Customer Reviews

Sony DRBT160AS Bluetooth Stereo Headset (Black)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Length:: 1:11 Mins

If you're thinking about buying this headset for jogging/running, you definitely want to check out my review. There's a design flaw with the non-adjustable back band that makes these headphones crap to wear while running.

I had originally purchased the Motorola S9 HD headset from the apple store, but took it back because I thought there might be something better. So I bought the Sony Bluetooth Headset like the one above. Anyway, as soon as I strapped these things on, I realized that I made a big mistake. The Sony BT Headset has great sound quality, but who designed the size of this thing? It's awful! The band that goes around the back of your head is not adjustable, and if you are wearing a collar of any sort, when you move your head at all, it will rub and move the ear buds in and out of your ears. If you want a headset for the gym like I do, then stay away from these - unless you have a head the size of Shrek. The ring around the back of your head that connects the earpieces is about 2 full inches from your head/neck. Terrible design.

Okay, I'm not in the States so I couldn't buy this via Amazon- even though it offered a better value. Plus, I had to buy the dongle separately- my wallet cries at night.

I use this with my 2nd generation 16GB iPod Touch, and I bought it mainly for its wireless, bluetooth function. Note that, most, if not all, bluetooth headphones are not able to deliver on high performance audio, including this one- for that, you still have your above-$100 headphones right there. But these headphones generally suck in portability, and I figure you hate being tethered to cords when you shell out more than a hundred on a pair of wireless headphones. At the very least, it sounds WAY better than the stock iPod headphones- I'd say it sounds like the $40-60 headphones, except it's bluetooth.

The product comes advertised as 7 hour battery life, which sounds about right, give or take an hour or two. It's light, and when fitted properly, it seals out outside noise to a certain degree. On the highest volume setting, you probably will have trouble listening to others. Now, it lacks in adjusting fit, so I imagine some, with smaller or larger ears, may have a problem fitting these properly- though I did not have that problem.

Note- the dongle had some problem when I put the iPod in my pocket, so I suggest that you have a belt clip or an armband when you are using this for a workout.

The unit works well from a distance too, except the performance may suffer when there are walls or certain electronics in the way. Perfect for using it in the bathroom, I may add, since it is splashproof, but no dip in the pool with these boys.

Overall, I would say it's a solid product- I never got to try out the headset function, but as a bluetooth headphone, I don't think you can do worse than this- even with bluetooth 3.0, it will take some time to catch up to this, I imagine. Plus, Sony seems like the only audio company making cool looking, decent sounding bluetooth headphones in the market right now- and will likely remain that way, unless bluetooth audio picks up some steam, which I doubt.

It also works with my PC, though not with the same audio quality, and configuring a bluetooth headphone is a pain, not like the iPod dongle, which is really plug and play. It might be attributed to the settings of my computer, but for now it is mainly to use with my iPod.

Great for casual listening and in the gym- works beautifully with my iPod touch and Nike plus receiver. Too bad that option is not available to other iPod users, since the dongle occupies the slot for the Nike plus dongle.

Hope the review helps- I would consider this a headphone first, with the headset function optional.

Update (2/18/2012): This headset is still going strong, though the battery life has dropped off a bit- I think it goes to 6-8 hours for each charge. And I am convinced that this is so much better as a headphone than a headset. Unlike other higher quality bluetooth headsets in the market, in order for the person on the other end of the line to hear you, you need to speak at a pretty loud level. Whenever I get a phone call at the gym, I opt to switch to the phone's mic because it was so bad. Keep that in mind.

I bought the headphones after seeing them at an Apple Store for $60.00 more. As far as wireless they are pretty good. The sound and mic quality are good. Comfort I think I am getting used to but it does fill a bit awkward when moving your head side to side. The fast forward and reverse does not work with Iphones or Ipods. The pause does.

I still would recommend these ear phones. I always was getting the cord stuck on something and the buds yanked out of my ear. I work in NYC outdoors and don't have a problem with the sound or answering calls. I have some success with voice control.

