Customer Reviews

Sonorix C3 Bluetooth Stereo Headset with Caller ID & Removable Earphones

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the third product I have ordered from Satechi and every time I have received my order in a timely manner and a have been extremely happy with the products themselves. the sonorix itself is great. I use it along with my Ipod with Naviplay adaptor. The sound quality is great and the pairing was easy. The range seems to be quite good too. I often wear it while doing chores around the house and can go into other rooms and maintain the sound. I purchased this to replace my Motorola S9 which kept skipping on me. As a stereo bluetooth headset for listening to music, I would give the Sonorix 5 stars. For use as a bluetooth headset for mobile phones I would give it 4 stars. During phone calls it sounded a bit tinny and at times people on the other end had difficulty hearing me unless I had the unit positioned correctly near my mouth. Still I have used it quite a bit for the last week for phone calls and it is not that bad. The caller ID display is a definite plus.

I recently came across this stereo bluetooth device and I was very impressed. I am a very critical and advanced collector of gadgets and already owned a Plantronics 260 stereo bluetooth headset. While they are both excellent bluetooth stereo devices, the Sonorix C3 has a two main advantages over the plantronics in that it has a very sleek caller ID screen hidden by the design, while the plantronics did not and it also has the mic built into the device and not the ear piece as in the plantronics. That was perhaps the best advantage, because the mic is excellent and though the original ear piece was only average, I just swapped it for my favorite ear piece and now have great sound.

I purchased this device about 3 weeks ago as I needed a new stereo headset for my Treo 680. I have not been let down! This device is exactly what I was looking for. Here are a couple of points:

1. Ignore the person who says this is not bluetooth v2.0. It is, there was an error in the first printing of their manuals saying it was v1.2. The new manuals (like the one included in my box) state v2.0 and if you check with the bluetooth standards body they list the devices as certified bluetooth v2.0

2. Sound quality is excellent. I get a solid 304+Kbps signal "most" of the time. Like any bluetooth connection, the quality depends on both devices communicating, the environment you are in, what is in-between the two devices and how far apart they are. If I'm around a lot of other bluetooth devices (like on the metro) I occasionally get cut outs. If I walk to far away from my device, I can get cut outs. But the vast majority of the time I get good solid connection with my Treo in my pocket and the Sonorix C3 clipped to my chest (shoulder strap on my messenger bag).

3. Remember bluetooh requires the cooperation of two devices. The most likely of the two devices causing the problem is the more complicated one. In my case it's the Treo 680. I have to use third party software to get A2DP to work on my Treo. Most of the time it works pretty good, but the few times I've had problems it has ALWAYS been my treo that was the issue not the Sonorix. Restarting Bluetooth or the bridge software on my Treo always fixes the problem.

I can't comment on the quality of the headphones that come with the Sonorix, I've never used them. I prefer to use a pair of Sony MDR-EX71s which provide great sound quality when paired with the Sonorix C3. Also the remote controls on the Sonorix work great, pause, play, FF, RW, stop, and pause and return from calls work fine.

I have no complaints with the Sonorix, I just wish the Treo had a better quality bluetooth software stack that included native A2DP!

After reading the several positive reviews from Amazon, I decided to investing in the Sonorix C3 to pair with the HTC Touch 3450 and Samsung P2. I was initially impressed with all the features this product had to offer. However I found the sound quality sub-par at best. every 30 seconds, there was a buffer overrun and it would blank for 2.5 seconds. I consider this a fundamental flaw for a wireless headphone. I will be looking to see if there is a firmware update for this problem.

Background/Intended Use:
I searched as much as I could and read reviews for many different products available. The only problem was that no one was using this device in a manner that I planned to use it. I wanted a device that would be small enough to fit in a motorcycle helmet, yet be versatile enough to do what I wanted. The goal was to be able to listen to music while also having the ability to make/receive a phone call if necessary while riding. Since this device could pair two Bluetooth devices at the same time, it made the initial cut. The 3.5mm headphone jack was a HUGE bonus, because regular ear-buds simply do not fit into my ears. This allowed me to use the Eytomtic 6i headphones.

Initial Thought:
So what do I think of the C3's performance? Since I just got it last week, I have only used it once so far on the motorcycle. I am quite pleased with it so far though. I had it in my jacket in an inside chest pocket. While riding upright it had flawless operation. While in the tucked position (it's an '08 R6 bike) it noticed it cutting out occasionally. I think this was because it was against the gas tank and my chest/tank was essentially blocking the signal.

