Customer Reviews

Motorola S305 Bluetooth Stereo Headset w/ Microphone (Black)[Retail Packaging]

5 star:		(573)
4 star:		(462)
3 star:		(129)
2 star:		(100)
1 star:		(153)

 

 

I purchased this product with the intention of pairing to my phone for running and working out. Wired headphones and earbuds have a tendency to not allow for free motion and sometimes get snagged on weights, benches, etc. I had several primary concerns for these headphones, and couldn't find the information I needed anywhere else, so I hope this review serves to answer some questions for you. Please note that this details my experience after 30 days of use.

Quality of Construction: These headphones feel decidedly cheap. I have a pair of wrap-around (wired) headphones that cost $10 that seems to have sturdier construction. Upon taking these out of the package, I felt like taking them off too roughly, or something falling on them, could damage or break the frame. After 30 days of use, they still feel cheap, but I am not so afraid that I will break them. While it is a very real possibility that a less careful person (read: spouse) or accident will break these, extending some consideration to fragile electronics makes me think that the frames breaking is not how these will end their life.

Quality of Sound: When running or working out, I am content if the headphones are 1) loud enough 2) not flat and 3) easily adjustable for conditions. These do well on all counts. I have noticed that some songs are too loud, some not loud enough -- but this is because of the source, not the headphones. There is good range of sound, sufficient bass and treble to please my ears while I exercise. Further, the positioning of the volume controls allows me to make adjustments without breaking stride -- the placement of the Play/Pause and the Forward and Back controls allows me to skip songs without skipping a step. (Please note: if your device does not support use of the Play/Pause, Forward and Back buttons, it is not the fault of these Headphones. I suggest you consult your phone or device's documentation if you are not sure whether it supports AVRCP)

Sweat Resistance: This is the big one, and the one that most reviews don't touch on. As I was searching for something I could wear while exercising, whether it would stand up to some sweat is extremely important. These have done well so far. I have noticed some sweat on the lower half of each ear-piece during workout but have not experienced any problems from this yet. I have worn them on intense interval workouts and long runs (10 mile) and they still function as well as new. I would caution that these do tend to keep the ears quite warm, and do seem to contribute to sweating -- I would not wear these in the summer, or in warm climates. Your experience may differ, as I live in a state with high humidity. (Special Note: After feeling sweat all over my head and worrying about these breaking, I spent a few dollars for an Under Armour beanie that keeps the sweat from rolling down my head. Definitely a good purchase, as it helps regulate my body temperature and significantly cuts down on the moisture that accumulates on the headphones)


Minor issues: The headphones sometimes skip or gap, depending on the location of the broadcasting device. This rarely happens and is not too irritating when it does. Call quality has been praised and I have never had anybody guess I was using speakerphone, headphones, in a well, etc. Battery life seems good, I can use them for approximately 5 or 6 hours without needing to recharge them. Recharging takes a touch less than 2 hours with the Micro-USB adapter.

Overall: I am quite satisfied with my purchase. These are not exactly what I thought I would need, but are definitely functioning as I hoped they would. For the price paid, I do not expect them to last forever, but anticipate that when they do stop working, I will quickly order a replacement pair of the same model. In my estimation, of you are searching for a pair of headphones that you can use while exercising, if you are worried about sweating, and if you are not extremely demanding of your electronics, I would strongly suggest these headphones. I rate them 4/5 because of concerns about the durability of the frame - even a slight concern is enough to withhold a perfect score - but would give them a 4.5 if possible.

I bought these music headphones/phone headset directly from Motorola when they first came out, so I have been using them now for five months. I was waiting a long time for something like this and they have exceeded all my expectations.

You can download the quick start user guide from Motorola here:

http://www.motorola.com/staticfiles/Support/US-EN/Mobile%20Phones%20Accessories/S305/US-EN/_Documents/Static%20Files/S305_QSG_EN_SP_68000201969A.pdf

Fit: 5 out of 5.

