- Lightweight and comfortable
- Ideal for listening to music on the go
- Headset delivers high quality Stereo Audio and Full Calling features in a sleek, comfortable design
Technical Details
Product Details
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Product Description
Samsung HS3000 Stereo Bluetooth Clip with 3.5mm earbuds Bluetooth enabled phones and devices
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
210 of 219 people found the following review helpful
By GarDog (km)
Amazon Verified Purchase
I couldn't decide which product was better nor could I find anyone that had compared each of these side by side, so I am attempting to do so now:
Setup:
Upon purchasing and receiving the two Bluetooth Headset Adapters, I unboxed and charged them fully before testing. I utilized the headsets that came with the units along with a control set of Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 vi In Ear Monitors. I tested everything with my Apple iPhone 4s (Sprint) using iOS 5.0.1 and my Late 2011 MacBook Pro 15" using OS 10.7.3 (Lion) for the tests. Music comparisons used were Creed - Full Circle, Les Miserables - The Complete Symphonic Recording, Beethoven -The Immortal Collection and Nightwish - Angels Fall First. I also utilized World of Warcraft for gaming on my laptop with these headsets as well playing for at least an hour while questing.
Unboxing:
It goes without saying (but I'll say it here anyway), that most of these devices have a generic look and feel to them. I mean how much can you do with a Bluetooth Headset adapter? Even so, the packaging was actually very well done on both items. No plastic to cut, no annoying twist ties to get anything out of the box. Just the closed box and tape holding the flap closed. Both the Sony and the Samsung had nice presentation of the device and both were very easy to remove and start using. Both of these devices utilize MicroUSB chargers, so if you have other devices that use those connections, you only need to carry one type of charger to charge all of them.
Initial Thoughts:
After the unboxing and initial charging of both items, I decided to take a closer look at each item. Here are the lists of my thoughts on each item upon first inspection:
Sony: I really like the display on this device. Very bright when needed and then shuts off. No annoying flashing lights or any other attention getting gimmicks. The buttons are nice to the touch and the Play/Pause button is slightly raised to make it easy to hit it. I dislike the push and hold power on button as I prefer the sliding switch, but it wasn't like Sony used the button for anything else, so not a problem. The clip on the MW600 seems a bit weak and seems a bit on the flimsy side, so that might be a problem. BTW, this device has a radio and it does support RDS so it shows the song title, station ID, etc, but this feature is useless for me as I can't stand to listen to commercials so, I don't use the radio. The size of the this device is very nice, but for clipping on my work shirts, this item is a bit thicker than I'd like. The charging port on this device is open... I am not sure that I care to have the connectors open all of the time on this device while wearing this potentially everywhere. I am sure this was done to avoid using dust covers, but I think this would have been a good idea.
Samsung: I like the feel of this device in the hands... It feels sturdy without being heavy or bulky. I dislike the single blue/purple/red LED on the front of the device to indicate battery, use, etc as I dislike attention getting flashing lights, but LED is useful as it does indicate the battery level. I really like the power switch on this device. It the perfect tension as to not turn on when you don't want it to and not too stiff as to require too much force to turn it on. I have the Bose Bluetooth headset that I often turn on by accident when putting away, so this switch is a nice change from that headset. Also the Play/Pause button is indented slightly from the other buttons making it easy to find as well. Personally, I think I like the button better on the Sony as my fingers naturally find the extended button easier than the indented one... But I supposed engineers for Samsung were worried someone might accidentally press it if anything stuck out. Only time will tell on that. This device is the larger of the two being roughly twice the width of the Sony device, but it's half as thick. I think this will be better for my work shirts as I can hide most of this device in the shirt. The clip is very nicely done on this device and the charging port has a dust cover.
Initial Usage:
After turning the devices on and pairing with my phone and computer, here are my thoughts on their usage before I take them out with me on the road. BTW, pairing on each of these devices was very simple and I never had to enter a code anywhere for the devices to work. Incidentally, if you decide to use these devices the pin code for both is 0000 if required by your phone or computer. Oh and both devices worked with Siri on the iPhone. I was pleasantly surprised how well both functioned. Also, both headset adapters came with headphones that have a short cable... This is very nice because it allows for the wearer to have the clip where it can be reached without 4 foot of extra cable hanging about.
