Develop Bugs

My BT stereo journey - a mini review

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 ?

Plantronics Backbeat 903+ BT headphones review and latency

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.

Lumsing® Portable Waterproof Bluetooth 4.0 Speaker Review

In the box:
The speaker comes in a simple grey box that is branded with Lumsing on it. On the box, they are basic stats about the speaker, features of the speaker, and the colors the speaker is available in. When you open the box, the speaker is wrapped in a piece of plastic, secured between two pieces of styrofoam. Along with the speaker, you get a 3.5mm audio cable, an instruction manual, a "Join our Power User Program" booklet, a micro USB charger.
First Impressions:
On the front of the speaker, there are four buttons that control answering/ hanging up calls, pausing/playing media, raising the volume, and lowering the volume. Under those buttons, you will find a battery indicator light that flashes green when charging, stays green when fully charged, and flashes red when the battery needs to be charged. Beside that, there is a microphone, and a Bluetooth indicator light that turns red when 3.5mm cable is in, solid blue when the speaker is paired with a device, and flashing blue when the speaker is not paired. There is also a clamp attached to the speaker so you can attach it to whatever you wish to. The speaker feels very sturdy and is made very well. There is no rattling when the speaker is shaken. When you turn on the speaker, the speaker says, "Power On. Bluetooth" letting you know that Bluetooth is on and "Powering Off" when you turn off the speaker. When you turn the speaker up to maximum volume, the speaker says, "Maximum volume." When you plug in the 3.5mm cable in to the speaker, the speaker also says, "Line In." The power button is located at the bottom of the speaker.
Review:
This speaker is unbelievable. For such a little speaker, it packs a punch. This speaker can get very loud. The sound quality is very good also. The battery life on this battery is amazing. After three days use, the battery still didn't need to be charged. I had to finally leave it on all night to kill the battery. The speaker takes about 3 hours to fully charge. Lumsing claims that this battery is waterproof. I tested this claim and I am happy to report that it's true. I put the battery in my tub and poured about two cups of water onto the speaker while it was playing some music and it didn't even affect the speaker. I also performed a drop test from about 5 feet while playing music and the speaker wasn't phased again. The sound didn't muffle when it fell or anything. This speaker can take anything you throw at it. All four buttons work like advertised. The microphone works very well also. I was able to talk on my phone using my speaker and the other party was able to hear me very clearly. I used both the 3.5 mm cable and Bluetooth to stream music and the sound is great both ways. The Bluetooth transmission range of this speaker is very good also. I had my phone in my room and put the speaker in my basement which is two floors down. I was able to position my speaker and get clear music streaming. I wish there was a seek button so I don't have to use my phone to skip tracks but it's not a big deal. If your in the market for a good portable speaker, this is a great choice.

like this kinds of speaker ,i guess many people will go for it ,waterproof
and mini portable size will be very suitable for outside people to travel .

REVIEW of Sentey B-Trek H9 Bluetooth Headphones

Sentey has outdone themselves. This is an amazing product for a decent price!
In the box, you get the headphones themselves, the really nice travel case, an auxiliary cable, a USB to aux charging cable, and an instruction manual.
First Impressions: These are pretty nice! The unit which I received does have some scratches upon arrival, which is unfortunate. I have uploaded a picture of the product with the scratches with my review. However, I quickly turn this on by holding down the power button, connect to it on my phone with Bluetooth (it shows up as B-Trek H9), and put them on. They feel VERY nice and comfortable. Music sounds pretty good too. The carrying case, at my first glance, looks very nice. Let’s see how these are after using these for some time.
After using this for a while, I can say that these are really nice headphones! I would like to mention that once you cross a certain limit in volume, people around you will be able to hear your music. So if you are on a plane ride and using these, I recommend to keep the volume low. The headphones do a decent job with blocking out sound. They also have nice bass, but you obviously cannot compare these to Beats headphones. However, in the price range that these headphones are in, the sound quality is superb! I have had a blast wearing and listening to music with these headphones. They feel very comfortable, and not at all irritating. I must note that they do jut out a good amount on either side of your head, but that isn’t something you can exactly control. These headphones fit my head nice and snug (after I adjusted them). The carrying case is really nice and durable. If I were to drop the case, I have a really good feeling that my headphones and contents would be completely fine. They do a great job at carrying the headphones and its accessories around safely and easily. I would like to mention that making calls with these headphones is also great! The quality of the call was great on both ends and both people could hear each other perfectly. When talking with the headphones, background noise can be heard. I do not recommend using these to talk to someone while in a public area around other people or around the TV. While using the headphones, I noticed that the buttons labeled “skip forward” and “skip backward” do the opposite of what they are labeled as. Trying to skip forward will take me backward, and trying to skip backward will take me forward. This was a small annoyance, but nothing I couldn’t get used to. Another weird thing was one of the voice outputs the headphones would say after disconnecting. It would say, “Your device is disconnect.” It should be saying disconnected, but that is another small issue. Because the amazing performance and quality outshines these small annoyances, I could not let it affect my rating for this product. It is simply remarkable. When you plug in the USB to aux cable to charge your headphones, the middle button will light up red. It will become green when it is fully charged. One big complaint that I have is the method with which it is charged. It is charged with a USB to aux cable. This is the first time I have seen a cable like this, and I think it would be easier for everyone if the product could be charged with a micro-USB cable.
Overall, this is a nice product that I would recommend to someone who wants a nice set of headphones for a price that isn’t too expensive.
I was provided a unit for testing purposes and I promised to provide a completely honest and fair review.
Unfortunately, I cannot post the link to this product on Amazon because posting commercial links is forbidden, but you can find it on Amazon by searching for the product's name that is in the title of this thread. Thanks!

