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Plantronics Pulsar 590A Bluetooth stereo headphones

Unwired for sound?

Although far from being uncomfortable, you certainly know you-re wearing the headset and I found that I had to place it in a slightly awkward position in order to get the best sound. Maybe I have deformed ears, but I-m not sure how long I would like to wear the 590As.

With my trusty in-ear phones I can listen all day - with these I probably wouldn't want to. There was also quite a lot of noise leakage - you may not be too popular on the train with these babies on your noggin. Assuming they haven't been ripped from your skull by a passing hoody-clad ruffian of course - the rather fetching blue flashing light on the headset could well attract the wrong kind of attention...

The sound (once I'd adopted said position) was actually pretty good. I don't know why but I kind of expected a slightly tinny or muffled sound - memories of my first Bluetooth headset coming back to haunt me, probably - so the rich and clear sound was a nice surprise.

That said, when listening to MP3s stored on my phone, there was a noticeable drop in quality. But with my iPod, my television, my home stereo and my laptop, the sound was more than acceptable. While plugged into the TV, however, there was a noticeable delay on the sound, giving everything that badly-dubbed Hong Kong martial arts movie effect. Not the end of the world but irritating none the less.

Plantronics has opted for a telescopic boom to alleviate the need to speak out of the corner of your mouth. The "telescoping voice tube", the manual helpfully points out, "should be extended for clearer calls. This may require two hands..."

Not exactly handsfree then, is it? A small grumble you might think, but a significant one in my mind.

Battery life was pretty good (I got a good tens hours of listening out of a single charge) and recharging was made more of an event than a chore with the stylish desktop charging cradle - a nice way to display your headphones too.

Plantronics Pulsar 590A Bluetooth headphones

Verdict

At last, musical freedom from wires. Although for use with a phone there are more elegant handsfree solutions, the 590As work well with almost all sound sources, and they even double-up as a handsfree unit. The docking station is natty, too.

Review by
Pocket-Lint.co.uk

60%
Nokia 6125

Plantronics Pulsar 590A Bluetooth stereo headphones

Get unwired for sound...
Price: £100 RRP

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