Related
Are you guys having any problems with stereo sound quality playback or
sound quality (both ends) during calls?
I'm getting a black Jawbone for handling calls but I would like to be able to
listen to music or watch video on the commute to and from work without
having the 'train/subway' in my head.
Is the S9 from Motorola good at pairing up with the Hermes (X01HT in my
case) and holding the connection? Do all the remote features on the S9 headset
work with the S9/Hermes pairing?
Thanks in advance for any advice you may have.
hey man. the s9 are great...the best stereo headset hands down! its like jaw dropping. the controls on the side is very sensitive. its not like an actually button besides the talk/end button. the audio controls are like touch control. HOWEVER, the actual headset for phone calls is horrible...most stereo headsets use both sides to listen to the caller...however this one only allows hearing the caller on the LEFT ear...that is the only downside. if you're coming from the jawbone...it is night and day...but for music/video purposes its great. i use it for my ipod now
truciet said:
hey man. the s9 are great...the best stereo headset hands down! its like jaw dropping. the controls on the side is very sensitive. its not like an actually button besides the talk/end button. the audio controls are like touch control. HOWEVER, the actual headset for phone calls is horrible...most stereo headsets use both sides to listen to the caller...however this one only allows hearing the caller on the LEFT ear...that is the only downside. if you're coming from the jawbone...it is night and day...but for music/video purposes its great. i use it for my ipod now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool, I was worried about stereo sound quality over BT since BT isn't known
for great sound quality to begin with. I have heard that the S9 are only
average for calls but that's going to be the Jawbone's job.
So all the button features like answer/end, volume up/down, play/pause
and forward/back tracks all work with the Hermes based phone?
I love the S9. the audio and the controls all work wonderfully.
The phone aspect isn't really good, it picks up a lot of background noise and it can be a bit difficult to annunciate into it.
As a music headset it is GREAT. great sound. Louder than it needs to be and great frequency range
I use the S9 quite a bit. The sound quality is fantastic and the volume can get quite loud. You'll often see me at starbucks listening to streaming internet radio with my S9/8525.
As far as call quality, it's not too bad. you only get call audio out of the left earbud, since the mic is in the right one. There's pretty good compression going on with the mic, so you really don't have to raise your voice at all. However, callers on the other end complain about background sound if I'm in a noisy place, so use it accordingly.
( I use the JawBone also, especially for long calls where background noise would be unacceptable. )
Radimus said:
I love the S9. the audio and the controls all work wonderfully.
The phone aspect isn't really good, it picks up a lot of background noise and it can be a bit difficult to annunciate into it.
As a music headset it is GREAT. great sound. Louder than it needs to be and great frequency range
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Louder than needed is always better than "I wish it could be louder". I was
hoping that it would not be underpowered. Thanks for bringing that point up
as I didn't read that in any of the online reviews out there. Plus, I always
think those reviews aren't so 'real life' anyways. Here on XDA-developers
you get the 'actual real life' reviews with no worries that someone is getting
paid to prop the product up for profit.
Call quality is a concern but I figured into that an ordered a Jawbone based
on the great reviews its received here on XDA.
Thanks for your input.
roboHaxx said:
I use the S9 quite a bit. The sound quality is fantastic and the volume can get quite loud. You'll often see me at starbucks listening to streaming internet radio with my S9/8525.
As far as call quality, it's not too bad. you only get call audio out of the left earbud, since the mic is in the right one. There's pretty good compression going on with the mic, so you really don't have to raise your voice at all. However, callers on the other end complain about background sound if I'm in a noisy place, so use it accordingly.
( I use the JawBone also, especially for long calls where background noise would be unacceptable. )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's really good to hear that the S9 is NOT underpowered volume wise.
You can always turn it down but it really does suck when the sound is weak.
I would figure some of that loudness maybe due to what looks like a really
good fit (seal) of the headset to the ear causing a good block of surrounding
sounds.
It's too bad about call quality because that is usually one of Motorola only
strong points in most of their products. Oh well, I guess the other one being
looks has been achieved with the S9.
The background noise issue is the same reason I'm getting the Jawbone. I
have had the same complaint with the OEM wired headset that came with
the X01HT. People just don't want to talk to you when it gets hard to
understand you. Plus it really just doesn't help if you're trying to handle
a situation that needs no extra stress added like that loud background
noise. It's too bad because the caller's voice comes in nice and clear through
those OEM stereo headsets. Sometimes it's kind of creepy because it's too
clear and it sounds as if they're right in your head.
Thanks for your input.
I had the s9 for about a month. It was great for music and video via Coreplayer. No skipping on my 8525 with the lastest rom. Call quality was decent, but I bought it for the music. Now, the bad news, my S9 just died on me a couple days ago and wouldn't charge. I finally got it to work ,sortof, but the controls on the right side don't respond. Called Motorola and got a return authorization. Will be sending it back. Hope it was just a fluke. Just some info. With coreplayer the S9 controls play/pause skip/ff didn't work. But volume and phone control worked.
guamlaw said:
I had the s9 for about a month. It was great for music and video via Coreplayer. No skipping on my 8525 with the lastest rom. Call quality was decent, but I bought it for the music. Now, the bad news, my S9 just died on me a couple days ago and wouldn't charge. I finally got it to work ,sortof, but the controls on the right side don't respond. Called Motorola and got a return authorization. Will be sending it back. Hope it was just a fluke. Just some info. With coreplayer the S9 controls play/pause skip/ff didn't work. But volume and phone control worked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you buy direct from Motorola? I just placed an order from an 'online shop'
so I hope I don't have any problems down the road. If I do, I hope I can deal
with MOTO directly since they 'sometimes' tend to be a bit more on the ball.
Plus most online shops will tell you to go directly to the manufacturer to deal
with warranty issues anyways so you never know who's handling warranty.
