Many times when you think of wireless audio, you think sound quality will be compromised. This is certainly not the case with the Bluetake i-PHONO mini. Our music experience was extremely enjoyable and the quality of sound was every bit as good as wired headphones with similar sized earpieces. As far as headphones are concerned, the i-PHONO mini offers excellent levels of both bass and treble. Even at max volume, which is very loud, the music is perfectly clear. We are thoroughly impressed.
We tested sound quality using 3 different adapters: the BT430Tx i-PHONO Plus Stereo Dongle, the BT007Ex Bluetooth EDR USB Adapter, and one of our own Bluetooth computer adapters, the Globalsat BTA-806. The sound quality coming from each adapter was comparably different. All three adapters were tested playing an MP3 file of U2’s song, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”.
The BT430Tx can connect to any music player that uses a standard 3.5mm stereo out jack, such as a CD player, MP3 player, handheld game console, TV, PDA, etc. The sound quality is crystal clear with extremely high fidelity. The BT430Tx was the most impressive adapter, offering the best quality sound of the 3 adapters we tested.
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In order to pair your desktop computer or laptop to the Bluetooth stereo headphone, you may use the BT007Ex EDR USB Adapter or any other Bluetooth USB Adapter that supports the Bluetooth A2DP profile. The sound quality of the signal between the BT007Ex EDR USB Adapter and the i-PHONO mini headphone was almost as impressive as the BT430Tx i-PHONO Plus Stereo Dongle.
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The Globalsat BTA-806 has decent sound quality but compared to both the BT430Tx Stereo Dongle and BT007Ex EDR USB Adapter, the quality is clearly inferior. There is definitely more static when using the BTA-806 with i-PHONO mini.
STYLE AND COMFORT
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The headphone earpieces are intelligently designed and actually very comfortable to wear. The ear hooks are extremely flexible and soft. If you need to take the headphone off for a second, you can use the thin wire to hang them around your neck. We are extremely happy with the look and feel.
FUNCTIONALITY
With the AVCRP Bluetooth profile, you are able to control the playback functions of certain Media Players. We used Windows Media Player to test this functionality. By utilizing the rocker switch on the headset, we were able to change tracks, stop, pause and resume play. It's a very nice function to have especially if you don't want to listen to every song on your play list.
Not only can you listen to music wirelessly with the Bluetooth i-PHONO mini, you can also use it as a Bluetooth wireless headset for hands-free mobile communication with your cellular phone. Pairing the i-PHONO mini with the Motorola E815 and RAZR V3 Bluetooth cell phones was a cinch.
When a phone call comes in, the music pauses and the headphone beeps letting you know that you are receiving an incoming call. It takes about 2 seconds after you hit the receive call button for connection to be established. Sound quality is fairly clear for both parties in the conversation; however it is a little difficult on the receiving end to hear the individual using the i-PHONO mini. When using as a Bluetooth headset for hands-free communication, we rate the i-PHONO mini as just “Fair”.
RANGE
Range is the same as just about all other Bluetooth devices. You usually can get around 33 ft away from the audio source and get clear reception. When out of range, the music breaks up or goes completely silent.
BATTERY LIFE
For a Bluetooth device, the battery life of the i-PHONO mini is good to a little above average. The stereo headphone lasted about 6 hours before completely dying. When the battery is low, there are brief periodic pauses in the music.
EASE OF USE
For the most part, the i-PHONO mini is pretty easy to operate and use. Getting the headphone into pairing mode by using the rocker switch can be somewhat tricky the first couple times you use it. It definitely takes some time to get used to. Don't expect to master it on your first try. Once you get a feel for how everything works, using the I-PHONO mini is a breeze. The user manual does an excellent job of explaining everything very clearly.
***CONCLUSION***
The Bluetake i-PHONO mini Bluetooth Stereo Headphone has set the bar for wireless stereo headphones. Because of its comfort, superb sound quality and the simple fact that it allows you to listen to stereo music while being able to move about freely, we feel the i-PHONO mini is a definite hit.
If you're only interested in using Bluetooth technology for hands-free communication with your cellular phone, then we would suggest a Bluetooth headset that is specific for that purpose. However, if you want wireless stereo headphones, then we would definitely recommend this product.
Posted February 13, 2006 by BlueTomorrow.com
Editorial Staff
