really made a sound delivery shine and brought up a lot of details and clarity. That is normal and expected from true high quality drivers. Once I had them on, I couldn't put it down going through my collection of music. Another important point to note, I switched to using Neutron media player (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.neutroncode.mp) and would HIGHLY recommend only to use that player for your audio if you want to unlock true potential of your multimedia phone or tablet. Don't get discouraged with enormous array of settings and control options. Take your time and you will really appreciate quality of it's 32/64-bit audio processing engine and audiophile controls. But audio player can only bring up the best of the source and in order to hear that you need drivers that can translate it into analog sound delivered to your ears. SYNC by 50 truly DELIVERED it with a perfectly balanced sound across entire frequency range with an extra bump in powerful bass delivery, yet without overpowering or distorting it, a vibrant mids and crisp highs sounding clear and natural, bringing vocals right in your face surrounded by details of other instruments around them. I'm not going to lie and tell you these sound better than my audiophile $400 UE900, but for wireless headphones these sound truly incredible, thanks to BT4.0 + aptX. I was also pleased with a soundstage of these and how clearly I was able to hear position of every sound. The dynamics and clarify also held very well over the whole volume range. While doing a/b comparison between wireless and wired, I can only mention a slight improvement in sound width and a few more sparkling details of high frequencies with wires on. Also I should mention while taking/making calls, sound was great and people on the other side had no complains except while connected wireless they felt my voice was a bit distant verses wired using in-line remote/mic.
Overall, I was VERY impressed with SYNC by 50 on-ear wireless headphones. Everything from the design details to controls and sound quality was executed perfectly. I have seen and read before about their previous over-ear wireless model with KLEER technology, but was put off by a need to use separate wireless transmitter. Looks like SMS Audio done their homework and put a lot of thought into improving the design while also following the latest technology trend of BT4.0+aptX, and that really paid off! If I have to think of some negatives, I would say not being able to know how much charge is left in the battery since there is no led or voice prompt indicator (unless I missed it), and also assuming some people with big size heads might find these headphones to be a bit tight on their nugget, judging this by my average size head where I felt fitment to be very comfortable but perhaps closer to it's limit in terms of tightness. Currently, you can only get these directly from www.smsaudio.com website and they retail for $229 and come in shadow black or cool silver. It is pricey, but considering design and sound quality, as well as factor of brand name recognition, these are a much better value then Beats. Plus keep in mind, once it becomes available on Amazon, you probably will be able to get a better discount deal. Definitely gets my recommendation!
Here are the pictures.
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Hi
First, thanks for your long review! I just want to ask you a question. Do the controls work with Android? Will it work with CM10.2 on a HTC One with PowerAMP?
And do you probably have pictures with you having the headphones on? I ask, because i recently bought the Soul by Ludacris SL150, but afterwards because they were too big i selled them again. Now i'm using the Beats by Dre Solo (Wired), which have about the perfect size for me.

zotac1907 said:
Hi
First, thanks for your long review! I just want to ask you a question. Do the controls work with Android? Will it work with CM10.2 on a HTC One with PowerAMP?
And do you probably have pictures with you having the headphones on? I ask, because i recently bought the Soul by Ludacris SL150, but afterwards because they were too big i selled them again. Now i'm using the Beats by Dre Solo (Wired), which have about the perfect size for me.
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Click to collapse
Absolutely, both wireless and wired controls work perfectly with Android. Wireless Bluetooth protocol supports volume, playback, transport, and call controls. Wired doesn't support volume, but multifunction button works perfectly as I mentioned in my review.
Sorry, I don't usually take pictures with headphone on my head. It definitely sounds like you need on-ear headphones NOT over-ear since those are bigger. SL150 is on-ear as well but do look more wrapped around and bigger, just from the pictures I'm seeing. I think new SYNC by 50 on-ear will have a lot better fit. I don't know if they sell them in the store like Best Buy to try it out, but if you order from Amazon and find fit to be not perfect - can't you just return it back? Your other option is V-Moda M-80, check into my signature link for detailed review. It's probably the smallest on-ear portable headphones you can find, wired only. But there might be some comfort issues, although their sound it out of this world, the best out of everything I have tested. SYNC by 50 are very comfortable, marshmallow-comfortable and earpieces tilt relative to headband which I see SL150 doesn't have. You definitely get convenience of wired/wireless with SYNC, good bass response, excellent wireless sound quality, and comfort. A matter of comfort is something you will need to test it yourself since ymmv.

Thanks for the review.
Do the controls on the headphones work when the headphones are wired, like forwards and backwards playback, and also does the volume control lower the volume of the system or the headphones, when wired and wireless?
also can you use these at the gym ?

faddys123 said:
Thanks for the review.
Do the controls on the headphones work when the headphones are wired, like forwards and backwards playback, and also does the volume control lower the volume of the system or the headphones, when wired and wireless?
also can you use these at the gym ?
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When you use them wired you need to use remote built into the cable; that will control playback and call, but but not the volume. The controls on earcup are only for wireless operation. And of course it will be perfect for the gym to use wireless so you don't pull any wires when exercising. Or if you are next to treadmill and want to plug in your headphones, just use the wire.
Or and the volume lowers headphones volume, while you can adjust system volume separately. It's typical with all bluetooth headphones.

Hey, thank you for your review. Do you have any comparison to serious headphone brand like Sennheiser, AKG, Grado? Comparing to beats audio which is toy brand, not headphone brand is not really satisfying. If by UE900 you mean logitech it is not good recommendation to these SMS.