Good luck with the warranty exchange and I hope it all works out for you.
Thanks for the heads up on the non-functioning buttons with Coreplayer.
I did want to point out a few details before I posted my review of them over at mobilitysite
Pro: USB charging... 1 cable to rule them all
Pro: only 1 blinking light, relatively subdued and it is facing the back of your neck while worn
Pro: will turn itself off after an hour if I fall asleep or an otherwise careless
Con: my fat fingers aren't really sensitive enough to find the little controls while worn
Con: it doesn't quite feel right on my big fat head... don't know if it is because it has to spread out a bit to get around my head or if I'm just not used to it. In any case it is very secure and isn't going to slip off.
Con: No way of determining battery life.. is it good for an hour or 8 hours?
Con: not quite flexible enough to store or a clip for a lanyard, although it is an easy fix to tie something to it
Radimus said:
I did want to point out a few details before I posted my review of them over at mobilitysite
Pro: USB charging... 1 cable to rule them all
Pro: only 1 blinking light, relatively subdued and it is facing the back of your neck while worn
Pro: will turn itself off after an hour if I fall asleep or an otherwise careless
Con: my fat fingers aren't really sensitive enough to find the little controls while worn
Con: it doesn't quite feel right on my big fat head... don't know if it is because it has to spread out a bit to get around my head or if I'm just not used to it. In any case it is very secure and isn't going to slip off.
Con: No way of determining battery life.. is it good for an hour or 8 hours?
Con: not quite flexible enough to store or a clip for a lanyard, although it is an easy fix to tie something to it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for breaking it down into pros vs cons.
I did not know that the S9 would shut it self down after an hour of inactivity.
That's cool since it should extent battery life a bit. The blinking LED is
hopefully not too noticeable by others, I hope.
Yeah, I've heard that the buttons can be a bit of a pain to deal with simply
because of the way they are made. I guess I'll just see how I rate in finger
size when I get these S9s sometime next week according to the website I
ordered them from.
AquiEsta! said:
Did you buy direct from Motorola? I just placed an order from an 'online shop'
so I hope I don't have any problems down the road. If I do, I hope I can deal
with MOTO directly since they 'sometimes' tend to be a bit more on the ball.
Plus most online shops will tell you to go directly to the manufacturer to deal
with warranty issues anyways so you never know who's handling warranty.
Good luck with the warranty exchange and I hope it all works out for you.
Thanks for the heads up on the non-functioning buttons with Coreplayer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought my S9 from an online shop as well, so i'm hoping that motorola wont give me a hard time when I turn it in for repair. In the meangtime I just ordered a sony hbh-ds-970 as a backup.
guamlaw said:
I bought my S9 from an online shop as well, so i'm hoping that motorola wont give me a hard time when I turn it in for repair. In the meangtime I just ordered a sony hbh-ds-970 as a backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's going to be Christmas in June for me when the Jawbone and the S9 arrive
this week and next week. Hopefully I won't have trouble with either one
of them because warranty returns are such a PITA.
Here is the link to my junior review...
http://www.mobilitysite.com/boards/...-s9-stereo-bluetooth-headphones-unboxing.html
Radimus said:
Here is the link to my junior review...
http://www.mobilitysite.com/boards/...-s9-stereo-bluetooth-headphones-unboxing.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice review and pictures.
"geek jewelry" ROFLMA
For me its a 7.5 out of ten. Two things i dont like, it hurts my left ears just a little if i keep it in there for long, and that you only hear from the left side when talking on the phone... other from that i'm ok with it.
S9 - Not perfect, but very nice
The Motorola S9 is a really nice little headset.
I find it a bit weak on bass, but I’m coming from a Motorola V3i (non-iTunes) with Motorola wired USB stereo headset, and that is one of the most impressive low cost sets of ear buds I’ve ever worn. Not sure how they did that! Note that Motorola wired USB headsets do NOT work on the Hermes, which is a shame, because the HTC wired headset is real junk.
The only glitchy things I’ve seen so far with the S9 and the Hermes / 8525 are:
After hanging up a call, music resumes, but sometimes skips badly for 10-20 seconds. A couple times pressing answer has given only a hum in the left ear, and no ability to talk or listen. Hopefully, the final versions of the Win Mob 6 Bluetooth stack will take care of this.
The S9 ships with 2 different sets of rubber “nubs” to cover the speakers. The default ones that come installed are small, and can be removed and rotated to really direct the sound into your ear as best as possible for different sizes and shapes of ears. In a little bag, you will find a spare set of the default nubs, but ALSO a larger set that have a very soft rubber membrane that floats over a harder rubber inner tube. Some users may find these more comfortable, as they do not intrude into your ear as far.
Personally, I don’t mind the fact that it switches to left ear only for voice calls, I’ve never been all that keen on that “you’re inside my head” sensation of stereo headsets when used for monaural voice.
Remember that on a stock Cingular ROM with Win Mob 5, this headset will basically sound like “mono”, not stereo, but that’s not Motorola’s fault, it's M$'s atrocious BT stack!
Good points:
- really, REALLY light, yet stays in place no matter what
- AV and phone controls work properly with HTC Hermes & Windows Mobile
- Rubber ear nubs direct sound into your ears without need for itchy foam covers
- Really soft touch activation of volume and FF/REW buttons (prevents displacment of the headset while adjusting the most common controls)
Not so good points:
- No indication of how much battery charge is left
- A little weak on bass response
- Not enough tactile difference to easily distinguish between play and answer buttons vs volume and FF/REW buttons
- Picks up room noise really badly in phone mode - works best in quiet(er) locations.
haiti525 said:
The Motorola S9 is a really nice little headset.
