Well my first guest review is by Elizabeth "Shake 'n Bake" Welch owner of Poppy Locks which specializes in cakes, pops and petit fours. She recently had suffered a foot injury which sidelined her for several weeks and spent a lot of time on an Alter G-Trainer (you can read my review here) and once cleared to run she was contained to a treadmill. Needless to say, she spent a lot of times using a headset to keep her sanity when running and the dreaded tready. So she offered to write a review on a few headsets she tried and so with that...here you go.
Thanks for the help Elizabeth
Thanks for the help Elizabeth
Kids running late for school, overslept, icy roads. For whatever reason, this mornings early run has to be done on the dreaded treadmill. Shoes laced, towel, water bottle and music in hand you head out the door to hit the gym. Once situated you strap on your MP3 player of choice, wrap yourself with the wires of your headphones in an intricate pattern so as not to be disturbed by them and start your early morning torture…I mean…jog. With each step, as your foot strikes the belt, the wire to your headphones bounces against your back and shoulder. At first it doesn’t seem to bother you but as the miles creep up it begins to feel like it is slapping against your body like a rotten old Nun smacking the back of your chubby little hand with a wooden ruler. It takes everything in you not to rip those suckers out of your ears and throw them across the gym room floor. You think to yourself, “There’s got to be a better way!” Why yes! Yes there is!
Bluetooth technology has come a long way since it first made its debut back in 1994.
After going through a very similar scenario as the one mentioned above I decided it was time to do some research and find an alternative to “wired” music during my run. As if a long run on the treadmill isn’t bad enough I could not STAND the feeling of the sweaty wire clinging to my neck or bouncing around aimlessly with each connection made with the ground. Wireless headphones seemed to be the most logical solution. I had the chance to test and review five pair. Prices reflect regular retail from Fry’s Electronics.
Plantronics Backbeat GO Stereo Bluetooth Headset - $99.99
Bluetooth technology has come a long way since it first made its debut back in 1994.
After going through a very similar scenario as the one mentioned above I decided it was time to do some research and find an alternative to “wired” music during my run. As if a long run on the treadmill isn’t bad enough I could not STAND the feeling of the sweaty wire clinging to my neck or bouncing around aimlessly with each connection made with the ground. Wireless headphones seemed to be the most logical solution. I had the chance to test and review five pair. Prices reflect regular retail from Fry’s Electronics.
Plantronics Backbeat GO Stereo Bluetooth Headset - $99.99
- Amazingly light, incredibly small wireless stereo earbuds with Bluetooth technology
- Compact design easily slips into your pocket and tangle-free cable keeps things simple
- Enjoy your favorite music or movie with up to 4.5 hours of listening and talk time
- Three sizes of cushioned eartips and optional stabilizers make the fit custom, secure, and comfortable
- Inline controls make it easy to take calls, skip tracks, and adjust volume
- Bluetooth technology lets you connect to smartphones or tablets for music, movies, and calls
- Big sound in a small package. sound-isolating buds for rich stereo
- Headset battery meter automatically shows onscreen for iPhone and iPad
- Plantronics MyHeadset app enables a battery headset meter on Android 3.0 tablets, and Android 4.0 phones and tablets
The earbuds are fairly large and stick out quite far from the ear. I didn’t like the loose wire around the base of my neck. In my opinion it defeated the purpose of wireless headphones. Sound quality was amazing. They also boast that they can withstand sweat. I didn’t keep them long enough to find out.
Once major benefit I saw with this set was the option to change out the size of the eartip. My ears are fairly small so unfortunately even the smallest tip was too large. I had to keep readjusting my right ear to keep the bud positioned correctly even though there is an extra loop of silicone designed to keep the bud in place. These might work well for a man or someone who looking for Bluetooth technology but doesn’t mind the wire.
Scosche Bluetooth Stereo Headphones - $59.99
These fit much better than the Plantronics pair and stayed in place thanks to the headband. I may be aging myself a bit here but they reminded me of the yellow Sony Walkman sport headphones. I was surprised at how much background noise was cancelled out with these. I caught myself talking fairly loud even without music playing. They ran comfortably for 6 miles but after sweating and then hitting the weights the inside of my ears were sore. If I adjusted the band so there wasn’t as much pressure they didn’t seem to stay in place as well.
Definite pro: easily collapse when not in use. Probably good for a man or someone with larger ears. All that said, I would recommend them.
Once major benefit I saw with this set was the option to change out the size of the eartip. My ears are fairly small so unfortunately even the smallest tip was too large. I had to keep readjusting my right ear to keep the bud positioned correctly even though there is an extra loop of silicone designed to keep the bud in place. These might work well for a man or someone who looking for Bluetooth technology but doesn’t mind the wire.
