Arriva Leo user reviews (Black)

Pros Lightweight, good sound, unobtrusive.

Cons They don't fit well, constant adjusting and tweaking fit, and even though the phone and headset are only 2 feet apart, the signal drops out if you turn your head the wrong way.

Summary I've used two different pairs of wired around the neck headphones for running - my favorite has been the Sennheiser PMX 680 Adidas Sports Behind-the-Neck Headphones, which fit great sound great, but have two shortcomings -- the wire, and the stupid volume control thing they put in the cable about a foot from the headphones which must be clipped to your shirt to not beat you to death and constantly tug on your headphones. Don't ALL MP3 players/phones have a volume control? Couldn't they offer just a straight cable for those who don't need that bulky deadweight? Anyway, back to the Leos... If I could get the PMX 680 with bluetooth instead of a cable, I'd gladly pay $100 or more for it. But the Leo uses a floppy, funky elasticy plasticy strap that goes behind your head which you have to bend and twist to get to fit, but then if you take it off and put it in your pocket or in the case it comes with, you have to start all over again. In addition to that, one or the other ear pieces always want to pop out when you run. I HATE having to keep adjusting my ear buds as I run -- it really ruins the rhythm and flow and enjoyability of a good run when something that should be simple needs constant adjustment. The second major flaw is the fact that the sound drops out frequently. Bluetooth allegdly has a range of 33 feet -- and in fact I can walk about that far away from my iPhone and they work. But for some weird reason, if the phone is in your belt pack or somewhere on your waist, the simple act of turning your head to look for traffic causes dropout. If you don't turn your head back right away, it then causes a disconnect, which stops the music that was playing. Even though the distance is less than 2 feet, body blocking seems to be a problem. I've noticed that even adjusting the volume or otherwise putting your hand near the volume control on the headset causes an immediate dropout. That indicates that the antenna in the unit is not in the right place, or working correctly.

So, while I really want these to work, it looks like I'm going to have to go back to a wired behind the head headphone with a solid band that applies uniform pressure - tight enough to stay in, but not too tight to cause discomfort. I really can wear the PMXs and forget they are there. Even on a 10 or 15 mile run, you can stick them on when you start and not have to think about them again until your done. The Leos would be a constant distraction. I've even been looking for a small bluetooth receiver that I could plug my wired headsets into... seems like I can't be the only one yearning for suitable product.