no.1 bluetooth headset or headphones for jogging

[jalyst]

Wish I could comment about the S9's, but didn't have them.
I tried swapping the rubber earpieces indeed, and only tried the more rounded ones, and didn't fit in my ears... I'll try the wider ones.

Let us know if the sound improves slightly IYO....
From many accts I've read now, the right selection (so long as it's not totally at odds with your earshape) does make a difference.

@fehhkk How did you go?

Okay I've updated my OP, I've narrowed it down to two...
In my scratched list I've included the main reasons I can recall (so far) for scratching them.

Please can you add your thoughts on which of the two I should get.
If you're absolutely certain one of the scratched items should be returned to the short-list, please state your rationale.

Thank-you very much everyone for your help/time, tis appreciated.

 

[rudy44]

ive been using the jaybirds sb2 for a while now. ive had a couple minor issues but nothing that affects performance enough to warranty a return yet.

the lifetime warranty against sweat damage was what made me bite the bullet on this pair.

 

[jalyst]

Alas not available in Oz,
I want to be able to walk into a local shop or buy online & have it within the next 3 working days.
What of my finalist list, which would you pick? Thank-you.

 

[Sherifftruman]

The problem is, people rarely comment when they have a good experience.
They usually only comment when they're pissed-off about an item!

You are totally right. Its just that so many comments about a product advertised a sports headphones saying they died in a very short time is more than a little worrying. I tried some of the older Moto S9 phones and they souned good. Hopefully the changes in the new model make the more resistant to sweat.

 

[ZipZap]

Considered the Jaybird SB1/2?

 

[jalyst]

Not in Australia, doesn't look spectacular compared to some of the others either.
Warranty's a nice touch, but no biggy, what of the items on my list?

Thanks.

 

[Sherifftruman]

I've never used them, but to me it looks like the Sennheisers would stay on your ears better as the plastic piece comes in toward your head and might hit the top of your ear. Then again, it might be more uncomfortable that way. It would be nice to see a picture of them on someone's head to see just how they hit the ear.

 

[jalyst]

are you referring to the MM 100 versus the 505 or BH-504?

 

[jalyst]

Ok - I've been in pretty much the same boat - trying to figure out which BT headphones to get for my workouts.

I settled on the Motorola S10-HD. I hate them! They are physically painful to wear, they bobble up and down too much due to the extra weight in the neck portion, and the sound is awful (really tinny). I am going back to my (unfortunately, wired) Sennheiser CX 380 sport in-ear earphones. They are completely sweat-proof and are comfortable to wear for extended periods of time.

I'm dying to know - what did you pick and why?

Sorry been away for a week... I ended-up getting the MM 100…
I couldn’t find a huge amount of negative commentary in-terms of ingression killing it prematurely.
There is a bit about it being uncomfortable, but so far it's been great in that area for me.
It does pinch one of my ears a tiny bit, but I'm getting used to it.

It’s substantially more $ than the BH-505, but I found a retailer who’s had some in-stock for ages, and wanted to move it.
Best price in Oz was about $200, but they sold it to me for $154.
Still pricier than the cheapest 505 I found ($69), but hugely less than MM100′s official RRP here.

No idea how it compares to others all up, but I doubt SQ will be worse.
If it’s compatible with the APT-X BT codec adapters, then all the better.
But I think they may only be for higher-end BT Senns though.

So far no malfunction with sweat, early days though, only been on three big runs, no idea how good the mic is, will rarely use it.
The SQ is exceptional IMO, as far a standard BT is concerned anyway.
I've had one situation where the paring has broken mid-run for some reason, but it's easy enough to resync.

I decided to not use use it with my N900, I think the iTouch 4G is better suited as my DAP (among other things).
I will keep my N900 focussed on other tasks/jobs....

Hope that helps.

*update*
I found out you can use it in conjunction with Senn's BTD300i
So if you wanna boost already decent SQ compared to most other BT headset/phones.
This will make a notable difference.....

 

[Sean006]

i bought the rocketfish - RF-BTHP02 (bluetooth headset) & Rocketfish RF-MBT30 (bluetooth dongle)

61.99 for the headset
41.00 for the dongle

i gotta say after 2 weeks of solid use at the gym every night they work great...

volume is good..sound is good...connection is pretty solid....battery after an hour and a half, i still have half the battery on the nano..
comfort is very good...(not like what i hear about the motorola's)

every night ive been using them for weight training and cardio...

for 100.00 dont think you can beat it...

 

[marc.garcia]

ive been using the jaybirds sb2 for a while now. ive had a couple minor issues but nothing that affects performance enough to warranty a return yet.

the lifetime warranty against sweat damage was what made me bite the bullet on this pair.

Happy new year everyone!!

rudy, would you mind updating us with your thoughts on the Jaybird SB2? I'm currently looking for a new set of headphones, and like with other things, it is overwhelming the market offer... This model looks nice but I keep coming across mixed reviews and frankly, you never now whether those reviews may be biased because the vendor is lurking behind.

