| BlueAnt X5 bluetooth stereo headset |
| Written by Kelsey | |
| Tuesday, 02 January 2007 | |
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I'm a card-carrying gadget freak, so it's no suprise I've been on the lookout for a decent bluetooth stereo headset for some time. Despite an allure of near gravitational proportions, I've never really been able to justify getting an in-ear bluetooth headset. It's a lot of fuss (plus a piece of flashing plastic sticking out of my ear) to alleviate the task of picking up my phone - something I find not too onerous. Bluetooth stereo headsets are another matter. I like the idea of wireless audio, able to get up from my computer or leave my iPod beyond the reach of its white tether. I also cycle hundreds of kilometres a week, and the iPod headphone cable can be a bother. A crucial factor, however, is that I can't hear my phone when my headphones are on. So for me, a killer product is one that will:
My thoughts after the jump: After obsessing over this decision for a while, it eventually came down to one small factor that tipped my choice in favour of BlueAnt - I love behind-the-neck headphones. One thing I won't cover in detail is the audio quality. For me, headphones are about mobile enjoyment rather than perfection of sound. I have a great sound system when I'm feeling indulgent and I don't expect or need headphones to attempt to match that. I should also point out that I graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music as an Opera major - so I've got pretentious music twaddle available on demand. Auditory street-cred established, it should suffice to say that when streaming stereo music, they're absolutely fine and I was surprised at just how good they sounded listening both iPod and computer. The Good
The microphone is a chunk of plastic with a USB plug in one end. It's a little flimsy, but that probably wouldn't be as big a problem if it weren't positioned at the bottom of the headset speaker. Why is this a problem? Because one of the advantages of behind-the-neck style headphones is that when you're not listening to them, they're easy to slip off and wear around you neck. But the microphone juts out and rests on your collarbone. It's not uncomfortable, but I worry that this will damage the mic or its connections. I'd like to see BlueAnt offer an alternative mic that sat flatter along the bottom of the speaker. Even better would be to see V2 of the X5s have USB ports on the batteries for easy charging of spares and a more discrete integrated mic, such as on the plantronics. Quick tip: For better bass response, it's best to remove the standard leather speaker covers and use the included foam covers instead. It may also give your ears a slightly easier ride. Using the X5 I've been playing with the X5 for a week now and in general I'm thrilled with it. With the streamer plugged into my iPod and the headset also paired to my phone, I can wander with my beats to my heart's content, secure in the knowledge I won't miss a call. While I don't use it as much as I expected for VOIP, I suspect this will change when OS X "Leopard" is released and the A2DP profile is supported. The headset is light, stylish and the audio quality is surprisingly good. It may take a little while to get used to what the indicator lights mean, but the documentation is good and has some very nice charts to refer to, making interpretating of the blue and red flashes far simpler. |
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