I wear glasses so fit was crucial for me, and they work perfectly fine while wearing them. I often wear them while riding my bike along the lakefront at Chicago, and they fit perfectly at the back of my head below the edge of my bike helmet.

Sound: 5 out of 5.

I continue to be amazed at the sound on these, deep rich bass and many subtle sounds.
Also they have lots of volume. I first set the volume at max on my cellphone, which is a free-on-contract Motorola EM330 music phone. At top volume these headphones are loud enough for me to hear them on Chicago's subway train (the EL). Some snobby audiophiles complain that these are not as good as their wired $200 headphones while listening in a totally silent room. Some people cannot be pleased! Also if you don't first max your volume on your cellphone you won't get the best quality sound.

Also since they are not in my ear canal, and not completely surrounding my ear to block out the sound, I find them to be quite safe since I can still hear the world around me while on my bicycle.

While on a call the person on the other end does not know I am using a blue tooth headset.
I hear the sound of the call in both ears and the microphone is high quality, and you have to search for the little elongated mic hole to point it out to people who ask about your headphones!

Features: 5 out of 5.

Your cellphone must have the correct bluetooth profiles for these to work fully: A2DP (Audio Profile), AVRCP (Remote Control Profile).
Many APPLE products DO NOT HAVE AVRCP and then their users INCORRECTLY COMPLAIN about the headphones missing the capabiliy of next track and previous track.

These headphones feature the following abilities:
* Take calls (press the telephone button at the top flat side to pickup).
* Make calls (press and hold the telephone button to call the last number dialled).
* Reject a call (press either the next track or previous track button)
* Mute/Unmute a call (press the Play/Pause button)

* Play music (press the play/pause button at the bottom flat side to play or pause)
* Pause music (press the play/pause button)
* Stop music (press and hold the play/pause button)

* Next track (press the next track button at the right flat side)
* Previous track (press the previous track button at the right flat side)
* You can also fast-forward or rewind by holding either the next track or previous track button.

* The volume controls are on the top edge along with the power button. The volume buttons have ridges you can feel with your finger, and when you increase the volume the headphones make a indicator sound increasing or reducing in volume/tone.

* Also depending on the capabilities of your phone you may be able to use these for voice control of your phone, by pressing and holding the make a call button.

Connection: 4.5 out of 5.

They receive the music through walls and even downstairs as I walk around in my condo listening to the music.
They actually do receive up to 33 feet away! So far away that I sometimes forget where I left my phone while I am listening to music on it!

When I am out walking and they are in my left side back pocket, I sometimes (but quite rarely) lose connection for a second, due I think to my body mass blocking the signal. I think the Bluetooth receiver is in the right side of the headphones, so if I move the phone to the front or right pocket, or even turn it over, the problem goes away. However, this rare problem may also be due to the phone not this headset.

Controls: 5 out of 5.

Having so many controls in such a small space is initially confusing, but you can soon the get hang of it and certainly is done by one hand. I do not stop my bike just to change tracks! I usually have no problems clicking the correct button with my right hand.

If I am slightly confused I can feel for lump where the headband is connected on the right, just beside this is the next-track button. Directly back from it is the back track, which I use to repeat a favorite song. Straight down is play/pause.


Usage Tips:
Set the volume of your music player to the maximum, and then control the volume using the headphones. In this way you get the best quality sound and the highest range of volume.

At the start of music day, I power up the headphones and they make a pleasing chirp sound in my ears.
Then I just press the PLAY button. The phone then communicates with the headphones making the two bluetooth connections (audio and remote control) while I hear a bleep each time. Then the music starts. At this point I lock the buttons on my phone to prevent it for switching tracks by accident in my pocket or bag.

When I am finished using them I turn them off completely, instead of leaving them on standby. Otherwise I might get a phone call that will ring in the headphones which are not on my head, so I miss the call.