IMPORTANT: Avoid buying these headphones!
They are terrible headphones with thousands of failures.
To begin with, the bluetooth link is very bad. It takes a long time to connect and many times it fails. And do not even think about wearing the headphones when you make the connection, because at the moment it connects you will hear the phrase "YOUR DEVICE IS CONNECTED" in a very loud volume that destroys your ear. So also when you turn it on and turn it off, the same thing happens.
Another point that seems totally disastrous is the fact that anyone can connect to your headphones, so you can be in a library, on a subway or in any public place, and people can detect your bluetooth connection and connect to it, even though you already have it connected to a device (to your notebook or your cell phone). And the worst part is that when you connect to another device, it repeats the phrase "YOUR DEVICE IS CONNECTED" with an atrocious volume.
So also when the battery is low you start to hear an extremely unpleasant sound at a very high volume, something like a horns.
I set the volume to the minimum, nevertheless it makes heads explode, I do not even want to imagine what it would be like at a medium or high volume level.
The sound is good but not so much. However, when you are not listening to any sound or music you hear a very unpleasant cutting sound to supposedly save battery. I sincerely consider it lousy, because I usually use them to watch videos or similar, and every time I change the video that terrible cutting sound is heard.
They are the worst headphones I have bought. I do not understand how people can make such bad headphones, I feel really cheated!
I can not reach words to criticize this **** of headphones, if they could be called headphones. I feel very disappointed and my score is 0/10. I will not even give it a point, because the mistakes they have committed are unforgivable.

[Review] EasyAcc DP100 Bluetooth Speaker with Aux Socket

In Short
As soon as I opened this speaker I was really surprised by the quality and the look of this device. Its really simple to use and has a great sound quality given its size. The grip on the bottom means that it sits solid on any surface. The Aux in gives added versatility to the speaker if you are wanting to use it for non-bluetooth enabled devices. Overall I really love this device and its taken over as my new favorite bluetooth speaker, its a really good looking device, living room worthy.
Detailed Review
Before even picking up the speaker it looks like a quality piece of equipment, the design is very swish, it's the type of thing you’d be happy to leave out on display in your living room. The design has is all matt black with a chrome edge around the top. There is a mesh wrapped around most of the main body that meets at the back. Up on top is a rubber button for play, and volume up and down. There is also a multi colour LED and a microphone hole. Round the back is a flick on/off switch, a power input and an Aux in. The Aux in is an incredibly handy feature and something I’ve not seen on many bluetooth speakers, but it is a welcome one! Melding older tech with new, the ability plug in items which aren't bluetooth enabled into your new shiny speaker is certainly a welcome change. Another plus round the back is the flick on/off switch, it feels nice to be able to have that level of control rather than a button where you cant tell if its on or off. I really like having the switch. Overall the design feels very well thought out.
Also included in the box is a very nice feeling bag for the speaker, along with Aux cable and a charger cable and an instruction manual. Again inclusion of all the cables and the bag feels like a welcome addition and something some manufacturers sometimes skimp on and leave out, so its nice to see that EasyAcc have chosen to include these. The specifications listed in the manual have a charging time of 3-4 hours, playback of 15-20 hours, talktime 8-10 hours, and standby of up to 300 hours. This is all made possible thanks to the included 2200mah lithium ion battery which is built into the speaker. The listed power output for the speaker is 4W.
The setup process is nice and easy, same as any bluetooth accessory, the LED flashes to confirm a successful pairing. Routinely when turning on the device it makes a sound to let you know its on then another beep to let you know it has re-connected with you phone or bluetooth device. Unfortunately if you want to use the speaker paired with more than one device you have to delete the first pairing as it will always try to reconnect to the last device which is a bit of a shame, it would have been nice to be able to pair with more than one device.
The sound quality out of the speaker is great, ive listened to several songs on this with varying levels of bass. The speaker only struggles when I crank up my phone and speaker volume to max with the odd crackle on heavy bass sections, but overall theres a nice sound quality good enough to keep me happy. The wrapped around speaker grill gives the impression of potentially more than one speaker but the sound is directed out of the front only, so dont assume more than one speaker is hidden in there.
Using the speaker as a speakerphone has worked well. People can hear me fine in my office no problem and there is no feedback or issues when using this in a call.
Overall im really enjoying using this device, I’m finding myself reaching for it a lot for listening to music or for speakphone calls, and im preferring it. I think this is a very well made, quality feeling device.
Webside www.easyacc.com