Ask Engadget: Best solution for Bluetooth stereo audio?
By Darren Murph 
posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:27AM
posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:27AM
Look out! You've just stumbled upon this week's episode of Ask Engadget, and we've got a real brain burner on our hands this evening. Before you dig in, though, feel free to blast your own question in to ask at engadget dawt com. I recently got a new music-oriented phone (Nokia 5800 XpressMusic) with Bluetooth stereo audio (A2DP) and am trying to get some opinions on what might be the best solution out there for me. It seems to me like I have 3 options as far as general solution types: self contained Bluetooth headphones, such as the Motorola S9; Bluetooth receivers with headphone jacks, such as the SonyEricsson HBH-DS220; or transmitter / receiver pairs. My specific needs are that it supports remote control (AVRCP), has good sound, is under $100, and if the unit can bind to multiple devices that would be great. The ultimate item would somehow work with my phone as well as my PSP, but that's probably a pipe dream. Thanks!
So, wireless audio partakers -- what say you? Got any great tips? Got any horror stories? Either way, spill it below.
None, you're better off with a regular 3.5 mm headphone jack. :P
That's not much of an answer.
mostly true, though.
However there are times when convenience trumps sound quality.
It's not a good answer but it's still the truth. Most bluetooth headphones are more trouble than having the cord, sound worse and cost more.
+1
I've never used a pair of A2DP headphones that I'd consider "good quality" Motorola S9, BlueAnt X5, they're all terrible, even compared to the cheapest pair of 3.5mm ear phones you can find.
Save your money, bluetooth audio just isn't good enough to bother with, even if the costs weren't high -- which they are.
this is only true if you're an apple person, because you still can't do a2dp with their products yet. I'm a big fan of the motorola s9 headphones. I use them with my laptop while working and my blackberry while working out. I've had them over a year now and have had no issues. they're a lot more comfortable than you'd expect and sweat has yet to cause any problems.
yeah, I use the S9s too. Pretty comfortable, good sound. They have a knack for losing their charge after being left out for a while, but y'knows.
@Chuckles McGee - I have a production sample of the new Motorola S305's coming soon, they actually have a couple new pairs of stereo bluetooth headphones that feel solid for build quality and sound pretty good. The S9's are alright, they hurt after a while though.
Also the Motorola D650 bluetooth gateway is what I use to stream music when the PS3 is in use...works with PC or mac, just plug it into your home stereo and pair up. Works fairly well.
There are plenty of options out there like Jabra BT8030 and it's $90-99
http://reviews.cnet.com/headsets/jabra-bt8030-bluetooth-headphones/4505-13831_7-32752017.html
http://www.google.com/products?q=bluetooth+headphones&hl=en
You clearly don't know what you are talking about. My Nokia BH-501 stereo BT headphones are foldable, great looking, and sound as good as my Sennheiser hi-end 3,5 plugged headphones (which sound great but are far too big to be carried around).
I have tried the Motorola and yeah, they suck, but my Nokia are tops.
that doesn't help at all
I don't think a car fits the $100 budget.
I've been extremely happy with my Nokia BH-503 headset. Connects easily with multiple sources. (I use it with my N95-8GB, my laptop and occasionally with my HTPC when I want to watch something at night) The battery life is also great and the headset is light and comfortable to use. Just my 2 cents. http://www.mobiletechreview.com/tips/Nokia-BH-503-Bluetooth-Stereo-Headset.htm
isint that one of those kind where the headband breaks easily because its so flimsy?
I haven't noticed any problems with it, actually the the headband that goes behind my neck is quite flexible and seems to be able to take a fair share of bending without cracking. I've had it stored in a backpack that is packed very tight with some other gear several times without any damage.
I use the bh-503 as well with my 5800 and it works great. I disagree with the headband being flimsy...it's probably the sturdiest headset i've owned.
did u not read the article man? he could care less aboout the apple crapphone...he just got a new nokia 5800!
check out these man
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875999350&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Bluetooth+Cell+Phone+Accessories-_-JABRA-_-75999350
Just don't buy the Moto S9 you mentioned. Garbage.
agreed. didn't matter if i was listening to my ipod or laptop it would often break up and the sound quality in general left much to be desired.