Sony: I have to say that the display is the nicest feature of this device. It shows when you need pairing and when the device is connected. It shows the time on the display once connected to my phone and while playing the track is displayed as well. When using the next or previous buttons, it also shows what's happening as well. Also, the battery indicator is always present on the display as the battery graph most phones have today. After playing with the basic functions of the headset, I found that everything was very well done except the volume buttons. I guess you really can't call them buttons and it's not really a slide either. The surface is flat and has very slight marking indicating + and - and you slide your finger in the direction of either to turn it up or down. Two things about this make this a really by design. 1) You can't figure out which is which by feel. Without looking at the device it is hard to figure out how to turn up or down the volume. 2) It is very easy to change the volume accidentally while handing the device. Since this design doesn't work with an indentation or some other means of force, while holding the device to look at the time you can easily change the volume of your music/call/radio. This device supports multiple devices so when pairing with a computer and a phone you don't have to pair each time you use it. Not sure how useful this item really is, but could be nice for those that use more than one device to connect to their headphones. Volume changes on the headset does change the volume on the phone. This is nice for the fact that you can change the volume from either the phone or the headset and the volume indicators are the same.
Samsung: The coolest feature of this device is the voice prompts. Immediately on startup you have a Voice Prompt of Power On. Further, it goes into pairing mode and gives you the code while waiting for you to connect. A nice feature as you don't have to look up anything. When you flip the switch, it gives you a voice prompt of Power Off... It seems a bit basic, but it is actually nice when you have the confirmation without having to look at the device to tell if it's on or off. (BTW, you can turn off the Voice Prompts.) The button layout seems to be setup nicely for operating everything by touch. All buttons are slightly different places or offset in comparison to other buttons, so it makes it easy to determine which side of the device and which button you are actually going to depress. My biggest disappointment here is Sound Alive feature. While some people may like their bluetooth devices to control EQ, I do not. If I want to adjust the EQ, I want my Music Player to do it... So this feature means that when you press the button, the audio changed to add or remove Bass. While I can see this being useful on Phone calls, this button works all of the time, so I have to be careful to not turn on the feature. This is one of those items I would prefer a press and hold to enable it. The feature I like best on this phone is the volume control. Unlike the Sony, I can change the volume on the phone and the headset adapter independently. This gives me a very nice granular control of how loud or soft I can make the volume. When using the IEMs (In Ear Monitors) this feature is very nice. I can turn down the volume enough to sleep with at home or turn it up enough to work at noisy environments equally. I can see how some people wouldn't like this, but since my IEMs have 26 DB of sound attenuation, I have a very quiet noise floor to start from and I can thereby keep my music volume very low while maintaining a good volume in ear. This keeps my hearing in tact while allowing for a very enjoyable listening experience.
Audio Quality:
Let me start on this section with a bit of theory and human nature. First, I am an audio engineer for a medium sized church and I do live sound mixing 8 hours a week. Further, I have to train others to run the mixer for live sound often enough that I know a thing or two about how people perceive sound. Since most people don't listen for hours on end to the details that comprise music (IE how well the drum mix works with the vocal mix, etc) and since most people can't hear the difference between the 128Kbps and the 256Kbps MP3s they get from Amazon or elsewhere, I am not going into an expanded discussion on how good or bad these are. I am not saying that people won't notice that something is different, I am saying they won't know what is different or how the difference effects their music experience. Read more ›
Setup:
Upon purchasing and receiving the two Bluetooth Headset Adapters, I unboxed and charged them fully before testing. I utilized the headsets that came with the units along with a control set of Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 vi In Ear Monitors. I tested everything with my Apple iPhone 4s (Sprint) using iOS 5.0.1 and my Late 2011 MacBook Pro 15" using OS 10.7.3 (Lion) for the tests. Music comparisons used were Creed - Full Circle, Les Miserables - The Complete Symphonic Recording, Beethoven -The Immortal Collection and Nightwish - Angels Fall First. I also utilized World of Warcraft for gaming on my laptop with these headsets as well playing for at least an hour while questing.
Unboxing:
It goes without saying (but I'll say it here anyway), that most of these devices have a generic look and feel to them. I mean how much can you do with a Bluetooth Headset adapter? Even so, the packaging was actually very well done on both items. No plastic to cut, no annoying twist ties to get anything out of the box. Just the closed box and tape holding the flap closed. Both the Sony and the Samsung had nice presentation of the device and both were very easy to remove and start using. Both of these devices utilize MicroUSB chargers, so if you have other devices that use those connections, you only need to carry one type of charger to charge all of them.
