Every time something catastrophic happens on the roads, rules and regulations are blamed, and a consultation takes place to see how they can improve things to make the situation safer. From layout changes, to change in infrastructure, there is no end to the changes which can take place once the reason for the incident is decided on.
A few years ago, cyclists took centre stage, with a rising number of cyclists using London's roads, the volume could not be safely handled, so we saw the introduction of cycle superhighways. A little strange at first, but eventually people warmed to them, and main routes started being used by the masses, giving them more space, priority in places, phased traffic signals etc.
All in all it was a win, but for some strange reason, in the following years injuries to cyclists were still as high, deaths were monitored, and it seemed all had failed.
But then when you take a step back, and look at what is going on, the cyclists, increasing in number still, were taking unnecessary risks, putting themselves in danger, inheriting a feeling of priority and self importance, and causing some to think "right of way" was another phrase for immortal. You have right of way when you are visible to all, if a vehicle fails to give you right of way, you WILL be injured when you still try to force your point.
OK, I am not going to go on about cyclists, being one, they get a bad enough name as it is, so lets not pick on them any more.
My point was of course, whenever bad things happen, things change. And with those changes, so peoples mindsets change.
But there is one group of users of the roads who never seem to be held accountable, or even considered in these consultations. In most models for road traffic flow, they are the well behaved little dots that wait at crossings, and cross when the light changes. However this is so far from the truth, it is ridiculous .
For decades now, if you watch London's road, you will see pedestrians diving into the road left right and centre. As both a cyclist and motorist, I have lost track of the number of times I have had to come to an abrupt halt, because some lazy halfwit has decided the crossing is too far away, they are too engrossed in their phone screen, or just don't appreciate that cars hurt when they hit people. As does my roadbike carrying my 220lbs at 20-30mph!
Now I am a realist, and know that people on foot are not going to change their ways any time soon, especially when all other groups around them have to abide. Stop at lights, crossings, informal crossings, chain of commuters pouring out of a station straight in to the road. Of the road user doesn't do this, they are to blame, plain and simple. A car pulls out in front of you, you hit it, they are to blame and pay for your car. A pedestrian walks in front of your car, you slam on the brakes, stop, they walk on just as the car behind rear ends you and is blamed for the accident.
Worst case, you hit them. They walked out 5ft in from of your car, no stopping distance will help them, BANG! they are down. It IS their fault, but legally you are the one who will go through the process with the police. Breathalised, questioned, report the accident to get your car repaired, and again get grilled by the insurance company, judged that you hit a poor human, lose your NCB.....
It is a bit unbalanced.
Introducing the new 20mph speed limit has changed all that though. No longer will any pedestrians be hit by cars in Lewisham or any other borough with such a limit. Even though it chops and changes depending what road you are on. Some main roads, not all, over the borough line and it increases.
All the while a message has been sent to pedestrians that they will all be safe from mean nasty cars forever more.
Truth be told, it is confusing as hell, and somewhat frustrating. Watch the road, watch out for cyclists, motorcyclists, emergency vehicles, road signs, road markings, oh and for humans throwing themselves in front of you in the split second you look up to check a road sign, and get done for driving without due care. Rather than the pedestrian being charged or held accountable for "irresponsible walking" maybe?
You can chew through statistics all you want, dream up the perfect scenario (no roads, obviously!) and change speed limits making them lower and lower. But there will still be accidents. Of course there is always the "if it saves just one life" campaign that we all love so much. The phrase used all the time to say (in most cases) I know it's a crap idea and really will make life awkward for all, but I bet we can get statistics next year to show that 1/3rd of a person was saved from an accident, and therefore it is a success. And then start planning the 15mph limit.
Let us start with the basics. Pedestrian vs car, in most cases occurs in the road.... The road! Let the first question be, why was the pedestrian in the road? It wasn't a crossing, it wasn't even a safe place to cross, and they were looking at their phone, wearing headphones and didn't look (had one of those today actually). But somehow the only person with any responsibility, is the motorist, who was doing everything they should.
I am not saying motorists are perfect, I am not saying pedestrians are always to blame, not by a long shot.
