Bluetooth headsets

[emeraldgirl08]

I run a few times a week and often on some uneven terrain. I am wondering if anyone has a good suggestion for a bluetooth headset??? I have a Blackberry 8900 that I carry with me while running. It's not that bad but I'm thinking of getting me the headset and an armband to stow the Blackberry in. Sweat is also a factor with the headset (and possibly armband) as I was considering the Motorola S9 but comments left on a review indicate that sweat will muck with the S9's headset.

Any suggestions???

[killer]

Running in Arizona sounds like a very sweaty occupation. Sorry I can't offer any suggestions on headsets but good luck to you for your persistence.

[emeraldgirl08]

The part of Arizona I'm at is 6700ft above sea level so it's not terribly hot. If I were living in the southern part of the state I'd do my running on a treadmill in an AC environment

I am perusing various review forums. I can check the Motorola S9 and Motorola S9 HD's off as they both seem prone to break up in sound and problems with sweat getting into the circuitry. I do see some armbands for cheap on fleabay and some are constructed with neoprene so that may work for me.

[crashnburn]

I picked up s9's for cheap 39.99 and they handled my sweat without issue. Depends how wet you get

They are a good starter BT. Most BT headseats I think are a little pricey.

I'd recommend picking up a pair from a place that gives you a good 15/30 day "return" period, try it out. If you want better sound the HDs might do well.

PS: I had done a lot of research in this space so there are tons of headsets for sporty / runner types and TONS of REVIEWS I'd Google "A2DP" Bluetooth Stereo headsets & read up There was one pricey one that was kind of even splash proof I think.

[emeraldgirl08]

@ crashnburn

lol you're a bad boy!

ahem... how would you say the S9's are with movement... like if you ran with them on would they stay? I've looked at the S9-HDs and the latest S7-HD's. I'm getting the impression the Motos are pretty much one of the top stereo bt headphones. I'm going to keep looking over the next couple of days. Thanks for the input!

[crashnburn]

Hmm.. that I am Comes naturally to me. lol. sometimes i don't even realize what I said / wrote..until its done.

Anyways, I just looked up the S7-HDs. Look nice. But, the proof of Bluetooth headsets is in their actual "test drive". Depends so much on size and shape of your ears, your head / hair and with sports, how hard you play / run. It works well for what I did/do.

I dont do a lot of running, not anymore. Im more into Yoga, Gymnastics strength training & Calisthenics. When I was jogging/ running it was by the coast on a beach with the sounds of the waves and I chose those sounds over any "music" - I always find the sound of waves & the breeze very soothing, relaxing - mentally, physically - leaves me at peace & recharged (even now when I go for meditation by the beach).

I'd suggest doing some research online, shortlist some, find a store/stores and then try a few on your ears without getting all sweaty and then the ones that work well for you, you can give them a full on workout and see how they perform for you.

Check out: crackberry, modmyi & howardforums (they have a section dedicated to bluetooth headset reviews)

@ crashnburn

lol you're a bad boy!

ahem... how would you say the S9's are with movement... like if you ran with them on would they stay? I've looked at the S9-HDs and the latest S7-HD's. I'm getting the impression the Motos are pretty much one of the top stereo bt headphones. I'm going to keep looking over the next couple of days. Thanks for the input!

I dont know if they are the best / top, but they came first in the mainstream market.

[crashnburn]

http://store.tipb.com/apple-iphone-ster ... phones.htm

[Superego]

emeraldgirl08,

I have a set of the S9-HDs that I bought last year to deal with Minneapolis winters...I don't have to take off my gloves at the bus stop to change songs or volume on my phone. I love the set except that they bit the dust a few weeks ago. I think it was sweat/water damage (I sweat quite a bit) but I'm not sure; I was weightlifiting with it and it just started beeping and stopped. I'd used it before in a light rain/mist without problem...maybe I got a faulty set. Regardless, I'm planning on getting another set. Here's a few pros/cons to help you decide

Like:
Comfort/fit - I have a big head and they fit fine. The back battery has a little weight to it, but it doesn't pull your head back. I didn't really notice them running, but YMMV. They aren't really adjustable, but you can kind of bend the the headphones to fit...but not much.
Wireless - This may seem obvious since we're talking about bluetooth headsets, but as I said above it's really nice not having to constantly reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. The play/pause, forward/back, and volume all worked great on my Palm Pre.
Sound - May not be a set of noise-cancelling Bose, but it drowns out the hum of the bus and the crazy people in back yelling .
Phone - I didn't really buy them for this reason, but the phone works fine (pauses my song when it switches to a call), and the sound is fine (it's weird listening to a phone call in stereo). The only thing is that I feel like I have to shout (even though I don't have to) because the microphone is on one of the earpieces.

Dislike:
Earbuds - It comes with different size rubber earbuds and they feel fine, but they are pretty easy to pop off and loose. I've lost a few hastily taking my headphones of my pocket or laptop bag. Also, when I work out with it and my ears get a little sweaty (I told you I sweat a lot!) the sweat kind of forms a seal with the earbud and it feels like I have a big wet earplug deep in my ear. This wasn't as noticeable on runs, more when I was weightlfting (e.g, laying on a bench).
Price - They're worth it, but I would probably keep an out on ebay,amazon, cl or elsewhere instead of Best Buy.
Battery - Granted if you're just running with it for an hour or two you won't have a problem. I'd use it in the morning on my 30-50 min. bus ride, waking around campus between classes, sometimes in my office, and then on the bus ride back. I'd be lucky if I'd make it home before they died. Also you have to plug them into the wall to charge...I wish there was a USB charger. The BT also drains my phone pretty fast, but that's a different story.

[emeraldgirl08]

I'm thinking I'll give the S9-HD's a trial run soon. I have looked at the reviews of other BT Stereo headsets and they all have their pros and cons. In all fairness I anticipate some technical glitches such as clipping so I'm not expecting delivery to rival wired headsets. I just need something that will get me going for the couple of miles that I'm running throughout the week.

I need my music

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Have a good rest of the weekend!

[ParatoOptimal]

Perhaps you could wrap sweat sensitive areas of the S9-HD with neoprene or other rubber or vinyl or plastic bag type material. Perhaps velcro or hot glues could seal the ends.

[emeraldgirl08]

I read a tip that wearing a sweatband also helps keep moisture away from the headset.

Time to start looking for headbands

[ParatoOptimal]

Perhaps liquid latex, wax, parafin or some spray sealant would do.

[crashnburn]

Perhaps liquid latex, wax, parafin or some spray sealant would do.

Yeah! Some people did such similar MODs. I think the headband etc is also good.. after all they never said it was Waterproof

[crashnburn]

EmG 0- You're gonna love this link - http://www.metaefficient.com/headphones ... ipods.html

Some awesome ones and a great article reviewing them

[mediasponge]

EmG 0- You're gonna love this link - http://www.metaefficient.com/headphones ... ipods.html
Some awesome ones and a great article reviewing them

Nice link. Believe it or not, I know a guy who uses a BT headset ... in a race car. He and his buddy go out on track while talking to each other on their iPhones! They are using iPhones as their com link. Perhaps they are making a conference call with the pit crew too. Now that's what I call an unanticipated application.