The sad part is that the Moto S9, despite being horrible, are probably the best A2DP headset out there. Certainly for the price, they're as good as it gets. Though I must reiterate, they're not good at all.
Even if a decent headset were to exist, A2DP basically sounds like a 128k MP3. Who wants to listen to that?
Amen to that. It's the best ergonomic design (in theory), but doesn't fit my head worth shit, and the sound is mediocre at best (which is "shitty" in my vocabulary, but I'm trying to be reasonable, since most headphones are garbage to begin with)
I don't understand why the S9's always get such a bad rap... I picked up the S9-HD off Amazon for $67 and after about 4 weeks I still think they are amazing. I also got a refurbished Samsung yp-t10 for $50 that works incredibly well with these.
The main reason I got them was for the gym- and so far they are flawless. I have a nike+ armband for the ipod nano that the t10 fits perfectly into, and the audio is really amazing and has not cut out or scratched once while I'm running and working out. The fit is also good, no complaints at all, and these are my first in-ear style headphones I've ever owned. My only slight concern is that I'll somehow mess them up by sweating too much. It says they're sweatproof and all that, but I've been putting a small strip of black electrical tape over the seam on the back- but then again thats probably just me being OCD.
As for the phone- I connect my vx8550 to the headphones and listen to music occasionally, and take calls as well with no ill reports from people I'm talking to. Although to be fair, I'm usually in my apartment when I talk with these, as I really feel strange talking into my headphones in public when they simply look like a normal pair of headphones... The music pauses when a call comes in, and resumes when you hang up. Also, it's nice being able to listen to music on the phone and text, play games, etc.... I'm not too sure about how the Nokia handles background music...
I'm with you. The s9 headphones rock. I think the main problem with a2dp is that's it's not something simple that everyone even understands. the sound on mine is great and i've never had connectivity issues.
I would agree with Mike Cerm. I have the S9's, and they are good, but they also suck.
I think if the battery is halfway or less full, it will have all these background noises when your phone jumbles around in your pocket. If you sit still with your phone/PMP on a desk or table it'll sound OK. But that's about it. Not very good for exercising with.
Hurt my head and as soon as I step outside, they drop pairing with every device I have tried. Something about not being in a confined space. In a cube, on the bus, or just in doors they are great and never break connection (with in a reasonable distance). The second I step off the bus or out the front door they drop connection every GD time.
Jaybird: http://www.jaybirdgear.com/ I have the S9 and I'm on my second pair. they stop working when they get wet or there is humid weather because their controls are "glued" together.
I loved my Jaybird headset, but I had a few problems with them. One, they aren't exactly comfortable if you wear glasses. My biggest problem, however, was that the rubber in the ear loop started cracking in the cold. Once they cracked, they wouldn't even stay put. My other issue with the Jaybird headset was the lack of buttons and buttons that were just too hard to press.
I ended up replacing them with Sony Ericsson's HBH-DS980. I really love the way this thing will connect to multiple devices at the same time. Also, being able to jump into a menu and switch between devices is just frosting on it all. I really contemplated getting the HBH-IS800, but I really like having play and volume controls on the headset.
yeah the Sony Ericsson's HBH-DS980 would never work for me because I mainly use my headphones for my morning jogs and then for the gym. The buttons work just fine for me and there is a new model coming out like now, so I'm sure they will deliver an even better product. I guess it really comes down to your lifestyle and whether you live in the north pole lol.
http://www.google.com/products?q=bluetooth+headphones&hl=en
I've been using the Logitech FreePulses and they're great in general with my laptop, but you may want to check compatibility first; they don't work properly with my Nokia 5610 (frequent dropouts and disconnections, even when right next to each other).
I own these as well...not as good as the bh-503 and they don't have playback controls either ie. skip, rewind, pause etc..
You're right, I forgot that they don't have full AVRCP, but they do have play/pause (just tap the button once).
A friend of mine has a Jabra BT3030, it works really well.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/26/jabras-bt3030-bluetooth-headset-mimics-dog-tag/
I have the BT3030 also and it's great. I use it when driving (yea yea I know) or exercising and it's yet to fail me. So far rain and sweat haven't affected its use. The headphones it comes with aren't bad either. The only problem is the inherent bad audio quality bluetooth introduces. I don't notice it when listening to podcasts, but with music it's obvious. Sounds like a compressed mp3.
