I have a Sony Bluetooth earbud headset that is of excellent quality, so I am set on that front. The thing is, it only has six hours of battery life (as most BT headsets do) and often run it down when I'm listening to podcasts and audiobooks while pulling doubles at work. I had the earbuds that came with my Captivate, but they were kind of junky and, honestly, I put them through the washing machine one too many times.
I went on Newegg.com thinking I'd have an easy time choosing the optimal wired earbud headset, but there's a whole universe of them out there, now, and the price has come down on them so much I can't even use that as a benchmarch of quality, anymore.
Does anybody have any good suggestions for a wired earbud headset that has good to excellent sound quality and works particularly well with Android pnones/Samsung Captivate. My price ranges is 50 dollars or less.
Thanks!
I really like the stock ones that came with the Captivate. As a backup I also use the buds from my earlier Sony Ericsson.
Sorry my post was of no help :]
I use a pair of V-Moda headphones w/ mic from the Apple store back when I had an iPhone. The cable is wrapped in a material infused with Kevlar
I'll try to find a link for you
EDIT: Didn't see your price range. Mine were $80, but they may have gone down some? Idk. I'll find it anyway
Here you go: V-Moda Vibe Duo
http://www.v-moda.com/headphones/vibeduo.aspx
I've been looking for a good durable set as well. Looked on amazon, and it seems that many many people have problems with that headset breaking constantly.
Sigh. I am checking accessories because I discovered my right earbud stopped working about 15 minutes ago
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I896 using XDA App
Disclaimer: I'm not really after audio quality. They're earbuds, after all. I just need them to be indestructible or, failing that, cheap enough to be replaced a couple times a year.
The weak points in most earbuds I've owned are the junctions between the miniplug and the cable or the cable and the earbuds. In fact, the supplied Samsung earbuds are pretty decent, except that the miniplug-cable connection wasn't designed to take any stress at all. Sheared that right off in just a week of pulling the phone in and out of my pocket.
To that end, there have been two products I've been pretty happy with:
If you can find them around (eBay), the "Zune Premium Headphones" have outlasted anything else I've ever had. The cable is wrapped in plastic, so it transmits some noise when rubbing against your clothes, but they're incredibly durable. I only stopped using mine because I wanted something with a microphone button, not because they broke.
What I'm currently using are the JLab J3M earbuds. Got them from Amazon for $25 or so. Cable appears to be wrapped like the Zune earbuds and then coated in a clear, rubbery plastic, which has worked out so far. Only had them for about four months, but holding up well. The headset button works reasonably well with Android (I use DroidShuffle to control everything, and Cubed as the actual music player.)
E_man5112 said:
I've been looking for a good durable set as well. Looked on amazon, and it seems that many many people have problems with that headset breaking constantly.
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Click to collapse
A case of YMMV... I have a pair of V Moda Vibes that I've worn for over 3000 miles of road cycling over the past year. Not a bit of a problem.
I actually have a pair of the ZAGGsmartbuds (yes, the same ZAGG that makes Invisible Shield) that I received as a gift. They are very sturdy (the site has a cool video of a Boston Terrier trying to tear one apart - that alone would sell it for me ) and the volume and button controls work on the Captivate as well. The cord is actually coated with the same material as Invisible Shield.
Sound quality is quite good (compared to some V-Modas and some high end Sony earbuds I had from before) and it retails for a shade under $50 (but I think you can easily find it online for much cheaper).
http://www.zagg.com/audio/smart-buds.php
I've tried lots of different earbuds and I think the stock ones are one of the best under $50. they may not have the most bass but the complete sound range is great, nice and smooth/clear.
$25 Skull Candy set does right by me. Killer sound and I can talk while driving. Covers the basics. Did I mention they sound killer? The sound is great and they sound awesome too.
Best Wired Headphone on the Market!
Skullcandy (Full Metal Jacket) FMJ. You can check out this products here: http://www.skullcandy.com/shop/all-products/headphones.html?limit=all&cat=6
but you can pick up brand new ones on ebay for $20-$40. They have an in-line mic, you can work the music player with a toggle on the wire, they they are LOUD and HIGH QUALITY music. Check them out, you would be disappointed.
dc41 said:
A case of YMMV... I have a pair of V Moda Vibes that I've worn for over 3000 miles of road cycling over the past year. Not a bit of a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That may be true, but they seem to have close to a 50/50 fail rate. Waaaay to high for me.
If you're going to buy skullcandy, don't get more than the inkd line. They arent great on the first place and it seems like the higher you go in the line up the worse they sound.
The ones I have have lasted for two or three years now.