I find it a bit weak on bass, but I’m coming from a Motorola V3i (non-iTunes) with Motorola wired USB stereo headset, and that is one of the most impressive low cost sets of ear buds I’ve ever worn. Not sure how they did that! Note that Motorola wired USB headsets do NOT work on the Hermes, which is a shame, because the HTC wired headset is real junk.
The only glitchy things I’ve seen so far with the S9 and the Hermes / 8525 are:
After hanging up a call, music resumes, but sometimes skips badly for 10-20 seconds. A couple times pressing answer has given only a hum in the left ear, and no ability to talk or listen. Hopefully, the final versions of the Win Mob 6 Bluetooth stack will take care of this.
The S9 ships with 2 different sets of rubber “nubs” to cover the speakers. The default ones that come installed are small, and can be removed and rotated to really direct the sound into your ear as best as possible for different sizes and shapes of ears. In a little bag, you will find a spare set of the default nubs, but ALSO a larger set that have a very soft rubber membrane that floats over a harder rubber inner tube. Some users may find these more comfortable, as they do not intrude into your ear as far.
Personally, I don’t mind the fact that it switches to left ear only for voice calls, I’ve never been all that keen on that “you’re inside my head” sensation of stereo headsets when used for monaural voice.
Remember that on a stock Cingular ROM with Win Mob 5, this headset will basically sound like “mono”, not stereo, but that’s not Motorola’s fault, it's M$'s atrocious BT stack!
Good points:
- really, REALLY light, yet stays in place no matter what
- AV and phone controls work properly with HTC Hermes & Windows Mobile
- Rubber ear nubs direct sound into your ears without need for itchy foam covers
- Really soft touch activation of volume and FF/REW buttons (prevents displacment of the headset while adjusting the most common controls)
Not so good points:
- No indication of how much battery charge is left
- A little weak on bass response
- Not enough tactile difference to easily distinguish between play and answer buttons vs volume and FF/REW buttons
- Picks up room noise really badly in phone mode - works best in quiet(er) locations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your review. You filled a few more of the blanks that I was trying
to figure out. I hope the bass response won't be an issue for me but then
again I like to 'feel' my bass and these are just headphones so I don't expect
be getting 'rocked' by them is what I'm telling myself long before they arrive.
OMG!!! BASS and lots of it!!! I am using GSPlayer with the sound settings
VERY tweaked to my taste and even with BassBoost at minimum I am getting
more bass then I would have imagined possible with a BT stereo headset.
Of course you must have really good, clean 192KBps or better MP3s to begin
with and if you ripped them yourself at 320KBps, then you're just enjoying
better then can be expected results with a BT stereo headset.
Me likely!
Once I manage to wipe the stupid smile off my face I will be back to
update my findings for anyone still on the fence thinking about getting
one of these Motorola S9's and needing a slight shove.
I put on the large silicon ear fittings and the bass is incredible.
With the latest ROM's and improved BT drivers I am now able to leave the phone next to the wall about 12 feet behind the basketball goal and shoot pro 3-pointers all day without skipping a beat. And that's while streaming with iPlay from my desktop at home. The microphone isn't the best but if someone calls you can talk, get rid of them, and get back to shooting and jamming in no time. We're getting there...
I've been using Plantronics Pulsar 590A for some time and they have worked flawlessly. Good sound and I can easily go into another room still with good sound and no interruptions.
Yesterday I tried the Sony DR-BT20NX and was really disappointed. Excellent sound but the sound dropped when I turned my back or held it behind my back. Tried it with both the Tytn and the Qtek 9100 with the same result.
Just add to the list, it would be nice to know in advance which headsets work well with the Tytn
Plantronics Pulsar 590A
Sound: Good
Reception: Really good, can walk around in my apartment without sound dropping.
Talk: No complaints except if it's really windy.
Design: Ok, however one "ear" flashes blue while in use. Makes you look like something from star trek...
Sony DR-BT20NX
Sound: Good
Reception: Extremely bad. Can not even put it in my front pocket without the sound dropping
Talk: Didn't even try. The reception was so bad these were not an option.
Design: Excellent. Looks good and you just put the strap around your neck. While not in use there are small straps for holding the plugs in place so the cable doesn't get tangled.
I really like the Jabra 8010. The hook is flexible and adjustable. It's taken awhile for me to get used to it though. I've worn a Jabra 250v forever. It has a small cord that goes around the back of the neck that hooks onto the headset on the other ear. You can use mono or stereo.
I use it/them with the HTC 8525. It brought out volume issues with the phone that I didn't know I had though. Searching, reading and people on this forum helped me get those issues fixed and now everything works perfectly.
MsGadget
Plantronics 590!!
I'll cast my vote for the Plantronics 590. Phenomenal with the latest A2DP and hardcore's tuning tips. Never a skip and the battery life is incredible!
More than once while listening to my Hermes with them have I've pondered the exorbitant amount of cash I've sunken into my home theater over the years.
Motorola S705
I agree on the Plantronics 590. They really raised my expectations, I thought all headsets were equally good which I have found out they are not.
Has anyone tried Motorola S705? They seem really awesome with lcd display, 3,5 mm jack (you can use your own headphones), radio, good battery life (better than with the Sony ones according to a forum I read) and BT class 1 instead of 2 which gives them a theoretical range of 100m instead of 10m which is standard. A little bigger than many but I am really tempted giving them a shot.
http://www.motorola.com/motoinfo/product/details.jsp?globalObjectId=152
Dmon said:
I agree on the Plantronics 590. They really raised my expectations, I thought all headsets were equally good which I have found out they are not.
Has anyone tried Motorola S705? They seem really awesome with lcd display, 3,5 mm jack (you can use your own headphones), radio, good battery life (better than with the Sony ones according to a forum I read) and BT class 1 instead of 2 which gives them a theoretical range of 100m instead of 10m which is standard. A little bigger than many but I am really tempted giving them a shot.
http://www.motorola.com/motoinfo/product/details.jsp?globalObjectId=152
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting.
