Samsung SBH500 Stereo Wireless Cell Phone Headset

The whole package minus comfort

Strengths: Battery life, audio quality, range, modern motif

Weaknesses: Comfort

Summary: Intro

After searching for a Bluetooth stereo headset for quite some, I finally decided on the Samsung ASBH500 mainly because of its price and feature set. Samsung’s packaging for this headset is fairly utilitarian. The ubiquitous quick-start guide, manual, charger, and the headset itself all rest snugly inside a plastic carton.

Setup/Operation

Setting up the headset seems simple enough at first but the included literature is ambiguous, borderline incorrect when it comes to the step of pairing. The quick-start guide states that pairing mode is initiated by “turning on the headset with pressing and holding [the Talk button].” Most people, including myself, interpret this as meaning the headset will turn on and automatically be in pairing mode if the Talk button is held down. It doesn’t work this way, however. After a lot of head scratching, I discovered that holding down the talk button while sliding the power switch to on was the only way to start pairing mode. If Samsung had used “while” instead of “with”, the instructions would read, “turning on the headset while pressing and holding [the Talk button]” which, in my opinion, is a lot more clear. Once paired, using the headset with one device is simple enough. The only possibility for confusion arises when paired with multiple devices. A useful piece of knowledge is to understand that pressing the talk button connects the headset in hands-free mode, while pressing the Play/Pause button connects the headset in music mode. It should be noted that calls cannot be answered in music mode, just as music cannot be played in hands-free mode. I’ll provide two examples to make this more clear. If the headset is paired to one phone and I want to be able to make/receive calls and listen to the MP3’s on that phone, I have to press the Talk button and Play/Pause button sequentially. If the headset is paired to a phone and a music playing device (in my case, a computer), I press the Talk button to connect to the phone in hands-free mode and press the Play/Pause button to connect to the music playing device in music mode. In this case, the phone won’t be able to play MP3’s through the headset (because the phone is in hands-free mode, and music mode is occupied by the music playing device). All of this may sound confusing, but it’s really not that bad once you get used to it. Switching between pairing scenarios is a bit more tricky and is best left to manually connecting from the device(s) to the headset instead.

Performance

Audio quality for both music and calls are average to above average. Music played through this headset is crisp and bassy. Calls are clear and lack the static that is common on smaller headsets.

Battery Life/Range

Battery life for calls and music are massive. Under moderate to heavy usage, I tend to charge it once every 7-8 days. Bluetooth range is also good. I found myself using it at distances greater than those afforded by smaller, mono headsets.

Comfort

Comfort or the lack thereof is a major issue for this headset. The headband and the manner in which it makes contact with the users head, induces sharp pressure on the area behind the ear. Adjusting and fussing around with the angle of wear is only slightly effective at best. I eventually built up a tolerance for this pressure but this may not be the case for everyone.

Conclusion

The Samsung ASBH500 Bluetooth Stereo Headset is a great value for anyone willing to compromise on comfort.

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Good headset

Strengths: range, sound quality and comfort

Weaknesses: buttons, non-folding

Summary: This is a quality built unit and doesn't seem like it will break very easily. Since it doesn't fold, I do have a concern it may break if I just keep putting it in my bag. The sound quality is very good and the range is also good. It paired up with my phone but the instructions weren't very clear. It feels very comfortable and that is important since I have a big head. The buttons are tight so using them causes the headset to move around.

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Overall, Great Headphones

Strengths: 1) sound quality 2) price (if had after MIR) 3) flexibility of headband

Weaknesses: 1) comfort 2) looks (if you plan on wearing them outside the house and you actually care)

Summary: I purchased these headphones mainly because I found them for a great price after a MIR. I was immediately impressed by the flexibility of the headphone's headband, which actually ends up being placed along the back of the wearer's neck. I thought this was a must given the stories of other Bluetooth headphones that snapped down the middle after repeated use.

Despite the on-line reviews that warned of how uncomfortable they were to wear over a prolonged period of time, I felt the headphones were somewhat manageable. Yes, they are not all that comfortable, and yes, they do make you look like you are wearing earmuffs (i.e., the Princess Leah effect, if you will). Nevertheless, in viewing the product as a whole, I regarded these weaknesses outweighed by the strengths of the product.

I also found the Bluetooth connectivity to work well with my phone and my laptop. The bass is great and the mids/highs are good. Outside noises seem to be blocked fairly well.

All in all, I am pleased with the purchase because 1) I found them for a great price after MIR; 2) they sound great given their Bluetooth connectivity; 3) comfort is not of the greatest importance; 4) and I mainly wear them indoors.

My parting advice would be to simply do your own research to see if these are for you.

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sbh500

Strengths: excellent signal, clear voice and music, semi noise cancellation design.

Weaknesses: you can not tilt your head back wearing these

Summary: i have nokia 6555 and the a2dp connections work perfect with it. the headphone it self has a separate voice control than the one built in the phone. once the music player begins, all the buttons (play, forward, rewind) works. at first I didn't think bluetooth stereo can sound this good. I'm amazed. the sound is better than some wired headphones i have tried.

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Great Product at a Great Price

Strengths: Awesome sound quality at a great price

Weaknesses: Over the ear design uncomfortable for some Bluetooth pairing instructions a could be clearer

Summary: These are at a such great price I bought several of them for the family. We use them with Blackberry and Mogul phones as a hands free headset and for listening to music.

The over the ear design is not for everyone but we've not had an issue with comfort when listening to music for extended periods of time and the sound quality is excellent for both calls and music.

The pairing instructions could be a bit more clear but once paired, it works like a champ.

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cool stuff

Strengths: convenient, walkable.

Weaknesses: ear cover is a little bit small.