They aren't the best thing ever SQ-wise, but they do isolate well enough, and that's important to me when riding to and from school/work.
Just my opinion.
Sent from my custom ROM'd Captivate
I just found out JVC makes a headset version of their marshmallow line. I love my Marshmallow buds, so I just bought the headset.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XMA7U0
BigJayDogg3 said:
If you're going to buy skullcandy, don't get more than the inkd line. They arent great on the first place and it seems like the higher you go in the line up the worse they sound.
The ones I have have lasted for two or three years now.
They aren't the best thing ever SQ-wise, but they do isolate well enough, and that's important to me when riding to and from school/work.
Just my opinion.
Sent from my custom ROM'd Captivate
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Click to collapse
I agree with this.
I use Sony's MDR-EX57LP/BLK. They are mostly noise canceling and I found mine at walmart for about $40. Great bass and ok highs.
Hippo Pearl if your after balanced and an all rounder. Got e'm for around $20. Best pair of earbuds I've had.
Swyped from my Froyo-ed Captivate.
ive got a set of meelectronics from newegg that have been awesome as far as sound goes, otherwise the mic has been questionable at best can't tell if its the rom or the headset itself. btw it was cheap as hell too 10 bucks or something.
I've had good luck with the skull candy full metal jackets but I think the ink'd sound slightly cleaner but the longest I have used them is two months before I catch them on something. If I don't need a mic I use Shure e2c's.
Wraith04 said:
I've had good luck with the skull candy full metal jackets but I think the ink'd sound slightly cleaner but the longest I have used them is two months before I catch them on something. If I don't need a mic I use Shure e2c's.
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Click to collapse
I've never had that problem. I run my wire through my shirt. Also helps to get rid of microphonics.
Im about to "upgrade" to a bluetooth set. Hopefully it will be on par with what im currently using. But im willing to sacrifice a little SQ for the peace of mind. I use an otterbox defender so the headphone jack is partially blocked off.
I just hope it isn't TOO bad because I really like my belt clip.
Sent from my custom ROM'd Captivate
This is a review of LG Tone+ (HBS-730) Stereo Bluetooth headphones with enhanced multimedia and call controls: http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phone-accessories/lg-HBS730
With Note 2 being multimedia powerhouse, at some point you realize that having a wired headset becomes simply inconvenient. Either if you are watching a movie or listening to a music you don't want to be restricted by wires tangling around your phone, and would like to have controls in your hand without reaching out for the phone. Also, if you are enjoying listening to music or working out with your phone as a music source - you want to have a crystal clear stereo sound with all hands on controls while Note 2 is securely hidden out of sight. Oh yeah, and you also might want to use your Note 2 to make phones calls sometime Well, HBS-730 does it all and in Great Style!
Let's first start with a design. It's a cleverly designed necklace, something you might have seen in one of those sci-fi movies. My review sample came in white color, although it's also available in black, and I found it to be very discrete with cloth I usually wear to work and outside. This neck strap is made out of memory flex soft rubberized material, it's very light weight (I weighted it on my digital scale to be exact 34g), and sits very comfortable around your neck. You literally forget it's on. Also, the design makes it very convenient to stay on either if you walking or exorcising (more of an incline type), etc. The ends of this neck strap house all the controls, with one side has call/phone control button and volume up/down, as well as on/off switch and covered micro-usb charging port, while the other side has multimedia Play/Pause control button and FF/REW buttons. Every control button is within a comfortable reach and easy to operate without a need to look at it. The headphones are earbuds with a magnetic tip to attach securely to a shaped opening at the end of the neck strap. There are two small plastic rings that can be moved around the flex necklace area to adjust the length of headphone cable when earbuds are in use, and also to help manage cable from dangling when earbuds are not in use. Everything is designed with a high level of ergonomics, from the material to fitment and access to all the controls. Earbuds itself come with 3 sets of silicone tips to ensure a comfortable fitment. You can wear these for an extended period of time without fatigue. Also, AC adapter with micro-usb is included to recharge HBS-730, but any cable could be used since its a universal micro-usb connector. I even tried charging these from my laptop and it worked perfectly since it only requires 400mA of current.
