Sony Erricson HBH-610a Bluetooth Headset

INTRODUCTION

    Sony Ericsson is well-known for designing attractive mobile phones and accessories.  They have provided one of their flagship Bluetooth headsets, the HBH-610a, for us to review - and it carries the unique bonus of Bluetooth 2.0 for when you get a phone that is capable with this protocol.  Will this headset overcome some or all of the common Bluetooth headset complaints?  Read on to find out.

WHAT'S HOT

• Digital echo cancellation and noise
• Automatic Volume Adjustment
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Auto pairing and redialing

    Compared to other headsets we've reviewed, the HBH-610a is a bit heavier than most, with solid talk time. Click on any of the above headsets to read a review.

SETUP

In the box you will find (from the top clockwise) the AC charger, 2 additional faceplates, a lanyard, instruction manuals and finally the headset itself.

    As with any product with a built-in rechargeable battery, the first thing you need to do is charge it.  While the headset is charging a red LED is visible and when it is fully charged the LED glows solid green.  The headset uses the standard Sony Ericsson charger, which is nice if you own a Sony Ericsson phone since you will only need 1 charger while traveling.  The charging tip is a bit hard to get into the port, though.

    Next you will need to pair the headset with your mobile phone.  The HBH-610a supports auto pairing, if you have a Sony Ericsson mobile phone that supports that feature.  I tested the headset with the xv6700 on load from Verizon Wireless.  Since this device does not support auto pairing, I manually paired it by pressing and holding the main button on the headset for 5 seconds.  The LED blinks red and green when the headset is in pairing mode.  From there on it is the standard process of having the phone search for devices and entering the password of "0000" to complete the pairing.

    One nice feature of this headset is that you can pair it to more than 1 device.  To pair it to an additional device you press and hold both sides of the volume rocker switch for 5 seconds.

PRODUCT FEATURES  

    The HBH-610a is very attractive for a Bluetooth headset.  It is sleek and solidly built.  On the front the only control is the silver main button and the microphone is located at on the front near the tip.  At the end of the headset is a loop where you can attach the included lanyard.

The back of the headset contains the ear loop, the charging port and the ear piece speaker.

The top of the headset has the volume rocker.  Pushing forward reduces the volume while pushing towards the back increases the volume.

    So, how is the sound quality?  It is a bit above average for a Bluetooth headset.  On the receiving end, callers complained that my voice was too low and to compensate I had to speak pretty loudly.  On my end I found the volume to be too low as well, even on maximum.  The headset features automatic volume adjustment and I think that is partially to blame for both.

    One highlight of the headset is that it does an excellent job with echo cancellation, which is a common problem in Bluetooth headsets.  Also, the headset does a nice job at noise reduction with its' digital signal processor.  It is not as good at noise cancellation as the NxZen 5500 or the Plantronics Voyager 510, which is what I am currently using.  The HBH-610a definitely looks much better than either of those headsets though.  There is also a bit more static in the background on your end of the call than those other 2 headsets.

The ear loop twists and flips.  It flips so you can wear it on either ear.  It twists so that you can put it on.

    This headset fits strangely.  Normally, Bluetooth headsets place the speaker over your ear canal.  The HBH-610a places the speaker further back in your ear.  On my ear it rested a bit uncomfortably.  After a while I got used to it, but I probably would not want to wear this headset all day.  I let a few friends try the headset on and had varying degrees of success.  Some thought it was OK while others could not stand it.  Partially contributing to this is the fact that the ear loop is not flexible.  I would suggest that if you are interested in this headset you try it on first or purchase it from somewhere with a liberal return policy.

Here is what the headset looks like when it is on.  It is not the biggest headset nor is it the smallest I have used.  I found the size to be just about right.

    If you are a fashionista you probably won't be caught dead wearing a Bluetooth headset.  For the rest of us, Sony Ericsson includes 2 extra faceplates to customize the look of the headset a bit.  The faceplate that is pre-installed is matte black with ridges.  The extra faceplates are slightly shiny silver and matte silver with ridges.  Popping the faceplates on and off is pretty easy and the faceplates fit securely.

    Sony Ericsson claims 6.5 hours of talk time and 300 hours of standby as the battery life of this headset.  The numbers seemed reasonable based on my testing.