58 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
Finally, wireless street styles
The only headphones I've ever trusted are Sony classic Street Style - they're comfortable, affordable, and have great sound quality. When I realized Sony had released this wireless pair, I was all over them.
I had previously tried the Motorola HT820 Bluetooth headphones because I've long been interested in wireless audio, so most of my comparison will be to...
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
three stars is about right
three to almost four stars and is about right for this product. i am using it with a Samsung Bluetooth MP3 player and the audio is ok for listening to those MP3's in the gym: I have updated this review because it turns out the Samsung (P2) player was actually turning off the sound enhancement over bluetooth and that was part of the reason the audio quality was not as good...
The only headphones I've ever trusted are Sony classic Street Style - they're comfortable, affordable, and have great sound quality. When I realized Sony had released this wireless pair, I was all over them.
I had previously tried the Motorola HT820 Bluetooth headphones because I've long been interested in wireless audio, so most of my comparison will be to those.
Design
The Street Style form of these headphones is excellent - I prefer this style compared to over-the-head headphones, and I have a terrible time with earbuds.
The neck band is almost exactly the same as a pair of wired Street Style headphones, with a little less bulk and no rubber "ear rests" that would sit on top of your ear. The band doesn't seem to grip your ears as well as a pair of wired Street Styles, but they are nearly as comfortable.
The "foldable" design is something I could do without. I wouldn't care whether or not they folded, but the stock photo does not show how they redesigned the neck band to accommodate the fold. Instead of being a perfect curve, the neck band comes to a subtle pointed shape where it folds. Less attractive, but it makes no difference while you're wearing them.
Performance
These headphones offer excellent sound quality, but only expect to get this when using the A2DP (advanced audio) Bluetooth profile (this goes for any Bluetooth headphones). This is only available on certain cell phones, with an adapter, or with special software on a computer. In my situation, I set these up with my MacBook Pro's built-in Bluetooth, but I have to use a software workaround to broadcast A2DP in Mac OS Tiger (a Google search will help you find that).
The sound is surprisingly rich and satisfying. I don't think of myself as an audiophile, but if the sound is bad, I can't get into the music - and with these I've had very little trouble focusing on my music.
In order to get a good balance of music and vocals, I did have to adjust the equalization in iTunes (unlike wired headphones, which I normally just plug in and go). With too much low frequency sound (bass) I did find that some music had an occasional popping noise - lowering those levels eliminated that issue and the phones still produce a good amount of bass. The effective frequency range on these is limited but I'm not sure if this is a result of the wireless technology or the speakers. I can't imagine Sony would use lousy speakers in something with an MSRP ten times the amount of a fine pair of their wired headphones.
These headphones hold a very steady connection, within range. The Motos often cut out during simple movements like bending over to pick something up. I can safely exercise and move about a room without these dropping the connection.
The battery life is more than acceptable for my use. I've used them for about 2 hours a day for the past 3 days and haven't had to do a second charge yet.
Bluetooth/Wireless Faults
There are a few issues which I blame on the Bluetooth/wireless technology, as it's just not perfect yet.
There is a very subtle amount of static that can be heard when no music is playing, and sometimes in songs with less background music. This may also vary based on the device you're connecting to. I have tried eliminating interference and the static seems constant. It usually fades into the music while listening.
If you're connected to a stationary object like a computer, don't expect to leave the room with these on. Bluetooth has a very limited range. If you use them with a cell phone or just in a single room, you'll be fine.
I can't use my wireless Mighty Mouse while I'm listening to these. Both operating on Bluetooth, the mouse causes the audio to cut out every few seconds. Not sure about other Bluetooth devices, but expect interference. Wireless router doesn't seem to cause disconnection though.
Summary
My expectations of wireless headphones is very low. These are definitely a step in the right direction though. While the Motorola HT820 may have decent sound quality with A2DP (not tested), the Sony DRBT21G triumphs in comfort due to it's lighter and less bulky design.
If you are able to connect to a device with A2DP and don't mind the caveats of wireless technology, I would recommend these as the best I have found so far. I bought these for about $95 but they're worth the $129.99 retail price. The freedom is worth it!
