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"Pretty good 1st iteration" on by schmenge123
Pros: great controls and feedback; good build quality; clear noise-cancellation; decent bone-conduction
Cons: stealth mode could work better; awkward to put on or wear for extended periods
Summary: The military applications of bone conduction mics has been proven in the spec-ops community for years, providing clear, intelligible communications even under very demanding circumstances. Motorola's version of Invisio's Q7 has been eagerly awaited and feared as vaporwear. But the wait appears to be worth it. The HX1 is a very credible (albeit imperfect) version of true bone-conduction technology for wireless BT.
Motorola got it right to boot the HX1 into CrystalTalk, its version of noise-cancelling mic. It is clear and loud, and perfectly fine for most applications. As the default mode, this works. But for noisy or windy environments, Stealth mode, using bone-conduction, is a revelation. Standing near loudspeakers with both music and voices at high levels, callers just couldn't hear it. I could hear them perfectly (the earpiece sits in the ear canal, shutting out lots of ambient noise) and they could hear me fairly clearly as I spoke in a normal voice (though not as well as through CrystalTalk).
The trick is in the fit. I found the HX1 did not stay tightly in my ear canal. It has a tendency to work its way out to sit more loosely in my ear than is optimal for Stealth. Switching to Stealth would be frustrating for callers because I had little volume and sounded very muffled. But if I repositioned the earpiece, callers reported 50-60% for volume and intelligibility. However, if I held the earpiece (finding the sweet spot took a little time), callers reported 80-90% volume and clarity. That's pretty good. Of course, nobody really wants to be holding the earpiece for optimal sound, but it sure beats pushing my old BT to my ear, a finger in my other ear, and shouting as loud as I could to be heard. I'm more than happy to use a headset that actually WORKS in noisy environments. This is the best BT I've tried in this regard, bar none (and I've tried plenty).
The controls are very clearly laid out and easy to find and activate without inadvertently pushing something else. The audio chimes and feedback are very nice (it even gives you the battery level upon startup), and pairing is simple for up to two phones. The on/off switch actually toggles, which I find much less prone to accidental power-ups or shutdowns in my pocket. And it's easy to locate and turn on unless you have very large fingers. Talk and stand-by times are pretty good, and the earpiece, while not as sleek as some, is not heavy.
Putting the headset on was a challenge at first. The earhook, necessary to keep the unit in place, was awkward to put on. I finally found that if I keep the earhook vertical to the speaker, and pushed the earpiece into my ear, I could take a finger and lift the earhook up and over my ear, and push it into place. With a little practice, it wasn't too hard to put on, but certainly not as easy as other headsets I've use.
The earpiece is not the most comfortable to wear for long periods, although it seems to be less of an irritant now than when I first started using it.
This is an excellent first try for Motorola. If I had to rate it only for its Stealth ability, I'd give it 5 stars in that it actually works. There's room for improvement, and I'm excited to see where Motorola takes this in the future. -
"Not As Advertised" on by tkevinh
Pros: The battery life is quite good. Style and ergonomics are fair. Easy to connect and operate.
Cons: The Stealth mode, and to a lesser extent, the Crystal Talk mode . Discomfort with reasonable usage.
Summary: The Crystal Talk (standard noise reduction) option cannot cancel a very gentle breeze. The Stealth mode/bone conduction (advanced noise reduction) option is nearly unusable. My voice is either very muffled or entirely inaudible. The device can be a bit difficult to put on and some ear pieces can be quite uncomfortable after 10-15 minutes of wearing. The HX1 is a great idea that is clearly not ready to perform well especially in the Stealth mode. I would not recommend purchasing this product.
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"Agree with the Editor's review" on by stealthgeek
Pros: Works as advertised; good battery life, good quality both incoming & outgoing audio. Had the best results for Voice Dialing with my Blackberry Storm with this headset out of all other headsets tried (including Jawbone, Zivio, Plantronics, etc..).