Initial Thoughts:
After the unboxing and initial charging of both items, I decided to take a closer look at each item. Here are the lists of my thoughts on each item upon first inspection:
Sony: I really like the display on this device. Very bright when needed and then shuts off. No annoying flashing lights or any other attention getting gimmicks. The buttons are nice to the touch and the Play/Pause button is slightly raised to make it easy to hit it. I dislike the push and hold power on button as I prefer the sliding switch, but it wasn't like Sony used the button for anything else, so not a problem. The clip on the MW600 seems a bit weak and seems a bit on the flimsy side, so that might be a problem. BTW, this device has a radio and it does support RDS so it shows the song title, station ID, etc, but this feature is useless for me as I can't stand to listen to commercials so, I don't use the radio. The size of the this device is very nice, but for clipping on my work shirts, this item is a bit thicker than I'd like. The charging port on this device is open... I am not sure that I care to have the connectors open all of the time on this device while wearing this potentially everywhere. I am sure this was done to avoid using dust covers, but I think this would have been a good idea.
Samsung: I like the feel of this device in the hands... It feels sturdy without being heavy or bulky. I dislike the single blue/purple/red LED on the front of the device to indicate battery, use, etc as I dislike attention getting flashing lights, but LED is useful as it does indicate the battery level. I really like the power switch on this device. It the perfect tension as to not turn on when you don't want it to and not too stiff as to require too much force to turn it on. I have the Bose Bluetooth headset that I often turn on by accident when putting away, so this switch is a nice change from that headset. Also the Play/Pause button is indented slightly from the other buttons making it easy to find as well. Personally, I think I like the button better on the Sony as my fingers naturally find the extended button easier than the indented one... But I supposed engineers for Samsung were worried someone might accidentally press it if anything stuck out. Only time will tell on that. This device is the larger of the two being roughly twice the width of the Sony device, but it's half as thick. I think this will be better for my work shirts as I can hide most of this device in the shirt. The clip is very nicely done on this device and the charging port has a dust cover.
Initial Usage:
After turning the devices on and pairing with my phone and computer, here are my thoughts on their usage before I take them out with me on the road. BTW, pairing on each of these devices was very simple and I never had to enter a code anywhere for the devices to work. Incidentally, if you decide to use these devices the pin code for both is 0000 if required by your phone or computer. Oh and both devices worked with Siri on the iPhone. I was pleasantly surprised how well both functioned. Also, both headset adapters came with headphones that have a short cable... This is very nice because it allows for the wearer to have the clip where it can be reached without 4 foot of extra cable hanging about.
Sony: I have to say that the display is the nicest feature of this device. It shows when you need pairing and when the device is connected. It shows the time on the display once connected to my phone and while playing the track is displayed as well. When using the next or previous buttons, it also shows what's happening as well. Also, the battery indicator is always present on the display as the battery graph most phones have today. After playing with the basic functions of the headset, I found that everything was very well done except the volume buttons. I guess you really can't call them buttons and it's not really a slide either. The surface is flat and has very slight marking indicating + and - and you slide your finger in the direction of either to turn it up or down. Two things about this make this a really by design. 1) You can't figure out which is which by feel. Without looking at the device it is hard to figure out how to turn up or down the volume. 2) It is very easy to change the volume accidentally while handing the device. Since this design doesn't work with an indentation or some other means of force, while holding the device to look at the time you can easily change the volume of your music/call/radio. This device supports multiple devices so when pairing with a computer and a phone you don't have to pair each time you use it. Not sure how useful this item really is, but could be nice for those that use more than one device to connect to their headphones. Volume changes on the headset does change the volume on the phone. This is nice for the fact that you can change the volume from either the phone or the headset and the volume indicators are the same.
