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the best A2DP bluetooth stereo headsets for Iphone
- Thread starter abarna21
- Start date
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It's finally time guys...let's talk stereo bluetooth headsets!
In celebration of A2DP being added to 3.0, I dedicate this thread to finding the best stereo bluetooth headset for the iPhone. So let's scour the net, take a chance on some headsets, and share our joys and pains with each other until we find the best one. If you've used a stereo BT headset with 3.0, please answer the following 10 questions for us:
As people find good models, I'll post them here in the OP so everyone knows!
GOOD MODELS:
In celebration of A2DP being added to 3.0, I dedicate this thread to finding the best stereo bluetooth headset for the iPhone. So let's scour the net, take a chance on some headsets, and share our joys and pains with each other until we find the best one. If you've used a stereo BT headset with 3.0, please answer the following 10 questions for us:
- What is the brand and model?
- Do the skip forward/back buttons work with the iPhone?
- What about the play/pause button?
- What about the volume controls?
- Rate the sound quality on a scale of 1-10
- Rate the bass on a scale of 1-10
- Does it have a microphone? If so, how's the sound quality for the other person?
- Is there anything particularly annoying about it? (Bad battery life, bad range, difficult to pair, ugly, uses a dongle, cheap feeling, etc.)
- How much does it generally cost?
- If possible, please provide a link to a good place to buy them.
As people find good models, I'll post them here in the OP so everyone knows!
GOOD MODELS:
-Motorola S9
-Nope
-Yes
-Volume control is seperate from the phones so yes.
-7
-5
-Yes. Volume is very low because it has no arm extension for the mic. You have to kinda yell.
-Nothing really annoying aside from the mic. Nice pair comfort and build quality wise. Odd considering its a motorola product.
-I paid 100. Probably got ripped off.
-I got them at best buy but I don't like to support them. It seems there becoming an only option(without waiting for them to arrive by delivery).
My stereo Bluetooth worked since B2 but the play/pause didn't work. But in B3 it does.
-Nope
-Yes
-Volume control is seperate from the phones so yes.
-7
-5
-Yes. Volume is very low because it has no arm extension for the mic. You have to kinda yell.
-Nothing really annoying aside from the mic. Nice pair comfort and build quality wise. Odd considering its a motorola product.
-I paid 100. Probably got ripped off.
-I got them at best buy but I don't like to support them. It seems there becoming an only option(without waiting for them to arrive by delivery).
My stereo Bluetooth worked since B2 but the play/pause didn't work. But in B3 it does.
First let me say...I finally recieved my Motorla S9 headphone today from an ebay auction. I was geeking out all day long showing off...COOL. Cool. kewl.
1.What is the brand and model? Motorala S9
2.Do the skip forward/back buttons work with the iPhone? I don't think so.
3.What about the play/pause button? Negative
4.What about the volume controls? On the head set. Volume does not go up or down when adjusting on the phone.
5.Rate the sound quality on a scale of 1-10 - pleasantly suprised 6 or 7 (set on loudness in iphone config)
6.Rate the bass on a scale of 1-10 6
7.Does it have a microphone? If so, how's the sound quality for the other person? Seemed ok. I don't use blue tooth for talking on the phone so I'm not a good judge.
8.Is there anything particularly annoying about it? (Bad battery life, bad range, difficult to pair, ugly, uses a dongle, cheap feeling, etc.) - I'm worried that if I sweat on these things at the gym they will stop working. This is a big deal with headsets of this kind.
9.How much does it generally cost? $40
10.If possible, please provide a link to a good place to buy them. I found them on ebay. There were a lot available. I expect demaned to go waaay up.
Did I mention this is cool! If there was one thing that was going to destroy my first iPhone was catching the wire on somthing while doing something quick...
Cheers.
1.What is the brand and model? Motorala S9
2.Do the skip forward/back buttons work with the iPhone? I don't think so.
3.What about the play/pause button? Negative
4.What about the volume controls? On the head set. Volume does not go up or down when adjusting on the phone.
5.Rate the sound quality on a scale of 1-10 - pleasantly suprised 6 or 7 (set on loudness in iphone config)
6.Rate the bass on a scale of 1-10 6
7.Does it have a microphone? If so, how's the sound quality for the other person? Seemed ok. I don't use blue tooth for talking on the phone so I'm not a good judge.
8.Is there anything particularly annoying about it? (Bad battery life, bad range, difficult to pair, ugly, uses a dongle, cheap feeling, etc.) - I'm worried that if I sweat on these things at the gym they will stop working. This is a big deal with headsets of this kind.
