Omio Round Up: Best Bluetooth Headsets
Despite the passage of many years and many leaps forward in technology, listening to music still requires us to be physically tethered to our players with headphones.
Phones have managed it, as have game controllers, but the allure of wired headphones has not seems to diminish one bit. Some manufacturers are even embracing this state of affairs, with companies Apple showing off their iconic white earphones in their cool promotional material.
Well, other manufacturers believe the future is already here, and with the power of Bluetooth connectivity are offering to free us of our aural shackles with wireless headphones. We compare two of the most popular Bluetooth headsets to see if we are ready to groove to the wireless beat.
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Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 Bluetooth stereo headphones - £70
The tiny, unassuming ear-canal fillers are close enough to traditional earphones not to scare Bluetooth virgins away. The two earphones jut out a little and feel a little heavy on first wear – hardly surprising given the amount of tech bundled in there.
The weight is due to the housing of the battery within the ear piece itself, removing a cover on the right earbud reveals a charging port. This enables the proprietary Sony Ericsson charger to be used, albeit in a slightly odd fashion with only half of the pins…
Nevertheless, a few hours on the mains and the IS800 is ready to rock. The subtle light on the earpiece glows green brightly to reassure you, with the only accompanying indication from an LED on the microphone placed halfway down the wire.
Holding down this central button sparks the IS800 into life, the light alternating red and green as it searches for a Bluetooth buddy to pair with. This takes fairly little time, and the auto-connecting with a compatible phone is even quicker as it eschews the need for a pairing passcode.
Once hooked up, the first big surprise is the audio! It genuinely manages to play stereo in almost lossless quality, but it admittedly dips with a fair amount of hiss when moving away from the source.
The wires are far more comfortable when worn behind the head, although it makes the speaker when using the IS800 as a headset for calls a bit far away from the mouth to remain clear.
Fellow commuters were convinced I had a serious crick in my neck as I craned to the left in order to make calls, but when connected the quality was clear as a bell.
All in all, the IS800 headphones are perfect for situations where wires leave one in a tangled mess on the floor, from the daily commute to a workout in the gym.
Touches like the carry case and ergonomic design make them a perfect fashion accessory to any Bluetooth-enabled device. The only setback is that the earbuds themselves feel somewhat heavy for long term use, and the slightly awkward location of the microphone.
Nevertheless, the HBH-IS800 gets a glowing recommendation from us, a perfect combination of stylish form and Bluetooth practicality!
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Altec Lansing BackBeat 906 wireless stereo headphones – £80
With the power of wireless communications professionals Plantronics behind them, Altec Lansing seems set to cut a swathe through the wireless headset market, marrying bleeding-edge tech to slick designs.
Whilst a confident effort, the Altec Lansing Backbeat 906 may indeed be too utilitarian to appeal to culture vultures.
The Backbeat is similar to the IS800 in that it consists of two earphones with a connector that rests behind the head.
However, the BackBeat is a far more rigid construction, with each resting on the ear in a fashion not entirely dissimilar to wearing two tethered hearing aids, whilst the tips nestle gently, yet securely inside the canal.
This might sound uncomfortable, and in comparison to traditional earphones the additional weight may prove alien, but before long the value of the noise cancelling technology presents itself, tuning out background chatter and the sounds of the Underground effectively.
The only issue is that the connection between them is a tad too short, making them feel secure on the head but at the same time a little constricting.
The upside to these very visible aural accouterments is that a wealth of music control is at your fingertips on the outside of the BackBeat.
The left earpiece is home to a ‘call’ button as well as the power switch, whilst the right can play/pause, skip through tracks and adjust volume thanks to a multi-functional jog switch. The degree of rotation and adjustment of the earpieces themselves make them very comfortable to use as remote controls, but they still look a little too unwieldy to impress.
Stereo Bluetooth supported devices can sync happily with the 906, and if not there is a little black box supplied which provides connection to any gadgets with a 3.5mm port, iPod included. The range is ample, with the ability to stray at these the width of Omio Towers (10/15 metres) before a signal was lost.
The good news for the legions of iPhone owners is that the new update finally brings headphone support to wireless headsets like this, and the 906 is very impressive. When hooked to a mobile and the phone rings, the music cuts out and a beep notifies of the call.
The call quality was pretty impressive, but it seemed we could hear better than be heard, particularly outdoors… The AudioIQ volume-boosting feature came into its own in situations like this, making chatting away clear as a bell.
Nevertheless, even the more fancy features such as voice activated dialing and iPod control went off without a hitch on the BackBeat 906.
The seven hour battery life was pretty spot on, but we found it retained a charge when playing music far more than making a couple of wireless calls throughout the day. Either way, it shouldn’t let you down.
Whilst getting full marks for function, the BackBeat makes a few missteps in the style stakes to not be the definitive choice. The lack of an adjustable strap, the absence of a carry case and the slightly self-conscious design make it the perfect Bluetooth headset for use at the office, rather than one to show off with.
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Verdict
Each have their pluses and minuses when enjoying the world of music without wires, but the sheer range of features, Bluetooth dongle and almost pitch-perfect phone reception make the BackBeat stand out in our minds. The price difference is borne out with Altec Lansing offer in a rare case of substance over style, and it serves as a perfect accompaniment to the new 3GS, provided you aren’t a fashion victim.
Tags: altec lansing, Apple, backbeat, best bluetooth headsets, bluetooth headset comparison, HBH-IS800, iPhone, plantronics, sony, Sony Ericsson