Samsung: The coolest feature of this device is the voice prompts. Immediately on startup you have a Voice Prompt of Power On. Further, it goes into pairing mode and gives you the code while waiting for you to connect. A nice feature as you don't have to look up anything. When you flip the switch, it gives you a voice prompt of Power Off... It seems a bit basic, but it is actually nice when you have the confirmation without having to look at the device to tell if it's on or off. (BTW, you can turn off the Voice Prompts.) The button layout seems to be setup nicely for operating everything by touch. All buttons are slightly different places or offset in comparison to other buttons, so it makes it easy to determine which side of the device and which button you are actually going to depress. My biggest disappointment here is Sound Alive feature. While some people may like their bluetooth devices to control EQ, I do not. If I want to adjust the EQ, I want my Music Player to do it... So this feature means that when you press the button, the audio changed to add or remove Bass. While I can see this being useful on Phone calls, this button works all of the time, so I have to be careful to not turn on the feature. This is one of those items I would prefer a press and hold to enable it. The feature I like best on this phone is the volume control. Unlike the Sony, I can change the volume on the phone and the headset adapter independently. This gives me a very nice granular control of how loud or soft I can make the volume. When using the IEMs (In Ear Monitors) this feature is very nice. I can turn down the volume enough to sleep with at home or turn it up enough to work at noisy environments equally. I can see how some people wouldn't like this, but since my IEMs have 26 DB of sound attenuation, I have a very quiet noise floor to start from and I can thereby keep my music volume very low while maintaining a good volume in ear. This keeps my hearing in tact while allowing for a very enjoyable listening experience.
Audio Quality:
Let me start on this section with a bit of theory and human nature. First, I am an audio engineer for a medium sized church and I do live sound mixing 8 hours a week. Further, I have to train others to run the mixer for live sound often enough that I know a thing or two about how people perceive sound. Since most people don't listen for hours on end to the details that comprise music (IE how well the drum mix works with the vocal mix, etc) and since most people can't hear the difference between the 128Kbps and the 256Kbps MP3s they get from Amazon or elsewhere, I am not going into an expanded discussion on how good or bad these are. I am not saying that people won't notice that something is different, I am saying they won't know what is different or how the difference effects their music experience. Read more ›
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
By R. Darrah
Amazon Verified Purchase
I have tried several of these Bluetooth clip-on or necklace style dongles (including the Jabra BT3030, Motorola SoundPilot S705, Jabra Clipper, and Bluetrek MusiCALL). All of them make your own headphones or earbuds Bluetooth capable. This works well for listening to podcasts or music while your phone rests comfortably on workout equipment, without the danger of it being pulled off by the headphone cable and go crashing to the floor, or when using your phone for other purposes, such as checking off items in rShopping List.
If your phone supports AVRCP (and many do), this device can play/pause, fast forward/rewind, and change the volume of your audio selection. However, as with all of those I have tried, you can only go forward and backward an entire track at a time. This has been true when connected to every Android Phone I have tried (G1, Nexus One, Samsung Galaxy S2). Pushing and holding is supposed to move a little bit within a track, but that never works.
Also, if your device supports HFP (most phones do), you can take calls while listening to music. There is a microphone port on the "top" side of the device, next to the headphone jack, for this purpose.
This HS3000 connects the quickest, usually only a couple of seconds, of all those I have tried. It has a dedicated slider for powering on and off, which really helps for the quick connect. The others I have tried require you to push and hold a power button for several seconds, which only increases the time it takes to connect to your phone.
This is the only dongle I have tried to feature voice prompts. It actually says things like "Ready to pair", "Power off", and "Device connected." The others just give you a sequence of beeps that you must remember what they mean. This makes the HS3000 exceptionally easy to use.
When used with a Bluetooth 3.0 capable device, the HS3000 has excellent range and resistance to interference from obstacles, such as my own body. Of those I have tried, this one comes in second, only being beaten by the Sound Pilot S705 -- which is a Bluetooth Class 1 device and is spec'd at 10 times the range (100 meters) of most devices, which are typically Class 2 (10 Meters). I can set my phone down in one room and reception is fine in nearby rooms.
Battery life, as with all of those I have tried, is good enough to listen to several (3 - 4) hours of continuous podcasts or music between charges, which take about 45 minutes.
*** And now for the bad bits
Probably the worst feature of this dongle are the tiny, incredibly similar buttons sprinkled along both sides of the device. It is almost impossible to tell by feel alone the small differences between the volume buttons and the play-related buttons on the other side. But even looking at the HS3000 itself to figure this out could be made better. The play/pause and forward/backward buttons are designated by tiny symbols indented on them. If these symbols were painted in white (or yellow), they would be much more visible than they are. I usually have to tilt the dongle back and forth until the light glints off it just right in order to see the indentations. This means that quickly pausing whatever you are listening to is usually out of the question. But even if you do manage to find the button quickly, it takes some dexterity to not also squeeze the button on the opposite side of the device simultaneously.