9.How much does it generally cost? $40
10.If possible, please provide a link to a good place to buy them. I found them on ebay. There were a lot available. I expect demaned to go waaay up.
Did I mention this is cool! If there was one thing that was going to destroy my first iPhone was catching the wire on somthing while doing something quick...
Cheers.
To be quite honest this is not a mainstream market and manufacturers do not have a lot of data on what people like when choosing a2dp headsets. What I can tell you is that it has to be something small, the ability to choose between 1 or 2 earbuds and I think I found it.
Jabra BT 8040
http://www.jabra.com/Sites/Jabra/Na-us/products/Pages/JabraBT8040.aspx
just ordered it.
Jabra BT 8040
http://www.jabra.com/Sites/Jabra/Na-us/products/Pages/JabraBT8040.aspx
just ordered it.
This is by far worse than any "+1", "QFT", or "1st post" I've ever seen.
But to answer your question, months and months away from actually benefiting from it I would say the Jabra is the way to go at this point. Motorola has never been awesome for me ... personal opinion derived from personal use.
I have three of these. I swap them out during the day as the batteries go. AVRCP functions are non-existent, though. Quite comfy and it stays put. I hope you didn't pay more than $30 for it.
1. Sony DR-BT22
2. No
3. Yes
4. Headset has its own volume control, it doesn't alter the volume on the phone itself.
5. Sounds as good as your average pair of wired headphones.. so I'd say 7/10.. they sound far better than best buy's insignia BT headset.
6. These are over the ear style, so I'd rate the bass around 4.. you can hear some decent thump, but they don't have the bass level that in-ear phones can have.
7. Yes, haven't heard any complaints
8. The headphones are collapsible, so they feel a little flimsy until you put them on, they are very light and comfortable, though. No dongle, no pairing problems, range is good right around 30 ft, depending on the number of walls, battery life is ~12 hrs.
9. Average price is around $80-90
10. Tigerdirect has them for $29.99 + shipping
I feel like these were a real bargain at $30.
2. No
3. Yes
4. Headset has its own volume control, it doesn't alter the volume on the phone itself.
5. Sounds as good as your average pair of wired headphones.. so I'd say 7/10.. they sound far better than best buy's insignia BT headset.
6. These are over the ear style, so I'd rate the bass around 4.. you can hear some decent thump, but they don't have the bass level that in-ear phones can have.
7. Yes, haven't heard any complaints
8. The headphones are collapsible, so they feel a little flimsy until you put them on, they are very light and comfortable, though. No dongle, no pairing problems, range is good right around 30 ft, depending on the number of walls, battery life is ~12 hrs.
9. Average price is around $80-90
10. Tigerdirect has them for $29.99 + shipping
I feel like these were a real bargain at $30.
Let me just say that the MOTOROKR S9 series hurts like hell. The sound was good, but the fit was terrible on my head.
I traded those out for some Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 that fit much better.
1) Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800
2) These have no forward/back controls on the headset.
3) The play/pause button does work. (It only has a single button.)
4) Software volume control on the iPhone doesn't seem to be implemented yet. There are no volume controls on the headset itself.
5) 8, they compare well to my Bose In Ear headphones.
6) 8.
7) It sounds okay considering I wear the wire behind my head which puts the microphone in a less optimal position.
8) Incomplete iPhone software prevents me from using them with my phone for now. They work quite well with my Macs for now though.
9) I got these for $100, but they'll normally run $140 - 199
10) http://www.google.com/
I traded those out for some Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 that fit much better.
1) Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800
2) These have no forward/back controls on the headset.
3) The play/pause button does work. (It only has a single button.)
4) Software volume control on the iPhone doesn't seem to be implemented yet. There are no volume controls on the headset itself.
5) 8, they compare well to my Bose In Ear headphones.
6) 8.
7) It sounds okay considering I wear the wire behind my head which puts the microphone in a less optimal position.
8) Incomplete iPhone software prevents me from using them with my phone for now. They work quite well with my Macs for now though.
9) I got these for $100, but they'll normally run $140 - 199
10) http://www.google.com/
This is by far worse than any "+1", "QFT", or "1st post" I've ever seen.
You realize I am just reserving the second post in the thread just case I run out of room in the OP to list the best headsets we find right? Just thinking ahead here.
I'll list one of my own:
- Model: Kensington K33436US
- Skip buttons: No
- Play/Pause: Yes
- Volume: Yes
- Sound: 9
- Bass: 8
- Mic: Yes (haven't tested it yet)
- Bad: It can be overcharged and broken, so I hear.
