Gennum nXZEN Plus 5500 Bluetooth Headset Frontwave Extreme

by Gennum

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000DZEIBE
• Item model number: GU5500-SVUSW
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #207,733 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Accessories)

Product Description

Gennum's nXZEN PLUS wireless headset combines comfort with the world's most advanced DSP-powered technology and a dual microphone array for superior hands-free mobile communications in noisy surroundings. Hear your caller clearly with in-ear amplification, and enable callers to hear you clearly with the FRONTWAVE EXTREME patented technology that isolates your voice and filters background noise. Add stereo music playback from any MP3 or CD player that mutes when you answer a call. Compact and lightweight, the headset pairs to any mobile phone or device equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology, and includes a selection of ear loops and tips for a custom comfortable fit. Offers the most advanced acoustic technology and a dual microphone array for superior hands-free mobile communications in noisy areas Up to 7 hours of talk time and 100 hours of standby time Four large control surfaces give easy access to headset features while worn on the ear, and includes a selection of differently sized ear loops and ear tips for a comfortable, custom fit Configurable for both handset and hands-free user profiles, the headset enables accurate voice dialing, last number re-dial, call waiting, call mute, and call transfer Easily paired with up to three Bluetooth-enabled phones or devices, enabling hassle-free switching between each paired device MP3 Stereo listening capable with use of (included) extra earbud for your other ear

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's an A- in a field of C's and D's, May 22, 2006

By 

Earl E. A. Dopter (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gennum nXZEN Plus 5500 Bluetooth Headset Frontwave Extreme (Wireless Phone Accessory)

I have been through several different wireless Bluetooth headsets now. I have developed ten criteria to help separate the wheat from the chaff when buying a Bluetooth headset. The nXZen is the best headset I have tested so far, but that's not saying a whole lot considering the competition.

Overall, this headset is a worthy contender for the best available right now. With the exception of a few minor grievances, I can recommend the nXZen very highly.

1. Comfortable fit - you need your headset to be comfortable for at least an hour at a time, if not for an entire day. The nXZen has stayed in my ear for several hours at a time. I often forget it's there. (A-)

2. Secure fit - when you nod or shake your head, you don't want to feel the headset wiggling around or shifting its position. If it does, you will constantly be reaching up to check it and adjust it. The nXZen has no issues whatsoever with security. (A)

3. Excellent incoming sound quality - anything less and you will not be thrilled. Nearly every headset on the market today fails this criteria. The incoming sound quality on the nXZen was very good for a Bluetooth headset. (A-)

4. Excellent outgoing sound quality - surprisingly, there is absolutely no relationship between the incoming and outgoing sound quality. I have tested a wide number of these headsets and nearly every one fails either number 3 or number 4. You don't want your callers to ask if you are calling from a wind tunnel, and you don't want an echo on either end. Echo is a major factor with these headsets. With the nXZen, callers sometimes complained that my voice got louder or softer, but no one complained of crackling or other Bluetooth artifacts, and no one has heard any echoing so far. (B-)

5. Noise cancelling - your headset should have some form of noise cancelling technology so that others can hear you when you speak in a noisy environment. The best Bluetooth headsets available now offer DSP (digital signal processing) that filters out the noise, but the implementation of that technology is inconsistent, so having DSP does not necessarily mean you will be happy with performance in noisy conditions. The nXZen has a pretty advanced noise cancellation system that utilizes two microphones, one closer to your voice than the other. It performed admirably in windy conditions. I have used it in a couple of other noisy environments with satisfactory results. (A-) (Note: If I were grading on a curve, it would get an A+, because I have never tested a better DSP headset).

6. Sound isolation design - The noise cancellation is helpful for outgoing sound quality, but for incoming sound, I believe that the earpiece should fit INTO the ear canal, completely blocking out outside noises so that YOU can hear your CALLER clearly. I have tested too many of the other variety, and have been disappointed by the maximum volume being too low, and also by the fact that others could sometimes hear what my caller is saying when they are standing close to me while I use it. I have a pair of Shure E5C earphones I now use for my iPod. These are inserted into the ear canal, and I can assure you from personal experience that this is the most effective means of solving the incoming sound problem. An in-ear design completely isolates the incoming sound, meaning I don't have to turn the volume up very high and can hear even in a very noisy environment. It also helps with the secure fit issue above. The nXZen does use a sound-isolation earpiece that fits into my ear, however it does not fit as well as it could into my ear canal. It has a fixed angle, and for me the angle seems incorrect. If they had put that earpiece on a swivel it would have been perfect. They do offer a range of different ear pieces; one of them is adequate, just not perfect. (B+)

7. Fast connection speed and solid connection - when your phone rings, you need the headset to react quickly. Many headsets do not, so you sometimes miss calls because of your headset's slow reaction speed. This can often be the fault of the phone's Bluetooth implementation, not just the headset. Also, you want the connection to your phone to be stable. Many headsets drop off frequently and must reestablish a connection or even be re-mated to the phone. Again, this sometimes is the fault of the phone, but not always. The connection speed of the nXZen was OK, it usually takes 5 - 8 seconds to establish a connection. Once a connection is established, the "reaction time" was very fast. (B+)

8. Excellent battery life - you want your headset to need charging as infrequently as the phone itself. In other words, you want it to last at least all day, then you just need to remember to charge it when you charge your phone. I have used the nXZen all day for several days now and have yet to use up the battery on any given day. I have recharged it each night. This meets my criteria very well. (A)

9. Low battery indicator - you want to know if your headset is getting close to being out of juice. I have not experienced running out of batteries yet on the nXZen. I will update when that happens. (No grade yet.)

