Bluetooth Stereo Headphones

These days, shopping for the right wireless stereo headphones can be a confusing product to shop for. Some bluetooth products come as single ear headset meant strictly for mobile phone calls, while others are full stereo headphones only for totally awesome music playback. The Altec Lansing BackBeat 906 offers the best of both worlds, combining amazing stereo sound with the call-quality and features you’d expect from a high end bluetooth mobile phone stereo headphones.

*The Altec Lansing BackBeat 903 and 906 headset models are basically identical. The products are differentiated by a Bluetooth 2.0 audio adapter that is included with the 906 model only. The 906 is $29.99 more then the BackBeat 903 model.

The BackBeat 906 is comprised of two earpieces connected by an 8″ rubber cable that runs behind the neck. Just like competing headsets from Motorola and Jaybird… each earpiece wraps up and over the back of the ear and is held in place with a slight pinching tension. The headphone fit is also helped by asymmetrically shaped silicone ear tips that hug the opening of the ear canal. All that pinching and hugging may sound uncomfortable, but to my surprise, these were actually one of the most lightweight and unobtrusive stereo headsets I’ve ever had the pleasure of testing.

Just because the BackBeats aren’t designed to seal your ears off from external sounds doesn’t mean Altec Lansing spent any less time designing them for a snug fit whatsoever. In fact, the BackBeat 906 is the first stereo headset we’ve seen that has earpieces that can both rotate and extend up and down for improved comfort.

This overall package conveniently packs all the controls for headsets call answering and music features onto the left and right earpieces. On the outside of the left earpiece, you’ll find a single, relatively large call answer button placed parallel with the ear. A single press of the call answer button picks up incoming calls, while a longer press sends the call to voice mail.

Controls for playing and pausing music are placed similarly on the right earpiece, with an additional switch on the bottom edge of the earpiece for controlling volume and track skip. Holding down the play button for a few seconds engages a bass boost feature that emphasizes lower frequencies which one can’t complain about on quality. The 906 bluetooth stereo headphones rates the battery life of this product at 7hrs of non-stop continuous music playback and/or talk time. A charging adapter with a lengthy cable and interchangeable prongs for foreign sockets is included.

As the closest competitor to the BackBeat 906 in regards to design, price, sound, and features would be the Jaybird JB-200i distinguishes itself with a tapered earpiece design and a thinner cable connection that some may find more comfortable than the Altec Lansing design. When push comes to shove, however, I give the advantage to the BackBeat 906 for its more intuitive, easy easy on ear controls.They’re not quite as invisible as the Sony HBH-IS800, but at half the price, the difference is negligible. Also, unlike the Sony Ericsson wireless stereo headphones, the ear tips on this one are deliberately designed to allow ambient sound to filter in, making them safer to use outdoors and eliminating the low freq rumble that can be heard while walking or jogging with in ear headphones that seal the ear canal.

Altec Lansing BackBeat 906 Stereo Bluetooth Headset Price: US $75.39 on eBay®

Samsung’s latest bluetooth stereo headphones has arrived. The SBH500 headset connects to your music and any other bluetooth audio source enabling you to enjoy full and premium audio sound like no other. It connects allows you to connect to a single device as well as other devices simultaneously, allowing you to receive an inbound call when one comes in while listening to music on a totally different unit, cool huh? During the call, the wireless headphones becomes your bluetooth headphones through an integrated microphone and gently returns to the previous audio setting after the call.

At first glance the Samsung SBH-500 wireless headphones looks promising and for the price you can’t complain about any of the little features that were left out or withheld for the next model up. The foam padding around the earphones is soft to the touch and the controls are large and well designed. It’s also quite light and the band which connects the two earphones seems sturdy but flexible and didn’t feel like a concern to me.

In the center of the right earphone you’ll find a multifunction control for pairing the headset and placing and ending Samsung SBH500 bluetooth stereo headphones calls. It’s slightly recessed so you can locate it easily when you’re on a call and it’s surrounded by a circular status light. Surrounding the multifunction button are the music controls, which include a play/pause button, a skip control, and a rewind button. They’re also large and easy to use. The volume rocker rests on the rim of the earphone. As it always faces up when you’re on a call, we had no problem finding it even on the first try.

The power switch and the charger port are located on the left earphone. The former is a bit hard to locate when you’re wearing these, but to be honest we doubt you’d be using the power switch during a call. The charger port has a sliding cover. It’s a nice touch, but it’s not totally necessary.

