When Motorola contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if I would like to try out the new S9 headphones, I was pretty excited. I have always been a big fan of Motorola products, so I was excited to see what they had done. This isn't the first pair of BT headphones that Motorola has produced, but it is much sleaker than the ones in the past (think HT820). I'll break down how I have used them and hopefully cover all the bases on my experience with them.
Overall Appearance
Included in the box with the headphones are 3 different tips for the ear buds, a wall charger, a BT dongle, some documentation, and a CD. It's a very strange box, opening like a ring box, but I guess the packaging makes the first impression, so fancy is fine. The first thing I did was pull all the other stuff aside and go for the S9's themselves. One thing that was very different than the HP BT Headphones I have was the lack of lots of tactile buttons. You notice with them that while there are a few buttons that you can "depress", most of them are activated by light pressure. Something that takes a minute to figure out. The style is very sporty and the construction is mostly hard plastic, making them great for working out.
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Initial Setup
Like most current gadgets, these came with some charge in them, so I was able to start playing with them immediately. However it should be noted that they require about 2 hours to charge when they are completely dead. The charging port is your typical mini-USB (thank goodness) which is nicely hidden underneath a rubber flap on the back. To start, I put the headset into discovery mode (hold down the power button for 6-8 seconds) and then took the Bluetooth dongle that was included, and plugged it into my IBM Thinkpad. The Motorola adapter then immediately found the headset and I was on my way. I found that the distance that the headphones have from the dongle quite impressive. I typically find that 5-10 feet is the typical distance that works well for most Bluetooth devices. These were able to go all over my 1650 square foot house with very little static or interference. Very nice for someone that wants to wear them while walking around without the wires.
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However, then it was time to pair them with my MacBook Pro. This experience was completely different. I initially thought that I would be able to use the built in BT on the MacBook to stream the music, but I was never able to get it to work. I did some searching, and it appears that you need to download and install a separate program that would allow A2DP access, something I didn't want to mess around with. A quick attempt to use the BT dongle was futile, looks like Mac users will be forced to do some tinkering to get them to work properly.
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Use
Like I mentioned before, the buttons on the S9 are very different than what you may be used to in a headset. On the left, there is a raised call button and 2 recessed volume buttons that are touch sensitive. On the right, a play button and forward/backward track controls. Once you figure out how the controls work, it is really fun to use. Many will love these touch sensitive controls when doing things like jogging where it is hard to get your finger on the control to perform the action. An audible beep lets you know that the button has been pressed, and you are on your way.
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The quality of sound through the speakers is fair but not fantastic. I would say it's on par with a corded pair of mid-range headphones. The high range sound seems to be a bit over-emphasized, something I'm sure is a result of the style.
When wearing the S9 headphones, there was some discomfort around the area above my ears. The tight wraparound design makes me wonder how those with a larger head would feel with these. I guess you can stretch them a bit, but I didn't feel like seeing how far they would go before cracking. I mentioned that there were 3 pairs of tips for inside the ear. This is a very good thing as the large ones were the only tips that allowed me to not want to throw them across the room. Most of my issues with comfort are a matter of personal choice. I feel that most wraparound headphones are not as comfortable as other designs. One thing to note though is that Motorola claims these to be water resistant, so your run in the rain will not harm them.
Six hours of playback is the rated listening time, about what I found in my tests. The 1.14 ounces is a great weight, and after a few minutes, I forgot I had them on.
My tests were only on a PC, so I wasn't able to test out the call functionality of the S9 headphones. Motorola though suggests that you are able to easily switch between music and phone calls with a simple click of the phone button. Also, like with many BT headphones, the mono sound will only come through one ear.
Final Thoughts
The Motorola S9 headphones Bluetooth Headphones are definitely for the active person who wants something light, durable and easy to use. The sound quality could definitely be improved, and I would like the comfort level to be increased in the future. Keep in mind that at $129 these aren't cheap, but definitely more innovative than others out there.
You can also purchase the S9 headphones directly from our store.
About the Author:
Mickey Papillon is professional in the Property Managment field in Phoenix, Arizona. His hobby includes mobile phones, and one of my favorite activities is running my website and podcast The Cell Phone Junkie. He is married to his beautiful wife and they currently have no children.
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