Cardo S-640 Bluetooth Headset review

A new approach to BT headset design

Here's an innovative idea that is actually not innovative at all. A Bluetooth headset that is more (and less) than just a thing in your ear. As you can see, this unit has an earpiece the same as a regular corded headset, and a clip on control unit that you'd clip to your shirt. Many people will find this preferable to some of the more inane (and ugly) single piece Bluetooth headsets. Part of our series on Bluetooth - more articles listed on the right.

I've always quietly laughed at people with Bluetooth headsets stuck in their ears, even when they're not on a call. It looks somewhere between pretentious and stupid. It is also semi-dysfunctional - you're blocking your normal hearing in that ear, and it is seldom comfortable for extended periods.

The Cardo S-640 offers a better approach to how you carry your BT headset when not on a call.

What you Get

The Cardo S-640 Bluetooth headset comes sensibly packaged in an easy open plastic display box.

Inside is the headset unit itself, a multi-voltage (100 - 240V) charger, two earpiece foam pieces, a folded sheet of safety instructions and warranty registration form, and a user guide.

The unit comes with a non-transferable one year warranty that requires you to first send in a registration form.

The unit lists for $64.99, and can be found for less at the usual sorts of electronics resellers such as Amazon (where it is currently $35).

Feature Chart

Use this information to quickly understand the capabilities of the unit and to compare with other units.

