Samsung SBH700 Bluetooth headset

Expect decent audio quality, and that’s about it. These headphones lag behind the competition in comfort and usability.

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I was not a happy camper when I wore Samsung's SBH700 headphones. Despite extensive fiddling, I couldn't arrive at a comfortable fit. For starters, the earbuds were too big--the package lacks alternative bud sizes--and the squarish hooks did not sit properly over the curve of my ears. In addition, the SBH700's headband, which wraps around the back of the user's neck, felt heavy and imparted a sagging sensation. After wearing the headset for a while, my ears simply felt fatigued. (The Motorola MotoRokr S9-HD headset produced a similarly ear-stressing experience.)

Pros

  • Impressive performance at edge of operating range, Slick red and silver design

Cons

  • Uncomfortable to wear, Awkward position of controls

Bottom Line

The headphones were too uncomfortable and the controls were too inaccessible for the SBH700 to be a viable accessory.

Would you buy this?

  • Price

    $ 129.00 (AUD)

My tunes sounded good, with nice overall brightness and adequate bass. Phone conversations over the SBH700 came through loud and clear on my end. The parties on the receiving end said that they could hear me just fine, but that I sounded a tad muffled. There were no complaints about echoes or instances of my voice breaking up. The SBH700 did pick up kids' yelps and background music, but they weren't terribly distracting.

I was surprised at how well the calls and my tunes held up during my range tests. With many Bluetooth headsets of this class--for example, the LG Electronics HBS-250--I noticed some crackling as I approached the 33-foot limit, but with the Samsung headphones, I encountered no interference.

The call button and the play/pause button are located on the top of the left and right earpieces, respectively; I got a feel for them quickly enough. But the volume and track-skipping controls are inconveniently housed on the underside of the headband (at the back of the neck).

The red-and-silver unit looks stylish and sporty, but its good looks and satisfactory audio quality are outweighed by its subpar comfort and design, which trailed the others I reviewed at the same time. The headphones were too uncomfortable and the controls were too inaccessible for the SBH700 to be a viable accessory.

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