corckie said:
Hey, thank you for your review. Do you have any comparison to serious headphone brand like Sennheiser, AKG, Grado? Comparing to beats audio which is toy brand, not headphone brand is not really satisfying. If by UE900 you mean logitech it is not good recommendation that these SMS.
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If you are looking for a good audio quality and considering your references above, these will not satisfy you. Keep in mind, I got heavier into audio reviews later last year, so got a chance to run more comparison for the reference Old gen Beats are junk, though I heard new Beats might be better, but I can't comment on that since I didn't have a chance to test it (and have no plans for it). Contrary to that, Monster DNA Pro are serious audiophile quality. Back when I tested UE900, those were the best IEMs at the moment I had, while now I would not recommend them since you can have Westone W40 (or upcoming W30 which I hopefully get a chance to review) or Audio Technica's latest ATH-IM03 with a much better sound and build quality. So, my impression of SMS was based on my earlier impressions.
Yes, comparing them to Senns or AKG or Grado - they will not stand up. But considering their are in $200 price range and wireless, it adds a lot of value to them. I know Monster DNA Pro Wireless is about to be released, but they will be priced around $400+. I'm sure they will sound awesome, but that's double the price. Actually, I think you might want to look into UE9000 over-ear wireless (though battery powered for ANC): www.amazon.com/Logitech-UE-9000-Wireless-Headphones/dp/B0094S37GS/ - I heard a lot of good things about these. Considering UE just discontinued all of their in-/on-/over-ear headphones (only UE900s is left), you can get UE9000 on amazon for under $300.

vectron said:
Yes, comparing them to Senns or AKG or Grado - they will not stand up. But considering their are in $200 price range and wireless, it adds a lot of value to them. I know Monster DNA Pro Wireless is about to be released, but they will be priced around $400+. I'm sure they will sound awesome, but that's double the price. Actually, I think you might want to look into UE9000 over-ear wireless (though battery powered for ANC): www.amazon.com/Logitech-UE-9000-Wireless-Headphones/dp/B0094S37GS/ - I heard a lot of good things about these. Considering UE just discontinued all of their in-/on-/over-ear headphones (only UE900s is left), you can get UE9000 on amazon for under $300.
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I already own pair of Sennheiser MM 550-X which I chose after lots of hearing and research. I compared them to beats audio (which generally are not worth even 1/10th of their price), AKG, Sony MDR-1RBT, Parrot ZIK and many more. By far 550's have the best sound quality and virtually no lag, I couldn't say if they are wired or not. But I am always open to something better and I thought that these SMS could compete. By price tag I would expect they sound at least as good as 550's, but unfortunatelly they seem to be as overpriced as Beats Audio. However I thought I would give them a shot and tomorrow I will hopefully have an oportunity to listen to them.
I'm surprised you mentioned $200 price of these SMS, because where I live 550-X are priced $500 and Audio Sync by 50 are priced $550. Maybe that's why I expected a lot from them. Now I see that this comparison is a little pointless, so I think that by now I should stick to 550-X. They are really badass wireless headphones, but I think that there still is room for improvement.

$500?!? Is that UK price or something? They definitely not worth that much.

vectron said:
$500?!? Is that UK price or something? They definitely not worth that much.
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Poland. SMS brand just entered the market so probably they try to position themselves as premium brand and we have so called "being new tax" when sellers raise prices to the skies for first few weeks to get higher profit from people who are unpatient and will buy no matter the price. So after all these headphones are not really worth considering.

They look very good
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I have wired Beats Studio v2, and I want to buy a wireless headphones, so my choice was Beats Studio v2 wireless, beacause is the same model as the wired one but without wire (obviously), so I already know everything about this headphones. But I always wanted to buy SMS Audio and now that I read your review I'm really undecided. Beats got an incredible ANC system and I love it, because when I travel by train or bus I'm completely isolated from other people's noise, are the SMS isolated so well? Thanks for your response

Curtis7990 said:
I have wired Beats Studio v2, and I want to buy a wireless headphones, so my choice was Beats Studio v2 wireless, beacause is the same model as the wired one but without wire (obviously), so I already know everything about this headphones. But I always wanted to buy SMS Audio and now that I read your review I'm really undecided. Beats got an incredible ANC system and I love it, because when I travel by train or bus I'm completely isolated from other people's noise, are the SMS isolated so well? Thanks for your response
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Beats have active noise isolation, it's more effective because it samples outside noise and cancels it out by adding a flipped waveform of that noise. But as a result you get a humming noise which affects background noise floor thus making a sound not as crystal clear. Other headphones like SMS do passive noise isolation (if I remember correctly since I don't have it anymore), which just blocks outside noise by providing a good earpad seal, though sound quality improves because you have black background. I can't speak for the latest Beats headphones since I didn't have a chance to review them. Never had luck getting Beats review samples since they favor more social medial channels with lots of subscribers or Apple crowd, and do NOT care about XDA-Developers Android community Now with Apple acquisition they definitely don't care about review on XDA-Dev lol!!!

vectron said:
Beats have active noise isolation, it's more effective because it samples outside noise and cancels it out by adding a flipped waveform of that noise. But as a result you get a humming noise which affects background noise floor thus making a sound not as crystal clear. Other headphones like SMS do passive noise isolation (if I remember correctly since I don't have it anymore), which just blocks outside noise by providing a good earpad seal, though sound quality improves because you have black background. I can't speak for the latest Beats headphones since I didn't have a chance to review them. Never had luck getting Beats review samples since they favor more social medial channels with lots of subscribers or Apple crowd, and do NOT care about XDA-Developers Android community Now with Apple acquisition they definitely don't care about review on XDA-Dev lol!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your answer. All I want to know is, can I hear other people talk while wearing SMS Sync? I travel a lot and is important to me to just listen music, without background noise like people or street noise. This happen with Beats, but as you said sound is not properly clear. Thanks

I tried to hook it open on my Samsung galaxy s6 edge but it didn't work? Can u tell me why?

Review of Logitech/Ultimate Ears UE900 headphones w/lots of pics!!!

removed.

Since I got a few PMs from people inquiring if these UE900 can be worn wires down, I did some research and planning to order a few now bendable replacement cables from ebay (like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2m-Handma...ayer_Cables_Adapters&var=&hash=item4175e56a9b). Once I receive it, I will update my review.

