Bluetooth Stereo Headset

Bluetooth Stereo Headset Review

"I was pleasantly surprised at the clarity and amazingly deep bass response of these small and light, wireless, bluetooth stereo headphones from Forum Technologies!

The real goal that justifies purchasing a new bluetooth stereo headset instead of the far more common single-ear bluetooth models is to enjoy listening to music in stereo. Thus sound quality is of utmost importance. The next critically important factor is comfort, where even high-end wired audiophile headphones sometimes fail to please.

The new Forum bluetooth stereo headset surpassed my expectations in both of these areas. These are light and comfortable headphones which I could literally wear all day long, and forget they were covering my ears.

The sound I heard from these Forum wireless headphones equalled or exceeded the audio quality of my best wired ear buds from Sony, Panasonic, Creative, Archos, and Sennheiser.

The Forum Technologies bluetooth headphones seem to produce the same crisp highs and solid low bass as my much larger 900 MHz wireless Sennheiser earphones. And they have a better bass response than my 900 MHz wireless AKG earphones.

You would never expect it just from looking at these little earphones, but they deliver surprisingly superb sound! You'll believe it when you hear it. Just don't expect them to match the highest sound quality of expensive audiophile earphones. But what audiophile would expect any kind of "wireless" earphones to deliver true audiophile quality sound?

What also sets these bluetooth version 2.0 stereo headphones apart from others is their ability to not only function as both stereo headphones for music and telephone headset at the same time, but they can pair with up to eight bluetooth devices at once.

So you can pair the Forum stereo headset with several bluetooth cell phones and several bluetooth-enabled audio devices, and quickly connect to whichever one is communicating or streaming music a given time.

For example, I can be listening to music from the CD player in my laptop computer, and when either my cell phone or my land line wireless phone rings, I can take the call and the music will mute automatically. (More about this later.)

Typical first-generation bluetooth version 1.2 stereo headsets would only pair with two devices at once. And the mono bluetooth version 1.1 headsets do not have the A2DP profile to handle streaming music in stereo.

The Forum headphones are very comfortable to wear, even all day. They are a light-weight open-air design, so you can still hear ambient sounds and conversations while they cover your ears - yet when the volume is turned up just a little all ambient sounds seem to disappear and you are totally immersed in the music.

If you get tired of always having to take out your earbuds or remove your headphones every time someone wants to talk to you, you will love these earphones! Just tap the large, raised center button of your right earpiece and the sound is instantly muted. You will be able to hear someone talking without removing your Forum wireless stereo earphones.

The sound level is just about perfect - plenty loud enough, but even when set at maxiumum using the volume control on the earpiece the sound is never so loud it could damage your hearing.

To adjust the volume, you just press on the top or bottom of the right earpiece for volume up or down. To pause the music remotely, you simply press the raised multi-function center button on the right earpiece. Pressing it again resumes the playback.

This isn't just a mute function - if your sound source has the new bluetooth A2DP profile enabled, pressing the center button on these wireless headphones actually pauses or resumes the playback at the source. So when someone tries to talk to you while music is playing, you can simply tap your right earpiece to pause the playback. Later, you can tap it again to resume playback and not miss hearing any part of the music selection.

The light open-air earphones allow you to easily hear voices and surrounding sounds when the music is stopped, so you don't need to remove the headphones to talk to someone.

When using the wireless earphones as a telephone headset the volume is loud enough, and the people who have been on the other end of the conversation reported that the sound is loud and clear, thanks to the "noise cancelling" circuitry in the headset.

Your voice as heard by the other party does have that very slight "tinny" quality which can be noticed in most Bluetooth headsets, but thanks to this headset's built-in "echo control" there is no distracting echoing of your voice - which is often noticed in other brands of Bluetooth headsets.

The hidden microphone at the bottom of the right earpiece seems to pick up your voice well, without picking up any excess ambient noise from your surroundings. The caller's voice is heard in both earpieces - unlike some other BT stereo headsets which only deliver sound to one earpiece for phone calls.

