MobileTechReviews Reviews Bluetake i-Phono BT420EX Bluetooth Stereo Headset

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.mobiletechreview.com/tips/Bluetake_i_Phono.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.mobiletechreview.com/tip...ake_i_Phono.htm</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Long have we been waiting for a pair of Bluetooth wireless stereo headsets that will let us listen to music on our mobile devices. You can hear the music with just about any Bluetooth wireless headset, but not in stereo with CD quality music. Salvation is here and it’s called the Bluetake i-Phono. Billed as an entertainment and communication combo headset, the i-Phono BT420EX Bluetooth stereo headset works as a dual mono headset when you are talking on the phone and stereo headphones when you’re listening to music or watching movies. The headset has a built-in Bluetooth radio that will work with any Bluetooth enable cell phone, PDA and laptop. If your device doesn’t have Bluetooth capability (like many MP3 players) or doesn’t support the audio gateway profile, the i-Phono comes with a Bluetooth adapter that can turn your audio device into a Bluetooth enabled device instantly and send the stereo signal to the headset. Very convenient!"</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/iPhono.jpg" /><br /> <br />Tong Zhang is at it again, this time reviewing the Bluetake i-Phono BT420EX Bluetooth Stereo Headset (try saying THAT fast 10 times)! :wink: There are a couple of characteristics right-off-the-bat that separate this headset from HP's Bluetooth stereo headset. First, it doubles as both a hands-free headset for your mobile phone AND as a stereo headset for listening to music on your PDA or MP3 player. Second, it comes with an additional BT adapter that enables its use with non-BT devices. Very cool indeed! However, does it deliver enough to make this worth its $199 price tag? Take a look at <a href="http://www.mobiletechreview.com/tips/Bluetake_i_Phono.htm">Tong's review</a> and let us know what you think. Has anyone else tried this headset? Let us know your take!

[kozak]

I've always wanted to stay away from big clunky tech toys. Wearing those on the subway just screams geek. I prefer my HP headphones instead, and at half the price.

[njl2016]

So I can pair these headphones directly to my iPAQ rx3715 for music listening without the dongle?

[jngold_me]

I've always wanted to stay away from big clunky tech toys. Wearing those on the subway just screams geek. I prefer my HP headphones instead, and at half the price.

If you are referring to the HP BT headphones, I think they look just as "geeky". Of course, this coming from someone who uses Etymotic ER6i's with his iPod.

:D

[Jon Westfall]

I have a pair of these and love using them. They have some very nice bass and the sound is worth at least $100 on its own in my opinion. The other $100 for the BT components, and I believe the price is reasonable.

So I can pair these headphones directly to my iPAQ rx3715 for music listening without the dongle?

Your device needs to support the BT Hi-Fidelity profile (It may be called something slightly different - I'm blanking on the exact name) to use these to their full potential without the dongle. If you're content with BT headset-quality sound, then these will do fine with that profile - they just won't sound as good.

[Rob Alexander]

Well the idea is appealing, but the bottom line to me is whether it's worth $200 to lose the cord from my current earbuds. I'd have to say 'no' to that one.

BTW, I do hope these have left off the ubiquitous flashing blue light that manufacturers have so fallen in love with. I was watching a guy the other day with a BT headset for his cell phone. On the ear piece, he had this big flashing blue light that kept catching my eye. He reminded me of the guy in the cloud city in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. The whole image of this guy, totally unaware of his surroundings, with lights flashing on his head drawing attention to himself... just set me to chuckling. I don't think I'd like to provide that kind of amusement for others. :lol:

[jngold_me]

Well the idea is appealing, but the bottom line to me is whether it's worth $200 to lose the cord from my current earbuds. I'd have to say 'no' to that one.

BTW, I do hope these have left off the ubiquitous flashing blue light that manufacturers have so fallen in love with. I was watching a guy the other day with a BT headset for his cell phone. On the ear piece, he had this big flashing blue light that kept catching my eye. He reminded me of the guy in the cloud city in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. The whole image of this guy, totally unaware of his surroundings, with lights flashing on his head drawing attention to himself... just set me to chuckling. I don't think I'd like to provide that kind of amusement for others. :lol:

Hey, don't laugh, I have had more women come up to me and ask me what the headset was for. When I tell them it's wireless for the cell phone, they are like "oh cool, I have to get one of those".

