Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

So far I'm looking at a pair of Sony DR-BT101 and the Jabra Halo although I haven't found anywhere to buy the latter.


Haven't seen much else. Does anyone have a pair of bluetooth headphones? What are they like? Do you find the battery life to be an issue?

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I haven't found a single pair of BT headphones that hold a candle to the Nokia BH-905 headset, which work as wired headphones as well as via Bluetooth, perfect for using the FM radio on Nokia smartphones. I compare them to the Sony MDR headphones we use at the recording studio, and they're about in the same class quality wise, though not quite as loud. I'm completely lusting for the 905s, and would like a pair for Christmas. (I don't even celebrate Christmas...)

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

Just got my BH-905 today and i sent it right back... Reason?
When using BT and turning on the feature that cancels out background noise I got a nice little hissing sound in the left speaker... Same problem occurs when connected to the laptop and cellphone.

200 bucks for that ? (I paid 180€) I dont think so....

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I got one of these:
http://www.google.com/products?hl=en...-8&sa=N&tab=wf

off Woot for like $15. It is really sweet, use them (or something similar) with any wired headphones. I think I am going to mod them to work with a throat mic for when I am working in the rackspace by all the load gear.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I've got the Plantronics 590's. It's excellent. Even hook it up to my stereo now and then (it comes with a separate transmitter). And you can use it as a regular headset for calls.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I like my Motorola S705 module, you can plug any phones in you want as it has a 3.5mm jack. the built-in radio is excellent. the range is fantastic, I can leave my n800 in bedroom and listen to mp3 streamed to far corner of the house!

it will pair to a phone and to music player at the same time.

you can pick up S705's from ebay for a tenner or so, a real bargain.

I found that ubuntu 9.10 gnome also supported a2dp without a hitch, so I can also use it at work to cut the number of wires!

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I am very partial to the Jabra BT3030.

-It has good battery life (3+ hours of solid listening) and charges via a standard mini-usb cable. The battery is still holding out after a couple years of daily use.
-It has excellent range and I've never had problems with interference issues while listening to music.
-The controls are easy to manipulate by touch alone and work in most media apps.
-It has a standard 3.5" audio jack so I can use any headset I like. I use a pair of inner ear plug type phones when traveling light or my Sennheiser PXC-450's when I want noise canceling and don't mind the extra weight.

We paired mine to the N900 at the Tacoma N900 Meetup and it worked flawlessly.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I really like BlueAnt bluetooth products http://www.blueant.com.au .

I have have used a Z9 and Supertooth 3. Both have worked very well. Currently I use the Supertooth attached to the visor in my vehicle all the time and have not used the Z9 in quite a while.

I find the noise canceling to work quite well and the prices are reasonable.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

In researching Bluetooth headphones online, I've time and again come across assertions that "expensive" (always left undefined) units include not only SBC and native MP3 decoding, but also native AAC. While I'm aware the A2DP spec permits this, I've yet to see an actual product that performs the trick. The closest I've found are a few Bluetooth headphones that support proprietary extensions such as apt-X.

I don't know that I'd need native AAC decoding, and I'm certainly not interested in paying a huge sum of money for a pair of headphones, but at this point I'm quite curious whether these supposed headphones are real or myth. Has anyone seen any?

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

Noone else can confirm the problems with the BH-905?

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

The one I tried in the store did not have this problem. Worth checking if you had a dud.

Mike C

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I dont mean to be rude but may i ask how old you are? I am 23 and therefor have a better chance of hearing this high pitched noise. My father was not able to hear this. I already requested a replacement from amazon. Hopefully this will fix the problem. I really like the headset :) Ok it keeps the noise away from my ears but emits quite alot itself. I think other people will enjoy my music aswell ;)

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

Haven't noticed anything like this on my pair.

The only small annoyance I've noticed so far is that the forward and backward buttons are quite loose so they creates some small sound when tilting my head. I think I can do a fix with some tape...

And they sometimes misbehaves with my way too old phone. Should be solved when my n900 appears.

But else from that I'm very happy with them. I really like the flexibility they provide with bluetooth, buttons, noise canceling and anything wired. Also the sound quality is sufficient for a device for this use.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

Jahaugum, would be appreciated if you answered my question above yours :) But thanks for your reply to my older question, gives me some hope. Did you try to use your headset with skype? The sound quality is good but not as good as when using it to listen to music, which i find strange. Is that due to the fact that both the mic and sound have to be transferred?