Using a Bluetooth 2.0 USB adapter (a BT radio dongle) connected to my laptop computer's USB port, I can play CDs and DVDs, MP3 audio files, and Internet Radio through the stereo bluetooth headset and walk up to 33 feet away from my computer, free from wires! And I can remotely pause and resume the playback and skip forward or back one track at a time by using the buttons on the headset's earpiece. Some Bluetooth adapters are reviewed below.

When using the more powerful Class I Transmitter in the TrendNet Bluetooth adapter I can hear perfect audio more than 50 feet away from the computer, or virtually anywhere in the house. I haven't tried to test the claimed 328 foot (100 meter) range yet.

There is something you should understand about "range". When the bluetooth device transmitting the music or voice is a Class I or Class II type you will be able to hear the audio in your bluetooth stereo headset when you are farther away from the transmitter than the 33 foot range which is typical of the widely-used Class III devices. But unless the headset itself also has a more powerful Class I or Class II transmitter, when you get too far from the audio source the headset may not be able to send a strong AVRCP signal back to the source to allow you to control play/pause or next/previous track.

While this Forum Technologies product works great as a pair of hi-fidelity wireless headphones, it also serves as a stereo headset with mono microphone that works with any bluetooth-enabled cell phone or PDA or computer.

My older Samsung a680 cell phone doesn't have bluetooth, but by using a tiny Jabra bluetooth adapter plugged into my cell phone's 2.5 mm earphone jack, I can also receive phone calls using the Forum bluetooth headset while my cell phone remains in my pocket or lying on the table.

The Forum bluetooth stereo headset can "pair" with eight different devices at once, and has automatic phone priority switching. So if a phone call comes in while I am listening to a CD or DVD or MP3 audio file with my stereo headset, the music gets muted automatically, I hear a beep in the stereo headset, and then I simply press the center button on the right earpiece to answer the cell phone call. No scrambling to dig the cell phone out of my pocket before I miss the call!

To hang up, I press the button again and after a few seconds I automatically start hearing music again.

Note that this automatic "phone priority" feature will mute the music in the headset, but will not pause the playing; so the music does not resume at the point where you first muted it. And if your music selection finished playing while you were talking on the phone, you may not hear any music after you disconnect the phone.

Since my Samsung a680 cell phone has the voice dial feature, I can also make outgoing calls right from my stereo headset simply by pushing the center button on the right earpiece for one second and saying, "Voice dial."

What I like about the Forum Technologies bluetooth stereo headset is that the recessed microphone is hidden at the bottom of the right earpiece, so I don't have an ugly microphone boom hanging over my cheek and getting in the way. Even though the hidden mic is not right beside my mouth, it picks up my voice loud and clear!

The next cell phone or PDA phone I buy will have both Bluetooth and an MP3 player with the A2DP profile for streaming audio and the AVRCP profile for remote control. Then I can hear CD-quality stereo sounds right from my cell phone without any dangling wires. And since I can control the volume and playback right from the stereo headset earpiece, I can just keep the cell phone or PDA in my pocket or briefcase.

By adding a bluetooth adapter (BT radio transmitter) connected to the earphone jack of an iPod; any kind of MP3 player like my Creative Zen Touch or iRiver; or any media player like my Archos I can also listen to high-quality stereo music or audio files without those always-in-the-way earphone wires. Free at last!

Forum Technologies sells a matching Universal Bluetooth Adapter (model UBA200) with A2DP for use with their Bluetooth Stereo Headset or with any other brand of bluetooth headset with A2DP. The same battery charger works with both units, and their white color is a good match for the iPod and Creative Zen Touch MP3 players. This is a Class III transmitter with a range of 33 feet or 10 meters.

Since the Universal Bluetooth Adapter plugs into the 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack of any audio device, it will transmit stereo sound to the wireless headphones, but cannot enable remote control of the device from the headset. For that you would need a device with its own BT transmitter and AVRCP profile built in.