And what is the easiest button to press of all? The large dedicated 'Call' button on the front face of the HS3000. Pushing this button quickly answers and hangs-up on phone calls. Pressing and holding initiates a dial-by-voice feature. This is great if you are working in a call center, taking and placing calls all day, but if you are like me, you rarely (if ever) talk voice on the phone and would mostly use this device to listen to podcasts and/or music. That is where this button is a big fail. If the dongle is clipped anywhere other than your shirt pocket, it can be easy to accidentally push (and worse push-and-hold) this button, which throws you into the voice dialing system of your phone. You can't just wait for it to time out, because the microphone might hear something and then start dialing a random number from your contacts. You have to fish out your phone just to cancel the feature you didn't want in the first place. Samsung could fix this by having an option that changes the 'Call' button into the 'Play/Pause' button. Such an option could be automatically initiated when the phone connects without using the Bluetooth HFP profile. (BTW, If you tell your phone to only connect to the HS3000 for Media Audio -- not Phone Audio, then the dedicated 'Call' button does nothing, which at least eliminates the annoying accidental presses).
Second worst feature: clip-only. Some of these devices (like the BT3030 and S705) allow you to either clip the device somewhere or wear it around your neck like a necklace. The HS3000 can only be clipped somewhere. If you want to use the built-in microphone to talk on calls, finding a place to securely clip it can be challenging. If you only wear button-up shirts with pockets, it's not so much of a problem. But any other attire and you likely have a problem. The manual states that you must not clip it to a belt loop but, at least for many guys, that is the most natural place to affix it. Unfortunately, it is also the most likely place to have that big dedicated 'Call' button accidentally pressed (see above).
*** Conclusion
The HS3000 is above average in most respects, featuring easy setup, quick connection, and above average reception. Its down-sides are tiny indistinguishable buttons that are easily pressed two-at-a-time, a big 'Call' button that can be accidentally pressed (which would be so much better if it was a 'play/pause' button), and clip-onto-clothing only design.
If your phone supports AVRCP (and many do), this device can play/pause, fast forward/rewind, and change the volume of your audio selection. However, as with all of those I have tried, you can only go forward and backward an entire track at a time. This has been true when connected to every Android Phone I have tried (G1, Nexus One, Samsung Galaxy S2). Pushing and holding is supposed to move a little bit within a track, but that never works.
Also, if your device supports HFP (most phones do), you can take calls while listening to music. There is a microphone port on the "top" side of the device, next to the headphone jack, for this purpose.
This HS3000 connects the quickest, usually only a couple of seconds, of all those I have tried. It has a dedicated slider for powering on and off, which really helps for the quick connect. The others I have tried require you to push and hold a power button for several seconds, which only increases the time it takes to connect to your phone.
This is the only dongle I have tried to feature voice prompts. It actually says things like "Ready to pair", "Power off", and "Device connected." The others just give you a sequence of beeps that you must remember what they mean. This makes the HS3000 exceptionally easy to use.
When used with a Bluetooth 3.0 capable device, the HS3000 has excellent range and resistance to interference from obstacles, such as my own body. Of those I have tried, this one comes in second, only being beaten by the Sound Pilot S705 -- which is a Bluetooth Class 1 device and is spec'd at 10 times the range (100 meters) of most devices, which are typically Class 2 (10 Meters). I can set my phone down in one room and reception is fine in nearby rooms.
Battery life, as with all of those I have tried, is good enough to listen to several (3 - 4) hours of continuous podcasts or music between charges, which take about 45 minutes.
*** And now for the bad bits
Probably the worst feature of this dongle are the tiny, incredibly similar buttons sprinkled along both sides of the device. It is almost impossible to tell by feel alone the small differences between the volume buttons and the play-related buttons on the other side. But even looking at the HS3000 itself to figure this out could be made better. The play/pause and forward/backward buttons are designated by tiny symbols indented on them. If these symbols were painted in white (or yellow), they would be much more visible than they are. I usually have to tilt the dongle back and forth until the light glints off it just right in order to see the indentations. This means that quickly pausing whatever you are listening to is usually out of the question. But even if you do manage to find the button quickly, it takes some dexterity to not also squeeze the button on the opposite side of the device simultaneously.