Thanks in advance,

 

[jalyst]

What's wrong with the mm 100, out of your price range?
See my final review 3 posts up.... (I'm the thread starter)

 

[rudy44]

Happy new year everyone!!

rudy, would you mind updating us with your thoughts on the Jaybird SB2? I'm currently looking for a new set of headphones, and like with other things, it is overwhelming the market offer... This model looks nice but I keep coming across mixed reviews and frankly, you never now whether those reviews may be biased because the vendor is lurking behind.

Thanks in advance,

1 issue i had was with a piece of plastic film over the surface of the speakers peeling. I contacted support and asked if it would qualify me for a return and they said yes. but i havent done so because i havent noticed any drop in performance.

i had some problem with the bluetooth strength but resetting the connection fixed that. customer service was pretty bad. i kinda stumbled upon the fix myself.

the battery life is pretty awesome. i charge it once after ever two days of use, 2 hours of commute and about an hour in the gym. hasnt died on me yet.

it works well with the iphone but im having issues with pause and play on the ipad.

charging is kinda annoying cos it's only via usb. you could stick it into one of those iphone charging adapters.

hmmm...the fit is great but unless you do it perfectly, it'll get uncomfortable after about an hour or so.

the microphone is pretty good. unless you're in too noisy an environment.

that's about it for now. you can pm me if you have any other questions about this purchase.

 

[marc.garcia]

1 issue i had was with a piece of plastic film over the surface of the speakers peeling. I contacted support and asked if it would qualify me for a return and they said yes. but i havent done so because i havent noticed any drop in performance.

i had some problem with the bluetooth strength but resetting the connection fixed that. customer service was pretty bad. i kinda stumbled upon the fix myself.

the battery life is pretty awesome. i charge it once after ever two days of use, 2 hours of commute and about an hour in the gym. hasnt died on me yet.

it works well with the iphone but im having issues with pause and play on the ipad.

charging is kinda annoying cos it's only via usb. you could stick it into one of those iphone charging adapters.

hmmm...the fit is great but unless you do it perfectly, it'll get uncomfortable after about an hour or so.

the microphone is pretty good. unless you're in too noisy an environment.

that's about it for now. you can pm me if you have any other questions about this purchase.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer me rudy. Gotto pm you right away 'cause I bought a Backbeat 903 one year ago and I gave up on using them as they are rather mediocre.. I don't want to make yet another mistake now if I end up buying this set

 

[jalyst]

@marc.garcia

What's wrong with the MM 100, out of your price range?
See my final review @post #39.... (I'm the thread starter)

 

[marc.garcia]

@marc.garcia

What's wrong with the MM 100, out of your price range?
See my final review @post #39.... (I'm the thread starter)

Hey jalyst,

well, I must say that, as I stated previously, I own a Plantronics Backbeat 903 set. This model is very unconfortable when wearing winter clothes cause the neck wire would get tangled up with the collar... it is very very annoying, so much that I ended up not using them at all. If you look at the Backbeat and compare them to the MM 100, I see they are similarly shaped -both have a neckcord by design-.

Are you happy with your current set? have you had the chance to use the ones I'm referring to?

Funny thing is, when I started to hate the Backbeat, I looked for information in the Internet and there are lots of complains. Customer support did not give a da** and I was not offered a refund/replacement.

 

[jalyst]

Very happy, one side of it pinches my right ear slightly, so after long periods it can get uncomfortable.
But I've worked out how best to place it on my head, to the point that it's barely an issue now.

Aside from the pinching it's very light & the band round the back doesn't restrict heard turning etc, which I've heard can be a prob. with the jaybirds.
Given it's style, it may be unsuitable if your main form of exercise requires you to be lying flat on your back.

Music playback 7.5hrs, talk time 12 (i think?), standby 220hours.
Controls are easy to use although i wish the main middle button was easier to depress.
Sound quality; I'd 'hazard a guess' is second-to-none amongst it's class of BT headsets.

So far it hasn't carked-it due to sweat ingression, which seems to be a common issue with many of these BT headsets.
It's a fair bit pricier than other headsets of it's class, so you'd want to find a bargain to make it more worthwhile.

 

[marc.garcia]

jalyst, thanks a lot for taking the time to answer!!

Given it's style, it may be unsuitable if your main form of exercise requires you to be lying flat on your back.

well, given my own experience with the backbeat, I would rather prefer avoiding neckcords... Have you tested yours with a winter jacket on? any trouble with the neckcord?

It's a fair bit pricier than other headsets of it's class, so you'd want to find a bargain to make it more worthwhile.

Actually, I just checked online and I could get one pair for 119€ (it seems to retail for over 150€ usually)

The one thing I'm sure of is that this time around I won't be buying it online because I want to have the option to give them back in case I don't like them.

I wouldn't recomend my backbeat to anyone. The product sounds ok though it lacks bass, they are not extremely confortable and customer support does not seem to be interested in making its customers happy with their manufactured products.

Marc

 

[jalyst]

well, given my own experience with the backbeat, I would rather prefer avoiding neckcords... Have you tested yours with a winter jacket on? any trouble with the neckcord?