Cons: The Achilles Heel of this headset it is the placement of the small, nub-like bone conduction sensor; it stands prominently out near the tip of the ear insert. I can see this being easily damaged if you drop the headset and it lands on the nub sensor
Summary: I have a small drawer full of bluetooth headsets. Name a brand and type, I probably have it or one of its ancestors. I even have the older wired ones, pre-bluetooth age, back when I was using the Kyocera 6035 Palmphone. Yes, I am old. I also watched the Invisio Q7 announcements and the Motorola news releases over the years until I finally got an early version. I was a bit dubious at first, but the pleasant surprise is that this headset works as advertised. Nothing magical about it, just does the job properly. You can make a call from your Datacenter or Machine Room on Stealth Mode, and the caller will be able to hear you despite the crazy fan noise. One thing I should mention is that the functional usefulness of being able to use this headset is not limited by whether the person on the other side of the call can understand you, but whether it is so loud that you cannot hear the caller. While testing the headset, I found that I had difficulty understanding the caller (e.g. guinea pig) when using Stealth Mode and standing next to an extreme noise source even when using the Max Volume on both the phone and headset. To be fair, I doubt I would have even *considered* making a call with any other headset while standing next to such extreme noise coming from a fan generator. I started thinking that it would be cool if the bone conduction could work both ways, to sample my voice as well as conducting headset sound back to me...
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"Best Noise cancellation PERIOD!!!!!" on by bus3001
Pros: Stealth Mode, fit and incoming volume Battery life( went 4 days B4 I had to charge)
Cons: Crystal talk (who needs that when you have stealth mode)
Summary: I drive for a living I've owned them all you name it Buleant V1 & Q1, Plantronics voyager pro,Jawbone 1,2, prime and now the icon and none can cancel out the background noise like the HX1. I've did all the testing i even had the window down on the freeway in my big rig going 55 MPH and there was no background noise( i called my son's voice mail) Love the fit it stays in my ear without the hook. I found my Last blue tooth headset!!
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"Living up to the hype (so far)" on by amateriat
Pros: Most secure fit of ANY BT headset I've used; Sound quality is solid using CrystalTalk mic, "good enough" in stealth mode; a *real* on/off switch; Send/end. stealth, volume buttons have "just right" sensitivity.
Cons: Getting the right fit can be somewhat fussy; not cheap. (But you get what you pay for.)
Summary: Like others, I've been champing at the bit for this to finally ship. I spend a lot of time getting around by bicycle, and my experience with previous BT headsets have been dismal. Very happy to say that the HX-1 seems to deliver on the bone-conduction hype. Yes, according to one person, I sounded a wee bit like Stephen Hawking, but every word was intelligible, which is the main point of stealth mode; it's not for crooners. It also means that I no longer have to hastily slow down and head for the curb every time I get an incoming call, which I reckon is where the greatest risk of an accident lies with Driving While Yakking. (I'm not much of a yakker: whether riding or walking, I tend to keep my conversations short, sweet, and to the point, preferring to save the long convos for face-to-face encounters.)
Aside from the Killer App of stealth mode, the headset is one of the more comfy-fitting sets I've used, and by far the most-secure: Bouncing around on uneven pavement doesn't seem to make the unit budge a millimeter. Fitting the unit to the ear *does* take some work, and it's easy to get the setup wrong (I gave myself an earache after about 45 minutes of wear, then found out I was using the left-ear "spring" for my *right* ear...like they say, RTFM). Once it's done right, I imagine most people will have a decent fit, but if you don't care for things protruding into you ear at all, you might not like this headset.
Controls are superb: The Send/End and stealth mode buttons, IMO, require just the right amount of finger pressure to actuate, not so much that you're pushing the headset into your ear (uncomfortable), nor so little that you risk accidentally actuating a function (annoying). The Volume rocker-button is quite intuitive in use, and that on/off switch...what else is there to say? Far better than some tiny push-and-hold-to-activate-or-deactivate number.
This may be one of the products where Moto has apparently gotten its mojo back. And not a moment too soon.
Motorola Endeavor HX1 user reviews