Now, about the actual functionality and performance of these headphones. This was probably the easiest and fastest pair up I ever had, literally took seconds from turning on/off switch and selecting headphones auto-discovered on Note 2. No need for any codes, etc. Regarding endurance, these offer one of the longest lasting rechargeable batteries with 15hr of talk time, 10hr of music play, and a decent 15 days standby time, all that with charging time under 2 hours. I have been using mine for a few days now, and while talking and playing music - there is still plenty of juice left. As for Bluetooth performance, I was able to leave my phone in the kitchen while walking around different rooms on the first floor of the house without any problem. Even went down to the basement, although further away from a stairwell resulted in signal chopping off. I know some people might have high expectations to cover ridiculous wireless distances. I haven't tested straight line max distance yet, although why would I even want to leave my phone 15-20ft away while walking with headphones? As to a sound quality, don't expect too much bass. The headphones do offer 3 modes of EQ with Normal, Bass boost, and Treble boost modes. Bass boost mode does make the sound a lot fuller and adds more definition to the bottom end, but don't expect to get your ears rattled while listening to dubstep lol!!! The mids and highs sound super clear and crispy. In no way these have thin sound, it's rich and full, even without exaggerated enhancement of bottom end. Multimedia controls perfectly integrate with Note 2 where you are able to play/stop/pause, skip to next/previous, and even fast forward and rewind. Every control has an audible feedback. Volume has multiple adjustment granularity on top of phone's volume control while playing music. While making calls, I noticed the volume adjustment is actually reflected with a bluetooth volume bar on a screen.
With phones becomes multimedia all-in-one devices, we forget that you can make calls with it too That functions flawlessly with a great noise reduction and echo cancellation. I was outside making a call with wind noise around me and the person on the other end heard me crystal clear without any problem. When you receive the call, you get a voice notification about incoming call and a gentle vibration of the neck strap. There is even a feature to have two separate sources paired up with one set of HBS-730 headphones and being able to switch between two devices in call-waiting fashion.
Between how comfortable these to carry without a need for wires or clips or trying to keep earbuds somewhere in the pocket - those are attached magnetically to the neck strap, great sound quality and integrated controls, incredible battery life which is amazing for such integration of functionality, and flawless integration with a phone and switching between calls and multimedia - HBS-730 deserve a definite recommend from me. Oh, also forgot to mention - they also offer text-to-speech option to read your SMS messages (via app from Google play).
Just to get a visual of how these look, here are some pictures I took:
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Very nice!
Would you recommend these for exercise? Both cardio and strength training? (edit: maybe the bluebuds would be best for this. Edit2: it's Monday. I see you mentioned running with them)
I have a feeling that doing cardio will cause them to bounce all over; but they might have enough weight to stay down. What's your take?
I read somewhere, and didn't see you mention it that you can answer a phone call by just pulling the headphones out of the magnetic holders. Does that feature work well? Any delay?
Last Q, what's the warranty like? Headphones with wires like these always have the breaking point near the bud or the base of the wire. Most of my headphones only have one working bud lol
Brad.S. said:
Very nice!
Would you recommend these for exercise? Both cardio and strength training? (edit: maybe the bluebuds would be best for this. Edit2: it's Monday. I see you mentioned running with them)
I have a feeling that doing cardio will cause them to bounce all over; but they might have enough weight to stay down. What's your take?
I read somewhere, and didn't see you mention it that you can answer a phone call by just pulling the headphones out of the magnetic holders. Does that feature work well? Any delay?
Last Q, what's the warranty like? Headphones with wires like these always have the breaking point near the bud or the base of the wire. Most of my headphones only have one working bud lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't used it for that long, and I believe we had a number of comments from "which headphones are you using now" thread. Maybe Opasha can chime in? He was using it while exercising. I was outside and actually put them under my t-shirt collar so it stayed discrete. Just around your neck if you jump up/down they will bounce but still stay secure. I would stay for strength straining it would be OK. For cardio, like bike or elliptical it will be fine since you don't bounce too much, but while running treadmill you going to feel the bounce. Again, I hope Opasha will chime in on that. And I should probably modify my review statement form "running" to general "exercising"
Regarding, answering the call when you remove them from magnetic holder, I don't believe so. I was outside, walking around with these on and headphones attached to magnetic ends. When I received a call, I put these in my ear and then pressed Call button to answer it. It actually a good thing because you can knock down phones accidentally and will have no choice but to answer the phone if you don't want to This way you have a control to pick it up whenever you want to. As a matter of fact, following are the Calling Controls:
Answer a call - headset will ring and vibrate, briefly press VOL down to stop vibration and pres Call to answer the call
Last number redial - press and hold Call button for 1sec
Voice dial - briefly press Call button to activate handset's voice command menu
End Call - press Call button
Call waiting - press hand hold Call button for 1sec
Call Reject - pres and hold Call button for 1sec when phone rings, and you also get Voice confirmation that Call Rejected
Mic Mute - press and hold Vol Up/down simultaneously for 1 second to mute/unmute (great for conference calls).