Note that some audio players have their 3.5 mm headphone jack recessed or obstructed by a circular collar, so this Bluetooth Adapter which is designed to mount flush against the typical iPod type MP3 player may require a very short stereo headphone extension cable (3.5 mm female to 3.5 mm male) to work with such units. For auidio devices like home stereos and DVD players which have the larger 1/4-inch headphone jacks, an easily-available stereo 3.5 mm female to stereo 1/4-inch male converter will be required.

Compatibility with USB Bluetooth Adapters
(BT Radio Transmitters)

In this section we will discuss ways to connect a wireless Bluetooth Stereo Headset to any laptop or desktop computer, which will allow anything you would hear through the computer's speakers or headphone jack to be heard in your wireless bluetooth headset.

If you are just interested in hearing music from your computer's CD or DVD player or any type of music files stored on your hard disk, a simple solution is to plug a universal bluetooth adapter (like the one above) into the 3.5 mm headphone jack of your computer. Then your wireless headphones will work just like any wired headphones connected to your computer, but that's all.

If you want to use your Bluetooth Stereo Headset as a wireless headset with microphone for recording audio, or for sending and receiving Internet Phone calls, then you need a different solution which we will now discuss at length. This solution will also enable you to wirelessly send and receive non-audio data between your computer and other Bluetooth enabled devices like PDAs, printers, cameras, and local networks.

To use any bluetooth stereo headset with your computer, you will need a device which transmits the Bluetooth radio signal to the headset. This device is usually referred to as a "Bluetooth adapter". If your computer does not have a pre-installed Bluetooth transmitter, you will need to install a Bluetooth adapter in the form of a PC card or an external plug-and-play USB 2.0 dongle.

The full-featured Forum Technologies Bluetooth 2.0 EDR stereo headset with A2DP, AVRCP, HSP and HFP profiles should be compatible with any Bluetooth version 2.0 or version 1.2 transmitter, whether it is built into the computer or is an external USB or PC Card bluetooth adapter. There are also some units available which allow you connect a Bluetooth adaptor through an old-style serial port on an older computer.

But note that the Bluetooth version (2.0 is the latest and the best) and the software drivers supporting the various "Profiles" like A2DP and AVRCP which are installed on the computer will determine whether the advanced features will work - those desirable features like streaming stereo audio, remote control of playback, and Internet phone call priority with automatic music muting.

The term EDR refers to "Enhanced Data Rate" which can provide data transfer speeds up to 3 Mbps. The ability to send data at three times higher speeds than Bluetooth version 1.2 will be of most benefit when you want to use the Bluetooth adapter on your computer for Personal Area Networking (PAN), for uploading and downloading files through File Transfer Protocol (FTP), or for Synchronization (SYNC) with a PDA. Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR uses much less power than Bluetooth 1.2 and also helps enhance streaming audio. The new Forum Technologies Bluetooth 2.0 Stereo Headset does support EDR.

So if you are buying a new Bluetooth adapter to use with your Forum Bluetooth Stereo Headset it would be best to look for one with the new Bluetooth 2.0 EDR specification and the drivers to support EDR.

Also, you will get a longer range of operation (distance of receiver from transmitter) with a Bluetooth Class I device than with a more common Class III device. To avoid those frustrating "dropped signal" interruptions to the enjoyment of your music as you move around the house or office, I would suggest you look for a Class I Bluetooth Adapter, since they are not much more expensive than the short-range Class III or Class II adapters.

Think of your Bluetooth Headset as being like an old-style pair of stereo headphones with a 33-foot extension cord. You won't be able to stretch it more than that distance from the sound source (your computer) without pulling out the plug and losing the sound. With a Class I transmitter, you may be able to move over 50 feet from your computer, perhaps anywhere in your house, and even outdoors before you lose the sound or experience drop-outs. Bluetooth Class I has a claimed line-of-sight range up to 100 meters or 328 feet.