Feature Comment Cost List price $64.99. Purchased from Amazon for $35, Apr 08 Ergonomics Easy to put on and take off Completely easy, because it is just a simple ear bud that slips into your ear, like an iPod ear bud. And of course, totally simple to take off again, too. Easy to use the control buttons Here was a major opportunity, but unfortunately wasted by Cardo. With a much greater amount of surface area on the control box, one could have hoped Cardo might have used the area wisely by adding more buttons and indicators to simply the operation of the unit, but - alas - this is not so, indeed Cardo ended up with fewer controls on their unit than most other units. The control box has a single button to control volume - each push of the button steps the volume through a series of louder and quieter settings. There is also the typical multi-colored flashing LED. The 'control' button is actually on the earpiece, and pressing this for varying amounts of time causes it to do various different things. Along with every other BT headset reviewed to date, Cardo gets a zero score for its control buttons. Comfortable to wear The earpiece is reasonably comfortable to wear, but not much more so than some of the single piece all-in-one earpiece headsets. On the other hand, because it is so easy to put on and take off the earpiece, the comfort issue is limited to how comfortable it is while in use; you don't need to torture yourself unnecessarily by wearing it all the time. Although the earpiece is lightweight and small, I didn't find it quite as comfortable as I'd hoped. It is rigid rather than soft, and slightly larger than ideal for my ear (but might be perfect for yours of course). The unit came with two foam covers to put over the earpiece. Actually fitting the cover onto the earpiece was very difficult, and once it was done, didn't really seem to make much of a difference to the comfort level. Can you use with glasses Yes, the small size of the earpiece doesn't interfere with glasses at all. Can use with either ear Yes, and with no need to change anything over from one side to the other. Securely mounted on ear Yes. The light weight of the earpiece makes it easy to fit securely into one's ear, and the main control box is securely clipped to one's shirt without in any way threatening to damage the fabric. How to carry The Cardo S-640 takes a different approach to Bluetooth headset design by mimicking elements of a traditional corded headset, with a simple earpiece and a wire running down to a small control box that you clip to your shirt. When you don't have the earpiece in your ear, you could hang it on the clip, or perhaps stuff the earpiece in a shirt pocket, or take the entire unit and shove it in a pocket. One comment about this. At one point I was wearing the headset, with the control unit clipped to my shirt and the earpiece dangling loose. I was also carrying a laptop bag with a strap slung diagonally from the bag over my opposite shoulder. The strap interfered with the control unit, and came close to knocking it off my shirt. So be careful if you're in a similar situation. Weight The perceived weight of the earpiece alone is about 0.1 ounces. This is light, and because there are no levered parts that can increase the feeling of ungainly weight, it is very easy to wear on the ear. The total weight of the unit with control box is 0.6 oz, but this is a fairly meaningless number compared to the perceived weight of the earpiece alone. Ease of Use Commands intuitive and easy to remember The commands on this unit are at least as bad as on other units, and perhaps even worse than some. They are absolutely not intuitive - but decide for yourself as you read the details of how to do things, below. Volume adjustable Yes. But rather than the typical approach of having two buttons, one for 'Volume Up' and the other for 'Volume Down', this headset has a single button that you push repeatedly, with each push rotating through a series of four different volume levels. This is not as convenient a method of setting volume as on units with two volume controls. How fast does it turn on It takes about three seconds to turn on and about another five seconds to complete synching up with a phone and to then take the call from the phone. Manual A helpful and well written 16 page (page size 4¾" by 4¾") black and white user guide (in English only) is provided with the unit, and the same guide can also be downloaded from Cardo's website. The printed version of the guide was revision level 3, the PDF on the website was revision 11, but I didn't spot any major differences in content. Support Via email, website (very rudimentary), and (800) number - (800)488-0363. Support hours are 8.30am - 5pm, Mon-Fri, EST. A test call to support involved almost 9 minutes of wait on hold, before a helpful American man took the call and sensibly answered my questions. Pairing password printed on device No (it is 0000 so in an emergency you have a good chance of guessing what it is!) Features Battery life Up to 6 hours of talk or 150 hours of standby time claimed. These timings are about normal compared to other units on sale in April 2008. Low battery indicator/signal When the battery gets low, the headset makes a beep every minute, and the LED flashes red. Battery type Lithium polymer. Replaceable battery? No. As with other headsets, the chances are by the time the battery has died, you'll probably have bought a new headset. Battery charging method/time Another disappointing design that - for no good reason other than stupidity - doesn't use a standard USB type connector between the power supply and the unit. Charging time is about 3 hours. A red light on the control/battery box goes on when charging and changes to blue when fully charged. Multi-voltage charger Yes. Charger weight/size 2.0 oz. A small brick charger. Other charging methods None. How many pairings can be stored Unknown. The manual mysteriously says it can store multiple pairings, but doesn't say how many, and Cardo's support people didn't know, either. Headset and hands-free profiles? Both profiles are supported. Also supports A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) and AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile) profiles. Audio profile for computers A2DP. Bluetooth compatibility Version 1.2 Power/range It says it is a Class 2, but it is claimed to have a 33' range, which would suggest a Class 3 type device. Effective range The unit claims the standard 33' (10m) range, and was still working reasonably well at a 50' distance (with no obstructions between the phone and handset) depending on if my body was between the phone and headset or not. Best results of course were when my body wasn't in the path between phone and headset. Warranty The warranty is a generous one year warranty. Free return Retailer policies will vary. Noise cancelling/DSP None claimed. Sound quality Sound quality was reasonably good. When using the headset, I sounded somewhat muffled and quieter to the person at the other end of the call. Here is a sample recording of me using both the headset and an iPhone so you can hear the difference for yourself. The sound of the other person's voice was the same volume (after adjusting the volume to the third of the four levels, ie one less than maximum) but also very slightly muffled (almost as good a quality as direct through the cell phone). Capabilities Turning on and off Turning on is simple - press the control button on the earpiece and wait until the LED flashes blue - this takes about two seconds. Turning off is also simple - press the control button for about three seconds until the LED flashes red once. Auto connect Yes. Voice tag support Supported (if also supported on the phone, of course). Briefly tap the control button, then say the name of the person you wish to call. Last number redial Yes (in the Handsfree profile only). Double press the call control button for a last number redial. Transfer call to/from phone This works with the Handsfree profile only, and is somewhat complicated. To transfer a call back to the mobile phone from the handset, you simultaneously press and hold both the Volume button on the control box and the control button on the earpiece for several seconds until the call switches back to the phone. And to transfer a call from the phone to the headset, no, you don't do the same thing. Instead you briefly tap the control button on the earpiece. Call waiting/Three way calling Not supported. You would need to use cell phone controls to use these features, through the cell phone, rather than through the headset. Call reject This works with the Handsfree profile only. Simultaneously press and hold the Volume button on the control box and the control button on the earpiece until the call is rejected. Call answer/end Yes. Generally you will have your headset off rather than on. So, to answer a call, you could first turn it on, then, once the headset was on and paired, press the button briefly to answer the call. This however can take a long time - too long for some callers - so it is better to answer the call on the handset then transfer it once the headset has switched on and paired. If the unit is already on, a short press of the control button will answer an incoming call. To end a call, a short press of the control button is again needed. The unit signals incoming calls with a ringing beep sound, in addition to any ringing sound from the phone. The built in ringer can be switched off (and on again) by two (and three) second pushes of the volume button when you are not on a call. Mute Yes. Press and hold the volume button for about two seconds until the LED starts to flash red. As long as the LED is flashing red, the call is muted. To unmute, press and hold the volume button for three seconds until the LED flashes blue. Subjective Attractive design A different approach to design, with a simple 'normal' type ear piece and a separate control box/battery box/microphone that is clip mounted to your shirt. Flashing indicators on standby Yes, a blue light flashes once every five or so seconds while the unit is on standby. This blue light is fairly muted in brightness, but can't be turned off. Size The earpiece component is much smaller than other units. Overall, the unit is perhaps slightly larger than average, but it is not valid to compare the two part design of this with the one piece design of most other BT headsets. Summary This is an interestingly different design of headset that offers average performance and an average feature set. With a list price of $65 and a street price of $35 (Apr 08 - from Amazon) it is only slightly higher priced that entry level headsets such as the Jabra BT125, which sells through Amazon for $20 - $25.