Dunno, never gets cold enough where i live to wear a winter jacket, don't even know what a winter jacket is, LOL.
I mainly use mine in the house, or when I'm out exercising (mainly running).

Actually, I just checked online and I could get one pair for 119€ (it seems to retail for over 150€ usually)

Not too bad i think, can't recall what i got mine for, think i mentioned it in this thread.
All I know is it was way less than it was going for everywhere else in Australia.
Local retailer had it in stock for yonks, and wanted to move it.

The one thing I'm sure of is that this time around I won't be buying it online because I want to have the option to give them back in case I don't like them.

Well it depends on the retailer you buy from...
Many retailers (even off-line ones) won't let you return it just because you've decided you don't like it.
They'll only let you return if it's faulty in some way, & this can be proven.
They're normally more stringent about this with headphones for health & safety regulation reasons.

 

[Sherifftruman]

Happy new year everyone!!

rudy, would you mind updating us with your thoughts on the Jaybird SB2? I'm currently looking for a new set of headphones, and like with other things, it is overwhelming the market offer... This model looks nice but I keep coming across mixed reviews and frankly, you never now whether those reviews may be biased because the vendor is lurking behind.

Thanks in advance,

I've had my SB2s for a couple of weeks and have liked them so far. When I go out in the morning and its cold (20 degrees F) I usually would pull my headband down to cover the top part of my ear and hold it to my face, which works well to keep them warm without a hat. With the SB2's, I can still do teh same thing no problem, as at least for my ears, the earpeice is just small enough that it does not cover the whole ear.

I also went out yesterday when it was a light mist and it started pouring when I was on about mile 2 (we got about a half inch in the hour and 15 I was running). No problems with the SB2 at all, even though I could hear raindrops hitting the band. Looking at it, the design seems pretty darn sealed, but of course, long term is another story, we will see.

Also, even over running 9 miles, they did not hurt my ears and did not move too much.

 

[ZipZap]

For those considering the Jaybird SB1 or SB2, I suggest you look up the go groove airband.

Same exact thing for way less.

 

[psywzrd]

For those considering the Jaybird SB1 or SB2, I suggest you look up the go groove airband.

Same exact thing for way less.

Interesting. Is there anything that is similar to the Jaybird Freedoms that have now been discontinued?

 

[marc.garcia]

got them!!!

Dunno, never gets cold enough where i live to wear a winter jacket, don't even know what a winter jacket is, LOL.

Hi there,
took the plunge and decided to go for it. I'm wearing the MM 100 while typing...

Well it depends on the retailer you buy from...
Many retailers (even off-line ones) won't let you return it just because you've decided you don't like it.
They'll only let you return if it's faulty in some way, & this can be proven.
They're normally more stringent about this with headphones for health & safety regulation reasons.

I specifically asked the seller at the shopping mall about giving them back if I ended up with the same problem I experienced with the backbeat and no problem as long as I give them back within two weeks.... I even made the seller to unbox a pair of MM 100 and tried them on for a while (no comments on what the seller may have thought about me ). The neckcord gets in the way but not as much, I could take this if the rest of the product convinces me.

So far I've noticed that no signal drops happen while walking in open spaces. Formerly the backbeat would just drop the conneciton when the signal could not bounce back on the buildings along the street.

Unfortunatelly, isolation is not as good as with the backbeat. For instance, I was in the subway and I found myself demanding more volume but I had already reached the limit.

I'll probably be buying the Jaybirds as well, try both for a couple of days and make a decision before I the "grace time" is over. Problem is I have to pay the shipment if I decide to keep the Sennheisers.

I could well be that I don't know the right shop around here but I find it very challenging buying the right set of headphones if one cannot try on the different models. How are we supposed to make the right decision when it is not easy having all the options available? the Sennheisers were the only option available at this large shopping mall...

 

[jalyst]

Oh yeah they're open phones, isolation is not their thing.
Open circumaural always sound better than closed though.
So long is the environment isn't excessively noisy....
I usually jog on some massive fields, where there's little noise pollution.

I'll prolly eventually get this too...
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/serviceandsupport_part-finder_transmitters_502389
Should improve volume a tad, but more importantly clarity.

I agree it's a PIA for consumer to narrow things down these days...
So much choice/competition, it pays to do your online research effectively/efficiently.
You can find a lot of solid anecdotal/factual info. that forms a solid picture.

 

[marc.garcia]

late questions

No idea how it compares to others all up, but I doubt SQ will be worse.
If it’s compatible with the APT-X BT codec adapters, then all the better.
But I think they may only be for higher-end BT Senns though.

Hi jalyst, are you suggesting that the MM 100 are APT-X compatible? Could you just confirm that?

The SQ is exceptional IMO, as far a standard BT is concerned anyway.
I've had one situation where the paring has broken mid-run for some reason, but it's easy enough to resync.

Could it be because the signal could bounce back? can you remember if you were running through an area without buldings around?

So if you wanna boost already decent SQ compared to most other BT headset/phones.
This will make a notable difference.....

Again, APT-X support?

thanks in advance,

Marc