Motorola sets ears on fire with S9-HD Bluetooth stereo headset
By Sean Cooper 
posted Jan 7th 2008 1:27PM
posted Jan 7th 2008 1:27PM
Motorola launched a slick headset today as a follow up to the original MOTOACTV S9 we saw this time last year. Form looks unchanged on this outing, but Moto has opted to add high-definition sound with SRS WOW HD and fixed the issue we had with background noise by improving the earbuds. Battery life is touted as 6 hours of play time on a single charge -- but of course your mileage will vary -- and weighs in at a measly one ounce. If you've been looking to upgrade your current sweat damaged S9 set, this may well be a worthy upgrade for you.
And the cost is?
Thats a pretty big factor in me going wireless. I've been rocking the same pair of ratty headphones for a good 7 years now. Why should i drop a fortune on something because it's wireless?
Oh, and i also don't have anything that supports stereo blutooth.
The regular S9 is $100 or so, and i must say, they're brilliant, but like i said, i want vista drivers... :(
-Taylor
I really like my S9's as well. I wear them about 1 - 1 1/2 hrs per day while out riding my bike (low volume, ultra low traffic).
Stop being a cheap-skate. Buy them if they look like they'll work.
Now if we could only get vista drivers for the original S9's...
-Taylor
It is bluetooth, what do the headphones have to do with your bluetooth drivers on Vista. Mine S9's work fine on my Vista laptop.
Because vista doesn't support A2DP out of the box... I think some PC manufacturers might be building in a different bluetooth stack so their machines don't suck, which is why some people report that it works. I built my pc and installed vista myself (legally purchased vista ultimate), and the headphones didn't work till i did the broadcom bluetooth stack replacement someone linked to in these comments.
-Taylor
I had the regular S9s for a while... PAINFUL as hell after about 20 mins of use.... and doesn't seem like they have altered the materials or design one bit.
I have the S9 and love them. I don't go to the gym without them, and the sweat hasn't effected them.
@Taylor, they do work with vista. I'm rocking them now. You just hvae to "fix" windows. Download the following update to fix windows crippled bluetooth stack:
http://www.broadcom.com/products/bluetooth_update.php
More info here: http://www.djkaty.com/drupal/vista/bluetootha2dp
Oh and these headphones only $75 at amazon. Definitely a great price for what you get.
@euclid, maybe you have a small head. When I wear the s9, they grip to the side of my head above the ear and after a few minutes I can't feel them at all. I was worried they'd be painful because they look like it, but I've been happily suprised how comfortable they are. I guess it's different with everyone though. I did try them before buying, so I knew what I was getting.
Actually I have a big head and thats probably why it didn't fit.
either way they need to make it adjustable.
A worthy upgrade if your head is the size of navel orange. Did Motorola even try the old ones on before they decided what to improve.
I hope they fix the issues I've had with two S9's where the volume controls stop working.
I have a fat head and they fit me...
-Taylor
I've been waiting for a s9 upgrade... i guess this is it?
Hope the Bass improved.
Wow, I'm running Vista Ultimate 64 and my S9 works perfectly...
I'm glad I didn't buy the pair of S9s I was looking at last night (but I'm probably buying a pair soon)
Is the bluetooth transmission lossless, or how does this work?
I just bought the original S9, and have had some issues with Vista, I went through 2 broadcom updates, the first from belkin's website since I'm using their dongle, and then from the source. I also then had to update Vista, as recommended by my error message. Now they seem to pair well, and control media player and itunes, but the audio is wicked choppy, and goes to nonexistent at times. Plus, pairing it with my cell around causes subsequent playback choppiness from my cell as well, unless I reset the connection. Overall, I am stoked about the head set, but I'm sick of the bugs.