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roadtest - Motorola S9 vs Nokia BH-501

Dec 22, 2007

Rating: 8 out of 10 (Excellent)
Pros: see below
Cons: see below
Opinion:
With more and more bluetooth stereo headsets appearing on the market these days it's getting harder to know which one is the right one. Jabra, Motorola, Sony, Bluetrek, Nokia, i-Tech ... all of them are making stereo headsets for the Asian market at the moment. What follows is a brief comparison of the Motorola Motorokr S9 and the Nokia BH-501; I've been using both of these headsets on a daily basis for the past month or 2.

CONNECTION: When you fist pair up the S9 you can expect it to drop the connection during the first few days of use. The more you use it, however, the better it gets. Not sure why that happens but it does. After a month, the S9 is almost as strong as the Nokia BH-501 in holding on to its connection with the phone, although the BH-501 wins this category.

FUNCTION: The S9 wins here easily - with the ability to make and answer calls, turn the MP3 player on and off, move the track forward or backward and adjust the volume - all without having to touch your phone. The Nokia BH-501 is a more simple device; you can make and answer calls and adjust the volume - that's about it. To turn on the MP3 player or move around to a different track, you need to use the phone. Both headsets support voice dialing.

COMFORT: This is a tough one to call. The S9 is an in-the-ear device. It comes with 3 or 4 different size earbuds, so it's not too hard to find one that suits. The BH-501 is an over-the-ear headset, with soft cloth material covering the earpads. Both units slip on and off easily and both are light and comfortable for several hours at a time. When I'm planning an all day excursion, however, I usually reach for the S9. It's lighter and easier to handle - sometimes I forget I'm wearing it. In the comfort category both units are good, but I'll give the S9 the win.

MAKING CALLS: In this category, the Nokia BH-501 is the clear champion. If you make a lot of calls, stay away from the S9. Calls come through in the left speaker only; quality of voice is not good, both receiving calls and talking to the other party. With the Nokia, calls come through in stereo and you can crank up the volume without any distortion. I enjoy making calls with the Nokia BH-501 on my head, especially in Bangkok where street noise is a MAJOR problem When I'm wearing the S9, I switch back to the phone when calls come in - it's that bad.

SOUND QUALITY: This is another hard nut to crack. Both headsets offer good quality stereo sound, although the S9 may have a slightly cleaner, crisper sound where the Nokia has a slightly muffled sound. It should be noted here that sound quality depends as much on the recording itself as it does on the headset you happen to be wearing. I have some tracks that sound totally shitty on both headsets with cracking and distortion - and some that sound like you've died and gone to heaven. It's what goes on in the recording studio - not just the headset - that makes that kind of difference. In this category I'll call it a draw, although the S9 has the slight edge.

APPEARANCE: Both headsets are OK to look at. The Nokia is definitely more conspicuous - and simply larger. From the front, the S9 is almost invisible. Personal taste is the key to this category. Some people like to drop names; if that's the case, the Nokia is very well labeled. The S9 has a small Motorola emblem on the back of the neckband - that's it.

PRICE: I live in Bangkok, so I can speak only for this market. The S9 retails for roughly 3,200 to 4,000 Baht depending on where you buy it - that's a little over $100. The Nokia BH-501 retails for 2,800 Baht - that's a little less than $100.

CONCLUSION: If you make a lot of calls and want simple-to-use headset, the Nokia BH-501 has your name on it. Call quality, a strong connection to the phone and good overall sound quality make this a good deal.

If you're buying a headset primarily to listen to music, I'd have to go with the S9. It's incredibly light, very comfortable, has the best sound (if only by a slim margin) and looks a lot less conspicuous on your head.


Rock on dudes :-)


Kent F. Kruhoeffer
+66 086 985 5920
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