Stereo headset upgrade options?

[Guest bmeek]

With my Audiovox SMT 5600, I never much liked the stock headset that came with the phone, so I've been using some Sony earbuds with a 2.5mm - 3.5mm adapter when so inclined. This itself is a hassle, and the lack of a microphone compounds the annoyance...

Hoping to find a quality aftermarket stereo headset with superior sound quality, a proper 2.5mm jack and a decent microphone, I've found the description of the Shure I Series. The Shure site implies that their i?c-t headsets (presumably designed for Treo devices), are compatible with the Orange C500, so I'm about to spring for the US$119 "entry-level" i2c-t, or the middle-of-line i3c-t (US$209). Yes, one can spend as much as US$329 for the i4c-t :-).

Of course, I'm likely to upgrade from my trusty old Typhoon soon, and I would like to know that this pricey headset also supports the newer crop of smartphones (rumor has the Qtek 8500 coming to the 'States soon).

My caution stems from the fact that the iPod-derived Motorola ROKR has an incompatible 2.5mm jack configuration compared to my HTC device! I wonder which way Moto went with the Q?

Anyway, I thought I would ask this community for reviews and/or related experiences... Apparently these Shure headsets are new enough that no one has posted a review of any of them to Amazon.com yet!

As my old Typhoon doesn't support stereo via Bluetooth, I'm not really interested in that. Besides, I'm dubious about the sound quality, battery life and bulk of the current crop of stereo BT wireless options (are they even usable on planes?).

Thanks in advance for your thoughts...

-- brian

[Guest genaldar]

It should work, other than the the rokr and its predacessor I can't think of any newer phones that have the standard jack but aren't standard.

btw I personally think the non-stondardness is probably a requirement of apple's. Apple (and sony for that matter) are all about making standards (ms just steals em or brute forces their way into being the standard). But I'm not an apple fan so it could just be my bias talking.

Anybody else think headphones that expensive are insanely high? Maybe I'm just a luddite but I bet 95% of people can't tell the difference between $300 headphones and a decent set that costs $40, even among people who swear by the higher priced ones.

Edited July 8, 2006 by genaldar

[Guest bmeek]

...btw I personally think the non-stondardness is probably a requirement of apple's. Apple (and sony for that matter) are all about making standards (ms just steals em or brute forces their way into being the standard). But I'm not an apple fan so it could just be my bias talking.

Anybody else think headphones that expensive are insanely high? Maybe I'm just a luddite but I bet 95% of people can't tell the difference between $300 headphones and a decent set that costs $40, even among people who swear by the higher priced ones.

Yes - I also surmised an Apple-influence on that... And yes, paying over $100 on a stereo headset feels a bit crazy to me too. I guess one feels an urge to do crazy things now and again...

I did see some glowing reviews of the same Shure earbuds for standard 3.5mm stereo devices (Shure E2c) on CircuitCity.com -- the "sound isolation" functions seemed to have people higly impressed (they're as much sound-proof earplugs as they are headphones). I also recall the difference in sound quality between the stock headsets that came with the phone, and some $30 Sony earbuds through an adapter - big difference and I'm no audiophile.

So - if you *know* of any decent $40 earbuds with a 2.5mm plug and functional microphone for these smartphones, please speak up!

thanks

[Guest slimgym]

The Shure E2C's are very good earphones and in a different league to the normal earbuds. They plug right into your ear using different sized plugs and as a result totally isolate you from the outside world. The design means they give terrific bass response and you won't disturb anyone else around you when using them. They can be a bit of a kerfuffle to insert, the wire goes over your ear and behind your head (though given where the mic is on these that might not be the case). They are very well made with a thick durable cable and good strain relief grommets, built to last.

I'd not seen the i2C but it seems like a great application with the in built mic though I think I'd be concerned unlike the 3.5mm standard, the 4 pin 2.5mm only lasts as long as this phone and could make the earphones reundant if and when you trade up to a phone with a different standard connector on it.

I made up a 2.5mm 4 pole to 3.5mm 3 pole adaptor to use the E2C's on the phone and they're great but I don't tend to receive calls during the commute so didn't include the mic, have to unplug it to use the phone.

Can't recommend the E2C's enough, they are worth the money. But I think I'd be tempted to buy the standard ones and an adaptor so they become usable on anything. Ebay is a good source of brand new E2C's.

[Guest genaldar]

The adapter is probably a good idea if you're spending that much on headphones. And they do make them with mics (I got my adapter on ebay for $7 or so with shipping). As for a good set of headphones to be honest my favorite pair is a cheap set of sony I got 5 or 6 years ago. They aren't great but they're comfortable.

[Guest slimgym]

Shure would have done well to have supplied an adaptor with the single-connector to be able to use this with a 3.5mm stereo jack. Even I'd be tempted to upgrade then ;) Only issue with an adaptor with built in mic is that you'd have to lift the phone out of your pocket to speak anyway so you might as well pull the plug out and use the one in the phone.