- Cost: ~$50
- Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Sony Ericsson HBH-DS980
Overall I really like this headset, the ear buds are so comfortable (I have really small ears) and they are very secure. The sound is really good.
1. Sony Ericsson HBH-DS980
2. The skip buttons do not work
3. Play/pause works
4. Volume works
5. Sound - 8
6. Bass - 7
7. Mic - 7
8. You have to pair it each time (enter in pin #), has a
dongle but it's light.
9. Paid $100, ranges from $100-150
10. Bought mine at Frys in store
Overall I really like this headset, the ear buds are so comfortable (I have really small ears) and they are very secure. The sound is really good.
1. Sony Ericsson HBH-DS980
2. The skip buttons do not work
3. Play/pause works
4. Volume works
5. Sound - 8
6. Bass - 7
7. Mic - 7
8. You have to pair it each time (enter in pin #), has a
dongle but it's light.
9. Paid $100, ranges from $100-150
10. Bought mine at Frys in store
No no 28.85 including shipping. Coming today. This is the solution until the apple ones come out.
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Wish Jawbone Would Make Stereo Headset
I really wish Jawbone would get into the game with a stereo headset. I guess it would have to be a wired streetstyle between the left and right ear pieces. I am hoping that the popularity of the iPhone 3GS and/or 3.0 with BT stereo is going to accelerate the demand for this. My friends over at Head-fi are probably rolling over in their graves
I really wish Jawbone would get into the game with a stereo headset. I guess it would have to be a wired streetstyle between the left and right ear pieces. I am hoping that the popularity of the iPhone 3GS and/or 3.0 with BT stereo is going to accelerate the demand for this. My friends over at Head-fi are probably rolling over in their graves
Do you know if they happen to sell any bluetooth stereo headsets at the Apple store? (I ask, b/c I have a big giftcard sitting in my drawer).
Thanks!
Thanks!
Plantronics 855?
In another post, some people claim that these work, and if so they look pretty decent as well, but I haven't used them personally so I can't attest to that directly ...
http://www.plantronics.com/north_america/en_US/products/mobile/bluetooth-headsets/voyager-855
From the thread below, although this current one is much more organized and useful:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/483869/
In another post, some people claim that these work, and if so they look pretty decent as well, but I haven't used them personally so I can't attest to that directly ...
http://www.plantronics.com/north_america/en_US/products/mobile/bluetooth-headsets/voyager-855
From the thread below, although this current one is much more organized and useful:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/483869/
None will work with skip tracks control. Apple support page states that the BT profile they use for the iPhone 3.0 doesn't support it. So no matter what device we buy it will never work with forward/back track skip control. It's up to Apple to provide the function.
I have the Voyager 855s and they work well. Comfortable and it's nice to be able to use it just as a voice ear piece when you want. It also cost less than $40.
Note: BT pairing doesn't work great with Nike+ for jogging. Tends to skip but I think it's the Nike app that is causing the conflict.
Note: BT pairing doesn't work great with Nike+ for jogging. Tends to skip but I think it's the Nike app that is causing the conflict.
Voyager 855
I should be getting mine in the next couple of days Fedex is taking forever 7 days from Jersy to Michigan any way I hope to compare a couple BT and give some input on the BT to FM Motorola unit I got! btw I got the 855 for $30 new
I should be getting mine in the next couple of days Fedex is taking forever 7 days from Jersy to Michigan
any way I hope to compare a couple BT and give some input on the BT to FM Motorola unit I got! btw I got the 855 for $30 new- BLUETREK ST1
- No (From what I've read, this is currently a limitation of OS 3.0)
- Yes
- Yes (Note: also includes SRS WOW HD 3D Surround)
- Because of the available SRS WOW Effects, they can sound better than the OEM wired headphones. Mind you, these won't by any means replace any high-end sets. Quality is also reduced simply by the fact that it's streaming wirelessly. That alone degrades quality.
- Unless you get in-ear buds to replace them, they sound similarly to the OEM headphones, since they also do not sport the in-ear design. SRS WOW offers some bass-enhancing settings, however.
- Not too different from my previous Plantronics Discovery 925 bluetooth earpiece, which is by far the best sounding one I've tried from the AT&T store.
- The back of the neckband, which is where most of the bulk is, can get in the way of collars and/or hoods when you wear them and how you position it (or how it sits) on your head/neck.
- You can easily get one for $25 and up.
- I bought mine off of an eBay store (http://www.ebay.com) since TigerDirect (http://www.tigerdirect.com) was out of stock at the time.