Nokia BH-501 headset
I got this headset for Crimble, having had it on my Amazon Wishlist for a while. I've used it a few times, so it's time for a mini-review.
There are three buttons on the right earpiece, which will no doubt confuse all the lefties who buy it. Up/Down volume, and a do-it-all function button. Setup was straightforward after charging the headset, which comes with a mains charger only. Pairing with the N95 was an easy process: switch BT on, switch the headset on and Add Device on the N95. Enter the id-code (0000) and away you go!
In fact the process was so straightforward that I got confident and even paired the headset with my PC for Skype usage and listening to LastFM at home without being tethered to the PC by wires. With the PC upstairs, I can hear music in every room in the house through the headset, which is great!
In use, the headset is quite comfortable, then the headband resting on the back of the neck takes some getting used to. The set is light enough not to be a problem, even with extended use - and it even fits on my 7 and 3/8ths sized head!
I find the sound quite bassy, which I like, though I have experienced some cut-outs as reported by others. Apart from that, sound quality is more than acceptable - this is the first headset I've had that lets me actually hear the music during my commute on the tube - my iPod was never really up to fighting the ambient noise levels of the trains and traffic in the street. I was a bit confused at first, as playback was so quiet through the headset, even set at full volume. Then I realised that the N95 was only set to 40% volume! Pushing that up to 90% easily solved the lack of volume problem - I had to subsequently reduce the headset volume a tad to make it comfortable.
I've not really used it for making calls as yet, though this can obviously be done (I make very few calls on the phone, believe it or not). Tests with Skype have proved that the voice pickup is clear enough for use, though it can at times sound a little 'echo-y'.
Overall, I'm more than happy to be finally free of the wires, and would recommend this set to other users.
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Comments
Hi Ocifant, nice review. How are your experiences with the noise-cancelling. Does the mic filter out the surrounding noise? My Nokia BH-900 really has great voice pickup and noise cancelling.
If you use a class1 bluetooth dongle on your PC, you might have less cut outs. Remember the headset itself is only Class 2, meaning about 10 meters line of sight range for signals going to the PC. But sound streamed to the headset via a Class 1 will have a 10x stronger signal en thus less dropouts will occur in the data stream that is important for the sound quality. The data stream from packets to the PC giving confirmation signals can have a much higher packet loss rate without any troubles. Even though this will impact the battery life.
As for the dropouts, I've only really noticed them when using the N95 as source so far. PC seems to be OK. My dongle(s) are all V2.0 with an operation range of 0-100m (Class 1).
Well, speak to your voicemail and compare them. My landline company actually forwards a wav-soundfile to my e-mail with the message. Give that a try and then compare it with the jawbone with and without different background noise and windconditions!
Nothing better than to compare two products instead of saying this one is really good ;-) Looking forward to you contribution!
I use my BH-900 during voicenavigation with the N95 and it sometimes drops the first fraction of a second of a statement if it has to renegotiate a connection. For the rest it seems OK.