PS and bluebuds cost 3x the price of HBS-730?
Brad.S. said:
Very nice!
Would you recommend these for exercise? Both cardio and strength training? (edit: maybe the bluebuds would be best for this. Edit2: it's Monday. I see you mentioned running with them)
I have a feeling that doing cardio will cause them to bounce all over; but they might have enough weight to stay down. What's your take?
I read somewhere, and didn't see you mention it that you can answer a phone call by just pulling the headphones out of the magnetic holders. Does that feature work well? Any delay?
Last Q, what's the warranty like? Headphones with wires like these always have the breaking point near the bud or the base of the wire. Most of my headphones only have one working bud lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can run and lift with them. they will bounce so all you have to do is wear a shirt that doesn't have a huge collar and stick the neck piece under your collar. it holds them down with no discomfort at all. trust me on this. I've been using mine for years and mainly for the purpose of lifting/cardio. also they don't have any issue with one going out like most Sony headphones. they are also highly sweat resistant. I've drenched them during cardio and they are super easy to dry.
@vectron, great review as always, brother!
Thanks for the nice review. I have these and wholeheartedly recommend them as well.
BTW, what text to speech app is it that works well with these?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
opasha said:
you can run and lift with them. they will bounce so all you have to do is wear a shirt that doesn't have a huge collar and stick the neck piece under your collar. it holds them down with no discomfort at all. trust me on this. I've been using mine for years and mainly for the purpose of lifting/cardio. also they don't have any issue with one going out like most Sony headphones. they are also highly sweat resistant. I've drenched them during cardio and they are super easy to dry.
@vectron, great review as always, brother!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks bro for tag-teaming on this one! I mentioned in my reply right away you have more expertise on this one while exercising
vectron said:
Thanks bro for tag-teaming on this one! I mentioned in my reply right away you have more expertise on this one while exercising
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Click to collapse
Haha, for sure!
jlczl said:
Thanks for the nice review. I have these and wholeheartedly recommend them as well.
BTW, what text to speech app is it that works well with these?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't tried any; call me crazy but I'm not a huge txt msg user lol!!! LG Tone+ guide suggests BT Reader and QR code pointed to Infraware link on Google Play. If anybody going to try it out, please post here with review of how it works.
What's the price of these?
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
opasha said:
Haha, for sure!
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Click to collapse
Btw, is there a way to disable BT connection without turning the on/off switch? For example, I have headphones on paired up while outside. Then, get into my car and want my head unit to pick up bt connection now. I can't do that without physically flipping the on/off switch. Wondering if there is something I can push to unpair/pair it again? The same scenario would be useful if I get home and just want to keep my phone unpaired from headset. Would be useful to have it done from headset itself.
Mandroidified said:
What's the price of these?
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-Tone-HBS-730-Bluetooth/dp/B009L7G8GI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1365451703&sr=8-2&keywords=lg+tone+plus+hbs-730+stereo+bluetooth+headset
Mandroidified said:
What's the price of these?
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strangely, price is all over the place for the same model. I see white ones on Amazon brand new for $52, while black one are for $84. At the same time when you google it, you see a lot more on-line choices anywhere from $42 to $55 for both colors.
vectron said:
Btw, is there a way to disable BT connection without turning the on/off switch? For example, I have headphones on paired up while outside. Then, get into my car and want my head unit to pick up bt connection now. I can't do that without physically flipping the on/off switch. Wondering if there is something I can push to unpair/pair it again? The same scenario would be useful if I get home and just want to keep my phone unpaired from headset. Would be useful to have it done from headset itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simplest way is to use the phone Bluetooth widget or pull down and shut that off. That auto disables it from any device so it should pick up your car.
opasha said:
Simplest way is to use the phone Bluetooth widget or pull down and shut that off. That auto disables it from any device so it should pick up your car.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But if I disable it, to un-pair, and then enable it back in the car while still have headphones with me - wouldn't there be a race between headset and car who gets paired up first? I might have to try it out!
opasha said:
you can run and lift with them. they will bounce so all you have to do is wear a shirt that doesn't have a huge collar and stick the neck piece under your collar. it holds them down with no discomfort at all. trust me on this. I've been using mine for years and mainly for the purpose of lifting/cardio. also they don't have any issue with one going out like most Sony headphones. they are also highly sweat resistant. I've drenched them during cardio and they are super easy to dry.
