Stereo Headset - Bluetooth wireless
Motorola
MOTOROKR S9-HD Bluetooth Stereo Headset
Motorola made some good improvements on the S9-HD over the last generation S9 Bluetooth stereo headset, making it a good contender against other high-end Bluetooth headsets in terms of audio quality. The active, in-ear design makes it a natural for those who are on the go or want a discreet listening experience. The S9-HD has good audio quality, eliminates background white noise, plays well with a large variety of phones and the Bluetooth adapter is a big plus for those who wish to consolidate their stereo headsets for phone and iPod. The audio quality for music playback is still lower than over-the-ear models like the Samsung SBH500 in terms of clarity and bass, but it's getting close. The lightweight design combined with water resistant material makes the headset a great choice for jogging, biking and hiking outdoors.
Design
Though the form factor looks largely unchanged from the last generation S9 headset, the S9-HD is slightly lighter and it feels more balanced. Weighing 1.12 ounces (32 grams), the S9-HD Bluetooth headset still has the behind-the-head active form but more refined ear tips to fit better inside of the ears. The ear buds feel more comfortable than those on the S9, and the S9-HD package comes with three ear bud covers in different sizes. The Music playback controls live on the right arm while the phone call/end and volume controls are on the left arm. The buttons are heavily domed and large enough to press easily. The surface on the side that touches your face and head has a soft rubber inlay that functions like a soft cushion and helps make it more comfortable to wear for long periods of time. The charging port and the power on/off still live on the back block.
Pairing the Features
The Motorola S9-HD Bluetooth headset supports both mono and stereo Bluetooth audio profiles. Press and hold the power button while the headset is off until the LED flashes solid blue, use your phone to pair with the headset. The S9-HD paired easily with a dozen test phones, and we paired with two phones simultaneously. For phone functions, the Motorola S9-HD can receive calls, initiate calls, and it works well with phones that have voice dialing and voice command. You can even redial the last number using the headset (press and hold the call button). If you are listening to music while a call comes in, the music will stop and the headset will play a ringer while the LED flashes to indicate an incoming call. Once you've ended the call, the music will resume playing.
With Bluetooth A2DP and AVRCP support, you can control music playback using the headset. Playback controls on the headset include play/pause, stop (press and hold play/pause button), go forward a track, go back a track, and volume up and down. There is also an option to change audio modes in SRS WOW HD settings. The SRS WOW HD technology enhances the audio with better separation, more powerful bass and definition control. There are two modes: one mode provides more voice clarity and the other mode gives more bass. Press and hold the skip forward button to switch between these audio modes. In addition, the S9-HD comes with a Bluetooth adapter to work with the iPod.
Voice and Music Audio Quality
The last gen Motorola S9 didn't have exceptional audio quality, and it had a very noticeable "hissing sound" (like loud white noise) when working with many phones. The new Motorokr S9-HD eliminated that problem and generally had very good audio quality with most phones we tested. Another issue we had with the last gen S9 was the headset worked well generally with Motorola's own phones, but had some trouble working with non-moto phones. The S9-HD smoothed out that issue as well, and worked well with phones in different brands.
The music playback had the best audio quality via the S9-HD with clear audio in all channels and powerful bass. The audio was also very balanced and sounded good in playing different styles of music. The only slight problem we found on the Moto S9-HD was that the bass favors the right side earpiece in quite a few tracks produced by different artists. Using a phone's EQ settings could fix the problem on some phones. The MOTOROKR S9-HD doesn't have the level of isolation produced by stereo Bluetooth headsets that cover the ears such as the Samsung SBH500 and the Plantronics Pulsar 590A, but if you are listening to tracks in Rock, R&B, Rap, etc. genres in loud volume, the S9-HD provides more than enough isolation. But if you are listening to chamber music in a less than quiet environment you might notice the surrounding noise more.
The voice quality for calls often pales in comparison to the stereo audio quality on most Bluetooth headsets, and it's no exception with Motorola S9-HD. The call voice sounded thinner than the music audio but it does come through in stereo. In-call volume was good and call controls worked like a charm.
Battery
The ROKR S9-HD has a rechargeable battery and you can charge it with the included AC charger. The charging port is on the back of the headset next to the power button. It takes about 2 hours to fully charge the battery and the claimed music playing time is up to 6 hours. Our tests showed 5.5 hours of playing time and a week in standby.
Pro: Better design than the last gen S9. The headset stays on better and the buttons are easier to find and press. Audio quality is quite good and bass is powerful. Pairing is smooth and can pair with 2 phones simultaneously. Lightweight and easy to carry in a gear bag.
Con: The audio needs a little bit more tweaking as it noticeably favors the right channel. Voice call quality isn't very good.
Package contains: The MOTOROKR S9-HD Bluetooth stereo headphones, Bluetooth Adapter D650 for iPod, AC charger, carry pouch for the headphones, additional ear buds and printed user guide.
Technical specs:
-Bluetooth 2.0
-Supported Profiles: Headset, Hands-Free, A2DP and AVRCP
-Claimed music playing time: Up to 6 hours.
-Weight: less than 1 oz.
-Size: 4.96 x 5.11 x 1.89 inches
Motorola S9
Bluetooth Active Headphones
The Motorola S9 Bluetooth stereo headphones turned a quite few heads when it was first announced. It's much smaller than the over-the-ear Plantronics Pulsar 590A and lighter than most other Bluetooth stereo headsets. It looks sporty and is lightweight, and it's especially chic-looking when Beckham wears it. The Motorola S9 works with mobile phones for calls and with phones with the A2DP Bluetooth profile or music players with Bluetooth (integrated or via adapters) for wireless stereo music playback. The headset offers easy-to-use controls, decent voice quality and good music quality and it supports common call management features. The headphones aren't perfect but for those who are seeking a pair of lightweight, water/sweat resistant stereo headphones, the Motorola S9 is worth a look.