So if you are going to have to invest in a Bluetooth Adapter for your computer, make it a good investment in your future happiness and treat yourself to a Class I type - and buy a new 2007 model with all the new "profiles", especially A2DP and AVRCP and HFP. You will be glad you did.

I have bought and tested four different USB Bluetooth adapters (Bluetooth radio transmitters in the form of USB "dongles") to use with the Forum Technologies Bluetooth Stereo Headset. These are Universal Serial Bus adapters which are inserted into any plug-and-play USB port on a desktop or laptop computer. They are about the same size as a USB flash memory plug-in unit.

Having the external USB unit sticking out from the side of a laptop computer held on your lap or being moved around can expose it to risk of breaking off, but by adding a short USB extension cable (just 6-inch or 12-inch) you can let the Bluetooth adapter hang loose down the side instead of being extended and rigid in the USB socket. This may also give you some flexibility in adjusting the adapter for best reception or range.

• TrendNet model TBW-104UB Bluetooth 2.0 EDR Class 1 Advanced High-Speed Bluetooth USB 2.0 Adapter.
  Highly recommended for easy installation and longest range (specs say up to 100 m. or 328 ft. for Class I units). Installation CD includes the user-friendly BlueSoleil software and and all necessary Bluetooth drivers for high-speed data transfer rate up to 3 Mbps with EDR. Good printed manual included. This blue-colored dongle is wider and longer than the others, and has a U-shaped integrated dipole antenna which can be rotated 360 degrees, and which covers the USB connector when closed.
  
  Note that the more powerful Class I transmitters draw more current, and will drain your laptop battery faster than the Class II units below. But also note that Bluetooth uses less power than Wi-Fi.
  
  
• RocketFish model RF-BTAPDT Bluetooth 2.0 EDR Class II Wireless USB (2.0 or 1.1) Adapter (a new brand, made for Best Buy stores only).
  Recommended for easy installation and medium range (specs say up to 10 m. / 33 ft.). Installation CD adds Widcomm bluetooth software and drivers supported by Windows 2000 and Windows XP with Service Pack 1 and higher. No problems installing with WinXP Service Pack 2. Just be sure to install software BEFORE plugging the adaptor into the USB port. Good printed manual included. EDR provides high-speed data transfer rate up to 3 Mbps. Small, classy-looking black and chrome dongle with removeable cap over USB connector.
  
  
• Kensington model 33085 Bluetooth 2.0 Class II Wireless USB 1.1 Adapter.
  Not recommended. This is an older model which I had purchased over a year ago, and I lost the installation CD. But it was the only adapter I had at the time, so I tried it first. Purchasing, downloading and installing the latest BlueSoleil software from Taiwan (about US $10) did let me get the little Kensington 33085 adapter working well enough to hear streaming music from the CD player in my laptop computer over my new bluetooth stereo headphones. I would recommend you buy Kensington's newer model 33348 USB 2.0 Bluetooth version 2.0 EDR adapter which is optimized for use with Skype, and don't use this one unless you already have it. The range of the model 33085 was the shortest among all the units I tested. I couldn't even get into the kitchen without the sound breaking up or cutting out.
  
  
• Kinamax model BT-USB Bluetooth 1.2 Class I Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter.
  NOT recommended for any useful purpose. No written manual or basic instructions. Installation mini-CD set up an older version of the usually excellent BlueSoleil software, which then refused to recognize the Kinamax bluetooth adapter (which has a wired-in IP address of 11.11.11.11.11.11 - a number often used by software pirates). Uninstalling the older software and then trying it with my latest recently-purchased 2007 version of BlueSoleil software which checks for upgrades over the Net, I got a pop-up notice which claims the adapter is not "licensed" to use with BlueSoleil. I had hoped to get a longer range of operation from this low-cost Class I transmitter; but after wasting many, many hours researching on the Internet and trying to get this unit to work, I gave up and bought two name brand units (the Rocketfish and TrendNet) which actually worked on the first try.
  