BRAND NEW SEALED Samsung SBH500 Stereo Bluetooth Price: US $29.99 on eBay®

The Sony MDR-IF540RK Wireless Headphone System will provide you a fulfilling music experience regardless of what you’re listening to. Connect it to your television system for your favorite programming or go over to your computer and enjoy listening to videos/music on your favorite playlist. This heck of a product comes complete with a a super high powered (well that’s what I think) transmitter which sends signals from the stereo headset product to the wireless device. The signals seemed to blast right through any outside noise/interference/walls – you name it.

You’ll enjoy full, beaming sounds thanks to the 30mm in size drive units that provide a very very insane sounding deep bass with no distortion and a wider dynamic range for static free listening. For the ultimate comfort, these Sony noise canceling headphones feature a wide headband and soft headphones that fit so snugly around my head and everyone I asked said they felt too comfortable almost lol. While your at it, you should know and take advantage of the other great features such as the easy position mute function, single finger volume control and auto power in-case you forget to turn the wireless stereo headset off or if your just too lazy to hit a button.

Audio
•Driver Unit: 30mm
•Effective Range: 23ft
•Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20000Hz
•Volume Control: Rotary

Hardware
•Cord: None (Remember, it’s wireless)
•Headphone Type: Dynamic Open Air
•Battery Type: You can use supplied rechargeable Ni-MH batteries or 2AA batteries. They are also nice enough to include a ac adapter to charge the MDR-IF540RK hehe.

SONY MDRIF540RK OPEN AIR HEADPHONE TRANSMITTER 30MM OFF Price: US $80.95 on eBay®

The ability to privately listen to music or spoken word via headphones wherever you go is one of life’s great luxuries. Making mobile audio even sweeter however are the Plantronics Pulsar 590A Bluetooth Stereo Headphones. Operating on bluetooth technology, the Pulsar 590A is essentially a wireless stereo device that lets you hear stereo audio without the usual hassle of cords. In addition, the wireless headphones can function as a hands free cell headset which allows you to answer calls without touching your mobile phone. It’s about time… I’ve waited for that feature for along time now.

The Plantronics Pulsar 590A comes in two basic easy to setup parts. The main section is a beautiful over the head unit made from silver and black plastic (says the box). The right ear cup has the call answer, mute, and volume up/down buttons along with a telescoping microphone which is neat. Backing this up is a universal bluetooth adapter and also a small, flat cradle with power cord to charge the rechargeable batteries for the wireless stereo headset and the adapter.

The Plantronics Pulsar 590A is very easy to use. First, we followed the simple directions/manual for pairing the bluetooth device wireless headset , then the set to my cell phone (you’ll need to do this once when first using. With that finished, we connected it to my MP3 player using just its standard headphone jack. With all devices involved on and linked, we casually put everything in my pocket and walked out the door. While walking the streets of New York, I was grooving and able to listen to all my music in stereo with surprisingly solid audio quality. The two volume buttons are a tad small but didn’t come up as a big problem and I got a big hand. When a call came through, the Pulsar automatically cut out the music and chimed a unique alert. I just simply answered by pressing the answer button once. Once the call was done, the Pulsar resumed music playback by itself which is perfect for many situations such as in the gym and etc… Battery life also proved to be good in testing. The audio played with perfect clarity through the Plantronics 590A continuously over a period of about 11hr without having to recharge. This is not to shabby at all if you ask me especially for the cost of the headphones – one of the best bang for your buck.

Plantronics Pulsar 260 Stereo Headset BlueTooth Price: US $29.99 on eBay®

I was getting kinda curious to find out exactly why the new Jabra BT3030 has jumped up to become one of the top 3 bestselling bluetooth stereo headphones on many popular websites. My curiosity kicked in once again just last week when I had to see what all the hype was about the new “top of the line” Logitech Alto series laptop stands were all about.

The answer lies in the fact that the stereo headset offers a very cool new twist on the idea of wirelessly playing and controlling your music as well as answering calls. It provides you with a small and ultralight bluetooth controller that has a high quality built-in microphone and a 3.5mm stereo connector jack which allows you to literally use any headset of your choice – freaking amazon feature and idea to future proof your listening enjoyment as you’ll be able to change your bluetooth music device as often as you want.

Aside from the bluetooth that the wireless headphones kit gives you… it also includes a separate wired headset which deliver very good sound quality. It doesn’t stop here because Jabra also gives you a set of 3 different size comfort rubber ear gels (small, medium and large) which allow adjustment to fit the particular shape of anybody’s ear which is a huge problem for me with a lot of headsets. On the Jabra website they claim a solid healthy 8 hours of talking time, 7 hours of music playback use with 230 hours of standby time. I cannot confirm nor test this 100% but I can say on a full charge they last me all day under pretty heavy usage, especially music.

