Entered CNET Catalog: 01/31/2007
SKU: 093746
Manufacturer: Blueant Wireless
Manufacturer description
The BlueAnt T8 micro is an affordable, lightweight and ergonomic Bluetooth headset that delivers comfort, excellent battery life and clear audio quality. The T8 micro is designed using the Bluetooth 2.0 technology which can enhance a faster connection between devices and runs on extremely low power consumption.Product summary
The good: The BlueAnt Wireless T8 Micro Bluetooth headset is a simple headset that's easy to use with a comfortable fit, great sound quality, and has the ability to pair up to eight devices.
The bad: The BlueAnt Wireless T8 Micro Bluetooth headset's volume buttons are a bit stiff, and it doesn't have a USB charger.
The bottom line: The BlueAnt Wireless T8 Micro is an affordable, user-friendly Bluetooth headset that fits comfortably in the ear and has good sound quality as well.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 02/28/2007
BlueAnt's slogan is it's "Australian for Bluetooth," and even though this headset manufacturer is quite popular down under, it's making its way in the U.S. market as well. We've reviewed the company's fancier X3 Micro Bluetooth headset in the past, and while it offers the same ease of use and good sound quality, the BlueAnt Wireless T8 Micro is much more affordable at only $49.99. Part of that is because the X3 Micro comes in different colors and offers three charging options, while the T8 Micro only comes in one color and has only one AC charger.
The design of the T8 Micro is reminiscent to the X3 Micro, with its slightly wide body and teardrop shape. Relatively compact at 2x1x0.5 inch, the T8 Micro is outfitted in a rather dull gray and black color scheme. On the front of the headset is the round multifunction button, while the two volume buttons are on its left and right. These buttons flash blue when the headset is activated, though you can choose to turn off the LED indicators if you wish. The buttons were easy enough to press, but we thought the volume buttons were a bit too stiff for our tastes.
On the back of the headset is an earbud that comes with several gel covers for a more comfortable fit in the ear. There's also an optional ear hook that can be adjusted to fit either the left or right ear. We found wearing the headset without the hook more comfortable, though you might want to wear the ear hook for additional security. The earbud's size is a bit larger than most headsets we've tried, but we still found the fit nice and secure. We were able to wear it for a few hours without any loss of comfort.
We tested the BlueAnt Wireless T8 Micro with the Samsung SCH-u740 and were able to pair the headset with both phones without a hitch. Call quality was fairly good in quiet environments such as an office or a car, but the sound suffered a bit when in a crowded environment like a busy sidewalk. Thanks to the built-in ambient noise reduction, callers said they could hear us loud and clear. Features of the headset are fairly basic. You can answer, end, and reject calls, redial, give voice dial and voice commands if your phone supports it, and pair the headset with up to eight Bluetooth-enabled devices. We would've liked a USB charger for use with our computer, but the AC charger is just fine for the headset's price. The T8 Micro has a rated talk time of up to nine hours and a rated standby time of 10 days.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4out of 4 user reviews
ok quality BT earpiece
Pros: small, light weight, user friendly, great operation time
Cons: see below....
out of 4 user reviews
Comfterbale piece, but poor end user sound quality. Customers couldn't hear me well if at all.
Pros: Comfterrbale fit, light wieght and small. I could hear great
Cons: Callers could hear me well or at all, lot of static
out of 4 user reviews
Not too bad, but callers can't hear me well
Pros: Cheap, lightweight and comfortable fit
Cons: I sound muffled and distant to my callers
My first was the Nokia BH-200 where callers complained I sounded muffled and distant. That headset on the Nokia also became painful to wear after a couple of hours.
The BlueAnt T8 is MUCH more comfortable to wear, but sadly my callers say that I still sound somewhat muffled and distant.
I'm starting to believe this is from the "noise reduction" technology that is built into a lot of these units.
Whilst my callers cannot hear any of my background noise, they frequently also cannot hear ME - which kind of defeats the purpose, right?
I'm noticing that "white noise" sounds are removed from the conversation, so when you say something like "six sixes", and the other person only gets "ik iks".
So yes... I am still looking for a headset where I sound half decent to the person I'm talking with.
My next step will be the BlueAnt X3 which I have read good reviews about here.
Is it too much to ask for a headset where I sound almost as good as talking directly into my phone???
Perhaps they need one where you can turn noise reduction ON/OFF depending on your environment or personal choice???
out of 4 user reviews
I could hear fine but listeners didn't like sound quality.
Pros: Extremely comfortable and secure w/o ear loop.
Cons: I use a Cardo 500, their tech agreed sounded clearer.
