Insignia NS-BTHDP Bluetooth Cordless Headphones
Written: Feb 25 '08 (Updated Feb 26 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Wireless convenience, fairly comfortable, lightweight, good battery life, decent sound quality
Cons: Minor audible hiss between tracks, audible interference from nearby electronic devices, controls are not intuitive
The Bottom Line: These reasonably priced Bluetooth headphones are a nice wireless alternative for busy techies, music lovers, and exercise fans
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| Howard_Creech's Full Review: Insignia Stereo Bluetooth Headphones NS-BTHDP |
The public’s burgeoning love affair with ultra-portable high-tech gadgets is indisputable – people talking (and texting) on cell phones and/or listening to music (and watching video) on MP3 players while they work, walk, run, shop, and drive is nearly ubiquitous. Insignia (one of Best Buy’s house brands) produces electronic products to meet the needs, wants, and desires of those lovers of new gadgets. Insignia products tend to be noticeably cheaper than similar OEM (Apple, Creative, Rio, Logitech, and Microsoft) products, but they often incorporate popular features found on those more expensive products. The new Insignia NS-BTHDP Bluetooth Cordless Headphones are a good example - I used these headphones to listen (wirelessly) to my Insignia NS-2V17B 2GB SPORT MP3 Player.
MP3 players normally include easy to use (worn inside the ear canal) super compact and simple to store earbuds (just roll them up and stick them in a pocket, briefcase, or drawer when not in use). Earbuds are OK for walking, jogging, or cycling, but they really leave something to be desired in terms of extended listening comfort and most provide fairly poor quality audio.
Other listening options, like traditional binaural/stereo headphones generally provide better quality audio and are more comfortable for extended use. Both earbuds and traditional headphones tether users to the listening device - via the audio cable. Wireless listening (with Bluetooth Headphones) is another option – and one that appeals to many busy people. Bluetooth headphones allow users hands-free and cable-free access to Bluetooth enabled Cell Phones, MP3 players, PDAs, Laptops, Digital Cameras, and PCs.
How does Bluetooth work?
Bluetooth-enabled devices communicate (transmit data) automatically with other Bluetooth enabled devices via a very specialized radio broadcast technology called SSFP (spread-spectrum frequency hopping). The transmitters (Cell Phones, MP3 players, PDAs, Laptops, Digital Cameras, and PCs) broadcast electromagnetically over a narrow range of radio frequencies between 2.402 GHz and 2.480 GHz by continuously (1,600 times a second) hopping between those frequencies. This permits Bluetooth enabled devices to utilize this limited segment of the radio spectrum with, essentially, no interference from other nearby Bluetooth gadgets since the transmitters hop frequencies so often that any interference from other Bluetooth devices lasts only a tiny fraction of a second. Broadcast range is limited, generally 10 meters or less – due in large part to their very low output power.
Style/Construction/Ergonomics
Insignia’s NS-BTHDP Bluetooth Cordless Headphones are a behind-the-head over-the-ear binaural (stereo) design with a built-in microphone for convenient and comfortable hands-free wireless access to MP3 players, cell phones, and computers. Insignia’s NS-BTHDP Bluetooth Cordless Headphones are generically comparable to other similarly priced hands-free cell phone headsets and provide noticeably better sound quality than the earbuds included with most MP3 players. Construction materials are primarily matte black plastic/polycarbonate and build quality is fairly robust. These headphones, with reasonable care, should last for several years. Weight is 2.8 ounces and dimensions are 2.9-inches x 6.5-inches x 5.5-inches. The ear cushions are plastic sheathed foam.
Controls are located on the right-side earcup and consist of – volume, up/down, track, for/rev, and pause/play. To activate the headphones, users hold down the pause/play button; to power the NS-BTHDP’s down, reverse the process. I found the buttons small and very close together, which makes them difficult to use when these headphones are in the listening position. I had to remove the headphones every time I wanted to access the controls. Headphone volume is independent of source volume.