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Hey, don't laugh, I have had more women come up to me and ask me what the headset was for. When I tell them it's wireless for the cell phone, they are like "oh cool, I have to get one of those".
It's funny, isn't it? Depending on the person noticing, the attention can be a positive or negative. I've had some similar encounters myself with my HBH300... a lot of interested people who think the device is way cool. OTOH, I have friends who don't want it for the same reason.

[Jerome Carney]

I bought the iPhones the moment they went on sale a few months back... and man-o-man, how I wish I had known about and waited for the HP bluetooth headphones, which I purchased last month.

I do admire the iPhones for their innovation, and for the fun color-clips and for getting to market before HP. But I found the iPhones flawed on many levels, and now they're in the tech wasteland of my bottom bureau drawer.

The iPhones were embarassingly clunky to wear, the left earpiece quickly developped an annoyingly creaky rattle when I would go running on the treadmill, the dongle necessary for connecting them with my MDA III was hardly an elegant solution, and once the BT High Quality Audio patch became available, pairing was frustratingly sporadic and I had to keep my PDA within a distance of three feet.

The HP headphones, on the otherhand, have been a dream, in terms of size, construction and absolutely amazing audio quality, not to mention that I can roam 10 - 15 feet away without losing a connection. The HP model does lack phone headset funtionality, but I quickly realized that when it comes to headsets, this is one area where for once in my life I actually prefer not having a converged device.

[beq]

I've said this before, but I wish they can offer two separate earbud units not tied together with the usual head/neck band. Something small so that wearing both units would look like wearing two Bluespoons (one on each ear). But it should definitely have high-fidelity sound (20-20,000Hz range, etc).

I wouldn't mind though if such earbud uses the in-the-canal method like Bluespoon or Etymotic for louder volume and less background noise.

They can make a left and right pair where one of the pair has built-in microphone (again like Bluespoon). Or heck, use a microphone for each ear unit, then apply some intelligent audio filtering DSP for cleaner voice pickup (maybe akin to technology used for array microphones?). And if this hypothetical earbud model can be adjusted for both left or right ear, then basically you would just buy two interchangeable earbud units of the same model, for simplicity. You can buy a 3rd as a spare in case you lose one.

Anyways the hypothetical Bluetooth profile being used should intelligently detect:

- user is wearing both earbuds and listening to stereo --> direct left stereo channel to left unit and vice versa for right channel

- user is wearing both earbuds and listening to mono/voice --> split the mono channel to both earbuds

- the user is only wearing one earbud and listening to stereo --> combine both stereo channels to that earbud

Is something like this on the horizon?

[ricksfiona]

Is something like this on the horizon?

Wow, now that would be a great idea! That could totally rock and I would buy them big time. Shouldn't be a big deal to implement.

Please please please!!!

[beq]

Wow, now that would be a great idea! That could totally rock and I would buy them big time. Shouldn't be a big deal to implement.

Please please please!!!
Hehe that would be great indeed, but I would guess the first stumbling block is that there is no such "intelligent-detecting-single/dual-earbud" Bluetooth audio profile (at least, I don't think there is??) :D Heck even with the simple (mono) headset profile Bluetooth is still buggy for some device implementations...

I just keep thinking about that idea everytime I look at my Bluespoon AX (as you know the AX earbud can be worn on either left or right ear by just rotating the softspring). I even have two and have tried wearing one on each ear to see how it looks haha.

I'm also curious how array-microphone technology works? Can the same filtering principle be applied to two microphones (one on each earbud unit on each ear) for better voice processing?

[after_forever]

$200 is a little too steep for me, but how I wish I could afford one of these. From what I've read the HP bluetooth headphones don't work with other bluetooth devices ie: my desktop. Guess I'll just have to wait till the price drops.