Ironically as I got my friend Jeff to buy an iPad so he could essentially have a digital magazine device he suckered me into me into a purchase of my own. As we passed the bluetooth headsets, he remarked about the MOTOROKR S9-HD that he had and how he liked them. Without thinking I picked up the box with the intention to buy and asked some basic questions.
How he could wait until I was home to tell me the only downside on the headset was comfort is beyond me. I suspected he was playing up the story a bit and decided to give them a try. After just 10 minutes of use I could understand the comfort issue. After 4 hrs of use I had enough and boxed the headsets up destined for a return to Best Buy.
A Ray of Hope
I really wish these worked out as they solved several key issues. First the headsets have a 6.5 hr talk time rating which as I have said before is critical for me. Next the headsets had Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP), which allows high quality audio to be streamed between devices over bluetooth connections. To put it another way, it lets me listen to podcasts or music on my bluetooth headset.
I have no complaints about the sound quality my Droid paired with the headsets and it switched between calls and music/podcasts like I was on a corded headset. Volume, Play/Pause, and Answer buttons all worked fine. I was able to leave my office listening to a podcast and go check the mail or get food without dropping the streaming audio.
For the most part the call quality was fine. I had one friend say he heard a bit of an echo; while another remarked I sounded somewhat faint. For the most part no one complained about audio quality. I did not try the headset outside as they do not offer noise reduction. Over the 4hrs I had the headsets on I talked for 2 – 2.5 hrs.
Comfort Rules the Day
The only reason the Motorola MOTOROKR S9-HD got returned was due to comfort. When I say comfort I mean a complete lack thereof, more appropriately, down right pain. Â Imagine a torture device designed by Jigsaw (reference to the movie Saw). I had to look several times in disbelief that there was no way to adjust the headsets to make them more comfortable. I tried several of the ear buds but the issue was the pinching effect the headsets need to stay on your head plus the size of the ear pieces. I am sure they fit many people well but like with the Jawbone Icon Hero, my ears are just not shaped for this device.
Next Headsets to Evaluate
I am not done trying out bluetooth headsets. I just placed an order for the BlueAnt Q1 Voice Controlled and I have the Plantronics Voyager PRO that I have just started evaluating.