At 2.8 ounces the Insignia NS-BTHDP Bluetooth Cordless Headphones seemed surprisingly light-weight in use, noticeably lighter than my old Koss TD60 headphones. I found them fairly comfortable (once I got used to the behind the head over the ear configuration) for extended music listening sessions, but the hard plastic loops that that go over the top of the ear aren’t padded and can become uncomfortable after a while. The headband is one piece and not adjustable.
Power
Like most wireless gadgets the Insignia NS-BTHDP Bluetooth Cordless Headphones are powered by built-in rechargeable batteries. Insignia claims the NS-BTHDP’s lithium-ion batteries are good for up to 10 hours. I didn’t do any mammoth 10-hour listening sessions, so I can’t address the veracity of Insignia’s claim, but I have no reason to doubt it either. Re-charging the headphones is simple - plug the included USB cable into either a PC or Mac and leave it connected for about 2.5 hours. I didn’t use the Insignia NS-BTHDP Bluetooth Cordless Headphones for anything except listening to music with my Insignia NS-2V17B 2GB SPORT MP3 Player so I can’t comment on how well it performs in other applications.
Audio Quality
I assessed the sound quality of the Insignia NS-BTHDP Bluetooth Cordless Headphones by using them to listen to a selection of long-time favorite tunes and artists including Delbert McClinton, Sharleen Spiteri’s vocals with Texas), The Rolling Stones (Exile on Main Street, Sticky Fingers, Let It Bleed, and Beggar’s Banquet) J.J. Cale, Ry Cooder (Bop ‘til you drop), Chris Issak (Baja Sessions and Forever Blue), Paul Carrack, and Robbie Robbertson’s first two solo CDs. For comparison purposes I listened (selectively) to these same tunes with the Insignia NS-2V17B 2GB SPORT MP3 Player’s included earbuds and a pair of Koss TD60 headphones.
Audio quality with the Insignia NS-BTHDP Bluetooth Cordless Headphones was somewhat better than expected. The Higher frequencies have a slightly brittle tonality, which is not too surprising since these headphones have a typically truncated (100Hz-15KHz) frequency response range. Mid-range frequencies are reproduced very nicely, but in the lower bass freqencies headphone drivers simply aren’t large enough to reproduce deep (or even moderately deep) bass. Overall, the Insignia NS-BTHDP Bluetooth Cordless Headphones do a pretty good job, but they certainly aren’t up to audiophile standards.
Audio quality decreases noticeably as the Insignia NS-BTHDP Bluetooth Cordless Headphones get further from the source device. At distances of up to about 10 feet from the Insignia NS-2V17B 2GB SPORT MP3 Player audio quality was pretty good, but at distances further than 10 feet playback dropouts become an annoying problem.
Technical Specifications
Part Number: NS-BTHDP
Format: Stereo
Sensitivity: 80 dB
Frequency Response: 100Hz-15KHz
Microphone: built-in
Ear Cushions: plastic clad foam
Dimensions: 2 1/9”X6 ½”X5 ½”
Weight: 2.8 oz.
Power: integral Li-ion rechargeable battery
Effective Range: 30 feet
MSRP: $49.95
Warranty
Best Buy/Insignia provides a 1 year parts & labor warranty and it is easy to obtain warranty service - simply take the NS-BTHDP headphones to the nearest Best Buy store.
Conclusion
The Insignia NS-BTHDP Bluetooth Wireless Headphones provide savvy consumers with a pair of affordable, comfortable, easy to use, wireless headphones that have adequate range and pretty decent sound quality. I doubt it will be easy to find a nicer pair of Bluetooth headphones for the money. The Insignia NS-BTHDP Bluetooth Wireless Headphones are my fourth Insignia product and I’ve been impressed (each time) with Insignia’s build quality, usability, feature set, and bang for the buck.
I received this product from Hass MS&L (a public relations firm) in return for providing a fair and objective review on Epinions.com.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Howard_Creech
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 in Electronics |
 in Home and Garden |
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Member: Howard Creech
Location: Louisville, KY
Reviews written: 333
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About Me:
Photographer/Writer fascinated by Movies, Music, Books, American Diner Food, History, "Popular Culture", and Travel.
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