Bluetooth Stereo Headphones

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″ stereo. I am very surprised and happy with these and would make a great present for the upcoming holidays.

Zagg Z.Buds Edge Earbuds - Black / Red Price: US $53.99 on eBay®

Bluetooth stereo headphones was created to be the ultimate flexible short-range wireless system, applied to dozens of different devices. The JBL Reference 610 series are right in there with the top. Along with amazing sound clarity when working near the connected unit… you can even work at the opposite end of the house without losing any sound quality or volume! The bluetooth wireless signal feels more powerful than the strength of the wireless card built into my laptop motherboard.

Naturally the first thing you notice is the bluetooth dongle. This attaches to the docking port on the bottom of your iPod making it only compatible with Apple’s that have this docking port. More a less, these bluetooth stereo headphones were made for the newer iPod generations.

There are controls for the music are on the right ear cup, allowing you to set the volume, navigate through menus, and of course play, pause, fast-forward and rewind. The package is very generous: you get a solid travel case (it’s a nice size I must say) filled with extra cables, a recharge pack with included international adapters (awesome) and a stereo jack adapter… and don’t forget about the USB cable! The Reference 610 blew me away with all the included accessories making it work right out of the box regardless of where your going and what you have to do.

The JBL Reference Series 610 audio performance is super strong but super clear with pretty good crisp high end’s you would expect from a higher priced wireless headset at this point. The wireless connectivity works exceptionally well. Just plug the dongle into your music player or phone, push the power button on the headphones, and within a few seconds the devices are paired and your music starts to pump (LOUD). If you pull out the dongle and replace it, the connection may be lost and it can take a tiny bit to reestablish link, but switching the headphones off and then on again fixes this.

Eliminating wires does improve your listening experience and the sound quality is far superior to most headphones that cost a lot more. It’s a shame the dongle hasn’t been designed in such a way as to allow a iPod to be docked while in use, because that would allow your apple to charge while you dance around the house jamming out in your favorite Sunday outfit! I cannot wait to see the future of computer and laptop bluetooth devices and the type of technology we will all be seeing soon.

BNIB JBL Reference 610 Bluetooth Headphone Comp. W/Ipod Price: US $149.00 on eBay®

The BackBeat 903, its first pair of bluetooth stereo headphones to bear the BackBeat name, Altec Lansing has just moved into seriously interesting territory at precisely the right time. Thanks to iPhone OS 3.0, certain iPhones and iPod touches have gained the ability to perform stereo music with bluetooth technology. BackBeat 903 is a lightweight, simple pair of wireless stereo headphones that work for both telephone calls and music, switching smoothly between the two features. While the fit and styling will appeal more to some users than others, 903′s performance and general concepts are steps in the right direction for the future of no wired headphones.

Altec packages the 903 stereo headphones about as simply as possible: a power adapter is included for easy recharging, but nothing else; the headphones are what they are. They come with sculpted cone-like rubber earpieces built in, channeling their 14mm speaker drivers sound in the general direction of your ear canals, and have telescoping, swiveling arms that can be stretched and repositioned to fit your ears. Text and icons on the headset are a mix of silver and gold, pretty nice looking I would say.

The earpieces enable the wireless headset to incorporate some components that will benefit many iPod touch 2G and iPhone users. First, there’s a more powerful than average bluetooth chip inside, capable of working at distances of roughly 60 feet from the iPhone 3GS before the signal starts to break up on both sides of a phone call; at distances of roughly 30 feet, callers reported hearing a little inoffensive static on their end, as well. The bluetooth chip uses the 2.1 standard, pairing very easily PIN free with all of the bluetooth devices I tried, and apparently drawing less power when used with 2.1 compatible products. Up to seven hours of battery life for talk or listening are promised, and we ran 903 for comparably extended periods without needing a recharge.

For the most part, you can expect that these are a good performer, all things considered. Both telephone and stereo bluetooth music are clear, unlike my usb headset. People I called said that there was a slight treble boost and that our voices sounded a little more compressed when heard through the headset, but good overall. There’s also a feature called OpenMic, which lets you hear your surroundings rather than the music that’s streaming wirelessly.

Overall, a number of very real advantages to users looking for bluetooth stereo headphones with calling and music features.This includes impressive broadcasting capabilities, a design that’s acceptable visually, and a reasonable price tag. If you’re willing to take a shot and see whether this pair of wireless headphones will fit on and around your ears, you’ll almost certainly find the sound quality, weight, and battery life to be acceptable until the next major breakthrough in Bluetooth headphone technology comes along.

Altec Lansing BackBeat 903 906 Stereo Headset EAR TIPS Price: US $5.95 on eBay®

When it comes to wireless sound and music, Sony is generally known for having the higher end MSRP prices even for it’s “lower end products”. Whoa! Wait a second… what do we have here? Well Bob – IT’S A BRAND NEW CAR!!! Well we don’t have the price is right but we do have Sony’s MDR-DS6000 2.4GHz wireless stereo headphones.