And what is the easiest button to press of all? The large dedicated 'Call' button on the front face of the HS3000. Pushing this button quickly answers and hangs-up on phone calls. Pressing and holding initiates a dial-by-voice feature. This is great if you are working in a call center, taking and placing calls all day, but if you are like me, you rarely (if ever) talk voice on the phone and would mostly use this device to listen to podcasts and/or music. That is where this button is a big fail. If the dongle is clipped anywhere other than your shirt pocket, it can be easy to accidentally push (and worse push-and-hold) this button, which throws you into the voice dialing system of your phone. You can't just wait for it to time out, because the microphone might hear something and then start dialing a random number from your contacts. You have to fish out your phone just to cancel the feature you didn't want in the first place. Samsung could fix this by having an option that changes the 'Call' button into the 'Play/Pause' button. Such an option could be automatically initiated when the phone connects without using the Bluetooth HFP profile. (BTW, If you tell your phone to only connect to the HS3000 for Media Audio -- not Phone Audio, then the dedicated 'Call' button does nothing, which at least eliminates the annoying accidental presses).
Second worst feature: clip-only. Some of these devices (like the BT3030 and S705) allow you to either clip the device somewhere or wear it around your neck like a necklace. The HS3000 can only be clipped somewhere. If you want to use the built-in microphone to talk on calls, finding a place to securely clip it can be challenging. If you only wear button-up shirts with pockets, it's not so much of a problem. But any other attire and you likely have a problem. The manual states that you must not clip it to a belt loop but, at least for many guys, that is the most natural place to affix it. Unfortunately, it is also the most likely place to have that big dedicated 'Call' button accidentally pressed (see above).
*** Conclusion
The HS3000 is above average in most respects, featuring easy setup, quick connection, and above average reception. Its down-sides are tiny indistinguishable buttons that are easily pressed two-at-a-time, a big 'Call' button that can be accidentally pressed (which would be so much better if it was a 'play/pause' button), and clip-onto-clothing only design.
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful
By J. Yoon
Amazon Verified Purchase
I am writing this review while listening to the Samsung HS3000 Stereo Clip on Headsets and my MacBook Pro. The audio is impressive, even with the included short-cable ear buds. Anyone who has tried to use Bluetooth audio on a MacBook knows the frustrations and aggravations of this arrangement. For those who haven't MacBooks are notorious for Bluetooth performance issues.
This device uses the ATP-X codec to transfer audio at a higher quality, which is supported by Mac OS X Lion. The improvement over the older SBC of the standard Bluetooth profile is tremendous. I am using the headset while using an Apple Bluetooth Keyboard and a Bluetooth Magic Mouse. Audio is perfect with no skips, drops or artifacts. It works better and sounds better than my Motorola S9s, Plantronics 590s, or Plantronics 855s. I like those products quite well but it's not a fair comparison since the tech in the Samsung is newer.
Many reviews have commented on the size of the buttons and yes, while they are small, they are also positioned so if you are careful, it is not a problem to use the volume up/down or the play/stop/pause and track advance and rewind features. It's true they could have placed the buttons on the top surface perhaps but industrial design or electrical layout consideration won out.
On my recent flight, I streamed audio from this clip to Bose Quiet Comfort 2 headphones and it was perfect. Many folks who travel like noise cancelling headphones but until now it was a corded option only. Now you can use your favorite headphones or ear buds and still get the convenience of wireless streaming audio. The AVRCP features (play/stop/pause/ff/rew/vol) work perfectly with my iPhone, iPad and MacBook. I'm really not an Apple bigot, it works with my Windows 7 machine as well. Only the MacBook as the ATP-X codec but the audio sounds good and performs well on the other devices.
I would recommend this to anyone who wants Bluetooth and has despaired of getting decent wireless audio (especially from a MacBook).
Pros
* Use your favorite earbuds/headphones
* Battery life is as advertised
* Phenomenal audio with OS X Lion (APT-X compatible) Macs
* Remote functions work as advertised
* Phone functionality is not as good as best-in-class phone-only devices but adequate
* Inexpensive for functionality
Cons
* Small buttons take some getting use to - forget it if you have tater-tot fingers
* APT-X support is not universal on all devices so if you're a diehard, you'll still need to buy a stand-alone APT-X adapter. It still works with standard SBC in Bluetooth A2DP so you haven't lost anything.