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Things I like:
-Comfortable, at least much more so than the Moto S9's and the Bluetrek ST1
-Decent sound quality with a fairly flat response, but can still be EQ'd to your taste. IE, the low end doesn't distort or whimp out if you boost it with an EQ.
-Phone calls come through in stereo
-Caller can hear me fine in a normal speaking voice
-Better battery life than most competitors
-Nice that they fold, but I pretty much keep them at work
-They block out most, but not all sound so I can still hear people come up behind me, the phone ring, etc
-Buttons are easy to use and have a good tactile response and "seperate" feel. The motos have this touch snsitive thing going on, and it is hard to tell when your htting the right button. The Sony's have a different type of rocker for volume vs track advance/pause, so it is easy to tell which one you are touching.
Things I don't like:
-A bit finicky when pairing, especially when using it with more than 1 source. For instance, if I use it with my laptop then go to use it with my PDA Phone, I have to "trick" it into reconnecting by first calling a phone number. This may not be true for all phones though.
-Not snug enough to wear while running / working out.
-Take longer to charge than most.. more then 2 hours, although it is rare they run out mid day and I can usually time it so I charge them over night.
So I am stuck with the problem :) of having to use my Moto S9s for workouts and these for work. Actually this winds up working out quite well because while the Moto's are better at fitting snugly for work outs and block out more noise (like the huffer on the treadmill next to you), they make my ears sore after more than an hour or so.
However, while these are the best I've tried yet and the downsides are not all that much of an annoyance, they are still not a "top of the line" set of headphones such as the high end corded phones. I find this to be a bit like a good quality TV though. When you look at a better one side by side with an inferior one, you'll notice the difference but if the inferior one is equal to or better then what you were previously used to (like upgrading to HDTV from standard), you probably won't be disappointed with what an expert would consider inferior.
On a final note, these are susceptible to radio interference like any other wireless device and I do get occasional skips. Again, this is no more frequent than any other BT model I've tried and seems to be much less of a problem with the newer BT 2.0 transmitters.
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These headphones have performed great everywhere I've used them. They sound great both indoors and outdoors (while running) and I have yet to have a single problem with the BlueTooth reception. Sometimes I'll put my phone in a thick leather case and then put it in my pocket and still the BlueTooth reception is unaffected.
The fit is good as well. They are lightweight and comfortable, while still covering the ears completely to provide the best sound. The controls are easy to use and intuitive. You don't really save that much space when you fold these up, but it's still nice to have that option.
They also work well as a headset. I was very surprised at how well the microphone picked up my voice considering where its located. Also the incoming call is routed to both ears, something other stereo headphones won't do.
The battery life and charge times are about what the manual states, 3 hours to charge a completely dead battery and around 11 hours of usage.
Overall I highly recommend these headphones. I use them with a Samsung Blackjack.
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Well, I have been looking at wireless bluetooth headphones for about the past year. I went out about 10 months ago and tried the Motorola HT820's. They worked amazing, but they looked straight out of Star Trek and had this distracting blue LED light. Furthermore, they were huge for anything more than sitting by yourself in a room. Then came along, these Sony's. They are streetstyle, which is comfortable to me, but many people despise this design. Sound is nearly as good as the Motorola's at half the size and almost twice as cheap. Battery life is great, they are particularly lightweight, and fold up. Also they can skip tracks on Windows Mobile Phones and laptops using Windows Media Player just like the Motorola's. The only gripe I have about them is there range is maybe 15 to only 20 ft if nothing is in the way...Otherwise, certain walls would block them by as little as 4 or 5 ft. This somewhat deters use even walking around your house. By comparison, I could leave my phone on the second story of my house and walk out to my mailbox and never lose signal with the Motorola's. Overall, great design and price..just make sure you don't forget them at the gym since they are wireless and not connected to your phone or player...Trust me.
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I just got these after my Logitech Freepulses just went out on me. I think they are still under warranty, so I will get them fixed but I need something in the interim and my Jabra's are too bulky for working out (for me at least).
My impressions of the Sony's are from the last couple of hours, since I just got them, but I did compare them side by side with the Jabra's and the Logitech, although, it is difficult to compare the sound quality with the Logitech since only one side is workiong at the moment.