However what is really apparent from conversations with people, commuters etc, is that the main consensus of opinion is "they should let me cross" (wherever the hell I choose). There seems to be no common sense in the thought process, no understanding of how long it takes a car to stop, where is safe to cross, or what will happen if it all goes terribly wrong. Immortal minds conspire to produce a very stupid and dangerous way of thinking.
Going back to a forum thread which has raged on for years now, calling for a crossing outside a local station, many points have been made, most valid, but some truly scary. For example, the belief that if there is a crossing in place, this somehow makes the road completely safe to cross. A red light or a flashing belisha beacon somehow enforces the rule of immortality. Even though in the same thread, the same people state how poor the line of sight is.
So, we have the exit to a station, where sometimes 100+ people can emerge at a time, pouring onto the pavement, and some wishing to cross the road. Obviously the most logical place to cross is IMMEDIATELY outside the station, at one of the worst sight lines on the road. Boldly walking out with headphones in, staring at the screen of their phone texting or messaging to say they are almost home (or under a car as the case may be). Those who frequent this patch of road, and many others like it, will insist the road needs making safer, and not for one second question their own responsibility. Of course it is their right to cross wherever the hell they want, without risk of being held to account.
I am sure if new legislation was passed tomorrow, copying the USA and having jaywalking laws, there would be outrage, and cries about human rights, pedestrian cattling, freedom of movement and much more. God forbid pedestrians being responsible for their own safety.
The average person doesn't walk across rail lines, busy motorways, fast moving A roads etc. No, at this point somehow the common sense switch is firmly on. But come into a town or city, and watch the behaviour changes, it is truly stunning.
So that brings me to the point of the blog.
When was the last time pedestrian movement and behaviour was studied in depth. At various locations which are bad for people ignoring safe crossing spots, and opting to walk in front of cars with the "YOU WILL STOP FOR ME" mentality?
It is a hard one I know, but with software available these days, I am sure cameras capturing the junctions or hotspots could effectively count those crossing in dangerous places, throw up some statistics and see what can be done about the prime cause of a lot of these accidents.
It is all very well lowering speed limits, even on roads where there is no call for it, which rightly or wrongly causes frustration and stupid behaviour, and in fact probably raises the chances of an accident. Of course the motorist is at fault here, that goes without saying. But the introduction of these badly thought out measures will be the cause.
I think it is about time that human traffic flow is taken into account when considering changes to the roads. Once it was a good idea to have railings to stop people crossing at hotspots, now the onus is on the motorist to be able to stop when someone makes a stupid decision. I wonder how long it will be before schools stop teaching the green cross code, and introduce the "right to cross" code!
With the schools going back this week, it has been a baptism of fire for some motorists. 6-7 weeks of lower road volumes, less people on the pavements. And now all of a sudden, parents, kids, mummies with buggies, all willing to throw themselves out in front of your car without a moment of thought.
Seriously the change is dramatic and worrying. Parents walking their toddlers up the main road, running free while mummy or daddy stares at the screen of their phone, or natters to another parent. I had one on Brockley Road yesterday, and saw it happening before it did, then out ran the kid, just getting into the road before daddy saw and reacted. It could have been horrific.
In short, peak times on the roads are hell, and it is not so much the wheeled road users to blame. A balance has almost been found amongst all. Bus drivers do as they please, black cabbies can stop and do a U turn on a dime at will, or just cut you up. PHV's mainly Prius's can roll down the road at 5mph while using their device to get a new fare, then just stop or accelerate away, cyclists won't stop for red lights, and will weave like nutters, coming up on both sides of you at lights, overloading your mind with spacial awareness. Motorcyclists, speed, weave, and rev up for no reason. We all know our places.
But pedestrians.. Well that is another matter. Ignore the tourists, and those who are no used to London roads, and just focus on the pretentious little princesses who demand that they may cross a road, or just walk down the middle of it, at a moments notice, and in no way should be berated, held to account, or challenged for their stupidity. Phone in one hand, Starbucks in the other, headphones in, and out they go. Shortest route to work, or in some cases hospital.
In short, I am fed up of the main users of the roads being blamed for interactions which occur when pavement dwellers dare to venture into the world of roads, fast moving vehicles, and the consequences of a collision between themselves and the vehicle.
I say bring in legislation to hold pedestrians accountable more often, allow prosecution for times where a thoughtless pedestrian causes a collision between others, and start handing out some tickets to idiots who refuse to abide by the guidelines.
I have missed so many points I have thought up over the week that this post has been brewing in my head, so might return to the matter soon.
Showing posts with label headphones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label headphones. Show all posts
Friday, September 9, 2016
Friday, October 23, 2015
SoundPEATS Q800 Bluetooth in-ear headphones.
A week ago I was approached by Grace from soundpeatsaudio.com, and asked if I would be interested in reviewing a pair of their SoundPEATS Q800 Bluetooth in-ear headphones.
Now, I have to admit I was sceptical at first, a pair of affordable, quite cleverly designed headphones, with accessible controls. What was the sound quality going to be like? Surely can't be all that.
Over the past week I have taken the headphones to a variety of locations, in a number of situations, just to see how well they could actually do. So paired with my trust OnePlus 2 I got started.
Let's start at the beginning. A couple of days after speaking with Grace, a box from Amazon arrived on my doorstep. Inside was a neat little box, nicely packed with the headphones, a few pairs of spare and varying sized ear buds, a USB lead for charging, and of course some instructions.
Unpacking the headphones and switching them on for the first time, with the ear bud in, I was greeted with a voice prompt of "power on" followed by a voice prompt for my battery status too, which was "battery level medium". When switching them on again after you have paired them with a device, the additional prompt of "device connected"
Pairing of course is very simple. Using the instructions supplied, and the simple to follow guide of what flashing light meant what, pairing was done in seconds, partially thanks to the simple pairing process on the OnePlus2. Thankfully that is all the setting up that was needed for me, as the earbuds already on the headphones were perfect for me. I will come back to them later.
Once paired, the headphones were plugged in to the USB lead, and given a full charge.
Design wise, alarm bells were again ringing. I take forever to get used to new things on or around my person. Fitness tracker wristbands, sunglasses, and yes even new headphones, run the risk of not lasting with me for long, by irritating me too much to put up with them, regardless of how good they are. It has taken me years to get used to wearing sunglasses, and only recently found happiness with my Oakley's. So the idea of wearing a band around my neck, like a collar, with small wires running to the earbuds worried me.
That said, from the second I put them on, I instantly realised I could barely feel them there, they are so light and ergonomic for my neck. Having nice little leads that run from the band to the earbuds is a lovely solution. Not one I would have imagined would feel quite this comfortable. But in later tests when doing more active things, it was a godsend not having a trailing wire.
The collar unit also houses the controls / buttons for the headphones. With a physical slider switch for ON/OFF and a neat and discreet micro USB port for charging. Along with six buttons, three on either side.
The buttons on the left side give you control over tracks, skipping back and forth, as well as pausing and playing. To the right are 3 more buttons. A + and - for volume, as well as a phone button for answering and hanging up for phone function, if you are using the headphones with a mobile phone of course. This phone button also doubles as a notification LED, and will flash red or blue, and in sequences depending on what it is trying to tell you.
So on to the actual testing.
First use of the headphones was for a couple of hours, while writing some emails and getting a blog entry completed. So sitting at the desk, with just the noise of my keys on the keyboard to contend with. Sitting stationary and flicking through tracks on Spotify was a good opportunity for me to get to grips with the 6 buttons on the body of the headphones.
Popping the band around my neck and taking my seat at the computer, I put the headphones in and went for the switch to turn them on. First thing I noticed, sitting in the quiet of my office was how the ambient noise from the room almost disappeared as the earbuds went in. Unlike some others I have used, the seal was very good and instant. Flicking the switch and hearing the prompts peel out, it confirmed it was connected to my OnePlus2 . Let the fun begin.
Hitting play, the headphones burst into life, with nice crisp highs, and surprisingly clear mids and highs. With a quick bit of tweaking of the EQ on the phone, and I was in my zone. As I worked at the PC, and Spotify ran through its playlist, I got a chance to put the Q800's through their paces. From regular pop, to violin drum and bass. R&B to trance, the headphones didn't fail to deliver. Even the separation of instruments with classical music was possible when relaxing and immersing myself into the music.
The one big surprise I have to say, was the quality of the bass. With all in-ear headphones, the bass quality comes down to the fitment of the buds in your ears. With the snug fit I have with the standard buds, the bass was wonderfully deep. No distortion to speak of, and clearly able to hear a range of frequencies when listening to dance or trance tracks.
After a couple of hours at the PC, I was done, so flicking the switch to the off position, the voice prompt of "power off" rang out, and that was that. They immediately showed as disconnected on the OnePlus2.
Deciding to give the battery a full workout, I refrained from putting them on to charge, and just put them on the side.
Later that day, going for a long walk, which at points would take me along busy roads, so I decided it would be another great test for the headphones. Wearing a hoodie, I was slightly concious of how the headphone band would sit and look in the wild. However on popping the band around my neck, it slipped effortlessly down and sat nicely within reach, but not too obvious.
For 90 mins at a decent pace, including up and down stairs with some gusto, the ear bugs sat firm. Not needing to be pushed back in or adjusted. Ambient sound from the streets was minimal, although I should add, that as with all in-ear headphones I use, the ability to concentrate and hear road noise when needed was there. Obviously I didn't have the volume cranked right up for safety reason. None the less, when walking even on a busy road, the sound quality was not impaired. A good balance between safety and sound for sure.
By the end of the walking test, the running time was getting close to 4 hours. Half way through the claimed battery life and there was no change in any quality or function of the headphones.
The next day, another chilled out morning was called for, but so was housework. A morning of moving things, cleaning, and everyone's favourite, vacuuming. In went the headphones, on went the music. This mornings choice was ASOT, or A State Of Trance . High energy 2 hour long mix, perfect for the job at hand. Knowing I would be moving around a lot, I decided to leave the phone in one place, to avoid dropping it while doing something. So the phone was placed on a unit in the hallway. This would be a good test for the claimed 10 metre wireless range, especially through walls and doors. I can happily report that they passed with flying colours, and at no point suffered any break-up or loss of quality. From walking out front to put things in the bin and cars, to standing in the rear garden with the dogs, the quality remained solid.
As for the moving around, bending and lifting etc. At no point did an earbud fall out, although I will admit that a couple of adjustments were made. I didn't take note of when these occurred or what caused the movement. Whatever it was, it was not repetitive enough to form a pattern, or cause irritation. So they passed the housework / chores test nicely.
Two hours later the "You've been listening to A State of Trance" came through the headphones (part of the track, not a headphone feature), and that was another 2 hours clocked up on the Q800's.
My final test came the next morning, my return to my workout routine, and time for some higher energy usage. Cross trainer time, or elliptical as it is to some. A close to running pace, for 30 minutes workout awaited them. Flicking the switch on, the "battery level medium" rang out for the first time since starting the test. Or the first I noticed anyway. Possible it did it before the housework at the 4 hour point, but I most likely turned them on before putting them on this time.
So, into the home gym and onto the cross trainer, cranking up the volume to really get in the zone. This was going to be a test again of sound quality, noise pollution and sweat resistance.
With the volume a little higher than I had had it before, just in case there was going to be any whine from the Reebok cross trainer. Picking the running setting on Spotify, and letting it pick the music based on tempo for the duration, the playlist was bound to be mixed, and it was! With a variety across most up tempo genre's. Once again I am happy to report that there was no unwanted outside noise bleeding in. And also that even at higher volume, the sound quality remained solid.
With regards to sweat, heat and comfort while training. I have no negative comments whatsoever. The first concern was that the band / collar, would bounce around and irritate my neck. However they sat nicely, and have to admit at the end of training, I reached up to the sides of my head with the aim to remove my Sony bluetooth over ear headphones. Maybe muscle memory, or possibly just expecting them to be there based on the music which was currently flowing into my ears.
Being able to grab and hold the band while at running pace, to skip a track, change the volume etc is very helpful, especially for such a compact design. Far easier than trying to find in-line controls on other alternatives.
By the end of the session, with sweat pouring, the earbuds still sat tight. No irritating slip of them in the ears, and thanks to their size, not covered in sweat as with my over ears that I usually use on the elliptical.
So, to summarise.
Over all the design vs function is great. Simple but effective design, the as yet unmentioned magnets to hold the ear buds in place when not in use. See how they sit in the pictures when not pulled out. Thanks to handy magnets in the band, they remain in place even when moving the unit around.
Here is a pic of them OUT of their little stowage pods.
Sound quality in general was perfectly acceptable. There were no points while using them where distortion became an issue, not the sound quality became bad. For reference the sound quality on Spotify on my OnePlus2 is set to "extreme" (high quality). The EQ settings on the phone were set to R&B or Dance for the bulk of the time, with no tweaks made by me. Maxx Bass was turned on for a while, but I actually found the bass to be too heavy with this setting on, so off it went.
Battery life. Well in the 7 or 8 hours I have used them for so far, I am yet to get a low battery warning, suffer quality loss, or have them switch off on me. So it seems the 8 hours running time is more than realistic. No complaints from me there. With them easily and quickly recharging via an ultra popular micro USB port, charging is both easy and convenient.
Usability is great for numerous activities, and I have no doubt that I will be packing them for the next trip I take on a plane. Having bought over ear headphones for this purpose previously, it will be interesting to see if the in-ear equivalent can live up to their performance. Having no awkward wires on a plane is a dream. The only negative side I can see in this area, as well as other similar scenarios around the home, is the lack of a manual, wired jack plug. My Sony's have this option, which is helpful when using the in-flight entertainment on a plane, or wanting to plug into an audio device which doesn't support Bluetooth.
But in general, any potential buyer of these headphones would be choosing Bluetooth for a reason, and most likely primarily use Bluetooth devices. So not much of an issue at all.
All in all, I would happily recommend these headphones to anyone looking to buy compact, in-ear Bluetooth headphones. Ideal for using in other activities like cycling, or even maybe on a motorcycle, with the controls remaining accessible on the collar band under any helmet.
Thanks again to Grace from soundpeatsaudio.com, for getting in touch and giving me the opportunity to try these headphones out. If you need anything else reviewing, please feel free to drop me an email.
*All references to sound quality are based on the "bang for buck" scale. With full acceptance that my more expensive headphones deliver a richer sound, but are also in line with what I would expect for my money. The Q800's stand head and shoulders above a lot of headphones I have used around this price, including hard wired ones.
Now, I have to admit I was sceptical at first, a pair of affordable, quite cleverly designed headphones, with accessible controls. What was the sound quality going to be like? Surely can't be all that.
Over the past week I have taken the headphones to a variety of locations, in a number of situations, just to see how well they could actually do. So paired with my trust OnePlus 2 I got started.
Let's start at the beginning. A couple of days after speaking with Grace, a box from Amazon arrived on my doorstep. Inside was a neat little box, nicely packed with the headphones, a few pairs of spare and varying sized ear buds, a USB lead for charging, and of course some instructions.
Unpacking the headphones and switching them on for the first time, with the ear bud in, I was greeted with a voice prompt of "power on" followed by a voice prompt for my battery status too, which was "battery level medium". When switching them on again after you have paired them with a device, the additional prompt of "device connected"
Pairing of course is very simple. Using the instructions supplied, and the simple to follow guide of what flashing light meant what, pairing was done in seconds, partially thanks to the simple pairing process on the OnePlus2. Thankfully that is all the setting up that was needed for me, as the earbuds already on the headphones were perfect for me. I will come back to them later.
Once paired, the headphones were plugged in to the USB lead, and given a full charge.
Design wise, alarm bells were again ringing. I take forever to get used to new things on or around my person. Fitness tracker wristbands, sunglasses, and yes even new headphones, run the risk of not lasting with me for long, by irritating me too much to put up with them, regardless of how good they are. It has taken me years to get used to wearing sunglasses, and only recently found happiness with my Oakley's. So the idea of wearing a band around my neck, like a collar, with small wires running to the earbuds worried me.
That said, from the second I put them on, I instantly realised I could barely feel them there, they are so light and ergonomic for my neck. Having nice little leads that run from the band to the earbuds is a lovely solution. Not one I would have imagined would feel quite this comfortable. But in later tests when doing more active things, it was a godsend not having a trailing wire.
The collar unit also houses the controls / buttons for the headphones. With a physical slider switch for ON/OFF and a neat and discreet micro USB port for charging. Along with six buttons, three on either side.
The buttons on the left side give you control over tracks, skipping back and forth, as well as pausing and playing. To the right are 3 more buttons. A + and - for volume, as well as a phone button for answering and hanging up for phone function, if you are using the headphones with a mobile phone of course. This phone button also doubles as a notification LED, and will flash red or blue, and in sequences depending on what it is trying to tell you.
So on to the actual testing.
First use of the headphones was for a couple of hours, while writing some emails and getting a blog entry completed. So sitting at the desk, with just the noise of my keys on the keyboard to contend with. Sitting stationary and flicking through tracks on Spotify was a good opportunity for me to get to grips with the 6 buttons on the body of the headphones.
Popping the band around my neck and taking my seat at the computer, I put the headphones in and went for the switch to turn them on. First thing I noticed, sitting in the quiet of my office was how the ambient noise from the room almost disappeared as the earbuds went in. Unlike some others I have used, the seal was very good and instant. Flicking the switch and hearing the prompts peel out, it confirmed it was connected to my OnePlus2 . Let the fun begin.
Hitting play, the headphones burst into life, with nice crisp highs, and surprisingly clear mids and highs. With a quick bit of tweaking of the EQ on the phone, and I was in my zone. As I worked at the PC, and Spotify ran through its playlist, I got a chance to put the Q800's through their paces. From regular pop, to violin drum and bass. R&B to trance, the headphones didn't fail to deliver. Even the separation of instruments with classical music was possible when relaxing and immersing myself into the music.
The one big surprise I have to say, was the quality of the bass. With all in-ear headphones, the bass quality comes down to the fitment of the buds in your ears. With the snug fit I have with the standard buds, the bass was wonderfully deep. No distortion to speak of, and clearly able to hear a range of frequencies when listening to dance or trance tracks.
After a couple of hours at the PC, I was done, so flicking the switch to the off position, the voice prompt of "power off" rang out, and that was that. They immediately showed as disconnected on the OnePlus2.
Deciding to give the battery a full workout, I refrained from putting them on to charge, and just put them on the side.
Later that day, going for a long walk, which at points would take me along busy roads, so I decided it would be another great test for the headphones. Wearing a hoodie, I was slightly concious of how the headphone band would sit and look in the wild. However on popping the band around my neck, it slipped effortlessly down and sat nicely within reach, but not too obvious.
For 90 mins at a decent pace, including up and down stairs with some gusto, the ear bugs sat firm. Not needing to be pushed back in or adjusted. Ambient sound from the streets was minimal, although I should add, that as with all in-ear headphones I use, the ability to concentrate and hear road noise when needed was there. Obviously I didn't have the volume cranked right up for safety reason. None the less, when walking even on a busy road, the sound quality was not impaired. A good balance between safety and sound for sure.
By the end of the walking test, the running time was getting close to 4 hours. Half way through the claimed battery life and there was no change in any quality or function of the headphones.
The next day, another chilled out morning was called for, but so was housework. A morning of moving things, cleaning, and everyone's favourite, vacuuming. In went the headphones, on went the music. This mornings choice was ASOT, or A State Of Trance . High energy 2 hour long mix, perfect for the job at hand. Knowing I would be moving around a lot, I decided to leave the phone in one place, to avoid dropping it while doing something. So the phone was placed on a unit in the hallway. This would be a good test for the claimed 10 metre wireless range, especially through walls and doors. I can happily report that they passed with flying colours, and at no point suffered any break-up or loss of quality. From walking out front to put things in the bin and cars, to standing in the rear garden with the dogs, the quality remained solid.
As for the moving around, bending and lifting etc. At no point did an earbud fall out, although I will admit that a couple of adjustments were made. I didn't take note of when these occurred or what caused the movement. Whatever it was, it was not repetitive enough to form a pattern, or cause irritation. So they passed the housework / chores test nicely.
Two hours later the "You've been listening to A State of Trance" came through the headphones (part of the track, not a headphone feature), and that was another 2 hours clocked up on the Q800's.
My final test came the next morning, my return to my workout routine, and time for some higher energy usage. Cross trainer time, or elliptical as it is to some. A close to running pace, for 30 minutes workout awaited them. Flicking the switch on, the "battery level medium" rang out for the first time since starting the test. Or the first I noticed anyway. Possible it did it before the housework at the 4 hour point, but I most likely turned them on before putting them on this time.
