Recommend wraparound BT headphones?

11-26-07, 12:10 PM

Well, my 1-year-old Logitech Bluetooth mp3 headphones are starting to disintegrate :(. And yes, I reinforced the notoriously brittle headband with a piece of plastic, tape, and superglue. But now there are cracks outside of the reinforced region. Rather than patch it up with more duct tape and look even more like a dweeb, I'm now looking for a new pair of wireless cans.

I searched the forums here and read Menneisyys's excellent overview from June and the latest reviews on the Motorola S9. I 'm partial to the integrated wraparound style (like my current Logitech's) instead of buds and necklace. So I'm leaning towards the FreePulse, Motorola HT-820, and Plantronics 590A.

Any opinions on these? Can anyone confirm that these work with the X50v WM5? Also, any others I should look at? Thanks :).

11-26-07, 02:56 PM

The freepulse work, and are very comfortable, but they do not have any controls on them other than volume. I had used the logitech for ipod before and had gotten used to having the pause, next and previous controls. I don't know about the other two, but I would look at how easy it is to remember the various on off pairing commands as well as how comfortable they are.

I have the jabra 820s now and although they are comfortable and work well when they work, they have a very arcane set of buttons to push to get it to come on and there is very little positive feedback when you do get them going. They are really engineered as telephone headphones, so they want to be in standby all the time. They also light up ridiculously. All of this can be managed, but not easily.

The jabra are great at remembering the connection. Turn BT on the ax and the connection is almost immediate. I like them okay, although I would not buy another pair of them.

DJUnreal · 11-26-07, 03:52 PM

I currently have a set of plantronics pulsar 590a headphones, and they are, in my opinion, the best headphones ever!!! I've not yet tried to sync them with my axim, but as I have the X51v, i'm not sure how useful my testing would be to you. Nonetheless, I will test them for you tomorrow and report back with my results.

This message posted from my Axim X51v!

12-03-07, 01:56 PM

Thanks for the recs! By the way, I just noticed in my inbox that buy.com has the Nokia BH-501 Bluetooth headphones for $40 shipped! These look pretty good. Anyone know anything about these? Reviews seem positive, although I can't find reports of anyone having paired it with the Axim.

Unit ZER0 · 12-05-07, 06:50 PM

I use a set of X5i Headphones by BlueAnt. They allow me to be connected to my cellphone (Samsung SGH-T809) and PPC (Dell AXIM X51v) simultaneously, if I recieve a call while listening to music on the PPC, the music will pause when I pick up, and resume when I hang up. The also work pretty well as earwarmers. Found my pair at the T-Mobile Store in my town. See them Here: BlueAnt X5i Stereo Bluetooth Headset - with A2DP Bluetooth streamer. The ultimate in wireless headphones

12-10-07, 04:29 PM

Sounds like the Blue Ant headphones work good for you. I'm thinking I might have to give them a go as I'm ready to make the move to a bluetooth headset.

Beni · 12-10-07, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by Unit ZER0

I use a set of X5i Headphones by BlueAnt. They allow me to be connected to my cellphone (Samsung SGH-T809) and PPC (Dell AXIM X51v) simultaneously, if I recieve a call while listening to music on the PPC, the music will pause when I pick up, and resume when I hang up. The also work pretty well as earwarmers. Found my pair at the T-Mobile Store in my town. See them Here: BlueAnt X5i Stereo Bluetooth Headset - with A2DP Bluetooth streamer. The ultimate in wireless headphones

mind doing a little review witith some pictures? i'm buying these and I don't want to have my purchase in vain

nonpaq · 12-14-07, 10:11 AM

For what it is worth, I know someone who bought a Jabra BT620s bluetooth stereo headset when it was on sale at buy.com 2 weeks ago (currently priced $71.79, was on sale for half that). I tried them and was very impressed with the sound quality, especially the bass. They are over-the-ear, wrap around the head, stereo headsets. I believe they are superior to my Plantronic 590a in most respects. First they use standard mini USB for charging, and can even use the USB port for sound from a non-bluetooth laptop or computer. The whole ear cup is a button (for start/pause, answer call if paired to phone), and the edge has buttons for next/previous track and volumes. Very easy to find and control. The only down side is there is a clear ring around both ears that flash blue when paired. Very geeky. Fotunately, jabra included a method of turning off the blue light. Imagine that!! (I sure wish my 590a had that!!)

BTW,the Nokia BH-501 look nicer, style wise, than the Jabra BT620s. I also notice they have adjustable band, which the Jabra lacks . This may be important for comfort.

littlerabbit · 12-28-07, 06:31 PM

Hi,

On Amazon website, the FreePulse has "2.4 GHz wireless headphones with Bluetooth 2.0 Enhanced Data Rate technology".

Does Axim X51V (or its cousins) have a compatible version of BT?
If not, which version is implemented, and what's the implication (lower
data rate, and would this affect voice quality)?

Thanks,
Raymond

Unit ZER0 · 12-31-07, 03:24 PM

Reply to "Cheryl" and "Beni"

Originally Posted by Cheryl

Sounds like the Blue Ant headphones work good for you. I'm thinking I might have to give them a go as I'm ready to make the move to a bluetooth headset.

Originally Posted by Beni

mind doing a little review witith some pictures? i'm buying these and I don't want to have my purchase in vain

Well, you've convinced me... Here's my breakdown and rating of the X5i Bluetooth Stereo Headset from BlueAnt: http://www.aximsite.com/boards/vbart...&articleid=471

Enjoy!

littlerabbit · 12-31-07, 06:02 PM

In your review article: "This Device was tested using a Dell Axim X51v Pocket PC with the Widcomm BT stack installed along with a Samsung SGH-T809 Cellular Phone".

I've an Axim X51V, and am wonder if I need Widcomm BT stack to make use
of this headphone?

Thanks,
Raymond

Unit ZER0 · 12-31-07, 07:47 PM

Originally Posted by littlerabbit

In your review article: "This Device was tested using a Dell Axim X51v Pocket PC with the Widcomm BT stack installed along with a Samsung SGH-T809 Cellular Phone".

I've an Axim X51V, and am wonder if I need Widcomm BT stack to make use
of this headphone?

Thanks,
Raymond

The answer is... Yes you do. The Widcomm stack is LOADS better than the one that comes with the device, you won't be disappointed.

davidtm · 01-01-08, 10:32 AM

Can you comment on the sound quality of music? Is it so-so, or comparable to wired headphones?

TIA

01-01-08, 12:28 PM

Originally Posted by davidtm

Can you comment on the sound quality of music? Is it so-so, or comparable to wired headphones?

With my first-generation Logitech's, sound quality is indistinguishable from my wired Sony EX-71's! There's no hiss or static, even during quiet passages. Of course I'm no audiophile and don't own a high-end pair of headphones like Shure or Etymotic, so YMMV. I'm definitely a convert to Bluetooth. To get other opinions, search this forum and Amazon.

By the way, thanks everyone for your suggestions. I ended up ordering a pair of the second-generation Logitech Freepulse headphones for a couple reasons:

Was the most compact and best-looking
Was rated the best in sound quality--e.g. this 4/2007 comparison in Sydney Morning Herald and great reviews in CNet and PCMag.
I can share an audio source with my existing Logitech headphones

I looked at the BlueAnt X5, but it was just too big and some people complained about the sound quality in the reviews. I'll post more on the FreePulse once it arrives.

littlerabbit · 01-01-08, 01:32 PM

Hi alantdc,

Do you plan to install the Tornado thing or the Widcomm BT stack
on your X50v?