A Bluetooth Headphone Review

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Molon Labe!
Oct 16, 2008
3,426
153
63
Western, PA
I finally pulled the trigger on some Bluetooth headphones and I thought I would post a review.


Today I purchased from Best Buy the ROCKETFISH Bluetooth Headphones. I had never heard of "ROCKETFISH" and it seems that this is Best Buy's own brand. I saw them at a Best Buy a few weeks ago. I did some research and checked the reviews (these were very highly rated) so I decided to bite the bullet and spend the $59.99.

What is in the Box:

In the box you get the Headphones (duh), an extra pair of foam ear covers, a MINI USB cable to charge the phones and, I was excited for this part, a Wall USB Charger that will work with ANY USB cable. BONUS!! Also, they really go a little literature heavy and provide three different user manuals (english, spanish, french) and three different quick start guides, again in the three languages just mentioned.

Build Quality:

These phones seem pretty sturdy. They are of course all plastic but they are solid. The button pressing is good--by that I mean the buttons don't feel loose when you push them but instead they have a good click to them. Weight is listed at just under 2 ounces---1.9.
[
B]Fit:[/B]

These are the behind the neck variety of bluetooth headphones. I bought these primarily for running and cardio excercise so I wanted something that would fit snug on my head but not too tight. I usually use the ear=bud or IEM style of headphone so going back to the open air, over the ear style is strange but they do fit really well. they aren't too tight and they don't hurt. I wore them for about an hour today with no problems. The problem with a lot of bluetooth headphones is that they can be rather obnoxious. They are either bedazzled with bright blue blinking lights or they are so big that everyone that wears them instantly looks like Princess Leah on a bad day. These are a little larger than your non bluetooth behind the neck style phones but they are MUCH lower profile than anything else I have seen in this style. A major plus. Also, the only light that comes on is in the little ROCKETFISH logo, also a plus.

Connectivity/Range

No problem. they connected right away to my Blackberry Bold and also my Samsung P3 Media Player. I did several tests with turning various things off and on to test the connection and there was never a problem. Connected perfectly.
The Range so far has been pretty good but to be fair I haven't really tested it too much. I will say that I have had ZERO dropouts with the player in my pocket, in a bookbag or in a back pocket.

Sound:

All the rest of the review is pointless if the 'phones don't sound right. These phones sound good. Really good. Being over the ear, open air phone's they don't sound quite as good as my beloved Sennheiser In Ear's but these do sound good. Your player/phone must be A2DP compatible but I think most newer players and phones are. These phones also have 5 EQ settings that you can cycle between by quickly pressing the "play/pause" button twice. They range in sound but you can have a more 3D effect, a bass heavy effect, etc. Personaly preference is going to win hear but I was able to get MUCH better sound by experimenting with this feature. Also, I was still able to use the eq settings on my player such as "club", "rock", "studio", etc. My player has tons of these settings and even allows you to create your own. All of this worked well with the player. If you're an audiophile, then these phones are not for you but then again, probably no bluetooth phones are.

Battery Life:

According to the manual, these are rated for 14 hours of Talk time, 12 hours of music and 340 hours of standby time. To fully charge the device it takes about three hours. I have no idea if these battery ratings are correct and I will probably never find out. I will never use them for 12 hours at a time but rather maybe an hour a day for music. Also, I'm sure using chainging volume, using the headphones different sound settings and also your players EQ settings and volume will effect battery life.

Function:

These phones will allow you to connect to multiple devices, such as a player and a phone at the same time. Using the built in buttons on the headphones, you can pause tracks, play tracks, skip to the next track, go backwards, etc. Also, with the phone pairing you can of couse voicedial, take calls, ignore calls, etc. The phones are very functional and even when my player was "locked" I was able to skip to the next track using the "forward and reverse" buttons on the phones. A nice feature. I will also talk about volume. it is very good. The phones get louder than you would need them and calls and music sound very good. No complaints on the volume level. Also, when you max out on the volume and the phones will "beep" at you to let you know that you can't go any louder.

Overall I am a real fan of these phones. They won't replace my In Ear Style Sennheisers as they do not sound as good but I must say that I am a fan. Don't let the "off brand" name scare you. They have a Full One Year Warranty and of course the Best Buy 30 day return policy. Durability seems to be a real problem with BLUETOOTH headphones with even some other DRC memeber reporting quick failings. In my research I found that the in ear style doesn't last very long due to sweat but fewer problems have been reported with the over the ear style. This also was a factor in my decision to purchase these. Keeping in mind that this purchase was just made today and I haven't been too rough with them, I certainly cannot attest to their durability or staying power. however, I will keep you all posted, if you care enough.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...tooth&lp=4&type=product&cp=1&id=1218068108153

here are some pics. Feel free to hit me with a PM or a reply with any questions.
 

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Vargas

Molon Labe!
Oct 16, 2008
3,426
153
63
Western, PA
Congrats on your BT purchase. Where will you be wearing these? Gym?

Yes. Mainly at the gym and also for when I run on the road.

I will also, I'm sure, wear them for various reason but as I said, primary use is the gym and running.

The feeling of no wires is certainly freeing. I was so used to plugging my phones into my player, then dropping the player through my shirt and then either holding it in my left hand or just dropping it into my left pocket--all so I wouldn't have to deal with all the extra wire.

If they hold up, I'll be really pleased.
 

Vargas

Molon Labe!
Oct 16, 2008
3,426
153
63
Western, PA
Been a week now and the headphones still sound great.

Just wanted to post a follow up---the rocker button on the headphones that allows you to move the track forward has broken. I don't know how becuase I think I only used it about 4 times. Anyway, the reverse button still works--it seems like whatever hold the button in place broke and now when I try to press the button it just sinks in.

I"m taking them back tomorrow to exchange them. If this happens again I really won't care because I never use the button and as long as they still pair up well and sound good, I'll keep them.
 

Vargas

Molon Labe!
Oct 16, 2008
3,426
153
63
Western, PA
What devices use BT headphones? Ipod?

Any MP3 player with Bluetooth. Ipod Touch now has bluetooth as do more and more "higher end" players like Samsung, Cowon, the new Sony X series, etc.

I really hope the next Sirius portable has it.

It is really nice to have NO WIRES when you are running or doing anything active or anything with chainsaws.