- Overview
-
Reviews
-
Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
Not bad, of you don't mind looking like a Borg
Pros
Fair sound, fairly comfy, battery life
Cons
Hot, earpads easy to lose, you look like a Borg, lack of bass.
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
Better than S9's, but they still don't cut the mustard
Attempt #2 in my search for Mr. Goodphones
I recently purchased an LG CU500v cell phone, which among it's many other features, includes a very nice Music/MP3 player...read my review on the LG CU500v here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_380383432324
Anyways, after trying about 4 different wired headphones and earbuds, I finally figured out that any wired headphones were not going to be loud enough (the phone's fault) and that the wires were a real pain. Realizing that the CU500v was stereo bluetooth capable, I'd figured I'd try the bluetooth stereo headphone route. The first set I purchased were the Motorola S9's (read the review here: http://www.epinions.com/content_381657583236 ), the second set was the Motorola HT820's, which are what I'm reviewing here.
Motorola HT820 design
The HT820 design is a small form-factor on-the-ear, behind the head design. The earphones are round and about 2" in diameter, with vinyl padded earpads for comfort and seal. The charger port and volume controls are located on outside of the left earpiece, while a 1/8" stereo jack and the track controls are located on the outside right earpiece. The call pickup button is the big "M" button in the center of the left earpiece, and the play/pause button is the big "M" button in the center of the right earpiece. The earpiece connector wraps around the back of your head.
The Motorola HT820's in action
I had the opportunity to spend the day with the HT820's at Paramount's King's Island amusement park in Cincinnati, Ohio for a day, and if there is a better torture test than that I'd like to know what it is!
The headphones are comfortable - for a while. The padded earphones seem to breathe OK, and don't stress your ears too much. The problem is the little plastic pieces that you put behind the top of your earlobe, which ensure that the headphones stay in place. After a couple of hours, that piece makes your earlobes mighty sore. About halfway through the day I had to take the headphones off because of the irritation. I put 'em on shortly an hour or so later, and they were fine for a while, but then more pain. The good thing was that the headphones still allowed space for sunglasses behind the ear clips. The sound quality is good, but the volume was inadequate for me, and the bass response was inadequate unless you have something (like a hat) pressing the headphones against your ear. Yes, I was in a VERY loud environment, but when I can hold a conversation with someone with the headphones at full blast, that's a problem. One gripe about the headphones is that the vinyl/foam earpads are very easy to lose. They can stick to your ears, and if you don't notice and walk away, bye-bye earpad. Wearing the headphones without the earpads would be an very uncomfortable proposition.
Unlike the Motorola S9's, the controls on the HT820's are easy to find and use, as long as you can remember which controls are on which side.
Battery life is excellent, I got 10 hours of use out of them on a charge, and they still had juice left at the end of the day. You cannot use the headphones while they are charging.
Range was iffy. It was probably the environment I was in, but I experienced a lot of dropouts at times, even with the phone in my pocket and the headphones on my head. The manual says the "ideal" position for the transmitter (phone) is in an area between the belt of your pants and your shoulders. Not really an ideal place for your phone, most people carry their phone in their pocket or on their belt.
Like the Motorola S9's, when a call comes in, a tone plays in the headphones, and after you pick up the call the call only comes through the left earphone.
One other thing worth mentioning that may be a good or bad thing depending on who you are is that wearing these headphones makes you look like some cyborg from the Borg Collective, or like you just walked out of a Science Fiction convention. One little kid at the park actually looked at me and went "WHOAAAAAAAA" like I was friggin' Robocop or something. Another lady looked at me and apparently thought I was amusing. LMAO. Be warned.
Bottom Line
Well, these are a better product than the Motorola S9's, there's no doubt about that, but at the end of the day the insecure ear pads and inadequate volume and lack of range made these earphones an easy return decision.
I recently purchased an LG CU500v cell phone, which among it's many other features, includes a very nice Music/MP3 player...read my review on the LG CU500v here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_380383432324
Anyways, after trying about 4 different wired headphones and earbuds, I finally figured out that any wired headphones were not going to be loud enough (the phone's fault) and that the wires were a real pain. Realizing that the CU500v was stereo bluetooth capable, I'd figured I'd try the bluetooth stereo headphone route. The first set I purchased were the Motorola S9's (read the review here: http://www.epinions.com/content_381657583236 ), the second set was the Motorola HT820's, which are what I'm reviewing here.
Motorola HT820 design
The HT820 design is a small form-factor on-the-ear, behind the head design. The earphones are round and about 2" in diameter, with vinyl padded earpads for comfort and seal. The charger port and volume controls are located on outside of the left earpiece, while a 1/8" stereo jack and the track controls are located on the outside right earpiece. The call pickup button is the big "M" button in the center of the left earpiece, and the play/pause button is the big "M" button in the center of the right earpiece. The earpiece connector wraps around the back of your head.
The Motorola HT820's in action
I had the opportunity to spend the day with the HT820's at Paramount's King's Island amusement park in Cincinnati, Ohio for a day, and if there is a better torture test than that I'd like to know what it is!
The headphones are comfortable - for a while. The padded earphones seem to breathe OK, and don't stress your ears too much. The problem is the little plastic pieces that you put behind the top of your earlobe, which ensure that the headphones stay in place. After a couple of hours, that piece makes your earlobes mighty sore. About halfway through the day I had to take the headphones off because of the irritation. I put 'em on shortly an hour or so later, and they were fine for a while, but then more pain. The good thing was that the headphones still allowed space for sunglasses behind the ear clips. The sound quality is good, but the volume was inadequate for me, and the bass response was inadequate unless you have something (like a hat) pressing the headphones against your ear. Yes, I was in a VERY loud environment, but when I can hold a conversation with someone with the headphones at full blast, that's a problem. One gripe about the headphones is that the vinyl/foam earpads are very easy to lose. They can stick to your ears, and if you don't notice and walk away, bye-bye earpad. Wearing the headphones without the earpads would be an very uncomfortable proposition.
Unlike the Motorola S9's, the controls on the HT820's are easy to find and use, as long as you can remember which controls are on which side.
Battery life is excellent, I got 10 hours of use out of them on a charge, and they still had juice left at the end of the day. You cannot use the headphones while they are charging.
Range was iffy. It was probably the environment I was in, but I experienced a lot of dropouts at times, even with the phone in my pocket and the headphones on my head. The manual says the "ideal" position for the transmitter (phone) is in an area between the belt of your pants and your shoulders. Not really an ideal place for your phone, most people carry their phone in their pocket or on their belt.
Like the Motorola S9's, when a call comes in, a tone plays in the headphones, and after you pick up the call the call only comes through the left earphone.
One other thing worth mentioning that may be a good or bad thing depending on who you are is that wearing these headphones makes you look like some cyborg from the Borg Collective, or like you just walked out of a Science Fiction convention. One little kid at the park actually looked at me and went "WHOAAAAAAAA" like I was friggin' Robocop or something. Another lady looked at me and apparently thought I was amusing. LMAO. Be warned.
Bottom Line
Well, these are a better product than the Motorola S9's, there's no doubt about that, but at the end of the day the insecure ear pads and inadequate volume and lack of range made these earphones an easy return decision.
