What Bluetooth Stereo headset??

[Beowulf]

Am having fun with my O2 Stellar / HTC TYTN II smart phone. I no longer carry 3 seperate devices as it functions adequately as Phone, PDA and MP3 player all in one. However I have an issue with the supplied wired headphones.

Don't get me wrong.. they work ok. I can plug in my own ear bud headphones and listen to my music, answer calls (and with the addition of Microsoft Voice commander) listen to SMS text messages when they arrive.

However I constantly get in a real tangle and have on occaisions caught the cables on door handles and other pedestrians!!

So I'm looking for a decent (but not too expensive) bluetooth headset that will ideally allow me to plug in my own choice of headphones.

I've seen these three so far

Jabra BT3030 Stereo Bluetooth Headset - Looks like I had escaped from some futuristic military organisation.

Jabra BT320s Stereo Bluetooth Handsfree - basic but if it worked could do what I want.

Motorola Bluetooth Active Headphones S9 - Looks cool.. but am lumbered with their choice of headphone.

There's loads of choice on the above site but I have no idea about sound quality, phone integration features, etc. Anyone had any experience with Bluetooth stereo headsets and would like to share ??

[Beowulf]

/pedant mode

btw.. used "WHAT Bluetooth headset" and not "WHICH bluetooth headset" as what is used to refer to objects or ideas in an open question; which is preferred when a choice is given of items you can choose from.

I.e What Bluetooth headset? or Which is Better.. Headset A or Headset B.

/end pedant mode

These things can bother me for the whole day you know

[ducasi]

Originally Posted by Beowulf

btw.. used "WHAT Bluetooth headset" and not "WHICH bluetooth headset" as what is used to refer to objects or ideas in an open question; which is preferred when a choice is given of items you can choose from.

But it's not entirely open – there are only a finite number of bluetooth headphones, so it is a choice of options.

If I wasn't such a nice moderator, I'd edit the title of your thread to be correct.

[Ronde!]

Originally Posted by Beowulf

There's loads of choice on the above site but I have no idea about sound quality, phone integration features, etc. Anyone had any experience with Bluetooth stereo headsets and would like to share ??

Hiya mate,

In my day job I'm a mobile technology specialist, so I might be able to help out on your original question here. (I could also "help out" with grammar, but methinks it would be less appreciated, LoL). I have two stereo Bluetooth headsets of my own, a Logitec and a (rebadged) Dell.

WRT Bluetooth stereo headsets, I guess the main things to look out for are the supported protocols of your various devices. There are 3 current Bluetooth specifications, 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0. The latest version, 2.0, supports the longest ranges and fastest data transfer, so it's going to provide the most skip-free, wireless experience... but BOTH devices must support the protocol, or else they will only work at the range and transfer rate of the least advanced device.

So: if your phone doesn't have Bluetooth 2.0, there's probably no point spending extra cash for a Bluetooth 2.0 headset at this time... just get a minimally-compatible one for now, and upgrade to a new headset if you get a new phone with the more advanced support.

The other protocols worth checking on your phone are called A2DP and AVRCP. A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) is the international standard for Bluetooth audio, while AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Protocol) is used for controlling your phone's media player wirelessly from your headset.

If your phone doesn't support AVRCP, you won't be able to "remote control" your phone, but will instead have to use the phone's own controls. If your phone doesn't support A2DP, there's a strong likelihood it won't be able to work with Bluetooth headphones at all! So check all this out in your phone's specifications before shopping for a Bluetooth headset.

Okay, so now, assuming protocol issues are all okay, you should know that Bluetooth wireless audio is digital, and you can expect digital quality music whichever model you choose. The final audio quality will depend on how well your headphones decode the digital signal (software), and how well they render the audio through the speakers (hardware). The vast majority of decoding software is pretty much on a par; some manufacturers claim to have ways of "enhancing" digital audio, such as Creative with their "X-Fi" systems, but thus far I haven't seen anything like that where Bluetooth headsets are concerned.

The biggest differences in audio quality, therefore, are likely to come from the hardware. In this regard, you should check out the frequency response of the headset: the closer you can get to a full frequency range (20Hz-20kHz) the better, as this means you'll get better bass/treble sound production. Also, as a general rule, larger speakers tend to have better sound production than smaller ones; both of my Bluetooth headsets are wrap-around models with large, 40mm drivers, rather than in-ear buds like the ones you seem to be looking at; but on the other hand, earbuds tend to offer better sound insulation, so if you're listening to music in noisy environments, earbuds may be a better choice.

The final thing I'd recommend you look at is call handling. Most of the current Bluetooth headsets handle phone calls, but they tend to do this with varying levels of clumsiness. Some will simply fade the music out and let you take the call; when you hang up, they will resume. Others will require you to press a complicated series of buttons to do the same basic function. Best that you check this out if you would like to take calls while listening to music.

Good luck with your search and happy shopping.

[Beowulf]

Originally Posted by Ronde!

Hiya mate,

REALLY HELPFUL POST

Good luck with your search and happy shopping.

Many thanks Yes My Phone supports both the A2DP & AVRCP protocols. I'll have a look at some of the devices available to me and check out some on-line reviews.

Thanks for your help