BTW be wary if you plug pull to answer while playing music, a hoodie the other day on the train went red as he finished his call and his tumping choonz came out the speaker becuase he couldn't get the plug back in time. He nearly wetted his little blue jim jams with embarassment :)

[Guest genaldar]

Actually my adapter has a fairly long cord so I can have my phone in my pocket and clip the connector part (where the mic is) onto my shirt. It sits at about the same spot as the mic on standard cell phone headphones. The only drawback to this is that there is a ton of cord involved above where the mic clips on.

[Guest bmeek]

A final update to this thread... I saw that Shure's top-of-the-line i4cT earphones (previously discussed) were being sold on Amazon for pretty close to the price of their mid-range offering, so I decided to splurge on a set.

After receiving them and trying them out on a lengthy flight, I decided to send them back. I posted a review on Amazon that explains why, which is replicated below.

I'll now look into obtaining a less-clunky 2.5mm - 3.5mm adapter, perhaps with a microphone, that I can use with my adequate-sounding, inexpensive and standard Sony MDR-EX71SL headphones.

cheers,

-- brian

My "review" of the Shure i4cT headphones:

When I first removed the Shure i4cT earphones from their box, I briefly thought I had received the wrong product - the in-line mute button & volume switch is so big, I thought it must be the i4c, with connections for a standard phone and a separate MP3 player. But sure enough, it was the i4cT with a neat little 2.5m plug that fits properly into my Windows Smartphone.

Unfortunately, the 2.5mm plug was the only "neat little" part I could identify. The mostly thick & stiff cable assembly, and the over-sized mute/volume switch (with clip) are so bulky that I was unable to wind & stash it for comfortable usage. Perhaps the engineers at Shure believe the thicker cable elements are necessary to meet their audio standards, but given these are designed to be paired with mobile devices, I'll bet they could find an acceptable alternative wire that is thinner and more flexible.

Now, these earphones do sound really good, no doubt about it. I'll go so far as to say they sound incredible. Had they been less expensive, I might have put up with the poor ergonomics, but there were also a couple of other issues...

When holding a telephone conversation using these earphones, their sound isolation characteristics make it very difficult to hear your own voice when speaking. It's pretty weird - you really have to trust your vocal habits to know that you're speaking at an appropriate volume. The people I spoke with over the phone told me that they could hear me really well (I don't *think* I was yelling :-), so I assume that the microphone is as high-quality as the earphones themselves. Anyway, not hearing yourself clearly in a conversation will take some getting used to if you buy these.

Lastly, the microphone mute button must be held down to keep the mic muted (it's a release-to-talk mechanism), and the volume adjustment dial is a bit too sensitive. Since I can mute my microphone and adjust the volume using my actual phone, I would prefer that Shure remove this bulky component from the product altogether. A small button somewhere on the device for answering or disconnecting a call would be much more useful...

So, I sent these back. If Shure releases a version of these with more attention to ergonomics and the "can't-hear-your-own-voice" issue, I'll cheerfully try them out.

[Guest slimgym]

Good to see that, very interesting. I hadn't thought about the effect of holding a conversation with isolation phones in and can see what you are getting at :)

I do tend to remove one ear a lot of the time when I need to be aware of what's going on such as standing up on the tube or walking around. They put you too much into your own world.

They're well made and built to last - it's a shame this application doesn't suit. I considered them quite expensive for earphones but I've had them a long time and that initial cost has flattened out over time.

[Guest bmeek]

FYI, as a courtesy, I passed along my perceptions on their product to Shure, and they had a comment regarding the "can't hear oneself talk" issue:

"That is called sidetone. Sidetone is provided from the phone and due to the sound isolating features of our earphones it makes a lack of sidetone that much more present. You may want to check out the phone preferences and see if it has a sidetone adjustment."

Has anyone encountered such a "sidetone" setting on their Smartphone? My Audiovox implementation of the HTC Typhoon has no such setting that I can find...

[Guest slimgym]

They are correct that it's called side-tone - it's used in conventional telephony to insert some of your own speech back into your ear so you know the phone is still working and to trigger your brain to regulate the volume of your speech. Too much side-tone and people talk too quietly, too little and the reverse happens. I hadn't realised mobiles even generated side-tone as I expect it would have to be a digital function not an analogue one as it is in a normal phone.

Maybe that explains all that "I'M ON THE TRAIN" stuff :)

[Guest cng]

For the SMT-5600 maybe Bluetooth A2DP isnt going to be the best choice but for the 8500, you can consider the Bluetooth in-ear ones from Sony Ericsson. It is small like a normal headset but wireless. The dongle attached to these ear-bugs have caller-id and what not, and they are as good quality as the wired ones. Its something you would expect from Sony Ericsson. Battery wise, I've read it a long time ago but I remember being excited about it so I'd say it must be 10-20 hours. I forgot what they're called so look them up - I'm definitely saving up for mine. Im a fan of the Sony MDR-51SP.