Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 Headphones?

gadgeTT · 04-28-2009, 08:55 AM

Hi All,

Now that (beta) OS 3.0 supports A2DP, I've been on the hunt for a great set of BT stereo headphones. Found the Sony-Ericsson HBH-IS800's and thought I'd give 'em a try. To those who are not aware of these headphones, they are essentially earbuds that connect to each other with a thin wire, and that's all. The battery, the radio, etc. are all in the buds themselves, so the only thing on the short cord is the microphone with a multifunction button. Very slick!

Anyway, they sound awesome, but they don't have local volume controls and the iPhone's volume slider doesn't appear to work when routing audio to a BT stereo headset. Is anyone else noticing a similar issue whereby the volume slider moves but doesn't affect the volume when routing audio to BT headphones?

I'd really love to keep these headphones, but not if there's no way to adjust the volume.

ddenson · 04-30-2009, 03:01 PM

That's too bad, as I was thinking about getting the IS800's after the 3.0 upgrade. I noticed that behavior (the volume slider not working) when using a dongle for stereo bluetooth, but was hoping it would work with the new software. As the volume buttons work for mono bluetooth earpieces, I guess it's a bluetooth profile issue. Is there any way in the new software to change what bt profile is used?

Also, out of curiosity, does the button work to play, pause, skip forward, etc. like on the wired headphones?

Thanks.

gadgeTT · 04-30-2009, 03:07 PM

Even without the volume slider, I'm loving the IS800's! They supposedly have an auto volume adjustment which I'm sure isn't intended to replace a phone-mounted volume control, but so far it's been workable. The sound quality is great, the size is amazing, and the button works, too. You can play/pause, answer/end and redial. No track skipping, but I'm OK with that. I have a few bug reports in with Apple on the lack of volume controls, so hopefully beta 5 will fix that as A2DP stuff has been getting with each build.

ddenson · 04-30-2009, 03:21 PM

I would love to have track skipping too, as I use it all the time. I'm curious what Apple has up its sleeve in terms of peripherals to utilize the A2DP functionality. Maybe they'll release something similar, but with volume buttons like the new iPod touch headsets? Here's hoping...

The IS800's are tempting, even with the limited functionality, but volume control of some kind is a must. Nobody makes anything close - have you seen the jaybirds? http://www.jaybirdgear.com/

gadgeTT · 04-30-2009, 04:01 PM

While those Jaybirds look nice and it's great that they have on-unit controls, they are HUGE in comparison to the IS800's. The retail price is far lower than the IS800's, but I got mine at $135 from Fry's, and the Jaybirds are about the same. I'm sure that Apple will figure out the volume control aspect, and while it would be nice to have local track skipping control, the IS800's are way too sexy to worry about that :-)

And as you said, with Apple dumping its BT headset, I'm sure they have something coming out soon that may be a true competitor for the IS800's and have more control than that single button ala the Shuffle.

ddenson · 06-09-2009, 09:30 AM

Any update to functionality now that 3.0 has gone gold?

I'd love an excuse to buy the is800's...

gadgeTT · 06-09-2009, 09:33 AM

Just tried my IS800's with the GM Seed and no change. Connecting the headphones automatically routes audio to the headset (good), sound quality is still quite good (good), but still no volume control for this headset (BAD!).

ddenson · 06-09-2009, 09:49 AM

Thanks, but that's pretty disappointing. Without volume control they're unusable IMO. Any other recommendations for a good stereo bluetooth headset? I have the moto s-9's and they're horribly uncomfortable.

gadgeTT · 06-09-2009, 09:52 AM

Even without the volume control, the IS800's are awesome headphones; incredibly tiny, comfortable, good enough battery life, and sound great. They supposedly have automatic volume leveling to compensate for outside noise. I have been using them for about a month and even without the volume control, they're usable. Of course, I still think it's absurd that Apple didn't put volume control capability in the software (I have a valid bug listed) but they're still awesome headphones.

ddenson · 06-09-2009, 09:54 AM

Don't tempt me with that automatic volume control thing... I really want them, but I need to be able to lower the volume way down for sleeping on my commute.