[Menneisyys2]

I�ve, among other things, been working on an A2DP headphones roundup. While it�ll take at least 4-5 days to publish it (I�m still waiting for a Motorola HT820, which will also be included), I already publish a chart of four headphones so that you can avoid going for a pair of headphones that is completely incompatible with your handset / PDA.

Note that I�ve tested the headphones on all the three contemporary smartphone operating systems of today having A2DP support: Windows Mobile, Symbian and BlackBerry. Do NOT tell me to publish a separate version of this article for these three operating systems because it�d cause me a lot of extra work. Just skip the rows in the chart not related to your particular OS.

HERE�S THE CHART - CLICK THE LINK!! Sorry, the chart is just too big to fit in here.

As can clearly be seen, there are no �best� headphones, particularly if you require full Symbian compliance and/or the lack of blinking LED�s or dongles without (!!!) any desynchronization problems � these three things that MAY make the, in my opinion, best of the bunch, the 590 pretty much unappealing for people that do need these features. There is, however, a definitely worst one: the Cellink BTST-9000-D, which should be avoided at any rate � unless you want to use its dongle, which is far better than that of the Pulsar. All in all, you�ll need to carefully evaluate your needs, the platform you�re on, whether you plan to listen to the music a lot while you�re outdoors etc. There�re no �hard and fast� rules as to which of these headphones are the best for you.

For the time being, please consult my earlier reviews for more info on how this all should be interpreted. Start with, say, HERE.

[Menneisyys2]

I�ve updated the chart by adding the Moto HT820 and extending the info already available (for example, added a Verdict row). I seems I will only be able to publish the full roundup next week. In the meantime, check out and comment on the new chart.

[Menneisyys2]

Review posted to http://forums.crackberry.com/f42/rea...adphones-39577

[holvey]

The plantronics Pulsars are a bad choice. I got my hands on a few sets of these a year and a half ago, and the rectangular silver plastic space where the adjustment takes place started to crack and eventually broke after about 2 months of use.

I liked them, but I've seen this issue on most sets of them, and don't think they are worth it. If you are careful with them, they should be fine, but don't use one hand to take them off your head or they will eventually break.

[Menneisyys2]

The plantronics Pulsars are a bad choice. I got my hands on a few sets of these a year and a half ago, and the rectangular silver plastic space where the adjustment takes place started to crack and eventually broke after about 2 months of use.

I liked them, but I've seen this issue on most sets of them, and don't think they are worth it. If you are careful with them, they should be fine, but don't use one hand to take them off your head or they will eventually break.

1.5 years ago? Was it new, or a second-hand one? I've bought my first set some 19 months ago (in September 2006) and have never run into problems; neither have I with the second one I've received in July 2007 for exchange (the first went wrong because, I think, of water dipping into the recharger slot; it was impossible to recharge it any more). I use it a lot. For comparison, a cheap TH-55 (received in a MVP gift package from Microsoft) broken on me after 2 or 3 days.

That is, based on the dates of most reports I've seen, I have a theory that they have switched to using stronger stuff in the meantime, sometimes in Summer 2006.

[holvey]

I got them directly from Plantronics for a joint venture project with my previous employer. We were testing out the Bluetooth system for use in another market, which is a good system (sound quality wise), we were just dissatisfied with the construction of the parts. They put more stress on joints than most headphones should, and there were cheaper materials in areas where support was needed. (yes they could have updated this since we received our samples) This is what caused our office to have issues with the construction of these headphones.

When I am at my desk at work, I can use my Sennheiser wired headphones because I am stationary for hours. They are constructed with a Stainless Steel headband that flexes and rebounds. I travel with these to because they are small, and bluetooth can't be used on flights. I understand that these Sennheisers are $75 and that is as expensive as some of the units used in your comparison, but I think the cost is from the speaker, and not the mechanics. I would be interested to see how the Motorola S9 stacks up with the ones you reviewed, as that would be the only set I would consider purchasing at the moment because of their small size for jogging.

I liked your review, and while I have not tested any of the other headsets that you reviewed, I can see the 590 being the best of the bunch. I am just saying that the 590 still leaves a lot to be desired from a durability standpoint, in my opinion. Even if you include the S9, I think the manufacturers of these headsets are missing the point of a bluetooth headset. It is almost like they have this great technology, but haven't figured out the best way to give it to the consumer. It seems to me that the best use for bluetooth headphones is in exercise, running, jogging... anywhere that a dangling wire will get in the way. I would use them snowboarding for sure, because wires are bad going through a tree run.

My point is that A2DP has been around long enough to create some quality products and in my opinion all of these fall short of where A2DP should be as of now. I think it is going to take some different brands to jump in and kick start the quality of these products. Bose, Sennheiser, Sony, Panasonic? These are the brands that know how to manufacture quality headphone systems, and I think it will take one of these brands to push the design of A2DP headphones and give the consumer something better.