This device uses the ATP-X codec to transfer audio at a higher quality, which is supported by Mac OS X Lion. The improvement over the older SBC of the standard Bluetooth profile is tremendous. I am using the headset while using an Apple Bluetooth Keyboard and a Bluetooth Magic Mouse. Audio is perfect with no skips, drops or artifacts. It works better and sounds better than my Motorola S9s, Plantronics 590s, or Plantronics 855s. I like those products quite well but it's not a fair comparison since the tech in the Samsung is newer.
Many reviews have commented on the size of the buttons and yes, while they are small, they are also positioned so if you are careful, it is not a problem to use the volume up/down or the play/stop/pause and track advance and rewind features. It's true they could have placed the buttons on the top surface perhaps but industrial design or electrical layout consideration won out.
On my recent flight, I streamed audio from this clip to Bose Quiet Comfort 2 headphones and it was perfect. Many folks who travel like noise cancelling headphones but until now it was a corded option only. Now you can use your favorite headphones or ear buds and still get the convenience of wireless streaming audio. The AVRCP features (play/stop/pause/ff/rew/vol) work perfectly with my iPhone, iPad and MacBook. I'm really not an Apple bigot, it works with my Windows 7 machine as well. Only the MacBook as the ATP-X codec but the audio sounds good and performs well on the other devices.
I would recommend this to anyone who wants Bluetooth and has despaired of getting decent wireless audio (especially from a MacBook).
Pros
* Use your favorite earbuds/headphones
* Battery life is as advertised
* Phenomenal audio with OS X Lion (APT-X compatible) Macs
* Remote functions work as advertised
* Phone functionality is not as good as best-in-class phone-only devices but adequate
* Inexpensive for functionality
Cons
* Small buttons take some getting use to - forget it if you have tater-tot fingers
* APT-X support is not universal on all devices so if you're a diehard, you'll still need to buy a stand-alone APT-X adapter. It still works with standard SBC in Bluetooth A2DP so you haven't lost anything.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great sound, no significant audio latency
+ Great sound
+ No noticeable lag or delay (even after trying my hardest to discover it)
+ Acceptable range
- Annoyingly vague hardware controls. Read more
+ No noticeable lag or delay (even after trying my hardest to discover it)
+ Acceptable range
- Annoyingly vague hardware controls. Read more
Published 7 days ago by James Barker
5.0 out of 5 stars
I love it
It was everything I hoped it would be. I recommend this product to anyone looking for wireless headphones without the wireless cost.
Published 17 days ago by shawn
4.0 out of 5 stars
So far so good.
My brother has been using it daily for his music and calls. He has no complaints on the sound quality.
Published 17 days ago by Tay
4.0 out of 5 stars
bluetooth connectivity without the douchebag look
For all anyone knows, you're listening to an mp3 player. Also streams music from your phone via bluetooth. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Cacapoopoo
5.0 out of 5 stars
AND THE BEAUTIFUL SOUND GOES ON!
This HS300 blue tooth is SO durable and easy to use. Unlike other brand of blue tooth, the clipping part of this is so nice , easy to use and best of all, it can be clipping on any... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mickey
3.0 out of 5 stars
Still works great, but clip broke
Overall the sound quality is great with every pairing I've had so far. The buttons are semi difficult to use even after getting used to them. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Roberto Borja
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Bluetooth Headset Ever
It is the best in quality and price, great battery life! Too bad you cannot get it anymore because I would like to buy 2 more
Published 1 month ago by Adrian Carpinteyro
5.0 out of 5 stars
Works very well for my purpose
I use this clip almost exclusively to listen to audio from my iPhone. I have taken a call or two and used Siri two or three times and those things worked, but I don't have enough... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mike
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice little toy
I got this because I have the Galaxy Note 2 and it works great. The only problem is battery life is short. 5-7 hours and it's gone. Would be nice if we can swap out batteries.
Published 2 months ago by Thi D.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Works well
Good volume, decent battery life, easy to use. The controls were unreadable, but they're little depressions, so I just filled them with a little white-out and all OK now. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jimmy Havok