This time around designers used a dog tag design (that is what the controls remind me of) which is pretty cool looking. I like the steel look of the front and back face plates as well as the fact that the entire controller is surrounded by a large black rubber band which protects it nicely against any bumps and scratches. If you don’t like how it looks you can remove it and instead attach the included clothing clip to the back of the unit and fit it to your outfit. The bluetooth headphones box includes a miniUSB wall charger but unfortunately no cable as of now to charge them through your computer such as a USB cable.

Overall, the large and easily accessible dedicated controls for music as the LED indicator lighting out the front looks so futuristic. There’s not much more I can say about this ultralight unit with amazing microphone quality and built-in 3.5mm connector all contribute to make the Jabra BT3030 Bluetooth Stereo Headset a perfect solution for wireless music and calls.

Jabra BT3030 for Bluetooth Stereo Headset Black NEW Price: US $15.99 on eBay®

Stereo Headphones and wireless earbuds are extremely common to see people wearing around town, but there is nothing that looks common about the ZAGG ZAGGphones. The silver and black styling with a ‘Z’ logo make them stand out in a crowd.

Since the 80’s, people have been using personal headphones by the masses for their personal music devices. The most important aspects of personal headphones are comfort, sound quality and price. Do the ZAGG phones live up to the claims of the President and CEO of ZAGG Inc.?

“As a business traveler I wanted affordable, high quality, comfortable headphones. I couldn’t find anything that offered high-end fidelity quality sound were very comfortable, and a professional, yet cool stylish look… all for a reasonable price. So we decided to create the ZAGG phones! They do just that. This kind of sound was previously unattainable at this price point. I am personally excited to share our new ZAGG phones with you.”

-Robert G. Pendersen II, President and CEO of ZAGG Inc.

Design:
The ZAGG phones are definitely stylish and look cool. As you can see from the pictures below, the earphone parts are silver and black with the ‘Z’ logo of Zagg adorned on each side. A padded band at the top of the bar between the earcups keeps pressure on the top of your head to a minimum. They can be folded up to reduce their size footprint for porting them around, but they are still much too big to be considered portable.

The Zagg ZAGGPHONES headset are covered with a fairly soft padding and cover the ear well keeping outside noise to a minimum. The headset is adjustable on both sides. You can stretch the span for larger heads and close the span for smaller heads. The cord is spiraled and can stretch to 11 feet which is a respectable length that most people will find adequate. The cord also has a nice sturdy feel to it rather than the cheap flimsy feel that some products in this price range offer. The plug connects to a 1/8 inch stereo audio jack but it also comes with an adapter for 1/4 inch stereo. I am very surprised and happy with these and would make a great present for the upcoming holidays.

ZaggPhones by Zagg Headphones Headset Iphone Ipod PC Price: US $43.99 on eBay®

The Sennheiser RS-120 Wireless Headphones are an ideal choice for wireless use of both Hi-Fi audio and the TV. The open-ear headphones are beautiful and provide detailed, warm sound reproduction with a strong bass response (very strong). The wireless stereo headphones receive sound through walls and ceilings so you won’t have to be in the same area as your base or equipment. The wireless headphone itself gets power comes from Ni-MH batteries that are recharged by simply putting the headphones on a transmitter base that can be mounted to a wall or placed on any flat surface.

When I first saw this product and after reading high reviews at every site – 3 things came into my head. My initial response was “what a great idea, i gotta have these”. A few seconds later my 2nd thought “this all sounds too good to be true”. My third thought, after receiving the Sennheiser RS120 wireless stereo headphones and slipping these headphones on for the first time, was simply WOW!!!

They come with three connection adapters, so they’ll work with just about any TV, radio, stereo, DVD, game system etc… The charging base/holder unit is small, it doesn’t get in the way and leaves a small enough footprint that you can find a spot for it just about anywhere your mind takes you.

Bottom line is these son of a gun headphones work – and they work extremely well. Right now I have them for my bedroom connected to the television so I can watch TV without keeping my wife awake (she loves these as well). Usually on the weeknights I can have the hockey game on with the volume blasted without making a peep. So far no complaint from her or kids (even if they did, I doubt I’d be able to hear them anyway with these sitting nicely on my head. You can of coarse walk around and do chores, work on the computer, whatever floats your boat and all this without missing a second of anything.

The rechargeable batteries are perfect. No need to plug a cord in, simply place the headset on the base and BAMMM, it’s connected and charging effortlessly.

I like the fact that these are very easy and user friendly hooking them up. Just rip open the package and get the product working without having to read the instructions or manual. It’s sounds crazy but it can’t be anymore true.

SENNHEISER RS120 RS-120 900MHZ WIRELESS HEADPHONES Price: US $44.00 on eBay®