Posts Tagged earphones
Nu-Force Bluetooth Headphones
I’m on my third pair of Sennheiser earbuds. I really like them, at least I want to like them, but they keep breaking at the mini-jack. The first pair gave out when they were so very new that I was convinced there was something wrong with my phone. The warranty has proven good, and this third pair seems to be less willing to fail. It’s the connection wire that’s failing so the clear solution? Try wireless.
The husband really likes the BT-860 headset that came from Nu-Force. His new laptop has built in Bluetooth, so the wireless headset (with a built in mic) is great for things like watching back episodes of Eureka or doing Skype calls with the far away in-laws. Pairing the headphones with your device is simple — I tried it with my phone and my iPad, no problems there. The range is pretty good, I left my phone on a chair in the backyard and wandered around on the lawn, the signal started to get a little muddy at about 20 feet away from the source, but it was still connected.
The controls for the headphones are on the ear piece — skip forward and back, the volume controls, and the call overrides. I didn’t find them particularly intuitive and I wish the little relief buttons were a bit more prominent, making it easier to know what’s what. This probably becomes second nature with more use. Don’t be trying these things for the first time while driving, okay, hands free or no.
As for comfort, I’d say they’re okay. The headband is adjustable for fit, the ear pads are your classic foam pads. Weirdly, they’re square, a design choice, but they do cover my ears. These aren’t isolation or noise blocking, they’re more for use at your hotel room desk than they are for making the noise of the airplane or bus go away. The sound quality was totally acceptable and I appreciate the fact that they’re rechargeable.
In fact, I’m not convinced that they’re for travel use. They don’t have a carrying case and they don’t collapse to a particularly small size. If I’m going to sacrifice luggage space, I want active noise cancellation. I’m going to pass on including these in my carry-on. though if you’re looking for day and/or office use, they’re totally fine.
I’m still on the hunt for those affordable, compact, active noise cancelling headphones, but if you’re looking for an affordable set to pair with your laptop, these aren’t a bad choice. Like I said, the husband rather likes them, but he’s using them on the couch.They’re 79.00 on Amazon.
More headphone reviews? Try these:
Posted by Pam in Business Gear, General Gear on September 9th, 2011
Music to My Ears: Shure SE530PTH Sound Isolating Earphones
One of the essentials in my travel bag is a set of earbuds that will not only make my MP3 collection sound good, but will block out noise on airplanes. You know, engine noise, screaming babies and friends and business colleagues who insist on having conversations even though they are sitting across the cabin from each other.
This is where the Shure SE530PTH Sound Isolating Earphones really shine.
First, they sound great. I use them for audio recording in the field. But on the road, carrying my iPod and having a few thousand of my favorite tunes on a long trip is important—it gives me something familiar even when traveling to unfamiliar places.
If you really want to “hear” the music on your iPod or Zen or Zune, forget about the cheap earbuds that come with most portable music players. With the Shure earphones, you’ll likely hear instruments and voices you’ve never heard before, even on familiar songs.
There are two types of noise-blocking headphones. Some, like Sennheiser and Bose, use active circuitry that generates a sound frequency to cancel noise. The SE530PTH uses the smaller (and easier to carry) earbud design with plastic or foam sleeves to form a seal in your ears. It comes with several different sizes and designs of sleeves, but getting the right seal is critical to good sound (especially bass response) and keeping out noise.
For me, the smaller earbud design is even comfortable for sleeping.
The PTH (Push to Hear) module is also handy for listening to flight updates over the PA system or when the flight attendant asks you what you’d like to drink. Without removing the earbuds, you can turn on a small microphone that will let you hear conversations.
My only concern about the Shure is the cost. The SE530PTH carries a list price of $549.99. But shop carefully online and you can usually find them in the $250-$300 range. (See the links below.) Just be sure to buy from an authorized dealer to avoid any possible warranty problems.
Expensive for portable headphones? Yes. Worth it for road warriors? Without a doubt.
Posted by JohnG in Business Gear on May 4th, 2009