When I power them off, I first stop the music, otherwise the music will suddenly start playing out of my phone speaker!

Note: Read 'edit' comments added at the bottom

I too did a lot of research on bluetooth headsets in preparation for OS 3.0. In-ear headphones bother me (recently found the wired PMX-80 II painful), and I need to be able to hear traffic around me while riding my ebike, so on-ears are pretty much what I am looking for.

My paper analysis showed this S305 and the Nokia BH-503 Wireless Stereo Headset to be likely candidates. I got this because I found it locally first, at Frys. Suprisingly, it was about 20% cheaper there than Amazon - although I got the only one they had.

It paired easily with my iPhone 3G with OS 3.0, and on the iphone these functions work:
1) Volume Up/Down (local to the headphones only, it does not adjust the volume on the iphone, nor does changing the volume on the iphone have any affect on the headphones)
2) Pause/Play - song stops and resumes
3) Stop/start - holding the pause/play button down stops the song, and if you press it again the song starts at the beginning
4) Call answer/disconnect
5) Microphone - the headphones' built-in microphone works just fine with the iphone. I was worried I was going to still have to use the old talk-into-the-bottom-of-the-iphone-while-wearing-headphones trick, which was great when I was wired, but not convenient if I leave my iphone buried in the bottom of a bag because I have wireless headphones.

The only thing that doesn't seem to work with iPhone 3G are the next song/previous song buttons, which I already knew about, so I am thrilled that everything else does work.

Range is exceptional - I was able to get 15-20' away, through 2 walls, and still have signal. I used to have the original, bulky Logitech F0361A bluetooth on an ipod, and sometimes my body position would be enough to block signal (Note - I personally verified that the Logitech F0361A does NOT work with the iphone, and I have heard that the Freepulse does not work either).

Microphone quality is passible. People seem to be able to understand me OK, about as well as with any of the quality bluetooth earpieces I have tried.

Headphone sound quality is acceptable. I found the 'loudness' EQ setting on the iPhone matched my sound preferences the best, wheras with my old logitechs I preferred the 'classical' EQ. They might be on par with my old PMX-60's (no EQ). I miss the detail of my Sennheiser PMX-100's (no EQ) but I am willing to trade a certain amount of quality for wireless freedom - especially since I don't have to mess with a bluetooth transmitter flopping around. It is another thing to plug in and charge though.

Fit is comfortable, I have an average-to large size head. They ride lighter on my ears than I expected, and don't seem to interfere with head movement. The 'Princess Leia' effect is on par with wired on-ear headphones. My wife usually complains about on-ear headphones clamping her head too tightly, but she likes these as much as her PMX-60's.

What else? Control buttons are easily to find, the volume buttons feel kinda loose and rattly, so I am worried they may blow around in the wind on my ebike, and make noise. EDIT - no rattling noise problems, and the volume was plently load to overcome wind noise while riding at speed - EDIT. I'll report back on Battery Life.

After turning off my 3G, I was able to pair this with my wife's 1st-Generation iPhone. However, sound only came out of the iPhone not the headphones, and the controls did not work, even though the bluetooth icon was lit and the headphones indicator was blinking green. We forgot to try calls, mabe that works, but I don't see the point of using headphones only for calls. She'll have my 3G as soon as I score the 3GS though so it won't matter.

Edit: Shortly After I wrote this review, I purchased the Nokia bh-503. They are heavier and larger than the S305, but they sounded MUCH MUCH better, and the microphone quality is much better. I ended up returning the s305's. If I was a runner, I might appreciate the s305 more, but the Nokia BH-503 is just fine on my ebike.

Also, the new OS3.1 allows the iPhone 3GS to use voice commands from bluetooth headsets. This means I can press the 'power' button until it dings, the phone answers with a chime, and I can say 'Call Robert' or 'Play artist pink floyd' or 'Play next song' or 'Play previous song'. Those last two commands are especially important, since Apple has blocked the next/previous buttons on bluetooth headsets, even though it is a standard part of the bluetooth profile.