Using the Cardo S-640 Headset

When it comes to actually using the headset, its novel design featuring the split unit with separate earpiece and control unit really don't make much difference to the user experience, because you're still reaching up and pressing the button on the earpiece to do everything.

It would have been much nicer to have the control button on the control unit, which is a larger sized unit, easier to hold, and which doesn't involve jamming the earpiece further into your ear each time you press the button.

Most of the commands are impossibly difficult to remember and use, but the simple on, off, answer and hangup commands are all easy enough to remember - they all involve pressing the same button, but for varying lengths of time.

Maybe I was just pressing the button for the wrong lengths of time, but I had problems using the unit, with it sometimes not answering calls, or being off when I thought it was on.

The 13.5" of cord connecting the earpiece to the control box is a good length - not too short as to limit where you have the control box, and not too long as to get tangled up when not in use.

It seems moderately important to keep the control box high up on your shirt and close to your mouth - much extra distance seems to result in a rapid deterioration in sound quality for the person at the other end of the call.

Connecting with phones

Easy. Once you've paired the unit with a phone, any time you turn the unit on, it will quickly look for and connect with your phone if the phone is also on and in range. This is convenient and simple.

The unit paired effortlessly to a Motorola Razr V3, a Blackberry 8800, and an Apple iPhone.

Summary

The Cardo S-640 looks different to other Bluetooth headsets, and is perhaps more discreet in appearance and use.

But Cardo overlooked the opportunity to add more user friendly controls to the separate control box part of the combined unit, and the net result is yet another 'me too' hard to understand headset.

It has a current (Apr 08) street price of about $35 through Amazon. This puts it in the middle price bracket. In terms of sound quality, it is also in the middle of the range of products - not excellent sound, but probably acceptable for most purposes.

Should you spend $35 for this headset when you can get a perfectly good headset (eg the Jabra BT125) for slightly less? The Cardo offers no extra features that you'd eagerly pay a premium for, merely a difference design and appearance.

On the other hand, either $25 or $35 is not a lot of money for a Bluetooth headset, and appearance and personal preference should be fully considered and allowed to influence your choice between units. If you like its design, then it is a good choice.

Cardo S-800 Bluetooth Headset

What you Get

The Cardo S-800 Bluetooth headset is packaged in an easy to open cardboard box.

Inside the box is the headset itself, a multi-voltage charger, and several other things. There is an adapter cable to connect between a regular USB port and the micro USB (not the more common and slightly larger mini USB) connector used by the headset. Cardo says the new micro style connector is the new de facto standard for phone and headset charger ports.

There is a metal loop which can be added to the headset - this loops around the back of your ear, causing the unit to be more securely held in place.

A silvered lanyard provides a way to carry the headset around your neck when you're not on a call. A warranty and safety sheet, and a user guide complete the inclusions in the package. The unit has a one year non-transferable warranty, and requires you to send in a registration form to qualify.

The unit lists for $84.99, and can be found for less at the usual sorts of electronics resellers such as Amazon (where it is currently $36).

Feature Chart

Use this information to quickly understand the capabilities of the unit and to compare with other units.