I have destroyed easily a dozen headphones in the past few years. I am a sculptor, and while running around, crouching, etc. I would often catch the wires from my headphones on something-ripping them apart. I bought these to make the leap into the realm of bluetooth, and I am thrilled to be here. I can be as active as I want, and they are light, comfortable, durable, and even block out a lot of the sounds of my noisy work shop. I also love that while i'm working and listening to my music, I can take phone calls without having to remove my headset. I have both my ipod and my cellphone connected to the headset, and can toggle between them with just one button. My only complaint is having to take them off to recharge the battery. I am sure that if I were only using them has a phone headset, the battery would last much longer (it claims to last 100 hours in standby mode). But, I admit that I run these pretty hard. I guess that means that I LOVE them.

I've been trying to get back in shape and I was amazed at the sound quality of the DR-BT160AS. I read the reviewer who said that these were not for an active lifestyle and I totally disagree. From the vertical adjustment bars and the nice over the ear fit to the simplest controls, this was a very well thought out unit. I play basketball on average of 4 hours a day, some playing but a lot of shoot arounds. Just shooting around I can shut out the whole world with great sounding music and I do mean great. Full rich bass, crystal clear highs, and plenty of volume. When play begins, I simply pull the plugs from my ears, leaving the headset on and play as hard as I can. The buds never fall off. Yeah they may look a little different but get over it, for what they do they are the shiznit until somebody comes out with something better. Great battery life, but here's the bad news. Due to a lot of sweating my first pair died after 7 weeks. They are definitely designed for an active lifestyle, it's the ability to handle the sweat that comes with an active lifestyle that is in question. As I switch to pair number 2, I'll know if this is the weak link. I bought another pair I like them that much.

I also bought 2 pairs of the DR-BT50 full over the ear cup headphones and they are the ultimate sleeping pill. Very comfortable, rich bass(even at low volume), clear highs, easy controls and you can even lay on your side comfortably. The best sleep therapy there is!

Product is not sweat resistant. Got these for intense workouts but they stop working as soon as some of the sweat filters inside. Also when jogging, the earbuds jump around and you can never get a good fit without readjustment. If you are going to use them for something else they might fit the bill, but otherwise stay away!!

Had for 2 1/2 months - the design is terrible when running to start. Not very loud, so I can still hear the horrible rap music they play at the gym. And now after having for 2 1/2 months it is broken. Also if you are using with your iphone it can have trouble going form music to a call. The thing overall was ok until now that it broke.

I bought these headphones because I wanted a Bluetooth solution for working out. These are good and bad for that. Good because sound quality is great, bad because of the fit. They constantly slide down the back of your head. They are meant to wrap around the back of your head, but they don't hold on tight. I actually glued a little clip to the bill of a hat, and I wear my hat backwards and clip the headphones into the clip of my hat. Once I do this, the headphones are amazing to work out in. But without that little modification, they would be terrible. I just want a decent cordless solution to listening to music during a workout. This isn't the best.

As for phone calls, don't bother. Everyone sounds great on my end, but I constantly have people asking if they're on speakerphone, or saying they can barely hear me, or the sound quality is awful, and I end up having to take them off. I have yet to find a single Bluetooth device that didn't have people asking me to take it off so they can actually hear me.

Owned these for about a week now, and I have changed my opinions:

I bought these primarily for use with my Macbook Pro , LG Voyager, and my iPod Touch 2G. It works well with all three, although it was a little buggy at times with the Macbook. They are difficult to fit on your ears comfortably, and become somewhat uncomfortable after prolonged use. I wear glasses, so my ears are used to having earpieces on them, but still, they were bothersome. Speaking of which, if you wear glasses , these headphones do play nice. You most likely will have to rest your glasses on top of the headset earpiece, which feels slightly awkward, and your glasses may fall off if you bend too far forward. As far as sound quality, it's great if you can get it to fit in your ears correctly. I find that the you have to occasionally push the earpieces back farther into your ear, as the sound becomes crappy when they are not completely in.

Overall,

Sound Quality: 6.5/10; providing you can fit them correctly 7.5/10
Fitting: 5/10; uncomfortable after prolonged use, difficult to keep earpieces in ear.
Look: 7/10; you can't really find anything that looks better than this, but it still looks a little silly on your head.