@vectron, great review as always, brother!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my experience I prefer my Bluebuds for lifting. I lift 4 times a week and had to relegate the HBS730's to work use only. The reason? When I bench press or do any other exercise where I lay on my back the HBS730's fall back behind my neck (the buds stay in my ears but the main frame slides off whereas the Bluebuds are only a pretty light wire attached to the buds so they stay put).
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
jlczl said:
In my experience I prefer my Bluebuds for lifting. I lift 4 times a week and had to relegate the HBS730's to work use only. The reason? When I bench press or do any other exercise where I lay on my back the HBS730's fall back behind my neck (the buds stay in my ears but the main frame slides off whereas the Bluebuds are only a pretty light wire attached to the buds so they stay put).
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point! Especially if you do decline bench press! Ok, then will update description from "exercise" to "incline exercise"
vectron said:
But if I disable it, to un-pair, and then enable it back in the car while still have headphones with me - wouldn't there be a race between headset and car who gets paired up first? I might have to try it out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, i don't know what other option there would be bro . you're the testing king! let us know
jlczl said:
In my experience I prefer my Bluebuds for lifting. I lift 4 times a week and had to relegate the HBS730's to work use only. The reason? When I bench press or do any other exercise where I lay on my back the HBS730's fall back behind my neck (the buds stay in my ears but the main frame slides off whereas the Bluebuds are only a pretty light wire attached to the buds so they stay put).
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, i agree that happens if you don't place the headphones under your shirt collar. if you do, they stay perfectly fine under the collar..i have bench pressed with them all the time (incline, decline, flat etc) with no problem at all. just make sure you don't workout in a wife beater or a v neck, lol.
opasha said:
yeah, i don't know what other option there would be bro . you're the testing king! let us know
lol, i agree that happens if you don't place the headphones under your shirt collar. if you do, they stay perfectly fine under the collar..i have bench pressed with them all the time (incline, decline, flat etc) with no problem at all. just make sure you don't workout in a wife beater or a v neck, lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried that actually but I guess my collars aren't tight enough because they slid right out anyway. Then again maybe it's that my neck isn't thick enough.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
jlczl said:
I tried that actually but I guess my collars aren't tight enough because they slid right out anyway. Then again maybe it's that my neck isn't thick enough.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can fix that, increase weight while doing shrugs
vectron said:
You can fix that, increase weight while doing shrugs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha exactly:good:
Overview
Bottom line is that the design of these is really clever and very clearly well thought out. Good audio quality and they sit well when used for running.
Unboxing
The headphones were pretty well packed. In the box was the headphones, a micro USB lead, extra ear buds and instructions. The ear buds are folder to fit into the box by hinges part way round the unit. The contents of the box feel well put together and everything has a premium feel to it. The details on the box give a range of <10m, charge time of <3.5 hours, talk time of >18 hours, music time >16 hours and standby time of >300 hours.
The headphones themselves instantly have a premium feel to them with a soft matte feel. The headphones are almost all black apart from a small silver patch on the hinges and a small silver ring on the headphone ring. The headphones are pretty light, weighing in on my kitchen scales at just 65g.
On the right hand side is a call answer button / hangup button with a very small LED status light nearby. On the top right side is the on / off switch along with volume up and down buttons. On the right hand side underneath is a USB charging port with a cover. Also on the top each side is a magic button which I will come to.
Testing
The way these headphones are designed is pretty cool, it sits around your neck with the bulk from the battery rather than being a hindrance actually helps to keep the headphones in place around your neck. The hinges can be used to tighten the fit to sure that they dont fall off, especially useful when running. At the back of the headphones the material of construction is slightly rougher to keep them in place around your neck. The earbuds are on about 20cm of wire which pulls and can be worn quite comfortably.
The things I really like about these is that through the design, the bulk of the weight is around your shoulders / neck and all that is in your ears is the simply ear bud. This makes it really easy for them to stay in place, particularly when running. The earbuds are spring load - remember that magic button I mentioned earlier? Well press that and it retracts the earbud on that side. Pretty cool!
Taking these out for a run I was surprised with how well the headphones stay in place simply through a smart design. The hinge is pretty rigid and after a good couple of miles the headphones were exactly as I set them.
I’ll admit that im not a massive audiophile, but I thought that the sound quality on these was good. All my running tracks came through loud and clear.
So overall a really smartly designed little unit, premium quality and well built. I can highly recommend these.
Amazon link https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/cdp/member-reviews/AKLIJIBJ1T1HR/ref=pdp_new_read_full_review_link?ie=UTF8&page=1&sort_by=MostRecentReview#R1ZAJ4OTCSZOZM
OP, can you please update the experience of using this bluetooth headphone after weeks later?