Critiquing:
While the C3 best fits my needs/wants, there are a few ideas that would be a nice addition if any newer versions are released...i.e. hey Sonorix; this is free engineering ideas for you.
1.) The split design that allows someone to put it on the edge of a shirt or something seems a little odd. Imaging people putting this device on a collar at their neck makes me laugh. People who would do that are...well, really dorky looking :).
2.) The device could be made even smaller which would give it and even better advantage over the competition. How so? It's easy; eliminate the U-shaped bend in the device. The device could easy be made so that it is "flat" (see next section). What I mean is that the bend could be removed so that the two sides of the device are touching. Or the casing could be redesigned to house all of the internal components in one case which would also eliminate the bend. The clip-on feature could still be had by customers wanting this though. If an optional belt clip or some other clip was offered then those customers would be happy, plus it would be additional revenue. That's a win-win scenario!
3.) A "hold" button/switch would be really nice. I noticed that I accidentally paused the music several times by touching the multifunction button while it was in my pocket.
4.) The volume output needs some work. The C3's volume was far less than the volume coming directly from the sound source. While using the C3, I had to put the volume all the way up on both the C3 and my mp3 player to get a decent amount of sound. Then if I left the volume untouched and simply unplugged from the C3 and plugged directly into the mp3 player...well my ears wanted to explode. The volume output at that level coming directly from the source was unbearably loud (see below).

Final Thought:
Overall this device is really nice. The sound is clear. The volume should be able to go louder though. The highest volume setting gives moderate output in which most normal people would listen to. However, if you are wanting to rock out to your favorite tune then you might be a little bummed that you do not have rock-concert loud volume. As is, the C3 is quite functional and performs very well. No device can be perfect, but I think this one is a step above the rest. Honestly, since the "flat design" is a really must-have type of feature for me, I plan on modifying the device and taking out the U-shaped bend in the exterior casing. Yes I am very capable to do that. Anyways, I have already taken the device apart so I can even give a review of the insides :). Even they are well put together. After looking at the internals of the device, it would be easy to make the device flat thus eliminating the bulkier end by the headphone jack.

Pros:
- Performs well
- Small and very light
- Ability to use my own headphones
- Pairing of two devices at the same time
- Built in microphone allowing for phone calls too <- Selling point for me since this eliminates the need for the typical headphones with microphone on the cord that have terrible sound quality

Cons:
- U-shaped bend is unnecessary. Need to be flat.
- Volume output is low. Needs to be higher.
- No "hold" button.

No problems pairing this with my T-Mobile MDA. Solid sound, although the earphones may be a bit large for some. The good thing is you can use your own whenever you want.

Overall great build, design, and battery life. The information screen is very helpful as well.

I highly recommend this after having so-so performance from other bluetooth headsets.

This has got to be the hands down best bluetooth stereo headset I've used so far. I bought a Jabra BT8010 and the sound quality from the headphones was terrible! But I didn't want to leave the multipoint connections and music controls behind with all the other BT headsets out there. I know there are many BT headsets with built-in or permanent headphones of better quality but this little gem beat them all with the easy controls (now I do occasionally reference the easy to understand manual from time to time as there are a ton of features) and choice of my own headphones.

I truly am going to buy a spare to have around in case these go scarce all the sudden!

P.S. the receiver goes a really long way! I can leave my Jabra A120s in the other room and still listen to music.

Ordered on a Tuesday, arrived on Friday. Easy to set up and use. Paired with the Tilt and an iPhone quickly and easily. Clips to shirt or put in a pocket. Battery life about 8 hrs, charges quickly via mini-USB (concealed when closed) to wall outlet. I use noise canceling earbuds for great sound; plan on disposing of the cheap uncomfortable earphones that come with it. Switches over from music to phone automatically when the phone rings.

Only downside is that occasionally I need to re-pair it with the Tilt to listen to music. Simple to do, but at times inconvenient. Volume works great, and microphone sound quality equally good. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a discrete, small enough to place in a pocket, easy to use, and good quality bluetooth headset. Just use your own earphones.

This product works great. The sound quality is great with calls and stereo music. The microphone also works really well, people seem to be able to hear loud and clear. The battery gets me through the day as I listen to a lot of music and make a lot of calls. The range is also very good, when paired with my computer, I can walk away from my desk about 10-15m (I don't know how far I go exactly) and not lose signal. I like that it comes with a USB and wall charger.

One thing that I have noticed is that it has the tendancy to want to slide off the seam of my shirt, but this is easily fixed, I simply put a bead of glue along the inside of the clip and let it dry overnight with the clip held open. This gives the clip a little more bite and seems to have worked out well so far.

Overall this is a good product for someone who is on the go and want to be able to make calls and enjoy clear handfree calling and quality stereo sound with their own headphones.

First of all, I don't know what the cynics of this device are talking about.

It is not a very poor item. It has great build quality, very stylish.

It does not get "very confused if you have several wireless devices". It can support two devices, is very quick to pair and has worked flawlessly for me.

It IS Bluetooth Version 2.0 (my manual confirms it), contrary to another critique.

Great sound/voice quality, good range and, again, very stylish and you can use any headphones you like.

My only gripe is the price... that's it!