Feature Comment Cost List price $84.99. Purchased from Amazon for $36, Apr 08 Ergonomics Easy to put on and take off When used without the ear loop, you simply stick the unit in your ear and take it out again. This is easy to do. Using the optional loop makes this only slightly more difficult. Easy to use the control buttons The good news - there are more buttons on this unit than on a typical unit. The bad news - there are also more functions that are spread around the various different buttons, and in total, the unit is no easier to use than any of the myriad of other poorly designed Bluetooth headsets. I continue to marvel at the inability of the industry to make use of such simple concepts as, eg, a slide switch to turn the unit on and off, eliminating the sometime ambiguity of 'is the unit actually on or off at present'. While Cardo gets zero marks for the ease of use of its buttons, this is no worse (but also no better) than any other Bluetooth headset to date. Comfortable to wear The earpiece was neither comfortable nor particularly secure to wear unless you added the optional loop. The lack of comfort is probably due to it not coming with a range of different sized parts that actually fit in your ear. With the optional loop it was no longer uncomfortable, because it now primarily hangs off your ear, rather than is mounted by being wedged into your ear. See also the related discussion below about the security of the mounting options. Can you use with glasses Yes, the small size of the earpiece doesn't interfere with glasses at all and the optional loop is thin and unobtrusive too. Can use with either ear Yes. If you have the optional loop added, you simply rotate this to match the 180° different symmetry of your other ear. Securely mounted on ear The unit can be worn either with or without a metal loop that hangs around your ear. If you wear it without the loop, you'll necessarily push the unit further into your ear, which detracts from the comfort factor. Unusually, this unit does not come with a range of different sized ear pieces, and the size of the bit that goes in your ear was too large for me or for several other reviewers and 'ordinary users' too. Perhaps it was because of the 'one size (doesn't) fit all' policy, but I had the unit fall out of my ear while wearing it, which is of course unacceptable. Adding the optional loop makes the unit much more secure. How to carry Cardo have given some thought to this often overlooked issue, and offer a couple of innovative solutions. The first is a lanyard with a type of 'dock' that you can clip your headset into while not in use. The lanyard loops around your neck, and has a soft rubber type oval loop at the bottom, into which you can friction fit the headset when not in use, and from which you can simply pull the headset out to put in your ear when needed. A great idea? Alas, no. A dangerous idea, as evidenced by the warning label affixed to the lanyard's packing, which reads 'CAUTION Use Lanyard at own risk. No replacement if headset is lost'. This is a warning that was obviously placed there for good reason (it seems from pictures in earlier reviews that this warning label is a recent addition) - the headset fell out of the lanyard several times during my testing. The second option is a carry pouch that you could keep on your belt and have your S-800 in when not in use. The carry pouch sells from Cardo's website for a mere $5, but not it is not clear if it will fit the headset if/when you have the metal ear loop added to it. Weight The unit weighs 0.3 ounces. Because it is short and squat, there are no angular momentum issues and the unit has a very low perceived weight, especially when mounted on your ear with the ear loop. Ease of Use Commands intuitive and easy to remember Between writing this review and the previous review one week earlier, I had a minor mental epiphany. Who really cares if the headset commands are intuitive and easy to remember or not? The key thing is to know how to turn the headset on and off, and perhaps how to place and answer calls - anything more complicated can generally still be done from the phone handset, obviating the need to learn arcane headset commands. Due to the rich set of headset features, the S-800 has even more commands than do many of its competitors, which makes mastering the unit more complex. For example, the two color status light has fifteen different things it can signal, depending on which colors show, and whether they flash quickly or slowly. Will real people ever bother to memorize the different meanings of, eg, the red light flashing slowly and the red light flashing quickly? Of course not (oh, and by the way, these two different types of flashing signal both mean the same thing - low battery. Go figure....) Volume adjustable Yes. The unit has a volume wheel - you flick it one way repeatedly to increase the volume, and the other way repeatedly to decrease the volume. There are eight different volume levels you can select between. How fast does it turn on It takes about four seconds to turn on and about another four seconds to synch with the phone. Manual A helpful and well written 16 page (long narrow page size 8.7" by 2.7") black and white user guide (in English) is provided with the unit, and the same guide can also be downloaded from Cardo's website. The manual also has German, Italian, French and Spanish versions bound into it. Support Via email, website (very rudimentary), and (800) number - (800)488-0363. Support hours are 8.30am - 5pm, Mon-Fri, EST. A test call was answered very quickly, and the (US) support rep gave reasonably helpful and sensible answers. Pairing password printed on device No (it is 0000 so in an emergency you have a good chance of guessing what it is!) Features Battery life Up to 8 hours of talk or 168 hours of standby time claimed. These timings are slightly better than normal compared to other units on sale in April 2008. Low battery indicator/signal You can check the battery charge level at any time (while not in a call) by pressing and holding the Control button for about four seconds. The LED will flash blue for a full charge, alternately blue and red for half charge, and red for a nearly empty charge. Battery type Lithium polymer. Replaceable battery? No. As with other headsets, the chances are by the time the battery has died, you'll probably have bought a new headset. Battery charging method/time The bad news - the headset doesn't use a standard mini USB connection for its power input. The good news? It uses a micro USB connector instead, and this is possibly the new common standard type connection for miniature devices such as phones and headsets. Charging time is about 2 hours. A red light on the headset goes on when charging and extinguishes when fully charged. Multi-voltage charger Yes. Charger weight/size 2.2 oz. A small brick charger. Other charging methods Cardo include a cable with the unit to connect via a regular USB plug to a power