I think (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this) that both the BT transmitter and the BT reciever need to be Class 1 to get the kind of ranges that they state for Class 1 devices. I don't know of any current phones and only a few USB dongles that are Class 1. Class 1 devices are also more power hungry.
blueant
I highly recommend the blueant ones (X5?). I have them and then another three friends bought them. It also comes with a 3.5mm transmitter so you can use it with your PC/ipod,etc.
rob.ocelot said:
Interesting.
I think (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this) that both the BT transmitter and the BT reciever need to be Class 1 to get the kind of ranges that they state for Class 1 devices. I don't know of any current phones and only a few USB dongles that are Class 1. Class 1 devices are also more power hungry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm really not looking for a device that has 100 m range, but I figure that if it has that kind of range having the phone in your front pocket or moving around in the apartment should be no problem.
Btw. The Plantronics also come with a 3,5 mm transmitter so it can be used for pretty much everything.
The Motorola set does not come with a transmitter but you can buy one separately. If you buy one you can pair it to the phone and another source at the same time. For example, if you are streaming music from your computer and you receive a call, the music mutes and the device switches to your phone.
Plantronics 590
Probably worth noting there's also Plantronics 590E which is headphones and charger only and is a great option for those who don't need all the trimmings included with the pricier 590A.
vp3G said:
Probably worth noting there's also Plantronics 590E which is headphones and charger only and is a great option for those who don't need all the trimmings included with the pricier 590A.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the pricier ones are a really good buy since you can use them with all equipment imaginable. Forgot to mention that they also come with a regular cable so if you are out of battery or sitting on a plane you can use them without bluetooth.
Wavesystec BT-1000
Saw these in a swedish shop. They are from Korea and I haven't heard of them before. They were charged and I got to try them out. The sound was good but a little low on base. They were really small and I like the way they look, although the shiny front seems to smudge easily. All controls worked like a charm and I could put them in my pocket and walk around the store without any interruptions. Maybe not hifi but the were quite cheap, the store price was 700 SEK (or about 100 $). I'm thinking of going back later this week and test the call quality. Found a website with the specs here:
http://www.alibaba.com/catalog/11283714/Bluetooth_Headset.html
Edit: Tried them again and the call sound was good. However, the bass was really too bad so I won't be buying them.
ive got some gear4 ones, get to just over 20M appart before it drops the audio, and need to get 10Ms away for it to pick it up again.
5hrs play back
paid £11.49 for them off amazon hen they done a deal!
Plantronics 590A The Ultimate Bluethooth Voice Command Headset
Yeah! the ultimate headset, a superior breed, the best on the market, top of the line, I believe that says it all, yeah! the ultimate headset........!
Plantronics Discovery 655
... works great with my Hermes.
Long battery life, easy charging from the same mini-USB cable, good reception and signal distance.
HT-820
i gotta mention my Motorola Ht-820s which were brilliant on my magician (with alota patching) but are flawless and ever lasting on the Hermes.
How about the ITech R35s? I've been debating buying them off ebay. They get real good reviews and seem like they would beat out any other kind since you use your own headphones with them!
Even has controls to switch songs. Some reviews say media player on windows mobile supports the controls some reviews say it doesnt.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ITech-Clip-R35-...yZ133229QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I have a Nokia HS-12W as well as a HTC BH S100 and both work well on the latest WM6 ROMS.
I use the Schap's ROM without any reg edits.
The advantage of the HTC is that it has a 3.5mm jackplug on the earphone side so you can attach your favourite earphones.
The sound of the Nokia blows away my IPod. Deep base and rich treble.
The range on both are about 10 to 15 meters in an unrestricted enviroment.
The Nokia costs about twice as much as the HTC in South Africa.
I can recommend both of these Stereo BT Headsets.
pcm2a said:
How about the ITech R35s? I've been debating buying them off ebay. They get real good reviews and seem like they would beat out any other kind since you use your own headphones with them!
Even has controls to switch songs. Some reviews say media player on windows mobile supports the controls some reviews say it doesnt.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ITech-Clip-R35-...yZ133229QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well...I bought my R35 off of Ebay and I'll say that I'm a happy customer. Sounds great to me with Sleuth's WM6 LVSW variant, A2DP skip fix, and seems to hold a charge for a decent amount of time before needing recharging. I would say that they are not very good at the telephony part however...whenever I answer or make a call with them...I always get complaints about sound from the other party. They do work with WMP for what it's worth though. I'd say they are a worthy A2DP investment especially if you have a favorite pair of headphones already...
I have some Logitech BT head phones but they are just too big/bulky for jogging, gym, etc. I was thinking how nice it would be to have my phone in my gym bag and the little R35 clipped on!
Plantronics Pulsar 260
mouth said:
Plantronics Discovery 655
... works great with my Hermes.
Long battery life, easy charging from the same mini-USB cable, good reception and signal distance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are not stereo though...
I bought the Pulsar 260 since the Pulsar 590A have worked really well. At first I was quite disappointed but I then upgraded my rom to LVSW and the sound was dramatically improved. Some slight background noice but nothing big. Controls work well and the range is fantastic. Also no interruptions yet.
The only thing that irritates me is the cable length. You can easily clip it to your belt and so if you hang it around the neck there is a lot of cable dangling around. The sound during calls where adequate but my girlfriend said there was a little squeking noice every time I stopped talking and it was a little irritating. This was with the old rom and I have not yet tested call quality with the new rom. I will report back on that.
Edit: The call quality is adequate and the sound did improve with the new rom. The squeking sound is gone, only a little static left but nothing much.
I am very pleased with me Nextlink spider.
