I've used the Motorola S9s for over a year and was very close to buying the Jaybird JB-200i as a replacement. But I'm glad I held off and got the Altec Lansing 906 BackBeat Bluetooth stereo headset. Here's why:
Overall, I'm still happy with my Motorola S9s but my original set suffered the same fate as those who warned me about it - the buttons are so sensitive they stopped responding entirely. At the end, all I had left was one working button - track skip forward, which isn't much help for listening to music, taking calls or adjusting volume. The buttons failed within my 1 year warranty so I called Motorola and got a free replacement. Nice. However I began shopping around for a replacement since I knew eventually the buttons would stop working again, as has been widely reported. The headphones are great but they just don't seem to last. And I also wished the S9's didn't have that band with the Bluetooth receiver behind my neck because it prevents you from resting your head on a sofa or pillow and enjoying the music. A minor quibble but still an issue.
Okay, so enter the JayBird JB-200i. It seemed like a great replacement for the Motorola S9 and it had a wire going behind your neck instead of that band on the S9, so resting your head back is not a problem. Overall, the headset seemed ok but I've never heard of the JayBird company and was concerned about product quality and customer support. In reading reviews, it seems the JayBirds are buggy and the sound is only so-so, hence why I remained on the fence for months. I figured I'd just keep using my warranty replacement S9s until they broke too, and in the meantime, see if JayBird fixed the bugs and sound quality or if someone else released something better.
Enter the Altec Lansing 906 BackBeat!!!
The BackBeats are very similar in design to the JayBirds. So much so, I thought JayBird had released a better model. I was pleasantly surprised to see the BackBeats were actually Altec Lansing! I've been aware of the company for some time and they have a great reputation. The BackBeats have made improvements on both the JayBird and Motorola S9 design, such as:
Stereo Calls:
That's right! Hear callers in BOTH ears!!! At first, this might seem redundant. But this was a minor quibble I had with the S9. I kept feeling like one ear was plugged while listening to callers in only one ear. I know standard headsets are in one ear only, but if I'm already wearing a set of headphones in both ears, what's the big deal to let me hear the call in both ears too?!? The BackBeats solve this gripe and it's actually pretty cool to hear callers in both ears. Definitely cuts ambient noise and makes it easier to hear callers and I no longer feel like one of my ears is plugged up while talking!
Call Quality:
Friends I speak to regularly on my Motorola S9's have noticed a marked improvement in sound clarity now that I'm speaking to them on the 906 BackBeat. I credit this to the dual mics in the headset.
Dual Mics:
Here is yet another product featuring dual mics, and these are Plantronics quality no less! Dual mics seem to be an emerging feature on better quality products and I notice a marked improvement in performance, at least in the products I own. I liken it to the same as having two eyes and two ears - two mics offer better interpretation of sounds and the result is better audio quality when speaking to callers. It's a great feature that I'm continually impressed with.
Music Volume:
The 906 BackBeat is one of the louder headsets I recall owning. Certainly much louder than the Motorola S9 or any wired earbuds I've had in recent years! This is particularly useful in noisy environments like the gym, outdoors, near traffic and if ya just plain ol' like to listen to loud music! ;) In fact, I've even had to turn down the volume with certain loud speaking callers or music!
Bass Boost:
This headset features Bass Boost, which almost sounds comical in a headset so small. But the fact of the matter is, it works and sounds great! It defiantly improves the bass and dynamic range of both calls and music. And if you like Audio Books, Bass Boost helps with some softer spoken Audible books I like!
Audio Clarity:
For a tiny set of headphones I have to say the music quality is great. Better than my S9's for sure! I listen to music on my phone every day and don't own an MP3 player. So it's my only source of mobile music on the go. My music has never sounded better than it does with these BackBeats!
Bluetooth Range:
The range itself is no better or worse than my S9's, working flawlessly indoors with possibly slightly better range. Outdoors, you do get some static depending on environmental conditions. Sometimes I need to hold my phone in my hand as opposed to in my pocket while walking as all the jostling around does make the sound cut in and out. But I'm fine with that since I'm used to it with the S9's. Bluetooth isn't a perfect science. But I tell ya, once you get used to wireless headphones, there's no going back and you learn to live with some minor quirks. Beats having your head yanked whenever a corded set of earbuds gets pulled, or worse, the buds get yanked out of your ears entirely. No thanks!
Easy Buttons:
As mentioned, the buttons on my S9 burned out and it's a known issue with that headset. I did like that the buttons are ultra sensitive and light to the touch, but unfortunately, that's also what makes them burn out. Contrarily, the 906 BackBeats have sturdier buttons that click when pressed and seem more durable. But the S9 did skip through music tracks faster and you could initiate a call using the S9's call button. Unfortunately, the BackBeat does NOT support initiating a call via the headset call button. You can answer a call, yes, just not make a call. If you want to make a call you have to dial the number and press Send on your phone. A bit of a drag, but then, voice dialing often doesn't work well for me so initiating a call from the phone is something I had to do 50% of the time anyway, regardless of what headset I'm using.
Simple Paring:
Bluetooth pairing isn't the pain it used to be. Just put your phone in discovery mode and you'll be connected in less than a minute.
Compact Design - Comfort Fit:
It is a little tricky learning how to get the fit exactly the way you want but once I figured out the best configuration for my ears, the 906 BackBeat stays on nicely and are a good fit. Telescoping and pivoting earbud stems are easily adjustable and help get the custom fit. I'm pretty active and I can tell these aren't going anywhere and won't fall off. And they're very comfy too; I don't even know I'm wearing them. And I like the compact design. A pet peeve of mine is that most stereo Bluetooth headsets look like Princess Lea's famous hair; 2 huge disks on the sides of your head! No thanks!! Can't justify spending top dollar for compact phones and technology only to look like an idiot with huge headphones! That's a big reason why I selected the S9 to begin with and then was focused on the JayBirds -- most everyone else made hideous looking stereo headsets! And I was thrilled to find the 906 BackBeat was the latest addition to the genre, and for me, look best overall.
I'm very happy with the Altec Lansing 906 BackBeat stereo headset. Top quality music sound, great sounding calls, loud volume, good fit and a good upgrade from my aging Motorola S9. Go for it!!