Summary: very convenient, means I can walk around with my computer on the other side.

my ears are not very fit to it, maybe it because my ears are a little big size. :-)

over all, it is a cool stuff. I like it.

I would purchase another one someday the price dropped.

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A Good Performing Headset.

Strengths: Clear incoming and outgoing calls. Easy to use. Decent build quality.

Weaknesses: Uncomfortable to wear. OK for music.

Summary: For those wanting to listen to music and handle incoming calls at the same time, this headset does the job well. Sound quality is excellent for voice calls and OK for music. The only real flaw with this unit is the discomfort. The unit is a "behind the neck" design and it feels very tight. Still recommend for its overall performance.

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Very impressive..

Strengths: Comfortable, easy to link to phone, great sound

Weaknesses: None so far..

Summary: I have been very impressed with this headset. It was easy to set up and link to the phone (Nokia E51). It has excellent sound quality.

I bought it thinking it was just a headphone to listen to my music on the go, but it also has a microphone to make calls. It is useful, but annoying when I want to use the headset for music and my existing (small) headset for voice calls.

Ah well, this is not a fault with the unit and it does what it does very well.

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SBH500 - Good product for the price

Strengths: Range, Battery life,Comfortable, easy switch between music and phone.

Weaknesses: The packaging size should be reduced, the pairing instructions are not cristal clear,lack of USB charger

Summary: I bought this headset to work with my Plantronics Bluetooth USB Adapter and Skype. The pairing instructions were not cristal clear, however the procedure is very similar to other headsets so I didn't have to hesitate long.

The audio quality is fine however a little bit to baasy for my taste.

The battery life is excellent.

The headset is comfortable.

Unfortunately, this headset is lacking an USB charger and this means an extra charger to carry for trips with my computer.

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Wireless Headphones

Strengths: Good battery life Nice hard switch and enclosed charging port Good sound for it's class

Weaknesses: Music vocals were scratchy Back bar prevented elevation of head Unable to function as a voip mic with my computer

Summary: This earphone is pretty nice and seems to be well made. Of particular note is that the charging port slides shut - this is good, since it should make it more rainproof. The mechanical power switch should also allow it to not lose charge as quickly as ones that uses soft switches, since power has to be supplied to sense if the soft switch has been activated.

I used this with my computer with Bluetooth 1.1. The bt stack used I have on my computer is BlueSoleil stack version 5.04.11. Pairing went well, and I could listen to music by activating the Bluetooth AV Service - which I gather is BlueSoleli's name for A2DP. Music was good for a wireless headphone, however, don't expect it to rival even good, cheap earbuds or headphones. For example, my cheap Senn HD433 (under $20), or even the Creative EP630 (under $10).

The main issue I have with it is the scratchy vocals when playing music. It's hard to describe: upon further listening, it appears to be more like the distortion being produced when speakers are being pushed too far. I loaded up a movie where there are just people talking, and no instruments playing concurrently in the background - the issue is not apparent. However, for a pair of phones being marketed for music - not watching movies - it seems to be a rather bad weakness. Reducing the volume to very soft levels seems to alleviate it, but that is not a particularly viable workaround.

The second issue I had was the inability for me to cut in with a voip call with the computer - it simply didn't work. I managed to get it to stop playing music and see an incoming voice connection, but it would just produce the call waiting tone. No amount of button pressing would make it go away. On the other hand, it worked well with my cell. I would be switch over to the call, but it didn't pick up on the music after the call ended.

Overall, I am disappointed with the amount of issues it has. A few minor issues is, regrettably, expected for new devices nowadays, but this set has quite a few major issues. Perhaps the next version would be better.

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Great sound quality

Strengths: Great audio quality for music when using A2DP profile, can control music player functions from buttons on headset, good phone audio quality, comfortable, automatically switches between music and phone

Weaknesses: No option for wired headphone connector, pairing instructions were not clear.

Summary: When I first got this device, I quickly tried to follow the instructions to pair with my computer and phone, and nothing worked. I had packed it up, ready to send it back, when I searched some reviews online and found one about unclear pairing instructions. The instructions say that it is automatically in paring mode when you turn it on. It also says to "turn the headset on with pressing and holding the call button". I guess there was something lost in translation since I interpreted this to mean that you turn on the device by holding the call button. What they meant to say was "press and hold the call button while simultaneously turning on the headset" ... or something to that effect.

Anyway, once I enabled it, it worked beautifully with both my laptop and cell phone. My cell phone automatically chose the "headset" profile, which has lower music quality than the advanced audio profile, so when I listen to music on my cell phone, it is like AM radio. However, this may be a limitation of my cell phone. The voice quality is great though. No complaints in hearing the other person and none from them hearing me.

When I connect to my computer, I can enable headset profile to talk on my IP phone and listen to music, and I can enable advanced audio profile to listen to mp3s on my computer with higher fidelity (via windows media player). The music quality is as good as can be expected for a wireless device. Most of the time, it is as if I had a wired headset. Occasionally, depending on the frequency of the music, I hear a slight noise, probably a byproduct of being wireless.

When using advanced audio profile, I was able to use the play/pause/FF/RW functions on the headset to control the windows media player playback. In headset profile, I can hear the music, but not control the music player.

I was able to confirm that on my computer, I could listen to music, and when my cell phone rang, the headset automatically switches over to the cell phone. When the conversation was done, it would switch back to my computer's music player.

I think my only complaint is a lack of a jack for a wired device to plug into the phones. I am not aware of other bluetooth headsets that can do this, but it would be nice since I would like to use the same headset to listen to my MP3 player that doesn't have bluetooth.

Overall, a great product. I gave 3 stars b/c this is my first bluetooth device and I am finding that I probably would not use it as much since the pairing, charging, and enabling is a hassle that outweighs the benefit from being wireless ... in my opinion.

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