(http://www.radioshack.com/sm-nextlink-spider-bluetooth-headset--pi-2290597.html)
I got one on sale from Radioshack for $40 bucks I believe a while back. I've heard that some of the units have problems retaining battery but I have no problems with my unit. I get really great sound and reception in my 3 bedroom house. Callers can hardly tell that I am not speaking directly into my phone and its comfy too.
UPDATE:
Just got the Monster ClarityHD. They really do sound good for such a small unit. Bass is not great as you would imagine for something so small, but if you crank the volume up it bit it better. They can get fairly loud, more than you would think by looking at it.
Unlike the other units I tried the BT was able to connect and work with all my BT devices (Transformer tablet, Captivate Android phone and my laptop). Only auto connects with my phone if I turn the phone BT on first. It's opposite with my Transformer tablet. My laptop auto connect fine not sure if theirs an order involved. I could get the D100 or D200 to connect to my phone or laptop via bluetooth at all, they would pair but not connect (I could be mistaken about the phone, don't remember 100%).
Pro:
- Audio quality is good. The voice and instruments sound clear.
- loudness is very good for such a small unit.
- Small and compact. Make for a highly portable audio solution.
- Price it better than some of the other BT speakers that sound about the same or worse. I paid about $65 shipped.
- Can be used for BT hands free with you cell phone. Not sure about skype or gtalk (will have to Try that tomorrow).
- 3.5 audio input for non BT devices or saving battery on you BT device. Also Connected audio can get even louder and should sound a bit cleaner.
- BT works with all my devices so far.
Cons:
- Battery only. Charge via USB port on mour computer or laptop.
- Rated for 5 hours of batter life.
D100 25 hours on 4 AA (but large and sound not as clean), Jawbome Jambox about 8 Hrs (but EXPENSIVE) and Logitech Z515 10 hrs (probably the least audio quality and a little more expensive).
Very happy with the Monster ClarityHD. Glad I went with it.
_______________________________________________________________
I decided I wanted an portable wireless speakers that could run off battery power. I considered the Logitech Z515, Creative D100, and Jawbone Jambox.
The logitech was between $90 and $100 locally. Though it is a bit smaller and comes with a rechargeable batter (10 hours worth). I decided to pass on this because it's is said to have lesser audio quality than the less expensive D100.
The Jawbone was $200 locally (about $160 online). By far the smallest speakers I looked at. I listened to them at Best Buy and they did deliver some fairly impressive sound for it's size. But the price was not worth it to me. I should mention it also had a speakerphone function when paired to you sell phone. But $200, to steep for me.
Went to CompUSA (TigerDirect) to pick up the D100's. While there I saw they had the D200 for $99. Read a few reviews that where positive and it is said to have better sound quality than it little brother. Dispite it being a little bigger and heavier I decided to go with these. Upon getting them home I discovered that they where plug in only and battery power was not an option (I didn't do enough homework on my phone in the store apparently). I ended up returning them and getting the D100s for $70.
My take:
D100
- Light (about 2.2 lbs)
- Small enough to move from room to room or take to a picnic or to the office.
Not small enough to carry around in a backpack or purse everywhere you go.
- Sound quality is decent for a BT device (RCA input also on board). It is far superior to the Transformers speakers (duh!). Think I might not of been satisfied with the drop in SQ from the Z515.
- Loud enough to fill a room with the audio turn up on both the D100 and my transformer. Your not going to DJ a wild party with them, but should work well for most situations. I plan to use them to listen to music while in the shower, and they are plenty loud for that.
-Runs on four AA batteries and is rated at 25 hours of use. You can also plug it into a wall outlet if you so choose.
-Build quality is ok, it cheap plastic and light. It does feel a bit like a toy.
D200
- Not as light but still reasonable (about 3.5 lbs)
- Slightly larger and heavier then the D100s. Still easily moved from place to place (as long as there is an outlet available.
- Sound quality is quite good. I was pleasantly surprised by these. It is defiantly has more clarity and detail. I even considered giving up the battery power to the far superior sound quality. There are great to stream music into a living room or bedroom. I would even consider using them to push out audio for my TV, if you don't have a home theater system. Nice for a Bedroom TV. Now it's not going to replace you home theater but for the price and size (not to mention wireless ability) it's quite good.
- Plenty loud for its for it intended use.
-Of course not being able to power it with batteries is the one thing that kept me from keeping it (though I was tempted.
-Build quality is very nice. It felt really well build, I don't know if the enclosure was wood but it felt like it. I have a very attractive glossy black finish that would look good in any room. Aside from the superior sound quality I miss the quality look and feel of the D200 second most.
Bottom line there are nice wireless speaker options. If you need the battery power for out doors the D100 is you only choice, but if not the D200s sound and looks are will worth the extra coin.
If you need ultra portable small speaker option these are probably not for you. Look at the Jawbone Jambox or the Monster ClarityHD (saw there after the fact) witch also have a speakerphone option . I'd like to hear what the Monster ClarityHD sound like, reviews where good.
Hope this helps someone.
---------- Post added at 02:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:19 AM ----------
I should also mention that when watching video over Bluetooth there will be a slight delay. The audio will trail the video just a tad, but after a bit will forget about it. This lag is pretty much inherent to Bluetooth and it's slower data rate. I don't think there is any way around it. But like I said it so slight that you will quickly get used to it and it should not hinder you enjoyment. If you one if those REALLY anal people you can use the audio jack and it all goes away.
For those interested in something much smaller and portable, check out this video I found:
http://www.youtube.com/user/JesseBAndersen#p/u/8/JxobNuxtYtA
thanks for the review. i was considering getting a supertooth disco but think i might just stick with my wired speakers for a while ...
it's a pity that i have to use external speakers to watch a movie though - why do all built-in speakers have to be so bad ?
mrdo said:
it's a pity that i have to use external speakers to watch a movie though - why do all built-in speakers have to be so bad ?
