*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.

AC+DC Charger for Altec Lansing BackBeat 906 Headphone Price: US $8.35 on eBay®

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®