The behind-the-neck form factor of the BH-503 seemed to have a youthful charm and gave a sense of being like a futuristic space cadet whenever they were worn (maybe that was just me). These headphones were slim, very easy to wear around the neck, and produced somewhat adequate sound due to ambient noise. Despite not being totally cut off from my surroundings, music playback and voice calls were good. However, they could not stay on my ears for more than 45 minutes to an hour due to extreme soreness from the neckband resting on them. I didn't mind keeping them since they did use the same AC adapter as the Nokia E71 I owned at that time. When the accident occurred with the Nokia headset, I used the opportunity to keep searching for an alternate set of bluetooth headphones.
After dealing with the pain in my ears from the neckband design of the BH-503, I decided to stay away from anything similar and refer to over-the-head models. Another criteria was the elimination of ambient noise, but this limited my choice to either cupped earpieces or the very few (and very expensive) in-ear models available from my online search. I came across the Motorola S805 DJ-style headset which seemed very promising with the oversized cups in blocking outside noise, and for about $40 I figured it was worth a try. I was a bit surprised when I first unboxed the shipping package from Amazon to find ONLY the headphones and a user manual in a plastic bag. I expected a retail boxing with other peripherals (at least an AC adapter), but I guess I got what I paid for and couldn't really complain. There was no doubt that the Motos were very bulky, and upon fitting them I was reminded of an Amazon user review that mentioned "looking like a borg robot" when wearing them! As much as I adored the unique styling of those huge earcups, turning controls, and large, flashing blue buttons on either side, I found them to be uncomfortable. After about a half hour of usage, my ears didn't experience any pain...just excessive heat and stuffiness. Being worn around my neck was simply out of the question, for it almost felt like an itchy neck brace. While ambient sound was certainly done away with, music playback seemed to be affected by a slight presence of static even with wifi turned off. Due to cumbersome storage, uncomfortable ear/neck fit and average sound, that set was returned to Amazon.
Just by chance I discovered a model from Sony: the DR-BT50. I was drawn by the unique elliptical shaping of the slimmer earcups and excited to read about its folding design for easy storage. Despite some mildly negative reviews on the small microphone being used for voice calls, most user accounts sang praises to the quality of sound and build for the Sony name brand. I was not surprised by the high numbers of positive reviews, since I could personally vouch for the Sony in-ear headphones I have always relied on for my running sessions. Even though this model was considerably more expensive, I decided to make the investment.
Update:
I am EXTREMELY pleased with these Sony headphones! The sizing is perfect for extended music listening from either my MacBook, Touch Pro 2 or iPod Touch, and portability is so convenient with the folding design! From the metallic adjusting poles, cushioned headband, and leather-like carrying bag to the solidly constructed earpieces, it is obvious that I got my money's worth. Sound quality is absolutely unmatched by the previous models, although some interference limitation is to be expected from bluetooth alone. One caveat involves Nike Sport on the iPod Touch: it appears that bluetooth will not operate simultaneously with the Nike Sport transmitter during my runs, so I must remain with my Sony in-ears. This may be the best thing since my ears would potentially get stuffy under such strenuous physical activity. For every other use the DR-BT50 is PERFECT, and I knew I did something right in purchasing these when I saw a positive review from the TWiT website. Buttons are indeed small and can be pressed accidentally, but I think this is a fair trade-off for the quality of sound, build, and portability. I actually feel like high-end user when wearing these in public, and would not ever think of returning wires unless I had to.
TRENT
Sent from my HTC Touch Pro 2
TRENT SENSE blogger/netcast host
trentsense.com
youtube.com/absolon3
1 comment:
Personally I use the Nokia BH-214 BT stereo adapter with a pair of Shure SE 530's and I am pretty sure that no Sony or normal headheads will beat the sound quality.
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