Sony Ericsson 1271-2913 SBH50 Bluetooth Stereo Headset Wrls NFC FM Radio Micro USB - Black

Disclaimer: I am not an Audiophile. I do not buy top of the line $400 headsets. Everything in this review is strictly my opinion on the performance of the SBH50 by Sony. I received this in the mail afree about a week ( ~5 business days ) and used it everyday since. I only had two concerns when I purchased this Bluetooth receiver. My first concern, batterylife. How long would it last? Well worry not. After a week of continuous everyday use ( charged every night ) the battery has easily lasted an entire day. My batterylife could probably exceed 12 hours of continuous operation if I wanted it too. Also, like other reviews stated, it can be used while charging. My second concern: Audio quality. How good would it be? Would the connection be choppy? How about the bass? Needless to say, my expectations were blown out of the water. As a matter of fact, the audio quality of this BlueTooth receiver is BETTER than that of my Galaxy S4 to which it is paired. other than that, the bass and stuff is well balanced. Not too strong, but far from weak. The audio range on this device is very dynamic - with no flat tones. Compared to other BT receivers which in my experience, need external amps, this this receiver is Amazing. Audio distortion? None at all. Connection quality? Perfect. Never once did the connection break during use. Connection range? 50ft as advertised. I can walk the entirety of my home, end to end, floor to floor. But the instant I go outside, my connection is lost, as expcected to be completely honest. Build Quality of the receiver: Sleek, sexy, and tastefull. Not big at all and the black looks very good to me. Though I think the build is solid, I would personally do what I can to avoid dropping it from torso height onto hard surfaces, and playing with the clip to avoid breaking the clip as other reviews static it could be fragile. The best part of this headset is the fact that I can use any headset I want with it. So if the Sony headset were to break, or the connecter were to fail, I could simply get a new one. However, I believe this to be a double edged sword as well. Though I am yet to see a female audio check break, it is still a possibility. So treat it well. I'm personally not a fan of how the connector feels, as it feels mushy when I insert the headphones into the output jack. But, like I said, it's very unlikely a female audio jack would break. So I'm confident the ear buds would break long before the receiver does. Display quality: Fantastic. Easy to read, rather bright OLED matrix display. Even on a sunny day, but not in direct sunlight, just like every other light emitting display. Quality of included headphones: In my opinion, this is the only weak link in the whole deal. Don't get me wrong, the sound quality of the headphones is very good. The build quality is nothing special with its rubber and bud design. However, the build layout is incredibly stupid. For starters, the ENTIRE headset is too short. For example, if you were to clip it to your belt, or pocket below your belt, the included headphones would restrict your head range of motion. As in, you cant look up without the headphone either straining your ears, or simply popping out. The second but that really annoyed me, is one lenght of bud, is much longer than the other side, whichages them uncomfortable to use. Finally, the headphones are not marked Left or Right. This isn't a big deal to me peraonally, bit it might bother someone else. TL:DR headphones: They need to be longer, have mathing bud lengths, and be labeled Left and Right. They would be perfect that way. But because of these issues, I am likely going to buy new buds. Because I can. I think that's it. Hopefully somebody can find something useful in all that.

I work out regularly - running, cycling - and always listen to music or stream news or talk radio. I've gone through many types of headsets. My last bluetooth set was the LG HBS700. The LG was fine for a while, but they were damaged from sweat so I tossed them in the trash. I looked around and found these. I liked that I can get notifications and control my music. In practice it's kind of wonky. You still need a headphones with a cable connection. At least this device is way lighter than the LG headset. I stole and idea from the LG headset as I really liked that I could store the ear plugs away with a magnetic holder when not in use, so I epoxied some tiny rare earth magnets to the side of the SBH50 and onto the back of the ear plug (I purchased a separate short single sided headphone for this) and can clip the SBH50 to my collar and the magnet will hold the ear plug and when I need it I just grab it and stick it in my ear, for those times I want to use it around the office and not have a headphone stuck in my ear all day. The setup works fine, but I end up not using a headset around the office, so it was just more to see if I could make it work. I pretty much use it only when I work out and in those situations I leave them plugged in all the time so I just use the headphones that came with it. I recently got a pebble smartwatch so I don't use the SBH50 for notifications or even to control my music anymore - I just use the pebble. If I would've already had the pebble I think I would've just got the version of this without the screen. Battery life is better than the LG headset, and it's helpful that it does indicate battery life on screen so I guess having a screen is still useful. So far I like this better for my needs than just about everything else I've tried. I can clip this in a place that it won't be dripping with sweat so hopefully it'll last longer, and the battery life is good, sound quality is good enough, I can still answer calls if I need, it's very light and barely noticeable, the clip is sturdy enough (I've heard clips on earlier sony models were prone to breaking), if the headphones go bad from sweat I can just replace them and not have to replace the device.