Tell those people to embrace cable over the ears. I was VERY resistant to it at first, but the weightlessness of wearing them over the ears is amazing. Like you're not wearing them.
Overall, nice reviews. I personally like a little more focus on the negative aspects, because it shows you worst case. That's why I read the low rating reviews before buying anything. If you can deal with the negative aspects, then you've probably found a gem.
Do you find they lack (like many reviews say) the ability to make you feel the bass impact, carrying bass detail without bass quantity?
-No longer accidental, just Jeremy. F.cfb
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying

jRi0T68 said:
Tell those people to embrace cable over the ears. I was VERY resistant to it at first, but the weightlessness of wearing them over the ears is amazing. Like you're not wearing them.
Overall, nice reviews. I personally like a little more focus on the negative aspects, because it shows you worst case. That's why I read the low rating reviews before buying anything. If you can deal with the negative aspects, then you've probably found a gem.
Do you find they lack (like many reviews say) the ability to make you feel the bass impact, carrying bass detail without bass quantity?
-No longer accidental, just Jeremy. F.cfb
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was hoping you, as one of the few true audiophiles in this forum, will reply to this review sooner or later
Regarding cables, the comments actually came from another forum (AndroidForums) where I mirror all of my reviews. But nevertheless, I have been thinking about it and tend to agree. If I remember correctly you have SE215, with removable cable (the same one as UE900). Do you have a flex piece next to the headphone connector you bend in a shape to go over your ears? That's how it is with UE900 which is kind of a PITA to put your headphones on. When the cable is free hanging you just insert earpieces and put the wire around your ears. It's a lot easier this way based on my experience, for example using Klipsch S4A IEM and especially useful when you have bulkier earpieces. UE900 are very lightweight and small, almost go into your ears flush so in theory it could be worn either way but because of that flex rigid wire you can't hang those down. It will be interesting to see how the replacement cable going to work. I'm especially intrigued by "samsung" control reference, hoping they put correct resistors into the remote for volume control on my Note 2.
Now regarding bass of UE900. When you read a lot of professional reviews they all compare these to 50 other audiophile quality IEM reviewer tested before. I'm building up my headphone collection starting with reviews of cheaper lower quality ones and moving up to quad drivers. That explains my upbeat tone When I tested cheap $5 headphone from dx.com - those sounded great to me. When I stepped up to S4A - it was a huge improvement, but after testing UE600 I realized how much clarify a single armature driver was able to deliver. At the same time, I was able to distinguish that UE600 lacked bass, even after a prolong burn in. With wireless headphones my comparison continued where those with BT2.1 or BT3.0+aptX sounded awful and compressed, while BT4.0+aptX made a significant improvement to the point where I was very impressed by SYNC by 50 on-ear wireless headphones. But in parallel, when I compared Jaybirds BBX and Plantronics BBG2, both of which had old BT stack but it's own proprietary dsp decoding - I was blown away by BBG2 sound quality. M-Duo was impressive, but v-shaped FR wasn't really my cup of tea, although at the beginning I was very impressed with it's sound. So far everything I have tested was either v-shaped or enhanced either at low end or high end. So, when i started with UE900 - I found it's balanced sound to be amazing! The bass response has improved after burn in. Now, I also read about these having a pinhole which a lot of people seal for a better bass response (I'm still contemplating about it).
I have to absolutely agree EU900 carry a lot of bass details, and it has a slight bass bump, but it's not in your face to make you feel the bass. I have a number of bass heavy headphones where you get in-your-face bass without a need to adjust EQ. But I hate how that bass is delivered, colored, saturated, in some cases sounding hollow without "weight", etc. So I was excited about UE900 because to my ears it was ideal, especially since I listen mostly to EDM music where you get a lot of bass to begin with. But once I get my review pair of Westone W40, I will be able to make a true comparison between these two quad driver IEM and their bass response. Basically, my EU900 review was "standalone" while Westone will be more of a comparison, the same way how all those other pro reviews come out

I listen to a ton of EDM as well (Revolver's "The Chamber 24", which is his live set from Tomorrowworld is playing right now).
Bass is tricky. I wouldn't want all boom or all detail.
With my SE215's, I've used both the stock cable that has the memory wire and now use the mic/remote cable that doesn't. Both have their merits. Memory wire stays on better, but without it's more comfortable. I can get used to either. I wish I'd known about UE900 cables working on Shure when I bought my mic cable. It'd be nice to try out.
-No longer accidental, just Jeremy. F.cfb
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying

jRi0T68 said:
I listen to a ton of EDM as well (Revolver's "The Chamber 24", which is his live set from Tomorrowworld is playing right now).
Bass is tricky. I wouldn't want all boom or all detail.
With my SE215's, I've used both the stock cable that has the memory wire and now use the mic/remote cable that doesn't. Both have their merits. Memory wire stays on better, but without it's more comfortable. I can get used to either. I wish I'd known about UE900 cables working on Shure when I bought my mic cable. It'd be nice to try out.
-No longer accidental, just Jeremy. F.cfb
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, apparently these cables work with UE900, SE215, SE315, SE425, and SE535. I'm glad you mentioned "memory wire", I was looking for the right word to describe it lol!!!
I never heard of Revolver, but just looked them up on YT. Funny comments about their Tomorrowworld (darth & vader remix). A bunch of people posting about sounds being copied, and then another producer chimes it telling everybody "we all use the same Vengeance library" lol!!! Vengeance guys pretty much built EDM and in general club theme with dozens of their commercially released sample and sound sets which every single producer used in the last 7-8 years. Vengeance guys are actually producers behind Cascada and Spencer & Hill. But anyway, I digress here... My EDM cup of tea is Avicii, Showtek, Afrojack, R3hab, Spencer & Hill, Mikkas, Klaas,and commercial dubset like Krewella and Skrillex.