source such as a hub or laptop, and ends in a micro USB plug to connect to the headset or any other micro USB type connection. Cardo also sell a car charger on their website for $15. How many pairings can be stored The S-800 can store up to eight different phone pairings. And it can be simultaneously connected to two different phones - eg, your home and work cell phones, or your phone and your spouse's phone. Obviously (?) you can only place or receive one call from one phone at one time, but while in standby mode the headset can 'listen' for incoming calls from two phones at once, and will allow you to answer whichever phone rings next. This is similar to the functionality of the Plantronics Discovery 650-E. Headset and hands-free profiles? Both profiles are supported. Audio profile for computers No. Bluetooth compatibility Version 2.0 Power/range Doesn't say, so is presumably standard. Effective range Doesn't make a claim, but tests showed good reception out to 50' with no obstructions and poorer reception to 60'. On the other hand, with the iPhone being held in my hand down at my hip on one side of my body, and the headset in the opposite ear, the signal quality noticeably diminished. Warranty The warranty is a generous one year warranty. Free return Retailer policies will vary. Noise cancelling/DSP Cardo says the S-800 embodies 'noise reduction technology' without providing any further specifics. Here is a sample recording of me using both the S-800 and an iPhone in a noisy environment with a mix of different sound sources creating a complex sound environment. You'll note that both the iPhone itself and the S-800 do a good job of reducing the background noise. IN particular, notice the initial burst of loud background noise and how it reduces once I start speaking, which helps either unit know what volume level to adopt and to guess at which sounds might be my voice. The noise cancelling/processing on the Cardo seems to be comparable to that on the iPhone itself, and the experience for the person on the other end of the phone is better than it would be without any noise processing at all. But the Cardo's noise processing doesn't seem to involve any 'clever' digital notch filtering, such as is clearly the case with the Jawbone. Sound quality Sound quality was excellent, and, for the person at the other end it was, if anything, better than the handset. Here is a sample recording of me using both the headset and an iPhone in a clean quiet environment so you can hear the difference for yourself. This headset offers the best sound quality of any tested so far, and in many cases the sound quality is better than directly through the handset. Capabilities Turning on and off Turning on is simple - press the control button on the earpiece and wait until the LED flashes blue - this takes about four seconds. Turning off is also simple - press the control button for about four seconds until the LED flashes red. Auto connect Yes, but doesn't always seem to work reliably with my iPhone. Cardo say they sometimes have problems with the 'smarter' type phones and auto connect, but don't know why. Voice tag support Supported (if also supported on the phone, of course). Briefly tap the control button, then say the name of the person you wish to call. Last number redial Yes. Press the volume control wheel inwards once. Transfer call to/from phone Ouch. The instructions say to press and hold the control button for three seconds to transfer a call either to the headset or to the phone, but then says that on some phones just a brief tap of the button is all that is needed. Except that a brief tap of the button can also hang up a call. And a four second press of the control button can turn the phone off. Plenty of opportunity for error here! Call waiting/Three way calling Yes. A tap of the volume control switches between calls. Three way (conference) calling is done by holding the volume control in for three seconds. Call reject Yes. Press and hold the control button for three seconds. Call answer/end Yes. Generally you will have your headset off rather than on. So, to answer a call, you could first turn it on, then, once the headset was on and paired, press the button briefly to answer the call. This however can take a long time - too long for some callers - so it is better to answer the call on the handset then transfer it once the headset has switched on and paired. If the unit is already on, a short press of the control button will answer an incoming call. To end a call, a short press of the control button is again needed. The unit signals incoming calls with a quiet ring tune ('Ride of the Valkyries') which you'd only hear if the unit was in your ear, so you probably need to rely on hearing the phone handset's ring. Mute Yes. Press the volume control in briefly to mute or un-mute a call. Other Features Yes, lots. One innovative feature is a headset locater feature, although note this will only work if the headset is currently switched on, paired to your phone, and in range of your phone. This apparently works by calling any number from your phone, then turning the phone's volume up and down 'five or more times'. I tried it plenty more than five times before giving up. The headset was supposed to buzz, but it didn't. The S-800 has an auto-answer feature that will enable it to automatically answer incoming calls 'for your convenience'. Cardo do point out this can be dangerous, particularly if a call is answered without you realizing it, and all of a sudden you're unwittingly broadcasting whatever you're doing to the person who called you. It has a button lock feature - this can be useful if you're carrying the unit in a pocket and don't want to accidently bump one of its buttons and perhaps place a call. But it is also a hassle - you have to unlock the buttons by pressing both the volume and control buttons simultaneously for at least four seconds before you can even take an incoming call. It also has a speed dial memory that allows you to store up to three numbers in speed dial locations (press the volume button twice for speed dial one, three times for two, and four times for three). Subjective Attractive design Reasonably attractive and understated design in silver and dark blue. Flashing indicators on standby Yes, a blue light flashes once every five or so seconds while the unit is on standby. This can be switched off if you wish. Size The unit measures about 1.7" x 0.8" and is about 0.4" thick, with the earpiece bit protruding out another 0.5". Without the ear loop it is small enough to be conveniently carried in a pocket. The earloop increases its size to about 2" x 1.8", and the same thickness. Summary This is a 'good all rounder' headset with good sound quality, an extensive feature set, and a sensibly standard recharge capability. It lists for $85, but is currently available on Amazon for a mere $36, making it easy to justify the slight price premium over entry level priced and featured units.