Overall impression of the Sony's are good, not great, but better than most. Truth is that each of them have their pros and cons and I have not found any that are all around perfect. It really depends on how you plan on mostly using them. I wanted them for working out first, while listening to spoken word audio, books on tape, podcasts, etc.. So, for me, first importance was comfort and size, then sound quality and features.
I have not found either the Jabra's or the Sony's (just made a call with them), to be very good as cell phone headset. I spent so much time looking for a decent bluetooth cell phone headset, that I doubt one of these multi-tasking headsets are able to as good of a job as my Jawbone, with it's noise cancelling feature.
Anyway, I figure I would write a short review on all my bluetooth headsets, since most people may be wondering which ones to get.
* Sony BT210 - comfort is fairly good, although, the hard plastic is pressing down against my ear and I think that may wear into uncomfortableness after prolonged periods (some padding or cushion may fix that though), they are also small enough to look decent on my head, not too obtrusive, sound quality is above average although, the bass is low, which can be altered with an EQ setting on your mp3, that does make a difference, but still not great, but respectible, I really like the portability, they fold up nice and compact, I also really like the controls and their placement, I can easily control my ipod from these, which is a huge plus when I am on the treadmill or have my ipod tucked away in my pocket, etc.. These also have a nice small ipod adaptor. The adaptor uses the ipod's power which may drain the ipod power prematurely though. These headphones are probably best for travel, since they fold compactly. I got these with the ipod adpator in the case, for $149 + tax from Frys electronics. SO, they aren't cheap, but also not the most expensive.
* Jabra BT620S - fairly comfortable, they are soft and cushy but feel a little heavier than the others, although the plastic that goes around the ear is not cutting into my ear like the Sonys, I could wear these for extended periods with little discomfort, but for my little head, they tend to look like little earmuffs or make me look like an alien, and do not seem to be flattering to my thin face So, I don't wear them in public much :), these sound the best at of my 3, deeper bass and more full sounding, I use these when I am listening to music at a static location typically, they aren't as portable as the others, being bulkier and larger, the controls are good, just takes a little getting used, like which earpiece controls volume and which play, pause and skip, etc. The adaptor for my ipod is larger then the Sony's, but it also has it's own rechargable battery, which, I would imagine, doesn't drain the ipod as quickly as the Sonys. Overall, I'd say these were best for listening while being static or walking, too heavy for gym exercise, IMO. These run about $129, I think, although I am not sure if that was with an adaptor.
* Logitech Freepulse - These are probably the better all around headphones, the most comfortable, with gel rings that sit above your ears to support the ear pieces, these felt the most comfortable and work well when I am at the gym on the treadmill, etc., the headband is more rigid than the others, which I think, tends to distribute the weight better and not cause them to be uncomfortable for long periods, they are small enough to not look funny on my ears, their sound is pretty good, not as good as the Jabra's, but possibly comparable to the Sonys with a little better bass response. These aren't as portable as the Sonys but smaller than the Jabras. They lack the full controls of the others, since the adaptor has a 2.5mm plug, and connects to the top of the ipod, not the bottom. But, this is also a plus, since I can plug it in to multiple other devices, like a tv, computer 2.5mm jack from the sound card, etc, thus, it makes it more versatile and the adaptor is included in the package for a reasonable price. This headset is also the least expensive, about $99, including the adaptor. These also require the adaptor battery to be recharged, so it does not drain the ipod.
These are the pair I use most often, although, I am going to start using the Sonys and see if they stay comfortable for prolonged periods. I hope they do, I really like the controls and portability. Overall, I think the Logitechs are the most versatile for most situations.
Anyway, hope that helps.
Update 4/30/2008
Ok, I have now had these headphones for a little over a week and have used them a few times at the gym. I was right about the comfort, they are okay for a while, but then they start sliding down toward my ears, causing a little edging into my ears. It is isn't terrible, but a little annoying, I do have to readjust them upwards ocasionally. I am going to find some type of cushioning to put there and that should help that problem. The sound is okay, although, they don't drown out the ambient sound of the gym as much as I would like, but, you can turn the volume up to compensate somewhat. Anyway, overall, I still agree with my first impressions, they do the job nicely, the ipod controls are great, the portability is perfect, and the sound and quality are above average. Oh, and the bluetooth reception appeared to work better than my other headphones, which is another plus.