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Two things:
Size
price
I have got the supertooth disco for my transformer, I would say it works great.
If you don't mind the bigger size compare to Jawbone, it's more worth the money (got it on amazon ard $100).
IMO range is good as well.
Well, I ended up returning the D100 and ordering a Monster ClarityHD. I figured I'd go with the compact size and speakerphone option for a little less money (about 10 bucks less).
I don't know if I'll take an audio quality hit, but I'll find out next week.
RojasTKD said:
Well, I ended up returning the D100 and ordering a Monster ClarityHD. I figured I'd go with the compact size and speakerphone option for a little less money (about 10 bucks less).
I don't know if I'll take an audio quality hit, but I'll find out next week.
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I've have the Monster ClarityHD and its a pretty amazing little speaker. I use it everyday at work. It stated that on a full charge you could get 6 hours (bluetooth) but for me I am actually getting more then 6 hours. One time I was scare of is the battery life on the TF but looks like its not eating alot of battery life with bluetooth on.
Good to know.
Have you tried the speakerphone? How's it work?
Everything I saw said 5 hours battery. That's the one area I was worried about. The D100 get 25 hours on four AAs. But I can live with about 5 hours I guess.
RojasTKD said:
Good to know.
Have you tried the speakerphone? How's it work?
Everything I saw said 5 hours battery. That's the one area I was worried about. The D100 get 25 hours on four AAs. But I can live with about 5 hours I guess.
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I havent try the speakersphone on it. For sure, I am getting more then 5 hrs of battery life. When I get into the office I have it on till I get home that night(8 hrs), and its still going strong. The distance is pretty far over 30 feet away from my TF. There is a small lag when i am watching netflix with the audio and video but Monster does give you a 3.5 mm minijack cable with the speaker.
dazz87 said:
I havent try the speakersphone on it. For sure, I am getting more then 5 hrs of battery life. When I get into the office I have it on till I get home that night(8 hrs), and its still going strong. The distance is pretty far over 30 feet away from my TF. There is a small lag when i am watching netflix with the audio and video but Monster does give you a 3.5 mm minijack cable with the speaker.
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Well that's a plus. I just wish I had the option to plug it in to a wall outlet and not have to worry about charging all the time, for those times it may sit on my desk for extended periods. But I guess that would of added to the size.
Just got mu Monster ClarityHD BT speakers. Updated the original post with a quick review.
I'm glad I got these.
Anyone have any opinions on which is better? I'm an avid runner and cyclist and looking for a stereo bluetooth headset to get rid of the wire. Sweat resistance and sound quality are my biggest concerns.
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I personally found the S10's to be extremely uncomfortable after only a few minutes. They were returned the next day.
I haven't tried the other model.
I've owned S9, S9-HD and S10. Sound quality is so disappointing with the S10, get the S9-HD. It is the best.
I bought the LG Tone Bluetooth earphones. I liked them because of the 10 hour battery charge and because of the small earphones.
I actually took them to the gym last night and they weren't bothersome while I was on the treadmill. they didn't fall out or anything. at the beginning, the base jumped around a little. but then I tucked them into my sweater and they stayed in place. they did get sweaty but I just cleaned them down with a sanitary wipe a couple of hours later when I got home. didn't notice anything today.
and just now I wore them for a couple of hours while I went out for a long walk at the beach.
answer call buttons, play/pause, volume up/down, forward/back buttons.
they're pretty inconspicuous when wearing something with a collar. the audio is good. like i said... 8-10 hours on a single charge. that itself was a big selling point for me.
I had originally wanted these Sony instead: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001GXR1P2/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8 Sony Ericsson Bluetooth HBH-IS800 - Headset ( in-ear ear-bud ) - wireless... but they only hold a 3-4 charge. and they stick out from your ear more than regular in-ear earphones because I guess that's where the Bluetooth stuff is located. as well as the battery. and these lack any sort of buttons. I really like the simplicity of them but I passed.
and then I thought about going this route: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003DQ1DCM/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8 Sony Ericsson Hi-Fi Bluetooth Stereo Headset with FM Radio... but i figured I'd still have to deal with the length of wire from the headphones you choose to plug in. but the good thing about these ones is that you can plug in some high quality headphones if you choose to.
and finally, if all you're going to use the earphones is for exercising... then you could go with these: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FVNHBI/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8 Jabra SPORT Bluetooth Stereo Headset - Black/Yellow... but then you can't use them for casual stuff without looking silly.
I didn't even consider those Motorola ones because they look silly to use say at work... and they look rigid.
I looked into a wide variety of available Bluetooth earphones. I chose the LG Tone for the reasons I stated. I like them. and I found them new on Craigslist for $40.
What would you guys recommend for a cheap bluetooth headset capable of streaming music from my Atrix while at the gym? Doesn't have to be flashy or expensive or have insane sound quality.... just something reliable, that will work for a while and be somewhat resistant to drops etc...
I've got the S10 headset. It's okay, seems pretty durable, and stays on snugly when running. I do get a little tired of wearing them after a couple of hours. And the sound is just mediocre without using some king of EQ app, like DSPManager or something.
They work pretty well for running, though. And casual listening at work. And conference calls.
I've had mine for 9 months or so.
I personally use the MW600 by sony ericsson which lets you actually use your own headphones - a big plus if you care about the sound, seeing almost any high quality headphones are better then the ones that are built into these usual bluetooth pieces.
also battery life is pretty damn good and it has a led screen which shows which song you are playing and also has control buttons and volume, its very lightweight and all-around a pretty good device.
i've also found this device very useful for a lot of other occasions, seeing as you can plug anything that has the right cable to it, like speakers and what not.