Using the Cardo S-800 Headset

The strongest impression from using the S-800 (other than the superlative sound) is that it falls out.

It falls out of your ear. As unwelcome as it may be (in terms of extra bulk), most of us will choose to add the metal ear loop to the unit so as to ensure the unit doesn't fall out of our ear.

And the S-800 also falls out of its lanyard. No wonder there's a printed disclaimer on the packaging for the lanyard 'CAUTION Use Lanyard at own risk. No replacement if headset is lost'.

The very real risk of losing the headset when carrying it in the otherwise cleverly thought up lanyard loop of course means one has to throw the lanyard away and resolve never to use it.

But, and assuming you haven't lost the unit, either off its lanyard or out of your ear, its splendid sound quality makes it a joy to use, and its long battery life (together with battery charge level feature) makes keeping it charged and available for use easy to do.

Problems with the unit always linking up to an iPhone were puzzling, and Cardo offered no clue as to what the issue (or solution) may be, instead noting that it is an occasional problem with many of the more high tech phones these days.

Most of the time, however, all went perfectly, and in terms of simply answering or ending calls, and switching it on or off, it was easy to use.

It is heartening to see good quality high tech products being developed other than in China. Cardo is an Israeli based company, although it too has the units manufactured for it in China.

Connecting with phones

This was not always the headset's strongest point, with it occasionally (rarely, but a couple of times during a week of usage) 'forgetting' its connection to my iPhone, and needing to be re-paired (that is, paired again, not fixed).

It showed no problems pairing with a Blackberry, although I didn't test it as extensively with the Blackberry.

Summary

The most distinctive and positive element of this headset is its excellent sound quality. This is the first headset that I've felt unreservedly good about using; if anything, sound quality improves via the headset rather than when speaking directly through the handset.

In other respects, the headset is average to good. It has average to good battery life, weight and design, and is averagely priced. It has a very wide array of features, but increasingly our feeling is that most of these features are distractions rather than benefits - it is easier to follow the on-screen helpful prompting on your phone when you want to do something 'clever' rather than try and puzzle out a non-intuitive series of timed button pushes and flashing colored lights.

The Cardo S-800 has a current (Apr 08) street price of about $36 through Amazon. This puts it in the affordable price bracket and only slightly up from the lowest price budget units that often disappoint greatly in actual use.

Spending a mere $10 more than the cost of a price leading headset such as the Jabra 125 seems like an easy extra cost to justify.

But should you spend even more again and choose the much more pricey Aliph Jawbone? To answer that question, check out our comparison page that highlights the similarities and differences of these two high-end

Gennum nXZEN 5500 Plus Bluetooth Headset

Digital signal processing and long battery life
	The Gennum nXZEN headset is conservative in appearance and more comfortable in use than many of its competitors. Part of our series on Bluetooth - more articles listed on the right.

Priced at $160, Gennum's nXZEN 5500 Plus Bluetooth headset is not cheap. Its premium price is apparently justified by its digital signal processing and noise cancelling.

Unfortunately, our testing showed that the headset's sound quality and noise cancelling was no better - and possibly slightly inferior to - simply using the phone by itself. It may sometimes give better results than other Bluetooth headsets, but in a noisy or windy environment - at least with the Motorola V3 Razr phone we tested with - the phone handset by itself gives the best quality sound.

What you Get

The nXZEN 5500 is nicely packaged in an easy to open display box.

Inside the plastic display case is the headset itself, the charger brick, an adapter that plugs in to a USB port to allow charging from a USB port, a low quality ear bud and connecting cable to allow you to listen to stereo music, various different sized ear plugs and a second (different sized) ear hook, as well as a laminated business card size quick reference card, a 3¼" CD, and a manual. A very complete set of inclusions.

The small English manual is 26 pages in length and tells you what you need to know to use the headset.

Feature Chart

Use this information to quickly understand the capabilities of the unit and to compare with other units.