As promised, here is my review of replacement UE900 cable which also supposed to work with some Shure headphone models. The direct store link: http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3352 in case if their ebay listing (http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2m-Handma...ayer_Cables_Adapters&var=&hash=item4175e56a9b) is not available.
Without a doubt, UE900 is the top headphones pair in my collection with one of the best sound quality. Being high end audiophile IEM, these come with detachable cables which mean if down the road wires brakes or the connection is compromised - you can replace the cable and continue using headphones. The cable that comes standard with UE900 is twisted pair which gets braided after y-joint. The intent is to keep signal isolated, away from any interference. Although I found these original cables to be very unique, to be honest I wasn't too happy about it because they were easy to tangle and felt fragile. Another thing I wasn't too crazy about was the memory wire next to earpiece that supposed to retain shape around/behind your ears. First of all, you spend the time making a perfect loop adjusted to your ear, but when you wrap and store the cable in the pouch or hard storage box, it gets bent. Also it takes longer to put these hoops on and to adjust and align earpieces. You also don't have an option to wear headphones wire down. Not to mention that for Android you can only use multi-function button and not volume controls - common for all other in-line remotes.
So here comes Lunashops custom UE900 cables which I can with certainty recommend as MUST have replacement, especially if you have Samsung Galaxy phones. First of all you get a very generous length cable, 1.2m, which is perfect for keeping your smartphone in the pocket while having complete playback control under you fingertips. Multi-function button works perfect with any Android phone to play/pause/call and control playback with double/triple click, as well as long press to start Google Now. Built-in microphone was OK too, and I had no problem with phone calls or speaking with Google Now. I also didn't notice any microphonics effect. But what makes it standout is Volume up/down buttons which I confirmed to work with my Note 2!!! Samsung uses different set of resistors in their OEM headphone volume control which is different from iPhone controls. I haven't seen anybody else making headphones with a specific Samsung volume control. These work perfectly!!! Lunashops also has HTC in their list of compatible devices, but I'm not 100% if that includes volume control as well. They offer different versions of these cables with Samsung and iPhone in-line remote/mic. Multifunction button will work with any android phone, while I confirmed volume on Samsung version to work perfectly with my Note 2. Furthermore, you also get an option of straight 3.5mm plug or with 270-degree angle which I found to be a lot easier to handle than a regular 90-degree angled connector.
The cable itself is very easy to bend and it has a nice soft rubbery protective cable jacket. In-line remote/mic had a solid durable plastic construction, and so does the y-splitter. The piece with SMB connector is clear plastic with something that almost looks like a little bit of cloudy glue residue. But despite its look, the workmanship is very good and clean. I do have to question the decision to use red cable with white plastic connector tips. In my opinion it would have been better to use a neutral black color instead since for example UE900 is blue while Shure headphones vary in colors between black, clear, and other choices. But from a functional perspective - these are just PERFECT!!! Of course, the most important test is the sound quality. I have done a lot of a/b comparison between original cables and these replacement cables and found them to sound identical to my ears. As a matter of fact, the sound actually improved. Now with wire up I get a much better fitment and seal which improves the bass response significantly. Even so I'm not a big fan of over the ear wires, these are a real pleasure to use due to soft nature of the cable which effortlessly goes behind your ears. Also now you can use UE900 with wire down, although the angled design will make them stick out a little bit. Furthermore, it also compromises a seal which means you will get less bass wearing UE900 wires down. But it's still manageable considering that now you have an option to wear it both ways. For my particular taste I will continue wear these wire-up because I value bass
Overall, I consider these replacement cables to be a fantastic addition to UE900. It gives you flexibility to wear headphones wire up or down, provides a much better fitment/seal with wire up which improves bass response, and gives you ability to control volume up/down if you have Galaxy smartphone. For $20 plus change - this is no brainer! My only comment is that I wish this cable would come in neutral back color. Otherwise, it's perfect!
Here are the pictures.
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That red cable would be useful for me if it terminated in a straight stereo 3.5 mm plug instead of that Y-cable.

vantt1 said:
That red cable would be useful for me if it terminated in a straight stereo 3.5 mm plug instead of that Y-cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely!!! For any on-/over-ear headpones with detachable cables - that would be perfect!!!
I'm talking to these Lunashops guys right now. They specialize in custom cables for headphones (check out their website). I will ask them if they can make such custom cable.
Also, after reading my review they mentioned about being able to make the same cable as above in all black which I think will a great idea since its a neutral color to go with any headphone color.

vantt1 said:
That red cable would be useful for me if it terminated in a straight stereo 3.5 mm plug instead of that Y-cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found another custom cable on luna-shop website which might do what we looking for: http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3373 and only $6. The only problem is they talk about HTC One compatibility and I'm not 100% about Galaxy (Note 2) compatibility. That in-line remote doesn't look like Samsung oem remote (like the one I got in my UE900 cable replacement). I pinging luna-shop guys and waiting to hear feedback. If it confirmed to work with Note 2, I will get a review sample to post in here.

vectron said:
I found another custom cable on luna-shop website which might do what we looking for: http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3373 and only $6. The only problem is they talk about HTC One compatibility and I'm not 100% about Galaxy (Note 2) compatibility. That in-line remote doesn't look like Samsung oem remote (like the one I got in my UE900 cable replacement). I pinging luna-shop guys and waiting to hear feedback. If it confirmed to work with Note 2, I will get a review sample to post in here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I might have a go at making my own cable once my new cables arrive. I got 12 of these:
Let's see how they'll end up!

As much as I was excited about my UE900 replacement cables with Samsung in-line remote/mic AND volume controls (
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3352), I felt that red color of the cable wasn't as appropriate for these blue color earbuds. After discussing this with lunashops.com, they mentioned about being able to make the same cable in black. So for anybody interested, go ahead and contact them with a request for the same cable as I mentioned in my original review above but in black color.
It has the same excellent built quality, flexible cable to go over ear, 270-degree gold plated 3.5mm connector, and in-line remote with mic that has multifunction button for play/pause/call, double/triple click transport control, long press Google Now, and volume up/down adjustment for Galaxy phones.
Here are the pictures.

Found this while googling for replacement cables for shure. First off a Big Thank You!
I have two questions:
1. How is the call quality using the mic?
2. Can anyone confirm these work with Samsung Galaxy S3? S3 might not have the same earphone pinout as the note 2.

fatestkid said:
Found this while googling for replacement cables for shure. First off a Big Thank You!
I have two questions:
1. How is the call quality using the mic?
2. Can anyone confirm these work with Samsung Galaxy S3? S3 might not have the same earphone pinout as the note 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call quality is ok, no better than original UE or even Samsung earbuds in-line mic.
Will try to test it with S3 the next time my in-laws are over, they both have S3 phones.

I just wrote a review about FiiO RC-SE1 replacement cables for UE900, which you guys might enjoy: http://www.head-fi.org/t/657641/mak...e-rc-x-will-be-in-the-market/90#post_10217616

Yep, I read that. I'm pretty sure I'm going to blame you for that $30 purchase, but having a mic on my cable is so convenient.
Excreted from my Nexus 5
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying

jRi0T68 said:
Yep, I read that. I'm pretty sure I'm going to blame you for that $30 purchase, but having a mic on my cable is so convenient.
Excreted from my Nexus 5
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, in-line remote is very convenient for everyday use, especially when you are on the go or to remotely play/pause the song. But when you want to sit down and enjoy the best possible sound, you can't beat this upgrade. I can tell you with certainty, it wasn't just a subtle improvement, it was really noticeable. I don't even care about microphonics or complete color mismatch between clear cable and black/blue earbuds. Btw, with your SE215 it will be a perfect color match. If you are going to get it, I would really be curious to hear how it sounds with 215s.