  The BlueSoleil forum has many messages from users who experienced the same problems with this cheap adapter from Kinamax. The package does not even show the manufacturer's name or address or web site URL. Buyer beware! You get what you pay for. I suggest you avoid buying anything from Kinamax. And do not buy any adapter labelled Bluetooth version 1.2 - it is old technology.
  
  
• Forum Technologies Xium Universal Bluetooth Adapter UBA200, with 3.5 mm stereo plug that fits into the headphone or "line out" jack of most audio devices like iPods, MP3 players, CD players, PDAs, and even your computer's headphone jack (for listening to audio). By using various coverters, you can also connect the 3.5 mm plug to 1/4-inch stereo phone jacks or RCA jacks and use this adaptor to "bluetooth enable" many kinds of audio devices such as your home stereo, AM/FM tuner, XM radio, TV, DVD player, tape player, electric piano, electric guitar, electronic drum kit, DJ mixer, game console, etc.
  
  Basically, if an audio source has a 3.5 mm (mini) or 1/4-inch (phone) stereo headphone jack, or a nominal 1-volt "line out" stereo jack, or a pair of RCA left/right "line out" or "REC out" jacks, by using the appropriate converter you should be able to use this Universal Bluetooth Adapter to hear the stereo sound on your wireless Bluetooth Stereo Headset.
  
  Naturally, this new Bluetooth adapter with the A2DP profile will easily pair with the Forum Bluetooth Stereo Headset, and requires no software to set up. You just press and hold the "on" buttons on both units for five seconds until they flash blue and red, then within seconds they will "pair" up. The Xium Bluetooth adapter uses the same charger as the Forum headset, takes about 1 hour to charge, and runs for about 7 hours of continuous play. The range is a typical 33 feet or 10 meters, so you can freely walk around the room while listening to stereo music transmitted from the Xium adapter plugged into your sound source.

I plugged each of the first four Bluetooth dongles into a USB input on my Compaq PC laptop running Windows XP with Service Pack 2, then installed the BT drivers. The first three units all worked great!

The sound quality was excellent when using all three USB Bluetooth adapters. But when using the more powerful transmitter in the Class I TrendNet model the sound would not break up or be lost when I and the BT headset moved more than 30 feet away from the computer and BT transmitter. This Class I unit allowed me to play a CD on my computer in the living room and listen to perfectly clear music over 50 feet away, outdoors and through a closed door.

Anything that would be heard through your computer's stereo speakers can now be re-directed to play through these wireless bluetooth stereo headphones. And anything you would say into a microphone plugged into your computer for recording or Internet voice chat over VOIP can now be said through this Forum Technologies wireless stereo headset.

In Windows XP, use the "Sounds and Audio Devices" setting on the Control Panel, select the Audio tab, then under Sound Playback Default Device select one of the Bluetooth options like A/V Audio to change where all the computer sounds and CD audio playback are directed. To use the headset and its microphone for recording or Internet Phone, select the Voice tab, then under both Voice Playback and Voice Recording Default Device select one of the Bluetooth options like Handsfree Audio.

Once the Bluetooth Adapter is installed and the Default Device settings are made, just do the "pairing" procedure simultaneously on both the BT Adapter (read its manual for instructions) and the Bluetooth Stereo Headset (turn off, then press the center button for 5 seconds to get the flashing red/blue light), and you will then hear all computer sounds on your wireless Bluetooth Headset; and also be able to use your wireless headset to send and receive VOIP live chat calls with Yahoo Messenger or MSN Messenger, and send and receive Internet Phone calls with Skype and SkypeOut.

Once you have done the "pairing" procedure between two Bluetooth devices, they will automatically connect again when you turn them both on, so you don't have to do the pairing each time. The Bluetooth Stereo Headset from Forum Technologies can store the settings for up to 8 different sets of paired devices at once.