Updated Review (June 2016): After over two years of use, this is still a winner. I still can't find a better combination of features and usability (see my original review below. Likes: - Slipping this in the placket of my shirt each morning with the buds routed inside my shirt through the neck or between the top buttons of my shirt mean I can almost hide this completely. I'm hoping this makes me look less like a "BlueTool" than any other Bluetooth headset. When I want to listen to a podcast, I just pull out a bud (or buds) and fill my ear(s). - The sound is amazing clear and rich. I'm working on my second set of ear buds. I bought some MDREX15LP buds, which were as close to the original as I have been able to find. The original buds cable was about 16 inches, so I didn't have a lot of extra wiring to manage. with the new MDREX15LP buds, I braided the cable to get it down to about the same length. For me, the original buds and the MDREX15LP buds seal well, and sound great. - I like that I can use any earbuds (no need for full headset with buttons and Microphone). The button and microphone on the SBH50 does everything I need to answer/hang-up/redial, etc. the microphone on the SBH50 is great for phone conversations, but is effected by wind noise. Conversations are very clear on the listen and talk side. - The battery last for a solid eight hours of streaming audio or music. - Bluetooth sync drop happens much less often than it used to. Dis-Likes: - Occasionally, the pairing is "broken" - no sound, It seems one of the Bluetooth profiles got dropped from the pairing. - Figuring out the apps and applets that work and how they work and what settings in Android have to be adjusted is a challenge. Some features in the Sony Apps have been built into the Andoid Kernel. For some features, like text-to-speach of text messages, I never would figure it out until I read other REVIEWS. Somebody needs to write a comprehensive review. - I wish the battery would last more than 8 hours. Observations: - After two+ years, the battery still lets me listen for about 8 hours solid. Update (June 2014): Four months after purchase. I still like it, but have to knock some stars off. - Bluetooth sync drops in my house. It seems to be related to other (non-paired) Blue-tooth devices in the vicinity. Very frustrating. Original Review (2014, edited June 2016): It's hard to find this combination. Here are the features that stand out. Small unobtrusive built in microphone jack for using my good ear-buds, but the pair provided are very good. built in FM Features I was not expecting: text display for alerts and station display and settings changes Text display that hides into the black obsidian surface an answer/hang-up button a solid clip It is well worth the money. Other nice features include great sound quick pairing as long as you leave the NFC turned on Apps for control with feature plug-ins (to the app) for alerts from Facebook, Twitter, GMail, etc. Downsides; Beeping when you turn the volume all the way up Volume not quite high enough

GET IT! I mean it. I've tried half dozen bluetooth headphones/earphones and ended up returning all of them. I thought I would never find a product that would satisfy my versatile needs. Then I found Sony SBH50. Boy am I glad. Look, I know what you are thinking. Is the battery going to last? Is this going to sync well with my devices? Well, I am using it on my 6 yr old MacBook, iPhone 4s and iPod 5th generation. My main purpose of getting a bluetooth headphone was to free myself from the clutters of wires, of course, but without compromising a lot on sound quality. Also, I knew I didn't want something that is ungodly and ridiculously tacky, like most of uBeat products. I wanted a small, light and fits-into-my-pocket kind of device for a portability. Also, I wanted something that is durable and easy to clean and change our parts incase it breaks. Last but not least, I wanted the price to be below $80 as well. Quite the list eh? So I searched high and low. Purchased and returned half dozen devices. At the end I gave up thinking that perhaps, I should wait for a few more years...and then...I came upon SBH50. Read some reviews. Mixed at best. But it caught my eyes because most of those bad reviews weren't really what I would call OBJECTIVE reviews. So I ordered it, and it arrived quickly. I was immediately blown away by the quality of SBH50. The built quality and the sound quality was top tier. It is one tight package which suffices all my requirements. You can sweat it all over the headphone without worries because you can replace it without having to replace the receiver unit. I wasn't quite sure about the clip on unit and wires but you quickly forget that you have them on you so you do need to pay attention so to speak. The in-ear headphone comes with 3 different sizes of silicon covers so you should not have any problem finding the one that fits. I don't usually write this long of a review, but I thought SBH50 deserve my praise. Well done SONY. Thanks for making a wonderful product.

Pros: * Works with my late 2013 macbook pro. * Great battery life. Easily lasts a full work day. * Light and small. * Excellent sound quality, especially with bass. * Standard micro-b USB connector for charging Cons: * Loses connection about once a day and sound starts coming from my laptop speakers. * No instructions included in mine. * Sometimes doesn't respond to play/stop button with my macbook pro. * Initial setup and usage are not very intuitive. Overall, I would recommend this. If you don't need the extended battery life or included radio receiver, I would suggest buying the "NoiseHush NS560-11977 Clip-on Bluetooth Stereo Headset" instead of this. The sound quality isn't quite as great but the buttons always work, it stays connected, it's easy to use, and it's cheaper.