Could anyone confirm that this lunashop cable (ue900/shure) works with the nexus 5, volume buttons and all?
Thanks in advance!

Review of Jabra ROX wireless bluetooth stereo earbuds w/lots of pics!!!

This is a Review of Jabra ROX wireless bluetooth stereo earbuds. http://www.jabra.com/Products/Bluetooth/JABRA_ROX/Jabra_ROX
Are you ready to ROX? I hope you are because I'm going to tell you about the latest set of wireless bluetooth earbuds from Jabra that going to ROX your world! I typically don't start my review with comparison to other products in the same category, and rather reserve that for a follow up comments. In case of this new Jabra product I'm going to make an exception. For awhile this specific category of wireless active lifestyle earbuds was dominated by Jaybird BlueBuds X (BBX) until Plantronics released BackBeat Go 2 (BBG2) which if you remember I declared a winner in a detailed comparison against BBX and also short-lived Anker 4.0 earbuds. There are a lot of factors that make wireless headset stand out, but often a sound quality is where they fall short. Unfortunately, as part of bluetooth wireless transmission the sound gets compressed and the quality goes down, even beyond repair with your smartphone EQ. Some manufacturers use aptX codec which suppose to reduce compression artifacts and improve the sound quality, others use proprietary DSP to process the sound. And of course, the quality of earbud drivers play a significant role in being able to cover wide frequency range of the sound. On their packaging box, Jabra states "Massive Wireless Sound", and that's exactly what I found and why I consider them to take the crown over BBX and BBG2 or any other wireless headset I have tested so far. Let's take a closer look at what I have found.
Starting with a packaging box, Jabra put these earbuds on a display pedestal showcasing them like a real rock star. Also, a lot of the info was provided to describe it's features and accessory content to give you an overview of the product even before you take it out of the box. Once out of the box, you can't help but notice the quality of the material crafted with premium metal finish covering the back of earbuds and in-line remote while still weighting only 19g. One thing that stood out for me was a relatively slim profile of the earbuds body which doesn't stick out too much outside of your ear. The flat rubberized wire was attached to earbuds with a very secure strain relief, which is longer on the left side perhaps due to additional wiring in lieu of the charging port. The in-line remote is on the right side, closer to the right earbud and has a distinct profile with a recessed space for multi-function button in the middle which is very easy to find between volume/track up/down controls. In addition to that, in-line remote also hosts NFC zone for an easy pair up with your smartphone or tablet device supporting it. The overall construction is very durable and actually IP52 certified which suggests protection against dust and water. The ROX is build solid and would be a perfect companies for any indoor or outdoor activities.
In addition to earbuds, Jabra also included a very generous amount of accessories. You get a premium quality usb to micro-usb charging cable (yes, no need for any proprietary connectors, it uses a standard micro-usb port under the magnetic cover of left earbud), a protective drawstring storage pouch, a removable FitClip which can adjust the length of the cable in the back, a set of 3 pairs of EarWing stabilizers for ultra-secure fit in your ear (these are among the best I have tried with any wired or wireless sports headphones), a quick start guide, and 4 pairs of premium EarGel eartips, including one double-flange pair. I'm talking about hybrid type with a ColorCore rather than some cheap generic silicone tips. That right away triggered a thought: Jabra mean serious business about the sound quality. As you well aware, I review a lot of premium in-ear headphones, and any company which includes quality eartips is serious about their sound quality. Unfortunately, for my own personal fitment I had to use my own eartips (another set of large hybrid eartips), but I have to bring to everyones attention - the selection of eartips for the best fitment with ROX earbuds is VERY important. You have to treat it like any premium wired headphones, also considering these headphone have a short in-ear stem thus you want to seal your ear canal for the best sound isolation no matter how secure EarWings will hold them in your ear.
Once you get the best seal - hold on to your seat because you will get hit with a deep bass that will make your jaw drop. By default, they are tuned to produce a strong thick v-shaped fun sound dominated by bass and roll off in upper mids/treble. Now here comes the beauty. Remember I said early on that once your headset receives a compressed sound, it's impossible to correct it because of the missing audio content? Here, using my Note 2 and a stock audio player I was able to select "Classic" EQ preset (which tunes down mid-bass hump and tunes upper mids/treble to brighten the sound with more clarity and overall balance) and I couldn't believe my ears I was listening to a music through a wireless connection. Yeah, it was that good, thanks to BT 4.0 and dedicated DSP sound processing. I'm not hyping it up, it just needs a selection of the right size eartips and some EQ tweaking, unless you prefer the default sound signature. The in-line remote worked perfectly to play/pause/call and volume controls were adjusting the level up/down as well as skipping tracks next/prev. Though sound quality while listening to the music or watching movies, etc. was fantastic, during making the calls the people on the other end heard me really good while on my end a experience a little tunnel sound. It was still acceptable, but not the best. Furthermore, I tested wireless connection to work up to 40 ft in the open area.
Battery life always a sore subject when it comes to wireless headsets, and was a subject of a number of discussion with BBX and BBG2. ROX actually occupies a happy medium with 6 hours of music streaming and 5.5 hours of talk time. As I mentioned before, charging port is a common micro-usb connector so you can charge ROX from your laptop or wall charger or car charger used for any of your smartphones or tablets. The standby time is very impressive 18 days. Now to take it to the next level, Jabra introduced a clever power-saving functionality which gets activated once you attach earbuds back-to-back using it's built-in magnets. That actually serves a dual purpose since when not in use, you turn your headset into a secure necklace preventing ROX from slipping down, and at the same time going into power-saving sleep mode disconnecting from your phone. Once you disengage the magnets, it pairs up back instantaneously with your phone. I also found when ROX is unpaired, you can simply attach earbuds magnetically to each other and take them apart to pair up with a phone. I was very impressed with this original functionality. Also, Jabra talks a lot about Dolby Digital Plus implementation which can be activated by downloading their free app. I found this app to be a substitute to a stock media player with different EQ setting, and ability to enable Dolby Digital surround sound which actually added an artificial depth to a sound - not my cup of tea.
In a brief summary I would like to explain why I found ROX to be superior to BBX and BBG2. First of all, ROX has the most "regular" in-ear fitment without sticking out too much out of your ears. Of course, these are not a tiny earbuds considering how much electronics they host, but they were on-par with some multi-driver premium IEM wired headphones I tested in the past. In comparison, BBX and BBG2 were sticking out too much, and BBG2 stabilizers were useless. Also, the sound quality was by far superior due to a full body detailed warm sound (comparing apple-to-apples with a same Classic EQ setting and the best eartip fitment) and great low end with deep sub-bass and a fast punch of mid-bass. BBX sound is more bloated and BBG2 is on a thin side in comparison to ROX. One thing I found with ROX that was inferior to others, the in-line remote was too close to the right earbud and as a result on a few occasions while reaching out to control playback or volume I actually pulled the earbud out of my ear.
Overall, I was VERY pleased with a design, build, and performance of ROX wireless earbuds. Everything from high quality material, to a rugged performance backed by IP52 certification, ability to pair up via Bluetooth or using NFC, magnetic stand-by mode which also allows to securely keep earbuds around your neck, a decent battery like and the MOST important - a truly massive sound quality, elevated these wireless headphones to the top of my list in comparison to other headphones in this category. Though priced a bit on a high side, they are still comparable to BBX and not too far away from BBG2, while having an advantage in both design and performance in comparison to either of those. In my opinion, I highly recommend these!
Here are the pictures.
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Hi!
This thread is just what I was looking for! I own a LG HBS-700 and I am more than happy with it. I have no complains about the fit, the sound, calls or battery life. But although it sounds good, I can't help but think that there may be other headsets with better sound quality. I see that you have both HBS-730 and HBS-800, so that is my first question, does the 800 sound better than the 730, and in case you tried the 700, do the 730 and 800 sound better than the 700?
And now, since I am happy with the LG HBS form factor, the only thing I am looking for is better sound quality. I do not need a lighter earbud, or longer battery life. But I do want earbuds, and I need track and calls control.
So taking that into account, how do the Bluebuds, the Backbeat Go 2 and the Jabra Rox compare sound wise to the HBS?
Thanks!