Feature Comment Cost US recommended retail about $160 Available through Amazon for $130 Ergonomics Easy to put on and take off Acceptably easy to put on, and no harder than any other ear-loop type headset. And, of course, easy to take off. Easy to use the control buttons There are four buttons on the unit. There are two small buttons for volume up and volume down, a large button on the unit facing out and a fourth small button on one side of the unit. The layout is such that it is easy to reach and press these buttons. Comfortable to wear Using the ear loop makes this as comfortable to wear as most of its competitors, and better than many. Can you use with glasses Yes, especially if you don't use the optional ear loop. Can use with either ear Yes. A clever feature is the ability to swap the two volume buttons so that the top one is for volume up and the bottom one for volume down, no matter if the unit is in your left or right ear. Securely mounted on ear If you use the around the back of the ear loop, it is securely mounted. If you just stick it in your ear without the added security of the loop, it is less secure. How to carry Here's another company that gave no thought to how the unit is to be carried when not stuck on/in your ear, an all the more regrettable omission when considering its premium price. No way of transporting the unit (and its various accessories) is provided. Weight Reasonably light - 0.55 oz Ease of Use Commands intuitive and easy to remember Another complicated unit to use; and if you don't use it all the time you'll for sure forget the different button pushes and number of beeps, and what each means. Don't lose the quick reference card - keep it in your wallet. And download the manual and quick reference guide from the Gennum's website. Volume adjustable This is reasonably intuitive, with two dedicated buttons, one each for volume up and volume down. How fast does it turn on It takes about twelve seconds to turn on and connect to the phone. Manual Well written in perfect English. Support Via website only. Pairing password printed on device No (it is 0000 so in an emergency you have a good chance of guessing what it is!) Features Battery life Up to 7 hours talk or 100 hours standby claimed. This is average to good battery life. Low battery indicator/signal The unit beeps once every minute to indicate about 15 minutes of battery life remaining. The beeping increases to once every 10 seconds when there is less than 5 minutes battery life. Only the person wearing the headset hears the beeping, not the person you're speaking to. Battery type Lithium polymer. Although the capacity isn't disclosed, Gennum say it is a 120 mAh battery and with their special power management features, they get about 130 mAh out of it. Replaceable battery? No. Gennum say the battery is guaranteed for a minimum of 500 charge/discharge cycles, and will continue to work, with slowly diminishing capacity, for many more after that. Bottom line - by the time the battery has died, you'll probably have bought a new headset. Battery charging method/time A brick charger with cord ends with a special sized miniature plug to be connected into the unit. The headset also comes with a cable that plugs into any USB port at one end and into the headset at the other end; allowing it to be charged from any device with a powered USB port. Charging time is about 2 hours. Multi-voltage charger Yes. Charger weight/size 2.6 oz Reasonably typical size and weight for a brick charger. Other charging methods Connect it via the supplied cable to any other device with a powered USB port, eg your laptop. How many pairings can be stored The unit can store up to three pairings. Headset and hands-free profiles? Hands-free is fully supported. The less common and older headset profile is not fully supported. Audio profile for computers Not officially, but unofficially probably yes - the lack of official support being due primarily to the support hassles on the Windows computer side of supporting the audio profile. Bluetooth compatibility Version 1.2 Power/range The manual says it is a Class 1 device but this is apparently a typo. Gennum say the device is Class 2. On the website, it is suggested the device uses only 1 mW of power for long battery life, which would suggest the unit is actually a Class 3 device. No claim is made about range. Effective range It receives signals (from the person you are talking to) for up to two floors with no problems. But it only sends signals (ie your voice) for a very short distance - maybe 20', and not through any obstructions. This is, however, perfectly adequate for normal Bluetooth type connections. Warranty One year. Free return Retailer policies will vary. Noise cancelling/DSP This is offered as the nXZEN's strongest feature, and they use a DSP processor proudly rated at 120 MIPS. How powerful is 120 MIPS? More than twice as powerful as a 486DX processor (if you remember that far back). But a modern Pentium 4 is about 80 times more powerful (9726 MIPS), which is not to belittle the power of this DSP. How well does it work? Maybe it works better than other headsets, but it works no better than if using my Motorola Razr V3 phone by itself, and much the same as using the corded headset that came with the phone. Here is a 363kB WAV file allowing you to hear the different sound qualities in a quiet environment, and here is a 519kB WAV file allowing you to hear the different sound qualities in a noisy environment. The noisy environment had a mix of white noise, wind, low frequency noise, and two radio stations playing, so as to throw an impressive mix of different sounds at the headset's processing abilities. Gennum's website has some impressive sound files comparing their headset's noise cancelling to that of an unnamed competitor. We don't know how to reconcile their sound files with the noisy environment test above, and repeatedly tested two different sample headsets from Gennum in a range of different noisy environments. In all cases the headset was never any better than the phone handset by itself, and sometimes the sound processing eliminated much of my voice along with background noise. Sound quality When talking to other people, they reported my voice sounded perhaps slightly quieter than normal, and there seems to be no way to adjust this. The sound quality of the person at the other end of the call seemed fine in the headset. You can hear the sound quality for yourself by clicking on the two sample files above. Capabilities Turning on and off You turn the unit on and off by pressing the side button. Press the side button and wait for two flashes, and the unit switches on, making a tone in your ear. Press the side button and wait for four flashes (or four beeps followed by five tones if you're listening) then release and your unit should be switched off. At times I completely lost track of whether I was turning the unit on or off. Kinda makes you wish they had a simple on/off switch, doesn't it.... Auto connect Yes. Note that earlier build levels did not support auto connect (an essential feature in our opinion) but current units support it perfectly. Voice tag support Supported. Press the pinch button until one beep sounds and then say the name that you've previously recorded. Last number redial Yes, but only when using Hands-Free, not Headset profile phones. To activate, press and hold the pinch button for two beeps. Transfer call to/from phone In theory, this is simple. Just push the pinch button until it beeps once, and the call will switch from the phone to the headset, or vice versa. But in practice, it proved very difficult to get right. The same command is also interpreted as a 'flash' command for swapping between two calls, or answering one call and putting the other call on hold; a slightly briefer press of the pinch button is interpreted as the mute command; and a slightly longer press of the button is a last number redial command. Maybe I wasn't getting the timing of the button push exactly right, and/or maybe the phone and headset weren't always on and connected, but whatever the reason, I sometimes had difficulty transferring calls. Call waiting/Three way calling Call waiting is supported with the Hands-Free profile. Press and hold the pinch button for one beep to either place the first call on hold and answer the second call, and/or to swap between callers. Three way calling is apparently not supported. Call reject Apparently not supported. Call answer/end Yes. To answer a call, either press and hold the pinch button for one beep, or briefly press and release the side button. To end a call, either press and hold the pinch button for three beeps, or briefly press and release the side button. Mute Yes. Briefly press and release the pinch button to turn mute on or off. While in mute mode, the headset beeps regularly to advise you of its mute status. Subjective Attractive design Reasonably so. It is conservative and timeless, and not ostentatious or unappealing. Flashing indicators on standby No. Although a blue light flashes when the unit is in use, there is no indication as to if it is switched on or not. As a result, I was never quite sure if I was turning the headset on or off. It would also be very helpful to know if the headset was actively connected to a phone or not - another thing I was never quite sure of. Size Average/normal. Summary This is an attractive unit priced towards the top end of the market, but which offers no improvement in sound quality or noise cancelling than when using the phone handset by itself.

