Logitech FreePulse Bluetooth Headphones

INTRODUCTION

    Let's get back to how much I love my iPod. Let's also remember how much I hate cables. It would seem that there is still one cable that I haven't managed to eliminate... the one between my iPod and the headphones. My current headphones of choice are either the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 (for traveling on planes) or the Shure E3c. Both sound great. Both also have cables so it is truly a love-hate relationship.

    Along comes Logitech with their brand new FreePulse Wireless Headphones. I purposely avoided 1st generation wireless iPod headphones because I seriously doubted the ability of Bluetooth 1.x to deliver good stereo sound. When I saw that the new FreePulse headphones were Bluetooth 2.0+EDR I knew I have to take them for a test drive.

WHAT'S HOT

• 30mm Neodymium drivers that deliver crisp, powerful audio performance
• Lightweight at 2 ounces (56.7 grams)
• Bluetooth 2.0+EDR with interference-free frequency-hopping
• Adapter fits all devices with a standard audio mini-jack
• Custom plates included for most recent iPods
• 33 Foot (100 meter) range
• 7+ Hours of battery life
• Volume controls on the headphones

SETUP

The FreePulse comes in a very nice package which includes everything you need to get going.

Included in the box are the headphones, wireless transmitter, stereo mini-plug extension cable, 6 iPod custom fit plates, the AC charger and instruction booklet (not shown).

    You must first charge both the headphones and the wireless transmitter. Logitech has provided an interesting dual-plug AC charger. You only need to plug in one 2-prong AC adapter and it will charge both the headphones and the wireless transmitter. Although I dislike cables, this is about as elegant a charging solution as possible... unless they made a cradle to charge them!

Here are the headphones and wireless transmitter charging. It is kind of hard to see, but the tips of the charging cables each glow orange while the device it is attached to is charging and stop glowing when fully charged.

PRODUCT FEATURES

    Like I said, the FreePulse is targeted at iPod owners... at least most of them. Included in the package are fit plates for The 30 GB 5G iPod with Video, the 60GB 5G iPod with Video, the iPod Nano, the iPod Mini, 20GB 4G iPod and the 40GB 4G iPod. Actually, I should clarify that. The instruction manual says it comes with separate fit plates for the 20GB and 40GB 4G iPods. The package I was sent had 2 fit plates labeled 40GB 4G. I am not sure if this was simply a packaging error or what, but it did not affect my testing since I have a 30GB 4G iPod Photo. The plate fit perfectly.

The mini-plug on the transmitter is a rather clever design. It can move within the transmitter's housing allowing it to fit many different iPods.

The transmitter is relatively large, which is a drawback. Here you can see it attached to my 30GB 4G iPod Photo.

    The headphones look like any other behind-the-neck headphones. They are very lightweight and the surface that makes contact with your ear is soft. The headphones are a little bit tight, but you can remedy that by bending the band. They still apply pressure to the outside of the ear, which can be uncomfortable for some people. If your ears are sensitive to pressure, you may want to buy these headphones from somewhere with a liberal return policy.

    To turn the headphones on:

1. Plug the transmitter in
2. Press the small power button on the transmitter until the LED turns red
3. Press the small power button on the headphones until the LED red
4. The LEDs on both the headphones and the transmitter will automatically turn blue, indicating they are paired and ready for use
5. Press play on your iPod and enjoy!

    All-in-all this was really easy. Even better, when there is no sound coming through the transmitter, both the headphones and transmitter will turn themselves off after a few minutes to preserve battery life. Speaking of battery life, I was very pleased. Logitech's claim of 7 hours is right on the money.

    OK, you probably want to know how these headphones sound. To be honest, I was not expecting them to sound very good. Let's face it, Bluetooth is not exactly known for high audio quality. After listening to the FreePulse all I have to say is... WOW. They sound great. I mean really great! Not quite up there with the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 or the Shure E3c, but they are close... very close. In fact, I doubt most people would even hear a difference. I let several people try them out and everyone was very impressed and surprised by the sound quality. To further enhance the sound, Logitech has included a bass boost on the headphones, which you activate by pressing and holding the volume up control and the power button for a few seconds. The bass boost made a BIG difference.

    I tested the sound quality by listening to the headphones on several music tracks of different types including rock, orchestral, and vocal. I tested them with the iPod's EQ setting on "Rock" (which is where I normally leave it set) and also on "Flat" to see how they performed by with no EQ assistance. I repeated the same with my Bose and Shure headphones. The FreePulse delivered clear, crisp and accurate sound. They definitely sounded better on the "Rock" EQ setting, but so do the Bose and Shure.

    There was absolutely no static, pops or noise in the signal. It was pure and clean sound.

    Keep in mind that the FreePulse suggested retail price is $99.99, the Bose $299.99 and the Shure $179.99. Especially considering the price, I can't stress how pleased I am with the sound quality of the FreePulse.