Samsung SBH700 Bluetooth Headset

For those who like wireless gadgets, any collection is incomplete without a wireless stereo headset. While there is a good selection of these headsets out there, it seems as if only a handful can double as a hands-free solution for your Bluetooth enabled phone. One such hybrid is Samsung’s SBH700 Bluetooth Stereo Headset ($99.95). Samsung offers several quality Bluetooth headsets and this is there latest offering in the stereo headset market.

Out of the Box

The Samsung SBH700 comes modestly packaged with only the headset, charger, quick start guide and bi-lingual owner’s manual. Taking it out of the package, the unit is noticeably light weight but oddly balanced. The headset is a “wrap around” design with two ear buds extending from a control base that rests on the back of your neck.

The ear buds pivot inwards to accommodate smaller fits but will not swivel outwards for those with a larger head. In those cases, the control base simply rides a little higher on the back of your head. The overall fit is decent and secure but not overwhelmingly comfortable. The ear buds attach to hooks that wrap around your ears and after a while, can get uncomfortable. Additionally, after a while, the control base begins to irritably rub against your neck. The fit doesn’t become painful but after a while (45-60 minutes), it does become noticeably uncomfortable.

Performance

Pairing the SBH700 with your cell phone is fairly straightforward. After charging the headset, you press and hold the talk button, located on the left ear bud hook, until the LED located on the control base blinks and then stays solid. Then it is simply a matter of your phone finding the headset and entering the industry standard security code.

The button layout is a little interesting. On the control base has three controls; volume, forward/reverse and reset. Then on the ear bud hooks you have the talk button on the left hook and play/pause/stop button on the right hook. The controls on the base are easy to manipulate even when the headset is being worn. The controls on the hooks are small and I found them at times hard to manipulate and a little soft. I would have preferred them to extend a little more from the hook to better distinguish them.

I didn’t experience any static or issues with the Bluetooth connection. Samsung reports battery life to be up to 140 hours of stand by time and up to 8 hours talk/play time. While the headset is package with a wall charger, an optional car charger is available. In testing the SBH700 I was able to use it over four nights of extensive use before charging and the 8 hour projection from Samsung might be on the conservative side.

Stereo Headset I used the headset to listen to MP3 files on both my Samsung BlackJack II and Dell Laptop. Pairing the headset to the laptop was just as easy as it was to pair with the BlackJack II. Sound quality was good but lacked the “wow” factor and came across a little muted. It did improve when I boosted the volume from the laptop or phone.

The player controls (play/pause/stop as well as forward/reverse) worked well with the Windows Media Player and I-Tunes. Once I remembered the control layout on the headset base, I could easily navigate through song lists or videos as well as pausing the headset when my wife added to her “honey do” list.

Hands Free Solution Asides from being a wireless stereo headset, it doubles as a hands free solution. It has the basic features for a hands free headset including; last number redial, voice dialing (device dependant), rejecting a call, call mute, call hold, and answering a second call. With the exception of muting the microphone (controlled by the volume keys) all of these functions are controlled by the talk button through various presses, touches and holds. With the talk button being difficult at times to manipulate, some may find navigating through these functions challenging.

Call quality was good and the microphone (located on the right ear hook) picks up your voice with no problem when using normal volume and tone. Background noise was decently filtered out.

If you’re listening to music when the call comes in, the headset will pause the music to allow the phone call to come through. Once you end the call, you have to press the play button to resume your music.

Overall Impression

I really wanted to like the Samsung SBH700 Bluetooth Stereo Headset ($99.95) but the one thing that I couldn’t get away from was the fit. If used for short periods of time (under 30 minutes) it’s a very good headset. For longer use, the control base begins to rub you the wrong way and the ear buds become uncomfortable.

Stereo sound could be better but it’s acceptable and while call quality is good as well, I would consider the SBH700 a headset first and a hands-free solution second. Most of the functions are controlled by one button and while this layout isn’t uncommon for Bluetooth headsets, the one button controlling these functions can be challenging to manipulate.

Bottom line, if you are looking for something for extended use you may want to consider Motorola S805 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones or the Motorola HT820 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones. However, if you are looking for something to use for shorter periods or maybe in a more active setting (e.g. workouts, bicycling, etc), the Samsung SBH700 would be a good choice.