Using the Gennum nXZEN 5500 Headset

First, the good news. The nXZEN 5500 scores acceptably well in the comfort category. It is easy to put on and off your ear, sits there securely, and the design of the unit seems such that it will not become loose or insecure after repeated wearings.

But now for the real world use of the unit. I found it confusing and difficult to remember all the different commands and controls, and was never sure if the unit was switched on or off, and/or whether it was connected to my phone or not.

The sound quality experienced by people I was talking to was similar to using the test Motorola V3 phone handset by itself in quiet environments.

In noisier environments, the active signal processing of the unit could be detected - but not only was it eliminating some of the background noise, it was also eliminating much of my voice as well, with the net result not always being an improvement. While the unit does offer some noise cancelling abilities - and so is probably better than BT headsets that don't - it was no better than that offered by the handset alone, or (to my surprise) the regular corded headset that was provided free with the phone.

Connecting with phones

Easy. Once you've paired the unit with a phone, any time you turn the unit on, it will look for and connect with your phone if the phone is also on and in range.

This is convenient and simple.

Playing Music

This is a clever additional feature of the unit. A cable plugs into a music source (eg MP3 player), into the nXZEN 5500 (into its recharging socket), and also runs to an ear bud. Put the ear bud in your other ear, and you can hear the music through both the headset and the ear bud.

If a call comes in, the nXZEN switches to the call, but you have to pull the ear bud out of your other ear (or listen to music in one ear and the caller in the other). Sound quality is far from excellent, but for casual use it makes it convenient to both listen to music and be ready to take phone calls without having to juggle too many wires and headsets.

Summary

Gennum's nXZEN unit has some good features, and is comfortable to wear. Like all other BT headsets, it is regrettably complicated to use, and its noise cancelling does not work well.