I've had the Moto S9 and S9HD. Sound quality of the S9HD is great. However, I'm on set #4 as sweat kills the control buttons if you sweat heavily. I've heard that the S10s are a little more sweat resistant, but still subject to the same mode of failure. Due to this, and the inferior sound quality of the S10s, I'd pass on them. If you don't sweat heavily, the S9HDs are a good choice.
Sent from my HTC EVO View 4G
Thanks for all the responses. I've really learned a ton from the suggestions in this thread. The Motorola reviews here have matched what i've read on the web. S10 is more sweat resistant but sound quality is severely lacking. The other recommendations also suggest that they will not survive my situation (the humidity in NOLA is brutal year round). Still have not seen anyone with experience with the jaybird gear. The price is almost double compared to the other recommendations. Could that unit have the sound and build quality i'm looking for?
As much as I'd love to get rid of the wires, it seems like the better solution, for me anyway, may be wired earphones.
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nsaia said:
Thanks for all the responses. I've really learned a ton from the suggestions in this thread. The Motorola reviews here have matched what i've read on the web. S10 is more sweat resistant but sound quality is severely lacking. The other recommendations also suggest that they will not survive my situation (the humidity in NOLA is brutal year round). Still have not seen anyone with experience with the jaybird gear. The price is almost double compared to the other recommendations. Could that unit have the sound and build quality i'm looking for?
As much as I'd love to get rid of the wires, it seems like the better solution, for me anyway, may be wired earphones.
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I will say my cheap Skullcandy earbuds sound better than the S10 headset I have. My only beef was that they would fall out while I was running.
Sorry if this is a bit late but I have owned both the S9 and the S10. I've had no problems with sweat.
The biggest advantage of these over pretty much all of the alternatives is that you can wear them whilst running. Anything with a cable I found whipped about and the headphone type ones weren't secure enough for my liking.
S10 sound quality isn't great but can be improved by changing the ear buds for some of the larger items which come with the headset. Other than this I like the S10s and they are (otherwise) a step up from the S9s.
I used the jaybirds for a while and i found them far more comfortable than the motos. Quality was good as well.
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Ive had s9, s9-hd, s10, and jf3. s9 was a great headset, survived alot of beating, but quality was so-so. s9-hd had great quality, but lost it after about 6 months, presumably from sweat (I use my headset primarily when i am working around the yard, or riding a motorcycle in the summer, both of which cause me to sweat like a beast). S10 was far less comfortable than the S9 and 9-hd, seemed that the band was much stiffer and it pressed against my ears resulting in me only being able to wear them for about an hour pain free. Additionally, I never saw more than about 6 hours battery life out of any of the motorola products, which is problematic if you ride for 8-10 hours on a saturday trip. I picked up the JF3 in july of last year after the s10 bit the dust in an unfortunate encounter with a truck tire (oops). Sound quality is better than the 3 motorolas by a good bit, and i listen to them turned WAY up often, due to ambient noise from wind (motorcycle) or lawnmower. They also have much better noise canceling characteristics. It takes a bit to get the correct configuration worked out as they come with multiple size and styles of earbuds, however, once all is said and done, I can ride comfortably with them securely in my ears with interstate speed winds hitting me in the face, have plenty of volume and quality to go with it, and the battery life seems to be in the 10-12 hour range. So far no ill effects from perspiration, and ive put alot of sweat on them. Additionally, I had problems with bluetooth communication with the motorolas. I used to leave the phone in a saddlebag prior to having a handlebar mount, and with it behind me like that, the motorolas would often skip and cutout, the jf3 did not do this for the 1 month I had it in the saddlebag (I got a handlebar mount shortly after).
So far its the best bluetooth headset ive owned, and unless something changes drastically, ill run them till they wear out and buy another set just like em. The only downside i can come up with, is that like most bluetooth headsets, they dont fit well under a full face helmet, but that is a general problem with all that i have used, not just these.
I just received my Jaybird JF3 set today. I have to agree that the sound quality is a tad better than my Moto S9HD set. However, the Motos do have a little more bass than the Jaybirds. Haven't used the Jaybirds in the gym yet -- will try them tomorrow. I'm hoping that they withstand sweating better than the Motos. They have a lifetime warranty against sweat damage, so I'm hopeful that they'll last longer than my Motos, which seem to die from sweat exposure after 4-6 months of hard use at the gym.
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rickwood, it's been a little more than a day. So what is your opinion now that you have had enough time to review the headphones? I am trying to find the best and least bothering bluetooth stereo headset there is for running. this seems to be the product to choose, and i look forward to your opinion.
I've been using the Jaybirds for a while now. I can attest that they are indeed sweat proof! This was my primary reason for buying them, so I'm happy. Sound quality and battery life have also been great for use at the gym. I can also lay on my back with them either on a gym bench or in bed without issue (can't do that with the Moto's due to the rigid back piece). Volume level is also acceptable, although the don't go quite as loud as my S9-HDs.
Now for the annoyances:
First, the bass on the S9-HDs is just better. I personally believe that this is due to the Jaybirds inability to seal in my ear properly. Even the largest set of ear pads on the Jaybirds is too small -- about half the size of the pads on the S9-HDs. I called Jaybird to see if they offered a larger set of ear pads, but they don't.
Second, the Jaybirds tend to want to fall out of my ears. This is due to the smaller ear pads, the weight all being concentrated right below the ears, and the fact that unlike the S9-HDs, they don't rely on compression to hold them in securely. I tried all three sets of the pads and the ear clips, but I still have some issues holding them in securely. They're not awful, but they're not as secure as the Moto's.
The controls on the Jaybirds are also not as good as the Moto's. I can advance to the next track just fine, but can't ever seem to get them to play the previous track when I want to. Volume controls work just fine.
