Mobileburn.com and PDAMania Publish Great Bluetooth Stereo Headset Roundups
Bluetooth (wireless) stereo headphones and A2DP are, in addition to Push Mail, the current buzzwords. Just wanting to purchase one of them myself (I think I'll buy the Plantronics Pulsar 590A tomorrow - your opinions?), I've been thoroughly scrutinizing user opinions and reviews on the different models. During this, I was delighted to see English site Mobileburn and (unfortunately, non-English) PDAMania having both published some really-really cool roundups on some more recent headsets.
The (English) Mobileburn article can be found here and is really-really recommended. It contains a lot of detailed for example compatibility information and, as it's a comparative roundup, is far more useful than any non-comparative "review" (it, for example, directly compares the sound quality of each headset).
The PDAMania.hu review can be found here (second part; the first can be found here; it may be worth checking out for, say, the shots, if you can't speak the language).
My readers know for sure I like translating or, at least, summarizing worthy reviews written in "obscure" languages (for example Finnish) into English (yeah, being European has certain advantages; for example, knowledge of several local languages); these articles are no exception. That is, here's a quick comparison chart I've created based on the information found in these two, latter articles (with some added tidbits based on the Mobileburn roundup):
(Note that if you encounter rendering problems, you can also access the chart here)
Columns:Sound qualityConvenience factorLooksStandard sound cable (when the battery is depleted OR flight mode must be activated)Dongle?Other remarks
First roundup: Jabra BT620sExcellent, albeit the reviewer mentions that, by default, it has less bass than the BH-601 / HT820OK, better than the Nokia / the HT820OK--All in all, the reviewer prefers it to both the BH-601 and the HT820. (He also complains about the music stopping for at least half a second when he touches a button.)
Nokia BH-601Very good / excellent (according to the mobileburn article, it's definitely better ("the Nokia BH-601 has by far the best audio") than that of the HT820)OKOK (according to the mobileburn article, it's arguably the best-looking)-A PC-only USB stick; not usable as a stand-alone BT dongle and has no analogue sound input (that is, not a traditional external dongle)Highly recommended if you want good music quality
Motorola HT820Very good / excellent; the reviewer mentions the bass' being a little bit on the excessive sideSome dislike it, some don't; the author complained about it starting to be inconvenient after an hourAccording to the reviewer (""Princess Leia" comments"), Pretty bad - it adds considerable (funny / strange) bulk to the ear+-Highly recommended if you need a cheap but very good headset and the looks aren't a problem
Second roundup: Samsung SBH100 Poor; weak bass and almost non-existing trembleNot very good; while it sits on the ears better than other, similar models, it's still suffering from the usual one-side problems (it feels pretty insecure on the ear etc). As it doesn't completely cover the ear, it has problems particularly in noisy environment.OK--Poor, not recommended
Cellink BTST 8010DPoor; even weaker bass than that of the Samsung headset; trembles are better, thoughOKIt's the best-looking of all - very thin and elegant (this, unfortunately, is also a factor in the device's considerably weaker battery life (about 6.5 hours) and the somewhat limited Bluetooth range. -+; connects with a 3.5 stereo cable (no mike!); has sound volume problems: the maximal volume is about half that of with A2DPIf you need either a cheap / good-looking model or a model with a dongle and the relatively bad sound quality isn't a problem, do get this. (Compatibility problems with the Qtek 8500: the headset mike didn't work.)
Plantronics Pulsar 590The best of all, albeit it lacks some tremblesReally convenientOK++; connects with a 3.5 stereo cable (no mike!); unlike with Nokia's or Cellink's dongles, however, it has a one-second delay, which makes it useless in, say, movie watchingHighly recommended
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