Bluetooth Solution Part 2: the Voyager 855 Judgment Day
As part of my search for the
ultimate stereo Bluetooth solution, I surfed around, finding the following potential suitors:- Moto S9
- Helium Digital’s HDBT-700
- Sony DBRT21
- JabraBT8010
Then I got to thinking about the buds v. independent plug v. fixed plug v. padded v. cups methods of providing maximum sound translation and comfort. The 855 uses independent plugs, as there is one for each ear, allowing freedom of movement and maximum sound translation. This just makes sense to me.
I don’t like the other options because:
- Buds sound like crap, partially because they are
too loose in your ear. I tried
Earjams with my plugs, which were a big improvement, but made the plugs protrude
from my head something weird.
- A fixed plug, like the Moto S9 would seem to
work only if my head was exactly the right size, and even then might get
painful if I had to jerk my head suddenly to check if that idiot in the
Beemer was about to mow me down.
- I have had padded, behind the neck phones, and
they do get hot, although I think this method is the 2nd best
option (there is potential to deliver better sound than with the plugs)
- The cups might work at home, but unless I was a
DJ living in Zurich, I would prefer to leave them there. (plus I’d have no chance of hearing
that Beemer, if he did decide to give me an audible heads-up that he was
about to wipe me out)
Besides the call-static problem mentioned previously, the second and last disappointment I had is caused by the same limitation: the occasional “skipping” of music and podcasts. I think both these problems are caused my a lack of sufficient power to overcome likely path losses, such as those encountered with clothing or your own body.
Nevertheless, I decided to try living with the 855 for a week to see how I felt with them. At this point, I don’t think there is any “ultimate” solution, but rather a “best available”. And that seems to be all too often the choice we are making, with wireless.
My cold-weather bike ride with the 855 was a big success. I had trouble with my ski-headband forcing the main piece into my ear canal – a bit uncomfortable – but finally got things adjusted. I kept my phone in a pouch in front, and I guess my position allowed a virtual line-of-site, because I only heard a skip if I turned my head to look at traffic.
Knowing the sound quality could be richer, I felt like this was the best possible solution for a ride, since I could still hear the music really well, avoid skips, skip forward to the next song, and take an incoming call.
While I missed the sound quality of the wire, the phone call quality was excellent.
Also, considering the conditions in which I listen to music and podcasts, i.e. out in the world, excellent sound quality has limited use anyway, since the world is noisy and you have to be somewhat aware of your surroundings. (I prefer to keep the audio in the background, unless I am bored on a train...)
I think if you want to run with only 1 BT for all uses (which makes practical sense), the 855 is an excellent choice.
Oddly, after a week of use and following a charge, I suddenly couldn’t get the 855 to turn on! Without the time or patience to deal with any sort of customer service, I simply returned the unit to Best Buy, which obliged me with an easy refund.
Oh well, better luck next time...
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