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.

See larger image Plantronics BackBeat 906 Stereo Bluetooth Headphones Set [Retail Packaging] (Wireless Phone Accessory) List Price: $129.95 USD Used from: $165.99 In Stock