Review of Logitech FreePulse Wireless Headphones
Here I will provide a detailed review of the Logitech FreePulse Headphones. They are pretty much the only half way decent bluetooth rechargeable wireless headphones on the market. There are lots of "corded" headphones from companies like Ultimate Ears, Shure, Bose that get rather pricey.. some over $1000 each. But where are all the wireless ones? We live in a wireless word now. We have wireless broadband, wireless cell phones, wireless cell phone headsets, but very few wireless stereo headsets. Average retail price on these Logitech units are from $50-$99.
SOUND QUALITY
Dont let anyone fool you, these are great sounding headphones. I hooked them up to my IPOD and got full stereo sound. I have also connected the transmitter to home stereo and tv and sounded good.
When I went shopping for phones I actually called Bose and asked them about any wireless models they had. They said they do not manufacture headphones what have the "poor sound quality found in bluetooth or wireless models". That was dissapointing because Bose should be a pioneer in new technology and they basically said these style phones are useless and low end.
I do not agree. The sound was ample for my needs, it was full and clear, no hiss at all. For wireless, what can you expect? If manufactures can make good wireless speakers why cant more of them make wireless headphones?
VOLUME
While these are not noise cancelling phones (which means you can still hear external noises like tv or conversations), they were never designed for that purpose. The volume is adequate enough and I found it reasonable without achieving distortion even at max levels. I actually used them once while I was outside using a powered snowblower. So unless you are hard of hearing or work in a very noisy environment you will find the volume suitable
RANGE
With bluetooth technolgy if it is out of range the signal cuts out. That is the way bluetooth technology is designed. In contrast, with other 900 mhz phones if there is a weak signal there will likely be static. The freepulse headphones never have static. And I found the range good even through walls. Whether walking around the house or with my ipod in my coat pocked the sound may cut out rarely if at all. But with it being wireless, that is expected. My cell phone cuts off sometimes, thats just wireless technology.
BATTERY
Charged it up for a few hours and got hours of battery life. This was more than acceptable since the battery is internal, compact, light, and rechargable. No complaints on battery time.
HEADSET FEATURES
The volume adjustment on the right side is very handy! One toggle style button for up/down makes it convenient and easy to adjust the volume. When you turn it up all the way, maxxed out, it beeps to let you know.
Sound is easy to mute by pressing the on/off once. Holding the same button down for a few seconds turns it on or off. Worked great if I need to talk to someone real quick.
The bass boost is activated by pressing the on/off and volume up simultaneously. The feature yielded maginal results. Which means I really couldnt tell if it was on or off. Regardless there was still decent bass. No complaints.
COMFORT
Here's where the review gets dirty. Yes the negative reviews are absolutel correct when it comes to comfort on these headphones, its horrible. What was Logitech thinking when they designed these things? Lets break it down with a few details on why comfort is the way it is. One, the rubber rings around the head phones hang on your years. Do you think if you hung anything of any small weight OVER your ears that would be comfortable? I found they would actually leave marks on my ears after having them on for even 30 minuites. Secondly, lets look at the cushion on the speaker. If you press on it there is virtually NO padding. Might as well rest a hard piece of plastic over the top of your ears. And lastly, there is no way to adjust the band that goes behind your head. So whether you have a large head or little head you get what you get. If these were rated for comfort alone they would get a negative number. But fortunately there are other positive things that make them worth owning.
FINAL WORD
I searched high and low for some wireless headphones that had a small transmitter (unlike the Seinheiser or Pioneer units with the large base units). Also preferred a product that had decent quality sound, was rechargable, and OVER the head. No luck, they do not exist. What we do have close is the Freepulse phones from Logitech. They arent perfect, but if you can live with the lack of comfort flexibility then by all means give them a shot. Perhaps Bose and Logitech should team up to bring a perfect product. I will be waiting.
you can find more of my reviews at the Tech Reporter Blog
http://techiereport.blogspot.com/
THE TECHIE
SOUND QUALITY
Dont let anyone fool you, these are great sounding headphones. I hooked them up to my IPOD and got full stereo sound. I have also connected the transmitter to home stereo and tv and sounded good.
When I went shopping for phones I actually called Bose and asked them about any wireless models they had. They said they do not manufacture headphones what have the "poor sound quality found in bluetooth or wireless models". That was dissapointing because Bose should be a pioneer in new technology and they basically said these style phones are useless and low end.
I do not agree. The sound was ample for my needs, it was full and clear, no hiss at all. For wireless, what can you expect? If manufactures can make good wireless speakers why cant more of them make wireless headphones?
VOLUME
While these are not noise cancelling phones (which means you can still hear external noises like tv or conversations), they were never designed for that purpose. The volume is adequate enough and I found it reasonable without achieving distortion even at max levels. I actually used them once while I was outside using a powered snowblower. So unless you are hard of hearing or work in a very noisy environment you will find the volume suitable
RANGE
With bluetooth technolgy if it is out of range the signal cuts out. That is the way bluetooth technology is designed. In contrast, with other 900 mhz phones if there is a weak signal there will likely be static. The freepulse headphones never have static. And I found the range good even through walls. Whether walking around the house or with my ipod in my coat pocked the sound may cut out rarely if at all. But with it being wireless, that is expected. My cell phone cuts off sometimes, thats just wireless technology.
BATTERY
Charged it up for a few hours and got hours of battery life. This was more than acceptable since the battery is internal, compact, light, and rechargable. No complaints on battery time.
HEADSET FEATURES
The volume adjustment on the right side is very handy! One toggle style button for up/down makes it convenient and easy to adjust the volume. When you turn it up all the way, maxxed out, it beeps to let you know.
Sound is easy to mute by pressing the on/off once. Holding the same button down for a few seconds turns it on or off. Worked great if I need to talk to someone real quick.
The bass boost is activated by pressing the on/off and volume up simultaneously. The feature yielded maginal results. Which means I really couldnt tell if it was on or off. Regardless there was still decent bass. No complaints.
COMFORT
Here's where the review gets dirty. Yes the negative reviews are absolutel correct when it comes to comfort on these headphones, its horrible. What was Logitech thinking when they designed these things? Lets break it down with a few details on why comfort is the way it is. One, the rubber rings around the head phones hang on your years. Do you think if you hung anything of any small weight OVER your ears that would be comfortable? I found they would actually leave marks on my ears after having them on for even 30 minuites. Secondly, lets look at the cushion on the speaker. If you press on it there is virtually NO padding. Might as well rest a hard piece of plastic over the top of your ears. And lastly, there is no way to adjust the band that goes behind your head. So whether you have a large head or little head you get what you get. If these were rated for comfort alone they would get a negative number. But fortunately there are other positive things that make them worth owning.
FINAL WORD
I searched high and low for some wireless headphones that had a small transmitter (unlike the Seinheiser or Pioneer units with the large base units). Also preferred a product that had decent quality sound, was rechargable, and OVER the head. No luck, they do not exist. What we do have close is the Freepulse phones from Logitech. They arent perfect, but if you can live with the lack of comfort flexibility then by all means give them a shot. Perhaps Bose and Logitech should team up to bring a perfect product. I will be waiting.
you can find more of my reviews at the Tech Reporter Blog
http://techiereport.blogspot.com/
THE TECHIE
posted by Tech Reporter at 12:05 AM
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