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The two act independently rather than (as with the BH-501) change a single volume setting.Another neat feature is that for the first time Nokia have noticed that nobody likes to be lit up like fairy-lights. That's sad because I would have been willing to pay slightly more for a device that has a more elegant design.On the whole the BH-601 is a modest improvement on the ill fated BH-501. They do not seem to be linked into the phone's volume control. This device has two LEDs adjacent to the standard Nokia charging port.
They have the appearance of being able to withstand a great deal of twisting and bending. I guess the thicker plastic used to make this device absorbs a lot more of the signals.Speaking of range, a related issue is the device's ability to recover from an interrupted signal. As I wandered around my office building today, I noticed that somebody operating a photocopier nearby was enough to interrupt the signal. The phone appears not to have detected the fact that the link has failed resulting in complete silence.Another oddity is that this stereo headset seems to switch to monaural mode every time a call comes in. in a year or so.The first major improvement is that it's tougher.
In addition to the original volume controls and select/power button we now have a track-skip controller.Oddly enough the volume controls work in a different way to those on the BH-501. In ideal circumstances the BH-601 will give me 10 metres of range from my Nokia 95 while listening to stereo audio. That's good news because I have a feeling that I will get more than a few weeks use out of this device.The next major improvement is obvious - they've added a few more buttons. Nokia have managed to fix nearly all of the BH-501s flaws - the 601 is a substantially better product in almost every way.
I'm not sure that I'd ever want to talk while charging as having a charging wire plugged into a headset somewhat negates the benefit of a wireless device. In an environment with moderate to low levels of radio interference (e.g. The only way to re-connect is to power-down the headset, and then re-boot it. It's nice they thought of it though, I can confirm that it works.And now the bad points: The reception range of the BH-601 seems to be considerably worse than the BH-501 (which was excellent). It's definitely the best Nokia stereo headset I've tried but they still have a long way to go before they deliver the headset I really deserve.
Unfortunately Nokia have introduced a range of new problems, which I am sure they will get round to fixing. Nokia have eliminated both of the weak-spots in the bendy plastic adjacent to the earphones. Also the motor which opens the steel gate of the cycle-park put out enough EMF to completely cut the connection.While a brief interruption may be acceptable in the face of interference, the problem with this device is that once it looses a connection the the link stays lost. The right can (which includes the microphone) remains silent.It's also worth noting that the look and styling of this product seems quite cheap. a normal city street) the signal will often break down unless I hold the N95 almost adjacent to the headset.
That's good news for people who do not wish to be the focus of attention.It never occurred to me to complain that the BH-501 could not operate while charging. It's a better design than the BH-501 but the quality of the plastic molding is poor, and the silvery insert in either of the phones looks very cheap. When you use the BT-601 to talk on the phone only the left can produces sound. There are no lights visible from the side or front.
A phone call is always in mono but one of the advantages of having a headset with 2 earphones is that you can hear the mono audio with two ears at once. The curves around the earphones of the BH-601 are sturdy bars of flexible plastic with shock-absorbing rubber inserts. Unfortunately it's not good. It just seemed like too small a thing to mention, but that's another thing that Nokia have changed.
Not quite as many as Jabra with their confusing BT620s, but enough to allow some nifty new features. The blue light blinks to show that the headset is active and the green light blinks when the headset is on charge.
I tried several songs and all did this. With my IBM X40, using the included USB audio gateway: many fewer dropouts, but still some--even though I was sitting at the computer.
I also found them to be uncomfortable - a bit too pressing on the ears - after about 5 minutes. Bottom line: probably not ready for prime time.
I got this to use with my Nokia 8801 and laptop computers. It may be a bandwidth issue with Bluetooth v1.2.
I wear mens' hat size M, and the headbands are not adjustable. Using with phone: while the sound quality itself was surprisingly good, with better than expected yet not boomy bass and clear treble, the sound would stutter or drop out, even with my phone very close to the headset.
I suppose it could be the phone, but some web research suggests this is a common problem when using wireless bluetooth headsets.
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