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three to almost four stars and is about right for this product. i am using it with a Samsung Bluetooth MP3 player and the audio is ok for listening to those MP3's in the gym: I have updated this review because it turns out the Samsung (P2) player was actually turning off the sound enhancement over bluetooth and that was part of the reason the audio quality was not as good as expected. I was able to tweek the audio on my IPAQ (see below) and achieve better results but still get hiccups when it is played on the IPAQ. The fit is good and after an hour of excercise they are not uncomfortable. the range is very good and it connects line of sight out to ten meters without a problem. the down side is the charger is 110 volts only and if you travel overseas then you will need a converter. hard to believe when all the other chargers are universal this one is 110 volts the other thing which is annoying is that most of the new products are going to USB charging so you can carry one charger and it is not the case here. means if you travel you have to lug around yet another charger. the instruction manual says there is a red charging light, mine is grey/white and took me a while to figure out there really is no red charging light. so far syncing bluetooth is not automatic (IPAQ often requires a reboot, Samsung easier with one botton) but i am still working on it. also when i used this headset on my hp ipaq companion and coreplayer i would get occasional hiccups in the audio and this has not been the case with the samsung. bottom line is it is worth three stars and perhaps perhaps a little short of four is about right, does the job but not perfect.
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I bought these primarily to listen to music off my computer and for running while listening to music off my A2DP/AVCRP compatible phone. In both cases they worked so well, I went ahead and sprung for the sony bluetooth iPod adapter.
Pairing was as simple as it gets with bluetooth; hopefully near field communications will make this flashing LED system obsolete in the future. Regardless, the headphones paired with my mac, cellphone, and the sony bluetooth adapter without issue, and seems to remember each of those whenever I turn them back on together; that is to say, you don't have to keep re-pairing. Especially neat is that I can sit at my desk listening to music on my computer (in full stereo A2DP w/AVCRP controls for the music) while at the same time being connected to my phone; if someone calls, the music pauses and I can answer the phone and talk, then return to listening to music seamlessly!! Pretty neat to be able to stay connected to multiple sources that way. And it is super convenient to have the controls on the headset itself; I worked out the other day with my iPod on the floor and could skip tracks and adjust volume without getting it out of the bag.
The sound is nice with good bass and fair clarity, about the same as the wired street style headphones; that being said, you'll still get better sound from high quality wired headphones (at a similar price point, I recommend a nice pair of Sennheisers, the Bose triport, or for in ear, the ultimate ears 5 if you can get away with noise isolation). I have not noticed much in the way of background hiss unless I am listening at barely audible volume levels or to a 'noisy' .mp3. I can't speak to the microphone quality, I've used it a few times with no complaints but primarily I'm a music man.
The fit has its pros and cons. On the one hand, it stays put fairly well and is comfortable enough if you take the time to position the headphones properly. However, I don't see why adding a little bit of silicone loop (like the wired street style) would have been such a tough thing to do. If they had done so, these would have received a full five stars from me.
Overall, I would recommend these headphones as they outperform every competing set I've come across; there are more expensive, better sounding bluetooth headsets (notably the big ones from Sony) but they compromise the portability, light weight and exercise friendly design of these. I haven't had any problems with audio dropout or durability, they work for exercise and stationary listening, they have good sound with plenty of bass and definition, and they easily last for ten hours of stereo music listening. If they had only slapped some silicon on there, these would be perfect!!
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The sound is good, but the fit is not. While initially the headphones are reasonably comfortable, they slide down your ears if you move. The edges of the connector are sharp and start to hurt your ears. I had to return them.
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Good product. Good fidelity and comfortable. Only downside is a problem with Bluetooth itself -- audio is delayed enough to be noticeable when when viewing a video or TV. If speakers are on at the same time it is very annoying.
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I'm going to compare this to a Jabra BT620 that I own. The Sony has a little bit more of an 'airy' sound, but not as much bass. The Sony weighs a little less than the Jabra which allows me to keep it on longer, although both of them tend to squeeze my ear area which becomes uncomfortable after about 30 to 40 minutes. Still, I like both of them, the Jabra because I like the bass and the Sony because it's lighter.
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