I assume you read my HBS-800 review, right? Yes, 800 sounds better than 730 and thus better than 700 (though I never heard 700, it's inevitable since it was their original release ). In 800 they actually used JBL drivers, and you get a more detailed sound and deeper bass.
BBX/BBG2/Rox have a different design and form factor in comparison to HBS. So, it's not only the sound but how you wear it. HBS sits around your neck which is convenient when not in use, and it also has dedicated playback and call controls. The sports design of BBX/BBG2/ROX has maximum integration with 2 earbuds connected by wire and in-line remote with multi-function assignment of buttons. Those are more for exercising, running around, being on the move. Though HBS800 has a better sound quality over 730/700, it's not as good as ROX. It could be on par with BBX/BBG2, although its a relative term where some might have better bass while others might have more detailed mids or treble. So far, I'm very impressed with ROX, especially when you match it up with a right pair of eartips and use a bit of EQ tweaking to brighten the sound. I also like how I can hang it around my neck using magnets on the back of earbuds which put these to sleep conserving battery.
But at the end, I still think the deciding factor should be their ergonomics and how it fits your everyday routine. If you want the best sound, there are plenty of audiophile headphones or in-ear headphones that will blow you away (though all wired). Bottom line, if you like HBS form factor and want improvement in sound, HBS-800 will be the answer.

Well, the things I want are: bluetooth, call/track controls, sound quality.
I am happy with HBS design, but I think I would be happy with BBX or ROX design as well.
I guess that upgrading my 700 to a 800 would improve sound quality, if only because of aptx compatibility. But since I am thinking about upgrading, I wanted to look other options as well, and that's when I found this thread, and your other reviews, and decided to take advantage of your extensive knowledge.
By your last messages, I get the idea that, everything else being equal (good reception, perfect fit, equal quality of the source), the best sounding earbuds would be the Jabra Rox, right?

apertotes said:
Well, the things I want are: bluetooth, call/track controls, sound quality.
I am happy with HBS design, but I think I would be happy with BBX or ROX design as well.
I guess that upgrading my 700 to a 800 would improve sound quality, if only because of aptx compatibility. But since I am thinking about upgrading, I wanted to look other options as well, and that's when I found this thread, and your other reviews, and decided to take advantage of your extensive knowledge.
By your last messages, I get the idea that, everything else being equal (good reception, perfect fit, equal quality of the source), the best sounding earbuds would be the Jabra Rox, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is correct, the quality of ROX sound is by far superior. Plus, you get an excellent build quality, BT4.0 and NFC support, and that magnetic sleep mode is sick! Look at it this way, it never hurts to get it from Amazon and test it out. If you hate it, you can always return it back. But to save you time from buying all 3 , in my opinion the sound and build quality of ROX is the best.

Well, I am almost convinced. But I decided to check a few reviews before. Most professional reviews agree with you. But user reviews (most of them in the apple store) are not that kind. Many people complain about the fit. They say that the magnets are not very strong, and the earbuds are easily separated, turning them on, and even pairing with your phone if they are close. Also, they say that the wings fall down very easily.
I do not plan on working out with them, or at least not too much, but I do plan on wearing them for prolonged periods of time, so I would really like them to be comfortable to wear, and easy to fit. I think that I will go to an Apple Store to see if I can try them out before purchashing them.
In any case, thank you very much for your help!