Important Note: To hear streaming stereo music over Bluetooth, and to have DVD audio be in sync with the speaker's lips, your computer's bluetooth transmitter (external USB dongle, or PC card, or a built-in unit) or the audio or video player device you use must have an A2DP driver (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile).

And to use the bluetooth stereo headset's remote playback controls, the audio or video player device must also have an AVRCP driver (Audio Video Remote Control Profile). You will also want to have the HSP driver (Headset/Audio Gateway Profile).

Yes, it sounds complicated, but don't worry... these bluetooth audio drivers and the drivers for several other bluetooth "services" like FAX and FTP are usually set up automatically with the installation CD that comes with any up-to-date Bluetooth 2.0 USB radio adapter, like the TrendNet TBW-104UB and RocketFish RF-BTAPDT models reviewed here. Or they are already installed in a newer bluetooth-enabled cell phone or PDA, or in a newer stand-alone version 2.0 Bluetooth adapter.

But beware when buying a cheaper or older Bluetooth Adapter to use with this headset and any other Bluetooth stereo headphones or headsets. The older Bluetooth versions 1.0 and 1.2 do not have the full functionality you need to be able to hear streaming stereo music and be able to control playback from the headset - pause/play and skipping to next/previous track. Look for a newer "Bluetooth 2.0 EDR" model manufactured in 2006 or 2007.

Also make sure that the supplied drivers support the functions "Stereo Headset Stereo Audio" (HSP) to use as stereo headphones; and "Stereo Headset Hands-Free Unit" (HFP) to use as a headset for cell phones (with hands-free call control) and Internet phone calls, as well as for voice recording and gaming.

By installing the appropriate additional software or plug-in (sold separately or supplied by the VOIP provider), you can also use your Forum bluetooth stereo headset to send and receive VOIP Internet Phone calls over Skype, Yahoo Messenger, and MSN Messenger - and it will automatically mute any music playing whenever an Internet Phone call comes in, and then unmute after you disconnect.

I like to be able to walk around the room or go into the kitchen while talking on the phone, so having a "wireless" connection to make free overseas phone calls on Skype or make cheap international calls to ordinary phones anywhere in the world from my computer for the price of a local call with SkypeOut is a really cool feature! With the more powerful TrendNet Class I Bluetooth adapter, I can even be outside and listen to CDs or DVDs playing on my laptop which is sitting 40 or 50 feet away inside the house.

I have been very pleased with my wireless Bluetooth Stereo Headset from Forum Technologies. It sounds great, is light and comfortable to wear, looks cool, and is so versatile that I haven't yet tried all its possible uses with many audio and AV devices as a replacement for wired earbuds, headphones, and headsets.

After several days of listening to CDs playing in my computer, I would now have to say that I enjoy listening to music over the Forum Technologies Bluetooth Stereo Headset more than listening to CD or DVD music played through my home stereo and high-end speakers. Not just because the music moves with me wherever I may go inside the house or on the outdoor patio, but because it just sounds so clear and crisp!

I also bought the Xium Universal Bluetooth Adapter from Forum Technologies, so I can listen to my home stereo, CD or DVD player, FM radio, or TV sound while I sit outside on the patio or cook on the BBQ. It will also let me use these bluetooth stereo headphones to connect wirelessly to any portable audio device that has a 3.5 millimeter "mini" stereo headphone jack or line out jack - like my Sony minidisk player and CD player, or my various MP3 players, or my portable DVD player.

And the bluetooth adapter should let me use my bluetooth stereo headset to monitor the microphone input while making videos with my Canon Optura mini-DV camcorder, or listen to the stereo audio tracks when playing back videos on the camcorder.

And since it's easy to find a stereo 3.5 mm to 1/4-inch converter plug, the Xium Universal Bluetooth Adapter will also work with the larger standard 1/4-inch "phone" jacks or line output jacks too - like the ones on my two Gibson Epiphone electric guitars and my Korg electronic piano. It will be nice to practice playing in private without headphone wires getting in the way!