Jocks who listen to music on either their phones or MP3 players will like the Motorola S9's wireless music streaming and the light weight. Although the headphones focus many features on music playback, they also offer a nice set of tools for making and receiving phone calls. If you happen to use a phone that doesn't have loud white noise then the S9 is a good choice for you.
Design
The Motorola S9's ingeniously slim, light and durable design stands out. Dubbed as active stereo headset, the S9 is clearly targeted at users who are active and might jog, exercise or bike with the headset on. The lightweight behind-the-head design and small ear buds allow to be more physically active compared to traditional headphone designs. The Motorola S9 also has a tight form that ensures the headset stays on securely even when your body is moving. Does it feel good? It will feel very comfy if your skull is the right size. If your head is too large, the S9 feels as though it's squeezing too hard and it won't feel comfy when you wear it for a long period of time. If your head is too small, the back bridge of the headset will drop to your neck and it won't feel good when it bumps your neck when you are jogging. As you've guessed by now, the headset is not adjustable and Motorola counts on the giving nature of the band to accommodate most (but not all) head shapes and sizes. The earbuds are comfy sitting in your ear and they don't completely block out ambient noise which is good for those who jog in street. There are additional earbud tips included with the headset, so make sure you try them all to find the best size.
The controls on the MOTOROKR S9 are not big, but they're easy to use. On the right ear arm, you will find track forward, play/pause and track back buttons. On the left ear arm, you will find volume up and down controls and call answer/end/voice dialing/last call dialing button. And on the back bridge, you will find the power/pairing button and the charging port. A built-in microphone hides in the right earbud.
Pairing and Features
The Motorola S9 headset has integrated Bluetooth v2.0 and supported profiles include Hands-Free, Headset, A2DP and AVRC. It works with mobile phones for phone calls via the Headset or Hands-Free profiles and for music playback in stereo with phones that have A2DP support. It can also control music playback using the via the audio/video remote control profile (AVRC), as well as handle call send/end wirelessly. We paired the Motorola S9 Bluetooth stereo headset with quite a few mobile phones and devices, and it paired with all easily. To pair the Motorola S9, press and hold the power button until LED light flashes in blue a few times, then turns solid blue indicating your headset is ready to pair. Use your cell phone to find the headset and pair with it using the default pass code: 0000. You can pair the Motorola S9 with up to eight devices and the pairing info will store in its memory and will try to reconnect with the last mobile phone and the last music source it was connected to. This is handy if you use dedicated music player for streaming music and a mobile phone for phone calls. If your music player doesn't have integrated Bluetooth, you can get a Bluetooth adapter and Motorola sells one for the iPod.
The Motorola S9 Bluetooth stereo headset supports common call management features including making and answering calls via the headset, voice dialing, rejecting calls, redialing last number and mute/unmute in calls. You can transfer calls between the phone and the Motorola S9 when in a call and adjust volume of the incoming voice. The music playback controls include play/pause, stop, volume changing, and skip back and skip forward a track. If a call is coming in while you are listening to music, your mobile phone will stop playing music and alert you of the incoming calls. The S9 headset will ring as well to let you know you have an incoming call. You can use the call send/end button the S9 to handle the call. When your phone starts to play music after ending a call, your headset will pick up the stereo music streaming.
Voice Quality and Range
The stereo separation is great. Music sounds full, mostly balanced with the bass being slightly too thin (these are earbuds after all). The volume is loud and you should have no problem hearing music tracks while exercising. The AV controls work like charm for changing volume, back and forward tracks and taking phone calls. Voice dialing through the Motorola S9 works well. The one flaw in both music and voice quality is the white background noise that sounds like old radio static.
Voice calls have decent quality but not as good as the music playback quality. The DSP doesn't have much effect and you can hear background noise quite clearly.
Battery Life
The Motorola S9 Bluetooth stereo headset comes with a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery and you can charge it using the included AC world charger. The claimed talk time is 7 hours and claimed music playback time is 6 hours. Our tests showed that those numbers were over-estimated. We got about 4 to 4 ½ hours of music playback time. The claimed standby is 150 hours which was also over estimated based on our tests. The headset offers power saving feature and will shut itself off when you are not using it for about 1 hour. You will need to turn it on again when you want to use it again.
Pro: Sleek design, small, lightweight, water resistant surface that's perfect for physically active mobile users. Easy to use controls for both making phone calls and listening to music. Good music playback quality on selected phones and decent call voice quality.
Con: Not really adjustable, other than some stretchy give, thus they won't fit all folks well. White noise is noticeable with many phones. Battery life isn't that impressive.
Package contains: the Motorola S9 headphones, AC charger, additional earbud cups, carry pouch, User's Guide and pairing card.
Technical Specs:
-Bluetooth v2.0.
-Profiles supported: Hands-free, Headset, A2DP and AVRCP profiles.
-1.3cm speakers.
-Claimed talk time: 7 hours of talk time, 6 hours of music playback.
-Claimed standby time: up to 150 hours.
-Headset size: 4.96 x 5.11 x 1.89 inches.
-Headset weight: 1.14 oz.
-Battery: 180 mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery.