Sound ID 200 Bluetooth Headset Review
I had the pleasure of getting my hands on a Sound ID 200 Bluetooth headset while at CTIA. I've been using it for the last few days and, frankly, I'm quite impressed with the device. It is fast becoming one of my favorite Bluetooth headsets. My experience with the Sound ID 200 has been very positive overall, and I feel Sound ID has a solid headset that exceeds expectations in both comfort and design.Style
You don't get any more sleek than this. The Sound ID 200 is a small, lightweight and streamlined headset, weighing in under half an ounce, and fitting well against the face. My love for this device started when I discovered no external blinking lights except when powering on and off, and with the slim profile, observers are hardly aware you're wearing a Bluetooth device at all when looking at you from the front.
Comfort
This is the most comfortable Bluetooth units I have ever worn, period. The patented ear loops fit inside the bowls of your ears, and they can easily be rotated for wear on the left or right. It comes with three sizes for best fit, but the Medium worked best on me. After an hour of wearing the 200, I completely forgot I had it in until I was startled by the beeping from an incoming call. Going all day with the 200 in my ear is not out of the question, whereas other headsets would become tiring to wear. I was amazed that this thing is so comfortable, and best yet, it doesn't fall out of my ear. I can shake my head around and the 200 won't budge. The ear pieces fit very well, and I would hope so since they were designed by a company that makes hearing aids.
Sound Quality
The Sound ID 200 sounds decent, and it is definitely using some quality audio components. There were several occasions where calls were muffled and I had a difficult time understanding the caller, though this is a common ailment of any Bluetooth headset, and definitely not unique to the 200. This could be due to a number of factors, but usually when I switched back to my handset from the 200 the sound issues went away. Mind you, this wasn't enough of a hindrance to prevent me from using the device. On the contrary, it did this far less often than every other headset I've ever really used.
The sound isolation and Noise Navigation features seem to work well enough. The people I called could hear me and I could hear them. When I ran Demo Mode by turning off the Noise Navigation, it was very clear how much noise the device was eliminating. It does this by using two microphones to constantly scan for noise in the environment and compensate.
Battery Life
I'm still using the Sound ID 200 after three days and no recharging. That should tell you enough.
Final Thoughts
The Sound ID 200, which will be released in a few weeks, is a good sounding and comfortable headset. Very comfortable, in fact: I would say that the fit of the ear pieces alone is reason enough to buy this headset. While the sound quality with any Bluetooth device is inherently imperfect, the Sound ID 200 was a pleasure to use, and will take its place as my main headset among my arsenal. The Sound ID won't be out for a few weeks, and pricing should hover around $100. The 200 will be available at select retailers including Apple, Amazon.com and Fry's Electronics.
Final Score: 7.9/10Sound ID Homepage