Thank you for the review! I think I'll buy them

@vectron First of all thanks for the review!
I myself am looking for wireless bluetooth earbuds I can use for sporting but also around the house (while connected to my phone which is in my pocket). Accidentally I came across the Jabra ROX earbuds, which seem to be new and contain some quite features. However, I'm not yet sure I should buy them compared to some others I found:
Jabra ROX: looks to be a good product however on the iTunes store the reviews state that the call (microphone) quality is bad, the magnets are not strong enough to keep them together while muffled away or around your neck while running, and the bluetooth connection sometimes goes down while your phone is in your pocket. Is this also how you see it?
Plantronics BackBeat Go 2: seems to be a good choice as well but is older than the ROX (maybe in this case newer is better )
Denon AH-W200: should have a great audio quality and also one of the best picks according to toptenreviews. However, again some reviews state a bad bluetooth reception..
Could you give your personal opinion on whether the ROX is the best choice in my case? I will use them for running so the bluetooth connection can't go down often. Also, while walking I'll might use them for a call and when home I'll use them for listening to music (hopefully good quality?)
Thanks!

I would not recommend Denon. Awful reviews everywhere, on amazon it has more 1-/2-star reviews than positive reviews. In general, Denon has not been a strong audio player for awhile.
In a past I highly recommended BBG2 in comparison to BBX and Anker 4.0 because of it's sound quality. But as you can see, they do stick out a bit, and the only way it was usable for me with Comply foam eartips.
I also really like LG Tone series, HBS-730 and 800. But those are good for all around application but not heavy duty exercising especially in a bad weather or if you are doing too much moving up/down.
ROX is currently my favorite because I like the sound quality and magnetic sleep feature and fitment. Yes, the microphone is not the best. If you are spending 10hr a day on the phone and want to use wireless headset - LG Tone will be your best solution. For occasional phone calls while you are running outside or around the house, ROX will work. People on the other side will hear you well, but you will hear them in a slightly tunnel sound. Fitment could be a matter of personal taste, but in my opinion with a right selection of silicone tips and using included stabilizer it was better than BBX and BBG2 where I had to use foam tips with both to keep them in my ears. In comparison, BBG2 sounds thinner and less bass, while BBX a bit bloated and darker. ROX has the best bass quality, and even so it sounds as dark as BBX - it can be corrected with EQ setting (if you use Samsung phone, their built in audio player Classic eq preset turns ROX into audiophil quality sound). BBX sound could be corrected with EQ to sound as good as ROX, but for my use it didn't have as good ear fitment and was inconvenient when not in use hanging unsecurely around my neck. With ROX connected magnetically around your neck, it's not an earth-strong magnet so don't expect it to stay attached if you are running around or doing jumping. The intent is to have your earpieces in your ears while exercising, and around your neck during walking or other basic activities.
To be honest, with headphones it could be hit or miss because we all have a different perception of sound and different ear anatomy. Often, you just have to narrow it down to a few and try them all. Maybe your local Apple store in the mall carries them all to try it out? Otherwise, Amazon is your friend with hassle free returns

Thanks for the info! So last question, how is the bluetooth reception? If I have a phone in my pockets and the earbuds on my head and move/run does it work ok?

Themuzz said:
Thanks for the info! So last question, how is the bluetooth reception? If I have a phone in my pockets and the earbuds on my head and move/run does it work ok?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No issues. I just did a test run around our kitchen and living room; my kids found it extremely funny I had my Note 2 inside of my jeans front pocket, wireless reception was solid.

@vectron Thanks for letting me know, I'll probably buy the rox on monday

Did more testing today. Though music sounds great, I was using it a lot outside while making calls, and it was windy. It works, but the sound quality on both sides of the line wasn't the greatest. So, I'm still sticking to my final assessment that if you are planning to use it indoor for music and phone calls - LG Tone HBS is the way to go. For outdoor exercising and other activities where sound quality has a higher priority while it also nice to be able to make a call, ROX is still my choice.

@vectron Thanks for all the info!
I got the Jabra Rox on Monday evening and took it Tuesday out for a run. Beforehand I tested it out at home and was impressed with the comfort, sound quality and cool magnetic click functionality. Unfortunately when I started running it started coming out of my ears every minute (I did change to the good fitting ear piece parts).
But, today I finally found out that the extra in ear attachments for the Rox keep it perfectly in place while running. Didn't fall out once
So I'm pretty happy with the purchase! Thanks @vectron for helping me make my decision.

Looks like a great device. I know its a very different form factor, but what do you think of sound between this one and SMS Sync by 50?
Sent from my GT-P6800 using Tapatalk

Hi,
Could anyone comment on the audio/video sync when watching movies or youtube videos?
I've seen a review claiming there's a delay, but I'm not sore whether it's due to the Dolby sound (which I don't care about) or if it's inherent to these earbuds?
http://coolmomtech.com/2014/04/jabra-rox-wireless-review-jabra-sound-app/
The Dolby sound and virtual surround sound are admittedly pretty amazing; you should hear the difference right away. Which is why you might consider using the Jawbone app for your owned music (nothing streaming…yet) instead of listening right through iTunes. Bonus: there’s a terrific equalizer with precision presets for all kinds of music and audio, or the ability to program your own settings.
On the downside, no streaming, as I said, which is so much of how I listen to music these days. And my biggest complaint is that for some reason, the Bluetooth creates an audio time delay between the YouTube video you’re watching and the sound, which makes me nuts. It means there’s no way I can watch video using these headphones; so for now I’d definitely stick with these for phone calls and music.
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Thanks!

Hi,
I bought them before I have seen your review. I thougt about using JBL J46BT but didn't ordered them because something deep in me said "wait till they are cheaper". My luck because as I saw the ROX I didn't cared about the price and ordered them right away. And I've done the right thing, the ROX are awesome. I've got them today.
I didn't had the WOW-Feeling right after unboxing. I use Poweramp on my Note 3 and I think I'll have to search for the right EQ setting because first time hearing wasn't different to my very old creative wp250. I also thought they're a little bit quiet, but that could be my ears
Then I installed the jabra app and, unlike you, I was blasted away by the difference I was listening to the metal opera "epicloud" by dewin townsend and I heard sounds I've never heard before.
Like you said I can't believe that this is bluetooth/wireless. But the jabra app doesn't has widgets or something like that so the music control sucks in that way. Hopefully I will find the right EQ preset für Poweramp, does somebody has a trick or a hint?
I use the double ear buds and the extra ear wings and they feel like they are glued to the ear even after 5 minutes headbanging so I think the're sportsproof too.
The in-line remote works like wanted and I don't do calls with my headphones so this feature isn't critical.
I will test them over the next few days but I don't think they will disappoint me.
At the end I have to ask could somebody implement the jabra app features into an other player? Or give me a hint how i get the perfect EQ preset?