You get easy plug and play setup, a nice looking form factor and very user friendly customization options at a surprisingly fair price. Just like my Sony wireless notebook mouse, having the 2.4GHz signal lets the bluetooth stereo headphones be used in any direction and angle within a 30ft area. Technically they can pick up a signal from 100 feet away, but most places you go will have walls or appliances. Which like all bluetooth digital handsets can slowly degrade that 100ft range.

With that said, these Sony MDR-DS6000 2.4GHz wireless digital surround RF headphones can easily for me receive a 5.1 digital signal through three standard walls and up a flight of stairs before showing any signs of static and the only time they have trouble maintaining a digital signal is when the source itself fails to send a signal for five minutes and the stereo handset can lose signal. Re-syncing though is simply a matter of pressing the a button on the units but be warned that it can take a few presses and up to a minute for the signal to come back and the unit to turn back on. It really shouldn’t cause a problem for anyone unless you are a gadget lover and must have total perfection! (I always feel with any product that you get what you pay for).

The Sony 2.4GHz wireless 5.1 digital headphones work by a rechargeable battery pack in one earpiece that can be recharged simply by placing the MDR-DS6000 set on the base – sounds easy enough. The base you have to plug in with the included but very small AC adapter and then connect to any digital audio source… and just like that, you’re up and running.

When the batteries die down, simply place the bluetooth device back on the base for two hours and you’re up and running again (or if it’s an emergency, you can just insert two standard AA batteries which Sony gets a big thumbs up on). An amazing audio tool for those who can’t afford a full blown surround sound setup or just if you need to listen at a high volume during quiet times like your room in the middle of the night.

NEW SONY MDR-DS1000 Digital Surround Wireless Headphone Price: US $139.90 on eBay®

IOGEAR’s GBMH211W6 bluetooth stereo headphones let you enjoy music up to 33ft from the source, in beautifully crisp MP3 quality stereo sound without messing with annoying wires. This unique behind the neck design makes the headphones very comfortable to wear even for extended periods of time. You can also easily change tracks, adjust the volume and pause your music with the wireless headphone controls. The built-in rechargeable battery lasts about 6.5 hours of actual music playtime which is much better than average. You can even pause your music and pick up an incoming phone call with the press of a button which I think is really neat and works perfectly without issues.

This unit works with any bluetooth devices (computer, iPOD, MP3 Player) that support A2DP and AVRCP profiles. For any products you own which do not have bluetooth, they sell as a side product a “IOGEAR Bluetooth Audio Transmitter (PN: GBMA211W6)” which transmits audio signals wirelessly to your bluetooth stereo headphones.

Wireless Stereo Bluetooth Headset Headphone Microphone Price: US $13.99 on eBay®

The Motorola Bluetooth DJ Bluetooth Stereo Headphones S805 give you the style, comfort and sound quality of stereo DJ headphones with the mobility of Motorola bluetooth stereo wireless technology. Let your statement be heard with the noise-reducing, wind-resistant microphone. Switch seamlessly from music to calls with the touch of a button on the bluetooth stereo handsets.

Never miss a beat: Stereo speakers pump your favorite tunes and alert you to incoming calls. You decide whether to rock on or mute the music to answer the call directly from the bluetooth stereo headphones.

Clear Voice: Speak your mind even in noisy environments using the echo and noise-reducing, wind-resistant microphone.

Easy to use: Control volume or tracks easily with a turn of the headphone wheels. The left side controls the phone, the right your music.

Groove on the Move: Approximately 17 hrs listening, 20 hrs talk, or 29 days standby time from a single charge. Pair with a compatible Bluetooth enabled stereo phone to combine your music and mobile into one device. Carry less while you experience more.

Move to your own soundtrack and take calls wirelessly with the Motorola Bluetooth DJ Stereo Headphones S805. Control your calls and tunes directly from the headphones while enjoying premium stereo sound and a comfortable wearing style while at home.

Motorola S7 Bluetooth Stereo DJ Headphone Headset NEW Price: US $46.99 on eBay®

I tried out the Sony DR-BT50 bluetooth stereo headphones for the purpose of listening to music while in the gym working out. The first time using these bluetooth stereo headphones, I was on the using the weight machine and received a business call (how convenient). I was excited and amazed about how effortlessly it went from music to the phone and right back to music after the call without me doing much at all except for touching a button. The sound quality is excellent and could pass for high end Bose bluetooth stereo headphones.

I was also really impressed and shocked with the range I get in the gym, home, car – basically the Sony DRBT50 bluetooth stereo headphones had no problem regardless of what I was doing. If you have tried other bluetooth stereo headphones and they didn’t meet your needs, these Sony bluetooth headphones are top of the line quality and built to list. In my opinion, I can say these are the best you will get for the price and I definitely recommend it to everyone.

SONY DR-BT50 DRBT50 WIRELESS BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES NEW Price: US $117.95 on eBay®