I got this SBH50 as a replacement for the SBH20 (which is the superior item, but has less battery life) when I lost it at work. (I have since found the old SBH20 and switch them out as the one battery dies, I charge it and use the other one) I use it primarily as a wireless headset for my Macbook connected to a pair of Shure 535 headphones with an inline volume control to reduce the hiss of the jack. As far as connection goes, it connects fast but the connection constantly drops. Im assuming here that it is a device hang in the hardware of the SBH50 since the computer is noticing a lack of new signal and when it is dropped I cannot adjust the volume on the device. This happens constantly throughout the 8 hours it is in my ears. I would say about 8-15 times during a session. That really gets to me after a while. Conversely the WAY cheaper version (SBH20) has next to no drops and I can roam farther from the computer than with the SBH50. I keep my wireless signals in the house at 5 ghz to reduce bluetooth interference since they run on 2.4 ghz and the router is near my computer. When the router was on 2.4 it was causing all types of static with the SBH50 and 20. I recommend changing your wifi signal to 5 ghz if you notice erratic bluetooth behavior. I have had this problem before AND after I did the firmware upgrade from the Sony site. One last note on the connection side. I can connect it to multi things, but if I connect it to my phone after it was connected to the computer, then I have to remove the pairing from the computer before I can try to pair it to the computer to use it again. Same goes with the phone. If I paired it with the computer then I have to make it forget the paring on the phone before I can re-pair it. On the positive side: The sound quality is great, and enough good that my silly audiophile ears are not constantly bothered. (Which is saying a lot for a bluetooth audio item. FYI: Make sure to keep it at the 2ch-32bit float rate on the Audio Midi Setup manager on OSX Mavericks for best sound output. Otherwise if you use it as a mic as well as an output headset then the audio quality tanks HARD due to it falling to 8000hz which is mono telephone quality and barely listenable.) I hope my device is defective… else this is a really terrible product… I would HIGHLY suggest getting the SBH20 as it is the same thing, with less battery life and WAY cheaper.

This device has been beaten up, fully submerged in water for extended periods of time (washing machine), through hundreds of battery cycles and still looks and performs like brand new. Props to Sony on this one. I've had this device for 3+ years and it still doesn't cease to amaze me. 20 minutes of charge will easily get me through a 2 hour workout with studio style over-ear headphones! When fully charged it will run all day with power to spare. The sound quality is crystal clear, and pairing is instant and consistent. Controls are functional with Android devices: Skip, Back, Play, Pause, Volume, etc. even with third party software e.g. Pandora. These are my tested range specs paired with an Android device >>> Unobstructed: 500+ ft Obstructed: 70+ ft. Microphone works well for phone calls, and user interface is simple and intuitive on it's bright, easy to read LED display. This device is built to last, and performs flawlessly. Worth every penny.

It's a typical Sony product, lots of bells and whistles but a total failure when it comes to actual performance. I have Nexus 5 and Nexus 7(2012) and pair both with this receiver. Pros: -Sound quality is very good (with a different set of earbuds). I recommend Monoprice, they are cheap and have good sound quality. -Bluetooth range and reception is very good. Coming from LG Tone+ which was atrocious in both regards. -Nice display -MicroUSB charging standard Cons: This product does not switch well from one device to another and looses connection randomly. I have to reboot it multiple times per day and sometimes that does not even work. You cannot simply turn off Bluetooth on one device turn it on the other to connect, you have to change the setting on the receiver. I commute and switch to the tablet to watch videos on the train. This process is a constant hit and miss. The big button on the front only answers and ends calls. If you press it while listening to the music 4 loud beeps will sound which mute all other sounds without actually pausing the music player. The play/pause and next/last buttons are on the side, fast forward does not work if you press and hold ">>|" button. I don't know how to rewind or fast forward. The clip is annoying as well. It is very easy to accidentally press the big answer/end call button while attempting to attach/remove the receiver. Also, the little stopper inside the clip which prevents the receiver from falling off is square (90° on both sides) and catches on clothing when trying to attach. The instruction manual leaves a lot to be desired, I usually do not read manuals but needed it with this product. Neutral: -FM Radio - Tried it once, quality was not great and the content was non-existent (not Sony's fault with regards to the latter) -NFC - unfortunately it was more of a hassle than a feature. Cannot figure out how to pair without it. I cannot possibly recommend this product based on my experience.