10. Features - you want to be able to initiate calls from the headset, and you want support for voice recognition if your phone offers that, so that you can literally dial and end calls without ever touching your phone. I don't have voice dial on my phone so I have not tested that feature. I am happy with the function of the buttons and the ease of use. I have initiated and ended calls with the multifunction button, which is easy to locate and use with the headset on. So, so far this is an (A).

I plan to test the Plantronics 645, which has not yet been released but is due out any day. Also of interest is the Jabra JX-10, which I have not had my hands on yet. I would say these are the only two other headsets worthy of testing right now. I have not tested any other headset that scored even a C+ on my criteria.

It has become clear to me that some headsets do better on certain phones and worse on others. My tests have all been done on one phone, my new BlackBerry 8700c. This headset is an A- overall. I'm keeping it!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's the best Bluetooth headset on the market., June 9, 2006

By 

T. Lynn Brown "Lynn" (Hoover, Alabama United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gennum nXZEN Plus 5500 Bluetooth Headset Frontwave Extreme (Wireless Phone Accessory)

Let me start this by saying, I'm a frequent business traveler and heavy user. I've been using "The Boom" for all of my calls. It's wired but is so good that know one ever knows I'm not in my office. However, the wired headset is getting old and cumbersome.

On with the review.

my phone is a Treo 700w. I read several reviews stating the 700 wasn't compatible with the nxzen. I email the company and asking them and received an answer the next day - that it was compatible with any 1.1 or 1.2 Bluetooth comparable phone. So, over the past month, I've tested the following headsets:

1. plantronics 640 2 stars (a tremendous amount of static)
2. plantronics 510 3 stars (a little tough hear not good voice)
3. Jabra BT800 4 stars (liked this not secure on ear, big)
4. Jabra Jx10 4 stars (excellent but outgoing voice so so)
5. Logitech HS03 3 stars (hurt my ear but not bad)
6. Gennum nXZEN 5 stars (of what's available the best)


As much as I love my "Boom" it's become quite cumbersome traveling as much as I do and I felt like the newer generation of Bluetooth headset should offer decent quality and I could give up the wired headset.

(I was disappointed in the overall performance of all the headsets. I think or thought we should be at a point, from a tech stand point, where we could have a good headset.)

My first call was to my wife, who is the ultimate critic, as the old saying goes "if momma ain't happy then no one's going to be happy". I called her from the car, with the radio on. With every other headset listed above she immediately said turn the radio off. This time she didn't mention it. I ask her if she could hear it and she "no". So I changed radio stations and turned up the volume and again she couldn't hear it. I spoke with her all the way to my destination without a single complaint. Later in the day, I called her standing at the entrance of an ER (I'm put in hospital software) with an exhaust fan going. She never made a comment. When I ask her about the environmental noise she said she couldn't hear it. My wife has given me grief over my headsets since I started trying to find one that worked. The only two that has met her standard is (1.) the boom {wired} and (2.) the nXZEN and I promise you I purchased every wired headset on the market. Anyway, I made my first conference call yesterday and didn't have a single complaint in regards to them having trouble hearing me.

For the record all of the above headsets worked pretty good in a quite environment. The Jabra Jx10 had the best outgoing audio, with the rest close behind, in a quite environment. The plantronics 640 had the worst "static" of the headsets but was the most comfortable. You couldn't put your phone on your belt and carry a conversation. Most everyone I spoke with said the same thing, "you sound like you're on a headset".

The Pro's:
* It has the best out bound audio in a noisy environment of any Bluetooth headset on the market.
* The battery life is very good. I didn't run the battery down with a day of normal use. Unlike the plantronics 640 I had to charge, more then once, over the course of the day.
* I haven't gotten the "Bluetooth static" like the others with the 640 being the worse.
* It's comfortable and secure but the in the ear design, which I prefer, can be a little intimidating. Some softer ear gels would go a long way. It goes INTO the ear canal. Whereas the 640 was ultra comfortable followed by the Jx10, comparatively speaking.
* Before I purchased the nXZEN I emailed customer service twice and got a response by the next day. So I feel that's a positive.
* It comes with a USB travel charger! (1 less large cord to carry).

The cons:
* Occasionally the callers voice has seem muffled. You can adjust the audio with a graphics equalizer that comes with the software but I haven't done that yet.
* It's not as responsive as the Jx10 as far as working with the Treo. It's taking up to 6 seconds to connect to an outgoing call
* The same thing with incoming calls
* The controls are confusing at best, hold the pinch, press the side etc etc.


All in All the positives far out weigh the negatives. This is the best Bluetooth headset I've found. The most important feature to me is the noise cancelling option. That's a must with any headset, especially if you do any business with your phone.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Given a chance, it is a great little BT headset, July 15, 2006

By 

E. Ravage (Midwest United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gennum nXZEN Plus 5500 Bluetooth Headset Frontwave Extreme (Wireless Phone Accessory)

I had to give this headset about a week to grow on me. Forget about the other Bluetooth headsets you may have had, the 5500 is a different animal. In-ear audio, harder button pressing, small form factor are just a few things. Superior range is a nice feature. I have found that I leave this headset on ALL DAY. I wouldn't call it plush comfortable, however, it is barely noticeable and I forget I have it on. The nice thing with the in-ear design is the fact that you can hear if you are gettting a call in a noisy environment. The beeps and buttons do take a little getting used to, but give the nXZEN PLUS 5500 a chance and I think you will like it.=]