So, into the home gym and onto the cross trainer, cranking up the volume to really get in the zone. This was going to be a test again of sound quality, noise pollution and sweat resistance.
With the volume a little higher than I had had it before, just in case there was going to be any whine from the Reebok cross trainer. Picking the running setting on Spotify, and letting it pick the music based on tempo for the duration, the playlist was bound to be mixed, and it was! With a variety across most up tempo genre's. Once again I am happy to report that there was no unwanted outside noise bleeding in. And also that even at higher volume, the sound quality remained solid.
With regards to sweat, heat and comfort while training. I have no negative comments whatsoever. The first concern was that the band / collar, would bounce around and irritate my neck. However they sat nicely, and have to admit at the end of training, I reached up to the sides of my head with the aim to remove my Sony bluetooth over ear headphones. Maybe muscle memory, or possibly just expecting them to be there based on the music which was currently flowing into my ears.
Being able to grab and hold the band while at running pace, to skip a track, change the volume etc is very helpful, especially for such a compact design. Far easier than trying to find in-line controls on other alternatives.
By the end of the session, with sweat pouring, the earbuds still sat tight. No irritating slip of them in the ears, and thanks to their size, not covered in sweat as with my over ears that I usually use on the elliptical.
So, to summarise.
Over all the design vs function is great. Simple but effective design, the as yet unmentioned magnets to hold the ear buds in place when not in use. See how they sit in the pictures when not pulled out. Thanks to handy magnets in the band, they remain in place even when moving the unit around.
Here is a pic of them OUT of their little stowage pods.
Sound quality in general was perfectly acceptable. There were no points while using them where distortion became an issue, not the sound quality became bad. For reference the sound quality on Spotify on my OnePlus2 is set to "extreme" (high quality). The EQ settings on the phone were set to R&B or Dance for the bulk of the time, with no tweaks made by me. Maxx Bass was turned on for a while, but I actually found the bass to be too heavy with this setting on, so off it went.
Battery life. Well in the 7 or 8 hours I have used them for so far, I am yet to get a low battery warning, suffer quality loss, or have them switch off on me. So it seems the 8 hours running time is more than realistic. No complaints from me there. With them easily and quickly recharging via an ultra popular micro USB port, charging is both easy and convenient.
Usability is great for numerous activities, and I have no doubt that I will be packing them for the next trip I take on a plane. Having bought over ear headphones for this purpose previously, it will be interesting to see if the in-ear equivalent can live up to their performance. Having no awkward wires on a plane is a dream. The only negative side I can see in this area, as well as other similar scenarios around the home, is the lack of a manual, wired jack plug. My Sony's have this option, which is helpful when using the in-flight entertainment on a plane, or wanting to plug into an audio device which doesn't support Bluetooth.
But in general, any potential buyer of these headphones would be choosing Bluetooth for a reason, and most likely primarily use Bluetooth devices. So not much of an issue at all.
All in all, I would happily recommend these headphones to anyone looking to buy compact, in-ear Bluetooth headphones. Ideal for using in other activities like cycling, or even maybe on a motorcycle, with the controls remaining accessible on the collar band under any helmet.
Thanks again to Grace from soundpeatsaudio.com, for getting in touch and giving me the opportunity to try these headphones out. If you need anything else reviewing, please feel free to drop me an email.
*All references to sound quality are based on the "bang for buck" scale. With full acceptance that my more expensive headphones deliver a richer sound, but are also in line with what I would expect for my money. The Q800's stand head and shoulders above a lot of headphones I have used around this price, including hard wired ones.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Blackberry Q10 audio options
In my brief mini review earlier I mentioned premium headphones and the BlackBerry wireless speaker system, but I just realised I didn't post images of either, so here you are.
First up the very funky, tiny bit fiddly and totally good quality 'premium' headphones.
Main cool think about them is their anti-tangle wires. Previously found on headphones bundled with things like the HTC, any one familiar with anti-tangle will know just how much time they can save when pulling them from your pocket screwed up in a ball.
I have used these before in the form of A-Jays 3's, and have to say I am totally sold on anti tangles forever now.
The concept is simple, as pictured the wires are flat, so don't tie themselves up into a ball of tangled wire like conventional ones do.
Quality wise, they fit the ear beautifully once you have decided which ear bud to use. 3 to choose from, two with different sized loops, designed to squash then expand in the outer part of the ear to ensure a snug fit. Or the third option is no loop, so the bud sits gently inside the ear.
Sound is nice, anyone expecting super sharp tops, or deep bass will be disappointed. But if you grabbed a load of standard bundled headphones from BlackBerry of the past, and other devices, I'm pretty confident these would come out very near the top at worst.
First up the very funky, tiny bit fiddly and totally good quality 'premium' headphones.
Main cool think about them is their anti-tangle wires. Previously found on headphones bundled with things like the HTC, any one familiar with anti-tangle will know just how much time they can save when pulling them from your pocket screwed up in a ball.
I have used these before in the form of A-Jays 3's, and have to say I am totally sold on anti tangles forever now.
The concept is simple, as pictured the wires are flat, so don't tie themselves up into a ball of tangled wire like conventional ones do.
Quality wise, they fit the ear beautifully once you have decided which ear bud to use. 3 to choose from, two with different sized loops, designed to squash then expand in the outer part of the ear to ensure a snug fit. Or the third option is no loop, so the bud sits gently inside the ear.
Sound is nice, anyone expecting super sharp tops, or deep bass will be disappointed. But if you grabbed a load of standard bundled headphones from BlackBerry of the past, and other devices, I'm pretty confident these would come out very near the top at worst.
Then we have the previously mentioned BlackBerry wireless bluetooth speaker. First up, a handy light little package, which is charged up using the same micro usb charger as the mainstream phones of the world, Inc the BlackBerry's. It's folded hinge design makes it great to clip on to bag chest straps, sun visors, or other thin layers of material, holding it firmly in place for whichever use you have in mind for it.
Very simple to sync up to, easy to discover via bluetooth settings, and can be up and running literally in one minute from taking it out of the box.
Volume buttons hidden away on the underside allow you to control the volume from the speaker itself, or indeed from the device that is streaming the audio. Also on the side is the power switch. A simple on/off slide back and forth style switch, complete with multi coloured LED.
Using different colours to tell you what's going on. Flashing rather than static LED, green showing on charge, blue connected via bluetooth, and red when powering on and off, or sitting on but idle.
Smartly (but maybe obviously) it will also multi indicate, so blue/green flashes to show its on charge but connected etc.
Sound quality, well it's a free standing small speaker unit, so don't expect ground shaking bass or anything. But the sound that does come out it pleasant, clear and nice to listen to. More for casual poolside or beach use, or just chilling in the park, rather than being the centre of a party.
A second use is to use it in the car as a handsfree speaker. Obviously the lack of a mic means it's not going to do the job all alone. But anyone who has tried using the handsfree on most phones will find that once you turn the volume up enough to hear the person, in a car on the motorway for example, the sound quality is lost, and conversation becomes hard.
With this little gem on your sun visor, you can be sure the conversation would be crystal clear.
And here it is, complete with a hand to demonstrate the size of the unit.
Very simple to sync up to, easy to discover via bluetooth settings, and can be up and running literally in one minute from taking it out of the box.
Volume buttons hidden away on the underside allow you to control the volume from the speaker itself, or indeed from the device that is streaming the audio. Also on the side is the power switch. A simple on/off slide back and forth style switch, complete with multi coloured LED.
Using different colours to tell you what's going on. Flashing rather than static LED, green showing on charge, blue connected via bluetooth, and red when powering on and off, or sitting on but idle.
Smartly (but maybe obviously) it will also multi indicate, so blue/green flashes to show its on charge but connected etc.
Sound quality, well it's a free standing small speaker unit, so don't expect ground shaking bass or anything. But the sound that does come out it pleasant, clear and nice to listen to. More for casual poolside or beach use, or just chilling in the park, rather than being the centre of a party.
A second use is to use it in the car as a handsfree speaker. Obviously the lack of a mic means it's not going to do the job all alone. But anyone who has tried using the handsfree on most phones will find that once you turn the volume up enough to hear the person, in a car on the motorway for example, the sound quality is lost, and conversation becomes hard.
With this little gem on your sun visor, you can be sure the conversation would be crystal clear.
And here it is, complete with a hand to demonstrate the size of the unit.
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