Oh, and I ended up getting Mrs. Oatnet a 3GS too - and selling my 3G on ebay paid for most of the upgrade.

Length:: 2:31 Mins

You will love these headphones if you can live with the following pitfalls that I experienced:

- The +- volume button are a bit loose and make noise if you are bouncing up and down. This could be solved by putting a peice of tape over those buttons, but why should you have to do that in the first place? I cannot hear this noise when I am on the elliptical at the gym or lifting weights; although running on the teadmill or doing sit-ups would cause this noise to trigger.

- The headphones stopped working within in a month or so. I assume due to usage at the gym. So do not go exercising and expect these things to survive.

- Customer service from Motorola is very questionable. It took around 8-9 calls for the replacement to ship. Apparently their computer system to process the order was down, and on several occasions I was told that it should be back up in 1-2 hours, and it ended up taking about 4-5 days.

Overall, great headphones for the price. I love having no wires to deal with, but there are the pitfalls above.

if you're on the move and enjoy music this is for you.
Good sound quality. it doesn't skip or any problems when you are hiking or running.
Other bluetooth stereo headsets sometimes skips.
powerful range. Good battery. Full control on the set like stop/start, volume control etc...
I used 5 different models of various brands.Bass level is better than other models.

I bought these because the usual Bluetooth devices won't stay in my ear. These headphones work awesome! The sound is very good, although don't expect DJ headphone-quality tones - they will distort on heavy bass or high volume.

Most importantly, the microphone works very well. I've had multiple people tell me it sounds like I'm holding my G1, not speaking through a Bluetooth device. Cost is reasonable, and style is cool, too.

5/5

** EDIT ** I have since purchased Motorola HT820 and for phone calls, these are far superior. For music, HT820 is a little better, but I added this note to state that S305 is just so good for phone calls, it eclipses even higher-level offerings from the same company. Oh, I've also left them out in the rain, worked out with them, sat on them, etc etc and they still function just as when I purchased. One of my best purchases ever! 11/24/10

My first month with these headphones were great. Worked well and I didn't have any of the issues other iphone4 users had. The next and previous buttons did work for me as well as the voice commands. BUT, the damn things just started acting up. While listening to the music they would constantly cut out, very agrivating. I tested my iphone with other bluetooth items and they all worked fine so I know it was the headphones. To boot, it all started right after the return date!!!!

These are fantastic headphones! I paired them up with my iphone and laptop, and I was shocked at how good they sound for wireless. No cracks or pops or hissing. They sound as good as any other wired headphones I have. I had some issues getting them to work with windows 7 (32 bit), but found if you just get drivers from [...] it all works well.

Battery life seemed good, about 4 hours of music. Charging is fast. One down side is you can't charge while using them. The fit very well and look pretty cool. I wish they were a bit thinner though, as they look a tad bulky. I used them at the gym, and I felt so free having no cables. Very liberating. I also tried them with my iphone for calls and everyone said I sounded clear. It all works as it should. Very impressed for my first pair of bluetooth headphones. Don't wait another second to get a pair!

I bought this set mostly for listening to music, and I am satisfied.

The set is comfortable, pleasant to ears (unlike isolating earbuds), has decent sound quality and good battery life. It works smoothly with iPhone 3G 3.0 through A2DP, though not through AVRCP (you can stop/resume, but not skip, rewind, etc.). Perhaps it will with 3Gs...

The cups are not isolating, so this is rather for relatively quiet environments. I was fine with it in a car, but a plane would be too much...




Amazingly, the people I talk to over the phone claim that they hear me well, although there is no visible microphone shaft. Presumably, the quality is much better than Plantronics Voyager 855 Bluetooth Headset that I also have, and that has a microphone shaft. My ears burn from isolating Plantronics buds...