Jaybird ships only a very short USB cable with the headphones. This is very annoying. I mean really, how much would it have cost to include a proper wall charger? The connector on the headphones is very small -- not sure if it's proprietary or not, but I think to rectify the situation you'll have to buy a longer cable from Jaybird if they offer one. I've just been using the supplied 1-ft cable and plugging into the USB port on my laptop, but this can be annoying.
I have not used them for calls, so I can't give you any meaningful feedback on that.
All in all I do like the Jaybirds. But if Motorola made a truly sweat proof set of the S9-HDs, they would be my first choice. I still wear my S9-HDs to the gym when I'm doing weights only. But if I'm doing cardio too, I use the Jaybirds.
One other annoyance with both sets (but this is phone related). On my Atrix, bluetooth range was fantastic. With my new Galaxy S III, range is much worse. Not a problem when running, but really annoying in the weight room if I walk behind a weight rack or machine and my phone is sitting on the other side and the music cuts out. Oh well. Sometimes I miss my Atrix (but my daughter is now enjoying it).
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Would love TW Earbuds coming directly from Oneplus as those would have been VFM but I don't see anything coming from them. The wireless bullets they have released are not Truly wireless. So looking forward to suggestions for some budget truly wireless earbuds.
I just purchased the Jabra Active Elite 65t wireless earbuds for all around music and movie watching on my phone and tablet. Great for workouts too. Sound is excellent and battery life is decent as I get a little over 5 hours of continuous play before having to recharge them with the small case / charger it came with. The Sound plus app is also good as it adds more features to the earbuds. Give it a try. Enjoy.
I've been using the Jabra Elite Sport since last year. Initially with my OG Pixel. And now either the OP6t.
It's done what I needed a TW earbuds for workouts, running, listening to tunes while working and answering and making phone calls. The call quality has been superb on both ends
The ones i am using right now:
I am using the Insignia bluetooth headsets (NS-CAHBTEB01) that i picked up at BestBuy for about $30 and they are great in both sound and design. These are made of plastic mostly so they might be more inclined to break if mishandled but they work perfectly for me. Average life for music is about 10 hours apparently and have a comfortable neckstrap to keep things clean. It includes controls for music and incoming calls on the headsets as well so they truly provide the bluetooth experience that i was looking for.
+1 for the Jabra elite 65t. 5 hours for one session is considered excellent battery life for truly wireless buds. The case is good for another 3 charges or so and it only takes like an hour to recharge.
Use it mainly for workouts but also on the bus/train in NYC on occasion. As with any truly wireless earbuds, you will get some interference when you are around a ton of other people with tech. Doesn't happen often but walking around NYC it does tend to happen here and there.
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Using apple airpods. Great that there’s no buttons. Turns on and connects once taken out of case. Double tap either pauses music or hangs up calls. Bluetooth audio tuner has an apple AirPod preset so they are tuned and sound good.
Down side no volume control on the buds.
Using TicPods Free, Lava color. Love them. Definitely recommend
idkwhothatis123 said:
Using TicPods Free, Lava color. Love them. Definitely recommend
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Blue TicPods here - I love them. My wife has the white ones and she likes them too.
I have the Bose Soundsport free buds.
Another vote for the Jabra Elite 65t.
Out of all the wireless earbuds I've tried, it's the best battery life and sound quality. It also just works seamlessly when connecting to my phone.
Finally settled with the Samsung Galaxy Buds. Fits great without being too obvious like the Bose Soundsports. No problems with connection. Sounds nice. Completely satisfied till now.
Mifa X3 are what I've just bought. Inexpensive and great sound quality once I found some 'ear cushions' that fitted my ears better than the ones fitted on delivery. Of the sets supplied, one pair fitted well and gave good sound, but going through my selection of spare 'ear cushions' I found some that fitted even better and sounded even better too. Charged them up and had them running last night for almost 3 hours non stop. The touch controls are tricky to master, but other than that, no complaints. Sound just as good as my Denon (partially wired) Bluetooth ones that cost £170, and are more comfortable to wear. Bought from Amazon for only £26.
I too have the Jabra 65t buds. Beware though, I've sent mine back in for RMA due to a known issue where they won't sync and the right bud becomes so quiet that it's unusable, they have a new hardware revision that fixes this. I will say that Jabra customer support is excellent and gave me no runaround at all. The worst part was having to wait for the week on exchange.
I'm waiting for the Sabbat E12. I saw great reviews online.
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I use the IconX 2018 edition! Amazing hardware! One of the few earbuds where you can listen to your own tunes from the bud itself. No need for Bluetooth connection
The newer buds you cannot do that but I believe those have slightly better battery and wireless charging.
The first model, forget it. Battery life I believe was 3 hours
I use the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air and they are amazing! Has a good and secure fit and thanks to Bluetooth 5.0, it seamlessly connects with my 6T. Sound is pretty good. Here are some pictures. And as for price, I stay in the United Arab Emirates so it's for AED 230.
Honestly I work in I.T. as an IMAC tech. I build computers all day and deploy. I'm able to get 8 hours out of my "Tranya T2" headphones.
The sound is fantastic for just $59.49 CAD or $45 USD.
There is no lack of bass, in fact it's pretty mind blowing, however it does not muddy up the sound at all. Its' right where you need it when you want it.
The right earbud is the master, and the left one is a slave to the right one. So if you want to use it mono, it'll just be the right one. This isn't a problem for me.
I've used them for 8 hours on a single charge *each earbud can last much longer than 8 hours* The charging case will charge the earbuds 4x before the case itself needs to be charged. Luckily it charges in something like an hour or less.
Each earbud magnetically snaps into it's own charging port. Not overly necessary but I love that feature.
I'm a bit of an audiophile, have been my entire life however I feel pretty safe bringing something of this value to work, and not having to worry about my top earphones.
I also cut the lawn with them, as the sound isolation is amazing.