Scosche Bluetooth Stereo Headphones - $59.99
- Bluetooth headphones with digital quality wireless audio that collapse for portability and storage
- Convenient handsfree cell phone calls
- Up to 30ft of wireless range
- Control track, volume play/pause and answer cellphone calls all from the headphones
- DSP echo cancellation ensures a crystal clear conversation
- Rechargeable lithium ion battery provides up to 5 hours of playtime and 6 hours of talk time
- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
- Support profiles: A2DP, AVRCP and HFP
- Includes USB charging cable
These fit much better than the Plantronics pair and stayed in place thanks to the headband. I may be aging myself a bit here but they reminded me of the yellow Sony Walkman sport headphones. I was surprised at how much background noise was cancelled out with these. I caught myself talking fairly loud even without music playing. They ran comfortably for 6 miles but after sweating and then hitting the weights the inside of my ears were sore. If I adjusted the band so there wasn’t as much pressure they didn’t seem to stay in place as well.
Definite pro: easily collapse when not in use. Probably good for a man or someone with larger ears. All that said, I would recommend them.
Jaybird Sportsband Stereo Bluetooth Headphone - $89.99
First thought…beautiful! A very attractive, sleek piece of ear wear. They fit snug around the head and ran smoothly. I was actually a little hesitant of the ear piece because I thought they may rub the outer part of my ear raw during a longer run. But they are extremely soft and didn’t cause any discomfort. Sound quality is amazing. Since my plan is to wear these in the gym not only do I need to be able to run in them comfortably, I also need to be able to work out in them. They were great until I bent over. The band immediately slid in front of my face. Not cool Jaybird. I am impressed with the battery life on this pair. Great for running or anything standing completely upright…no good for other activities.
- Wireless Operating Distance: 32.8 ft
- Battery Standby Time: 250 Hour
- Maximum Battery Run Time: 11 Hour
- Earpiece Design: Over-the-head
- Earpiece Type: Binaural
- Integrated Microphone: Yes
- Microphone Sensitivity: -34 dB
- Weight (Approximate): 3.74 oz
First thought…beautiful! A very attractive, sleek piece of ear wear. They fit snug around the head and ran smoothly. I was actually a little hesitant of the ear piece because I thought they may rub the outer part of my ear raw during a longer run. But they are extremely soft and didn’t cause any discomfort. Sound quality is amazing. Since my plan is to wear these in the gym not only do I need to be able to run in them comfortably, I also need to be able to work out in them. They were great until I bent over. The band immediately slid in front of my face. Not cool Jaybird. I am impressed with the battery life on this pair. Great for running or anything standing completely upright…no good for other activities.
SHARPER IMAGE SBT500 - $49.99
- Great for Bluetooth enabled music phones and computers
- Wirelessly listen to and control music (Play/Pause/Forward/Back/Volume)
- Answer cell phone calls while listening to music
- Built-in microphone
- Easy pairing process
- Can be charged by connecting to a computer via USB or standard AC outlet
- Up to 12 hours of talk/250 hours of standby time
- Built-in rechargeable battery provides 10 hours of music playback
- Comfortable cushioned ear pads and adjustable headband
- Our Lightweight Bluetooth Headset is a great office, graduation and Christmas gift
Quikcell S150 - $29.99
Back to the earbud J The bud reminds me of a Jabra earpiece. It is designed to fit snug within the ear canal but is also held in place by the triangle that rests on the outer part of the ear. There are several different sizes of ear buds to swap out and they are much smaller than the buds offered by Plantronics. The “wire” around back is firm and rests against the head…no bouncing!! It took a little adjusting to put them in each time but once in place they don’t move.
For the price and functionality this is my top choice.
Thank you for allowing me to write a guest post on your blog!
Your running buddy, Shake ‘n Bake ;)
- Cutting-edge Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR technology
- Talk time: Up to 6 hours
- 5 hours of music play-back time
- Volume controls
- Multi-size ergonomic ear buds
- Flexible, wrap-around design
Back to the earbud J The bud reminds me of a Jabra earpiece. It is designed to fit snug within the ear canal but is also held in place by the triangle that rests on the outer part of the ear. There are several different sizes of ear buds to swap out and they are much smaller than the buds offered by Plantronics. The “wire” around back is firm and rests against the head…no bouncing!! It took a little adjusting to put them in each time but once in place they don’t move.
For the price and functionality this is my top choice.
Thank you for allowing me to write a guest post on your blog!
Your running buddy, Shake ‘n Bake ;)
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