The universal bluetooth adapter will also be handy to use with those MP3 and DVD players that have dual stereo headphone outputs, so I can use my Bluetooth Stereo Headset to share the same music or DVD soundtrack from my wife's player without being tied to it by those messy wires. We can share the music even if sitting across the room from each other.

And if I connect the Xium universal bluetooth adapter to the audio output of the Sharp Aquos LCD HD television in the bedroom and have the TV sound play only through my bluetooth stereo headphones, I can watch TV even if she is asleep. I should be able to do this by simply plugging the Universal Bluetooth Adapter into the headphone output of the Panasonic AV amplifier that connects the Sharp HDTV audio to the KLH surround sound system speakers.

With most audio amplifiers, AV receivers, and home theater sound systems, plugging something into the earphone jack will automatically mute the speaker system. With others, there are "speaker" buttons to turn off speaker system A or B - so you can just temporarily turn off both speakers to use the Bluetooth Stereo Headphones.

And now I can listen to CD music or watch a DVD on the laptop computer or on the portable DVD player, without anyone else hearing the audio.

No more risking death by strangulation if I should happen to fall asleep while listening to a CD or watching TV with those wired earphones! Wireless headphones are not only more convenient, but could help you live a longer life.

Another benefit provided by the Bluetooth Stereo Headset used with a universal Bluetooth adapter is that you can go out walking or jogging with this headset and listen to music or MP3 audio files on your iPod or portable MP3 player, and not have any dangling wires to worry about. And you can just keep the MP3 player in a pocket or pouch.

The light-weight, over-the-ear headphones won't fall off your ears, and the flashing blue light might even help you be seen by drivers of cars if you do your walking or running at night. And now you can carry both your MP3 player and your cell phone in a pocket and then answer phone calls just by tapping the big button on your right ear!

I forgot to mention that I am also using the Forum bluetooth stereo headset at home to connect to my cordless phone from V-Tech, using the little Jabra bluetooth adapter plugged into the phone's sub-mini 2.5 mm headset jack (same size used by cell phones). The 2.4 MegaHerz V-Tech phone has enough range to let me walk right around my block of ten townhouses while talking on the phone, and since the bluetooth transmitter is attached right to the phone, it can easily connect with the wireless headset wherever I take the phone.

Simply by wearing a hat to cover the earphones, I can even walk and talk during a light rain while the phone and adapter remain safe and dry in an inside coat pocket.

So whenever I stop working to take a phone call, I can go out "walking while talking" and get in a little exercise time without giving up any working time. The wireless phone hooks to my belt or fits in a pocket, so I can walk and talk totally hands-free!

And if I want to walk while listening to music, I can also pair the Bluetooth Stereo Headset to an MP3 player with the Xium Universal Bluetooth Adapter attached (the Forum headset will pair with up to 8 devices). If the V-Tech cordless phone OR my cell phone rings while out walking, the music gets muted, I hear a beep in the earphones, and then I can press the center button to connect to the caller.

Back at home, there will be no more catching the old headset's dangling wire on something and having the phone or headset thrown to the floor or into the sink! And no more having that annoying extended boom microphone on the old headset hovering near my mouth and getting in the way of eating and drinking.

And since the new Forum wireless Bluetooth Stereo Headset also connects to my laptop computer at the same time, I can play CDs or DVDs or any .wav or .mp3 music or audio files in full CD-quality stereo until a phone call comes in and mutes the music.

In summary, I just love this wireless Bluetooth Stereo Headset! I highly recommend this versatile device to anyone who appreciates high-quality sound and the freedom from wires that shackle you to your audio/visual devices. And I especially appreciate not having to hold a cell phone on my ear and risk damaging my brain. Better to have a low-power Bluetooth headset on my ears than a cellphone putting out high-power radio frequency waves.

Thank you, Forum Technologies! Your wonderful wireless headset has made my life more enjoyable - and maybe longer!"

 - Michael Star  ©2007