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I bought my Jabra BT620s about five months ago and here are my non audiophile user experiences on it:

Pros:

+Usage time 15+ hours
+Good sound quality (both listening to music and during phone calls)
+Great connectivity (gets connection fast and doesn´t drop out, also ok range)
+Can simultaneously connect to two different sources (e.g. phone and computer)
+Good design (big- and logical layout of buttons)
+Price (I payed 70€)
+Build quality (altough plastic)
+Excellent fit (little to none strain on ears after 6+hours of constant use, when jogging or cycling stays on with no problems)
+When jogging/cycling in the dark you REALLY get noticed if you leave the flashing lights on
+Lights can be turned off (so you don´t look like a complete dumbass)
+Can be charged through USB

Cons:

-Can connect only one A2DP profile simultaneously
-On a smaller scale makes you look like princess Leia (= ridiculios)


When I was looking in to bying my headset, I was quite sure, that I would buy Nokias BH-503. I had read many different reviews on them, many stating, that the fit is amazingly good. My local dealer had them on stock, so I thought I´d go and buy them there and have a chance to try them before purchasing. Luckily I did that, because they didn´t fit at all(I haz a funny shaped head???). So my point is that you really should try them yourself before buying.

The Halo model looks really nice and if there is something I could change with the 620´s, it would definitey be the looks.

If I was buying one now, I´d be tempted to go with BH-905, but propably because of the price, I´d still stick with Jabra BT620s.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I'm 36 so my hearing for high pitched sounds might not be the best. But I've tested your scenario with ANC and BT on, and there are some periodic noise from the BT connection on the left side. Haven't really been using them like this before so I haven't noticed. However it's not load enough for me to be of any annoyance.

Haven't tried them with skype. But for calls the mic is not the best since it's placed a bit far away, but this is a design choice I like.

Regarding sound quality, I find them very good for my usage. Which is mobile (to be n900) for calling and listening to music. Also occasionally connection to my laptop for music. And for these kind of devices they are a perfect match. But if I were to listen music with a bit more high-end amplifier, they are not sufficient any more.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

Thanks for that test Jahaugum, so it is probably an issue with this headset :(
Do you mean you dont use BT+ANC, or you dont use BT that much?

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

AFAIK Skype doesn´t work with A2DP profile, so the reason why it sounds crappier is, that the headset is used as a Hands Free unit or mono Headset, instead of Audio sink stereo headset.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I have the Motorola S9 bluetooth headphones. A good, light, pair of phones; the newer S9 HD are supposed to be great.

I believe they get 6 hours of life, which isn't amazing. They charge using a mini usb, so you can use your N900 charger with them (or charge your N900 with the headphone's charger.)

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

BT+ANC: Rarely.
BT: On demand a few times a week.

I currently mostly uses it with cable against my laptop (No BT on that cheap crap...). And on demand turn on the BT if I need it for a call. Also plugging the cable turns off the BT, so I've usually ended up with it off.

But my usage will change when I get my n900, since it will probably be my main music device.

At rare times I use the ANC to block out noise in my working environment, and I haven't noticed this noise issue from BT before since it mostly is off. My main motivation for ANC was for air flights. ANC is hardly needed when pumping up the music.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

Thanks for the info :) I would like to have more info on your usage when your n900 arrives.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I'm using nokia BH -500there awesome great for listening to music and video plus you can use it for the phone . i have try quite a few headphone and i haven't come across any close to this i use all the time with my nokia 958g phone now nokia n900.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I have a pair of Sony DR-BT50 which I THINK are great.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665095015

17 hour battery life, 3 hour charge time, A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP profiles, great balance of lows, mids & highs. Only downside is that its expensive and its discontinued.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I like my Plantronics Voyager 855. It can be used as A2DP or get a little longer battery life by disconnecting the stereo earbud and using it in mono. It's a nice compromise between size/obtrusiveness and sound quality.

Don't know how it'll work with the N900 yet, though..

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I got these in a Woot sale a few years back..