I had no issues with audio/video sync, though I don't use Jabra app and dolby surround. That could add some echo effect to the sound which could contribute to some delay.
Regarding EQ setting, this is one of those YMMV type of questions I listen purely to commercial EDM and Dub, but found a Classical EQ setting in my Note 2 default media player to give me an audiophile quality sound while using $0.99 hybrid eartips from ebay (Sony look alike style). I wish I would have known the exact setting behind that EQ present so I can duplicate it in other medial players with their own built-in EQs. In my opinion, you can lift a veil off the default ROX sound by playing with some upper frequencies boost. I think they tried to have a default bassy sound, typical V-shaped signature with recessed mids, so leveling it off helps to bring up clarity.
After using ROX for awhile, I still confirm their sound and fitment is the best among other similar headphones (BBX, BBG2, Anker 4.0). The phone call quality is not that great, so don't count on it if you are planning to use it for long calls (Tone's HBS series is better for that). And the magnetic sleep function is both Good and Bad. I really like how you can just take these out of your ears and place it around your neck with attached magnets to form a necklace. It also great how it goes to sleep to save the battery. BUT once you try to store these in a headphone case or a pouch, magnet is not strong enough to stay together under a pressure of small storage space, so these come apart and it automatically pairs up with your phone. Even when you hold the multi-function button down to turn these off, as soon as magnets attach and come apart, it turns back on and pairs up with your phone. I have them stored in a small headphone hard case, and very careful when zipping it up to make sure magnets stay intact.

you were absolutely right I am trying the samsung stock player right now and it sounds very good indeed now I don't need the jabra app anymore. sadly I have to say goodbye to poweramp but hey thats the price for an audiophile
audio/video sync is okay, no problem with that
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Free mobile app

Great, thanks to both of you!

Review: Bang&Olufsen Beoplay E8

I am a music addict. I listen to a big varienty of styles: Metal, Electronic, R&B, you name it. Beeing an audiophile in my beginnings, I do not only care about how music is produced but also how it is reproduced. I already own the RMA T20 for on-the-go music consumption. Although they are a great pair of in-ear buds, they still are tied to cables. Since my Pixel 2XL comes without audio port, I was looking for a decent pair of true wireless earbuds that do not need any kind of cord.
Half a month ago, I bought the Bang&Olufsen Beoplay E8 that I find to be the most ambitious true wireless earbuds for audiophiles available today. I tested them thoroughly over the last 2 weeks and want to share an honest review.
Notice: I paid the full price (~260 EUR on Amazon.de) and did not recieve any discounts or incentives in order to write this review. I have no relation to B&O whatsoever. So this review is unbiased and reflects my personal opinion.
TL;DR
Pros:
great sound
precious looking buds and case
nice app with versatile EQ
transparency mode lets environmental sounds through
works nice with phone calls
multiple gestures
dropouts close to none
lipsync audio/video
Cons:
expensive
Micro-USB port
mediocre battery lifetime (~3h)
skip forward gesture often mistaken for a pause gesture
Review
Package
The package contains the 2 earbuds, a charging case, a thin USB-A to Micro-USB cable, several silicone earpieces (L, M, S, XS) and Comply earfoams (M).
Looks
The buds are a little big bulkier than what competitors like the Apple AirBuds offer but they look really precious in my eyes. The case comes with a leather coating and also offers nice haptics. The buds come in two color flavors: Black and charcoal (greyish). Both look nice, I own the black ones.
Pairing
Pairing works painlessly: Holding both touch areas for some seconds, the LED in the right bud indicates that pairing is now active. Then just use the normal bluetooth pairing of your phone.
App
The app is nicely designed and shows some informations about your buds like serial no and battery but also allows making settings.
You can choose EQ presets and make your own ones by placing an indicator in a sound-grid and tuning spacial levels. Sounds complicated but is actually rather intuitive. The app also notifies about firmware updates and does them only fly.
Functionality / Use
The buds provide an average playime of ~3h while the case provide enough power for 2 additional charges.
The interaction concept is based on two touch-sensitive areas (one per bud). A couple of gestures allow turning on, skip forward/backward, pause/play, volume control, transparency mode, call control and voice assistant activiation. Even if the sheer amount of gestures might be confusing for some, I find them easy to learn. Most of the time, they work pretty well. An sad exception is the "skip forward" gesture (double-tip right bud) that is often mistaken as pause (single-tip right bud). Besides this, the control is superiour to every other true wireless bud out there that I tested.
A highlight is the lip-sync audio/video (<0,2s lag) that makes videos a pleasure to watch. I tested other buds with a lag > 1s that made videos almost impossible to watch.
And when talking about comparisons with other buds: Most suffer from dropouts. These buds don't. At least almost. My greatest fear was that frequent dropouts would kill my pleasure. But these buds do really have a stable connection as long as the phone is not to far away from the right bud (master) and the left bud (slave) is not too far away from the right bud. In fact, I only faced short dropouts only in very few moments: While walking through a safety-scan door (interference) and crouching with my phone sticking in my jeans pocket (too much body between the phone and the buds). I don't know wether the up-to-date firmware is responsible for this, but I have absolutely no complaints in this department.
The transparency mode lets you percieve your environment in 3 flavors: environment only, mostly environment with soft music and 50/50.
Phone calls work like a charm and will even work while wearing only the left bud (master).
When put back in the case, the buds turn off automatically.
Sound
The sound is where these buds really do shine. They provide the B&O signature sound. This means: Transparent sound with clear, non-hissing hights, rich mids and present, defined lows. If you favor a modulated sound instead of a neutral one, you will love the EQ that the app features. Even if the sound reproduction cannot fully compete with audiophile cable headphones, I'd call it "almost audiophile". It is by far good enough to satisfy demanding music lovers. The sound is far ahead of any true wireless competition that I've checked.
Comfort
The buds really fit my ears well and despite their size, they have a tight fit that made me never afraid of having a bud dropping out of my ear.
Verdict
These are really great true wireless in-ear buds for audio lovers that unfortunately come with a hefty price tag. If you are into music on the go, you cannot go wrong. If you are looking for a sports companion, you might want to look somewhere else.