Anyone had any success playing music with the BT3030 on a Treo800w?
Forgot to mention: This is the Jabra BT3030
I recently got the Jabra BT3030. i am currently using it with a Samsung Ace (sph-i325) and of course that's running winmo which is utter crap for music playback anyways (lol windows media player). the bt set is very nice, however and i am very pleased with the unit. as soon as Cupcake comes out i'll be able to rock the headset with my G1. i highly recommend this "headset" if the form factor suits your tastes.
Check out the Etymotic Research ety8 - http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er88.aspx - they're a bit on the pricey side but definitely worth your money.
Ha! those looks like earrings, fabulous.
i agree that you should consider these. they are a bit more expensive, but etymotics are well worth their money. they have great, accurate sound.
I've had two sets of BT headphones: the Bluespoon Spider and the Sony BT-10cx
The Bluespoon Spider's battery life just flat out sucks. But you can't beat the range.
The BT10cx had a long battery life and decent audio, but was not as comfortable as the Spider.
The BT-10cx was my favorite until the right earbud died. I did the only logical thing to do...took the battery from the BT10cx and put it into the Bluespoon spider!
My muses works great for the last two years.
http://grandvue.trustpass.alibaba.com/product/11401419-10908710/productdetail.html
I can use my Lap and my phone at the same time. Whit my own ear buds and a regural AAA batery.
Just perfect!
Try the S9 HD. The sound quality is pretty good.
A2DP is very messy. You need to find devices that share common good codecs. The "base" codec for A2DP is SBC, which sounds like ass. This is the codec supported by OS X, cheap chinese phones, and a lot of headphones (like a pair of Phillips I bought once). Other A2DP codecs that exist are MP3, AAC, ATRAC.
I have the Sony Ericsson HBH-DS980 headphones, and they sound brilliant with my Sony Ericsson phone and really bad with OS X. I have a pair of Phillips something or other 'phones, and they sound as bad as the HB-DS980's do with OS X, only with any device I pair it with.
Exactly my experience - in particular, Sony BT headphones always sound great with Sony phones. However, I've never been able to find a reliable reference source for which phones support which protocols. Do you know of any?
I have the Moto S9-HD's and I love them! I've had the standard S9's and they didn't sound half as good as these. In fact this headsetsounds better than my SE110's by Shure which I also spent $100 on, and those are wired! Seriously, at around $90 I'm sure this is one of the best a2dp headsets around.
i have tried every expensive BT stereo under the sun and I finally settled on these:
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665495056
Sony DR-BT160AS
Good build quality, nice loud sound, you can feel the bass, the controls are easy to use and they fit comfortably. My only gripe is that the sleeves for the buds are too big for my ear canal and the behind the head cable is not that flexible. Also i have to constantly be squeezing them into my ear because they have a habit of coming out a little when im working out. I haven't tried the jaybird's yet because a new model is supposed to be coming out this month but those things never lower in price so I wouldn't hold my breath. The deal breaker for the jaybirds is the controls are hard to use and it doesn't pump out loud enough audio from what i have read.
The controls on the jaybird are a bit stiff at the beginning, but they soften as you use them, that is a minor issue if you think about it, otherwise this BT headphones are best in class.
I've bought a Motorola S9 before, and it sounded really good even before the S9-HD update (deep bass and all, if you find the right fit). However, upon reaching home and lying in bed, I decided to return it - because you can't lie on your head when it's on. I researched and saw the Jabra BT3030 but i thought the whole concept of wires just defeated the purpose of well, being wireless (just an opinion). I heard about Altec Lansing's Beatback 903 (http://www.alteclansing.com/index.php?file=north_product_detail&iproduct_id=backbeat_903). It seems to be right smack in your budget.. Saw one guy on the train platform wearing it and it does look pretty cool. Double that budget and you can get the Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 (http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665716568), totally something to buy if you can afford, I mean just look at that design!
For $30, you can grab a pair of these Motorola S805 headphones:
http://www.buy.com/prod/Motorola-S805-DJ-Style-Bluetooth-Stereo-Headphones-New-OEM-in-Poly-Bag/q/loc/111/210920556.html
No idea how good they are, but hey, they're BT headphones with AVRCP for $30.