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NRU6EA/...net_mp-3347-20

Expensive (I got them on woot pretty cheaply) and they're ok.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

Guys the Nokia Bh-905 headsets are now $210 at Amazon after a $50 rebate from Nokia :)

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

bh 905s have no peer in sound quality, and work wired too. If you spend over $150 for anything, get them pronto. I'm begging for a pair of my own.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I've been using a pair of BH-905 for some time. I don't experience the high pitched noise, sounds like a fault with the phones..

Mine are particularly irritating when using ANC.. any slight change in air pressure creates a terrible whooshing sound in the headphones. I use them on trains and buses and when stationary, the noise cancelling is great.. but if a train passes or a door opens its just very dull..

The vibration on a moving road vehicle (London bus) just adds a tremolo effect to the audio.. really very irritating, especially since my Bose QC2 never had this problem..

The bluetooth performance on my N900 is quite shockingly awful.. the audio stream is consistently interrupted.. each time, the headphones change the playback rate (speeding up) to try and catch up.. its just terrible to listen to..

I doubt it is a fault with the BH-905, but I think there might be some process prioritization issues in Maemo..

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

Anyone gotten a chance to play with the Sony BT21G (might also go by BT21B)? linkage: http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...55292166509552

I tend to prefer the "behind the neck" style headphones since they generally work well with my glasses, but that being said, my current Motorola HT-820s (linkage: http://direct.motorola.com/ens/BTSte...roductHome.asp) are awfully painful and now the ear pads are disintegrating. Not exactly a great deal for the $80 they cost at the time. :/

I'd like to not spend too much money (definitely not $150), but I think I'm willing to go up to $100 or so if it's actually worth it vs these $50 Sony BT21Gs.

Thanks to everyone so far for the great reviews. This is one of the more helpful pieces of info I've seen on BT headphones on the internet so far. :)

-John

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I've been usiong Nokia BH-503s with my e90 and like them, though find them a smidge too small for my (admittedly pretty big) head. They're being relegated to the gym headphones once I get back to the n900 and BH-905s that are waiting for me to get home in the New Year...

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

tomj, what's your address. lol

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I just bought the Nokia BH-214 for 49€. It's a nice little bluetooth dongle that you can connect your own headphones to. It has the mic in the dongle and a clip, so it attaches pretty well to your clothing.

For me it's ideal, since I can use my own headphones and it doubles as a hands-free for the N900 phone. It's great to listen to music wirelessly, since wired headphones are seriously in the way of writing on the N900 keyboard.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

Just in case you didnt know, theres currently a bug regarding Bluetooth with your Wifi connected. Audio quality becomes choppy and inconsistent; the connection breaks up all the time, pitch of music goes up and down.

https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=5880

If this happens, it's not down to your headphones so no need to worry.


Back on topic.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I noticed with music playing, any alerts coming in makes the music volume increase greatly. which means the preamp has more headroom.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

So, what is actually unclear to me is if the volume up/down and next/prev track buttons actually work. Can you confirm this? Because I too dislike using the n900 when it is connected to headphones of which the wires run under my clothes/jacket!

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

jaysire told me by PM the bh 214 works perfectly with n900.
My choice is made !

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

Looking for chaep bluetooth headphones, are there any that charge with the same connection as the n900, think its mini usb?

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I use the JayBird Freedom Phones. Perfect for the gym, but no noise cancellation. If its for work out that you need then its a good choice. I could never wear the massive headphones, even on the tube in London. But when I move back to London I would definitely need somethign with noice cancellation, hopefully they come up with something that isnt the size of my head.

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

Ok just bought a new pair of motorola s9 active bluetooth headphones for £12.50 delivered. Got them from ebay to keep me going just now. Hope they connect ok to the n900

Re: Bluetooth headphones - which to get?
 

I have a question regarding bluetooth headphones, I have been looking up and down for the answer but unable to find it.

My question is if the n900 supports AVRCP why am I unable to control the music with my headphones? I tried it with the Jabra Halo, Sony drbt101 and Samsung wep870, I was unable to skip pause or play the tracks from the headset controls.

I ordered a pair of Sennheiser mm 200's, they will be arriving soon. Wondering if im doing something wrong? or is it some sort of bug that needs to be fix and will be available in the next fw?