thrasher32's Full Review: Plantronics Stereo Bluetooth® HBH-DS970 Neck ...
SONY-ERICSSON HBH-DS970 REVIEW
PLEASE NOTE: Although this review is under the Plantronics HBH-DS970 heading, the headphones I am reviewing - the Sony HBH-DS970's - are identical to the Plantronics model. There was no category for the Sony-Ericsson model, so I am placing this review here. Epinions moderators, please feel free to move this to the appropriate review category and remove this paragraph if one gets created.
The phone that began the great quest for acceptable headphones
I recently purchased an LG CU500v cell phone, which among it's many other features, includes a very nice Music/MP3 player...read my review on the LG CU500v here:
Anyways, after trying about 4 different wired headphones and earbuds, I finally figured out that any wired headphones were not going to be loud enough (the phone's fault) and that the wires were a real pain. Realizing that the CU500v was stereo bluetooth capable, I'd figured I'd try the bluetooth stereo headphone route. The first set I purchased were the Motorola S9's (read the review here: http://www.epinions.com/content_381657583236 ), the second set was the Motorola HT820 (read the review here: http://www.epinions.com/content_381660794500 ), and the third and final pair I purchased were the Sony-Ericsson HBH-DS970's, which I am reviewing here.
HBH-DS970 Design
The HBH-DS970 is an interesting departure from the 2 Motorola headsets I tried before them. These are earbuds, with a lanyard that goes around your neck, and a small (2.5" long by 1/2" wide) control module that hangs from your neck, like a pendant. The control module is about the same size as a standard USB pen drive, and weighs about 1 ounce. The earbuds hang from the lanyard, up by your ears. The lanyard is adjustable in length. All of the controls, except for the call pickup button (below left earbud) are on the control module, and include feature volume controls and multi-connect switches on the left side, track controls on the right, play/pause and LCD display on the front, and the power button on the top end. The charger plugs in the back.
The HBH-DS970's in action
It took me a minute to figure out how you were supposed to wear these headphones, but after a while it became clear. You put the lanyard loop over your head and around your neck, and the earphones just hang by your ears, and the control module hangs around your neck, resting on your chest/belly about halfway down your shirt. The call pickup button is on the cord below the left earbud, and the microphone is on the cord below the right earbud. It's a great design, but I wish they would have put a clip on the control module, it does get annoying just swinging freely from your neck, tending to swing back and forth while walking.
The sound from these headphones is just awesome, far superior to either of the Motorola models that I tried before these headphones. This is mainly due to the earbuds that form a great seal in your ears and do not come dislodged or loose easily. A good seal means that most outside noise is blocked, you get good bass response, and the speakers in the earbuds are of such quality that they do not distort at even the highest volumes. And speaking of volume, this little guy gets pretty LOUD, easily loud enough to block out just about anything around you, in all but the very loudest of environments. Loud with no distortion is very good.
Since all but one control is located on the control module hanging from your neck, they are easy to use, mainly because you can actually see them, as opposed to controls located on the headsets of the Motorola models. One feature that this product has that the others do not is an LCD display. This is a really cool feature, if it works correctly with your phone. The LCD is supposed to display the caller name (if known) or number (if no caller ID name) on an incoming call, and the scrolling name of the playing track when in music mode. I imagine that this works great with all Sony-Ericsson phones, but when paired with my LG CU500v, only the phone number of incoming calls is displayed, track info is not displayed. I'm kinda disappointed about that, but I can live with it, given the sound quality and comfort of these headphones.
Speaking of comfort, the earbuds are made of very soft vinyl and are very comfortable, even after many continuous hours of use. There are 3 sizes of earbud covers included, to fit almost any ear.
The only control that is not located on the control module is the call pickup button. It hangs on the left earbud's cord, right below the earbud. This is OK, it's pretty easy to find, but I would have preferred that they put the control (or a duplicate button) on the control module. Incoming calls are indicated by a pleasant ring tone in the headphones, and incoming calls can be heard in BOTH earbuds, not just the left one like both of the Motorola models I tried before this set. Call sound is clear, and everyone seems to hear me just fine. As with the other models I tested, the music pauses when you pick up a call, and resumes where it left off when the call is completed and you hang up.
An interesting feature of this phone is the single/multi device connection switch. When set to accept connections to multiple devices (up to 10), you can pair the headphones with, say, your computer AND your phone, so if you're listening to MP3's from you computer and your phone rings, it'll ring in your headphones, then let you pick up the call, then return control to the computer when you hang up. I haven't tried that yet, but if it works right, that's a pretty cool feature.
This product only has one weakness: battery life. The most you're going to get out of these headphones on a single charge is about 6 hours of music listening. Talk time and standby time is unknown, but if you're not playing music, they should be quite lengthy. Battery life is the only issue that keeps me from giving this product a 5 star rating. It should be noted, however, that unlike the Motorola devices I reviewed, this unit will work while charging.
As far as range goes, I would rate it as fair. You're not going to get more than 15 feet away from your source without experiencing some problems in the form of dropouts. Keeping your phone (or other music source) in your pocket or on your belt is not a problem though.
One thing I keep forgetting to mention is that you can use any of these bluetooth headphones with any bluetooth enabled music player, and you can even buy an adapter for your iPod if you want a great set of cordless headphones for it.
As for compatibility, this headset should work with any stereo bluetooth enabled phone/PDA that conforms to the A2HD standard, as well as most bluetooth enabled computers.
We have a winner!
This set of headphones ended my quest for a set of decent headphones for my Music Player cell phone. I went through 7 sets of wired and bluetooth headphones, but all that work was well worth it. These headphones rock! Now if only they could extend the battery life I'd have no complaints whatsoever.
Let the music stream from your mobile phone to your ears without any cumbersome cords. The Stereo Bluetooth Headset HBH-DS970 allows you listen to you...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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