Let me start off by answering the obvious question... "a $400 headset? Are you nuts?"
No. I managed to get a pretty sweet deal on one on eBay and got it for a bit more than an Aliph Jawbone. So I am nuts to be in the high-end headset realm but not nuttier than a lot of others in that club. And keep in mind that many think us iPhone early-adopters are nuts for paying $500 or $600 for a cell phone. I guess the nut is in the eye of the beholder (or something like that).
Integration with the iPhone
Flawless. It took me maybe 30 seconds. On the Earset 2 side, you push & hold the button and flip out the mic arm (which is the on/off switch for the Earset 2). On the iPhone, just turn on Bluetooth. It found the Earset 2 immediately. I did have to enter the passcode (shhh... don't tell anyone but it's "0000").
When a call comes in, if the headset is not on, just swing out the mic arm to turn it on and you take the call. If the headset is off when the call comes in and you hit "answer" on the iPhone, it (obviosuly) goes to the iPhone earpiece. But then menu that comes up let's you switch the audio source. In the upper right of the normal iPhone call menu that comes up, it says "Audio Source" hit that button and you get a list of Earset 2, iPhone or Speaker Phone. Pick your poison. Or if the Earset 2 is already on (mic arm out) when the call comes in, you can hit the button on the headset to take the call or hit answer on the iPhone.
When placing a call, a menu comes up to ask which "output" you want to use. Again, if the Earphone 2 is on, it will default to that. Other options are the iPhone and the iPhone speaker. So you either take the default or hit the alternate option that you desire. And yes, it does list the device correctly as "Earset 2".
Quality of the Earset 2
Well, if you're going to charge $400 for a bluetooth headset, it had better be pretty darned good, right? B&O does not disappoint. The look & feel of the Earset 2 are beyond anything else I've tried (I've done Jabra & Jawbone myself & tried other people's). It's quite light but it has a very solid feel. It definitely has the typical B&O "Euro contemporary" look.
The fit is great. The earloop goes up & down as well as side-to-side so you can really adjust to any size and comfort. The foam-covered earbud sits nicely and comfortably. This no doubt adds much to what I'll talk about next.
The highlight has to be the call/sound quality. The speaker has 8 volume levels. Knowing that many (including me) aren't happy with the volume level on the iPhone, I'm happy to report that the Earset 2 more than takes care of it. Quite frankly, level 8 is too loud. 5 or 6 is great and much higher than the iPhone volume.
The clarity is like no other BT headset I've owned or tried. It's really spectacular - very clear and very big range (high highs and low lows). Impressive.
I haven't been on the receiving end of a call yet but reports from my crash-test-dummies are very positive. The noise-cancellation apparently works great. That's a big reason I wanted to try this unit because I have a convertible and nothing that I've tried (including the Jawbone) seems to work - I can't hear them and/or they can't hear me (at least not at an acceptable level). But the Earset 2 is the first device I've used that works both ways - I can hear great and people can hear me great without all the background noise.
Cons
- Price. The obvious one.
- Caller ID. The Earset 2 does not have a CID screen. Frankly, I didn't want one (and I knew the unit didn't have one) but for the price, you might expect it.
I hate the price but I love the device. They're pretty rare but if you lurk on eBay, I bet you can find a good deal on one, too.
No. I managed to get a pretty sweet deal on one on eBay and got it for a bit more than an Aliph Jawbone. So I am nuts to be in the high-end headset realm but not nuttier than a lot of others in that club. And keep in mind that many think us iPhone early-adopters are nuts for paying $500 or $600 for a cell phone. I guess the nut is in the eye of the beholder (or something like that).
Integration with the iPhone
Flawless. It took me maybe 30 seconds. On the Earset 2 side, you push & hold the button and flip out the mic arm (which is the on/off switch for the Earset 2). On the iPhone, just turn on Bluetooth. It found the Earset 2 immediately. I did have to enter the passcode (shhh... don't tell anyone but it's "0000").
When a call comes in, if the headset is not on, just swing out the mic arm to turn it on and you take the call. If the headset is off when the call comes in and you hit "answer" on the iPhone, it (obviosuly) goes to the iPhone earpiece. But then menu that comes up let's you switch the audio source. In the upper right of the normal iPhone call menu that comes up, it says "Audio Source" hit that button and you get a list of Earset 2, iPhone or Speaker Phone. Pick your poison. Or if the Earset 2 is already on (mic arm out) when the call comes in, you can hit the button on the headset to take the call or hit answer on the iPhone.
When placing a call, a menu comes up to ask which "output" you want to use. Again, if the Earphone 2 is on, it will default to that. Other options are the iPhone and the iPhone speaker. So you either take the default or hit the alternate option that you desire. And yes, it does list the device correctly as "Earset 2".
Quality of the Earset 2
Well, if you're going to charge $400 for a bluetooth headset, it had better be pretty darned good, right? B&O does not disappoint. The look & feel of the Earset 2 are beyond anything else I've tried (I've done Jabra & Jawbone myself & tried other people's). It's quite light but it has a very solid feel. It definitely has the typical B&O "Euro contemporary" look.
The fit is great. The earloop goes up & down as well as side-to-side so you can really adjust to any size and comfort. The foam-covered earbud sits nicely and comfortably. This no doubt adds much to what I'll talk about next.
The highlight has to be the call/sound quality. The speaker has 8 volume levels. Knowing that many (including me) aren't happy with the volume level on the iPhone, I'm happy to report that the Earset 2 more than takes care of it. Quite frankly, level 8 is too loud. 5 or 6 is great and much higher than the iPhone volume.
The clarity is like no other BT headset I've owned or tried. It's really spectacular - very clear and very big range (high highs and low lows). Impressive.
I haven't been on the receiving end of a call yet but reports from my crash-test-dummies are very positive. The noise-cancellation apparently works great. That's a big reason I wanted to try this unit because I have a convertible and nothing that I've tried (including the Jawbone) seems to work - I can't hear them and/or they can't hear me (at least not at an acceptable level). But the Earset 2 is the first device I've used that works both ways - I can hear great and people can hear me great without all the background noise.
Cons
- Price. The obvious one.
- Caller ID. The Earset 2 does not have a CID screen. Frankly, I didn't want one (and I knew the unit didn't have one) but for the price, you might expect it.
I hate the price but I love the device. They're pretty rare but if you lurk on eBay, I bet you can find a good deal on one, too.
