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"Best headset I've tried to date" on by tech-man--2008
Pros: Design/Noise Cancelling/Comfortable fit
Cons: Would have liked standard mini usb charger
Summary: I have tried 5 or 6 headsets over the last 12 months including the Samsung wep200, the Jawbone and the Blueant x3. The wep 200 is a great looking headset but it didn't live up to expectation during use. The Jawbone worked the best but it was rather large and quite uncomfortable. The x3 didn't have any noise cancellation but it worked and fitted well so I thought I'd give Blueant another shot especially after seeing their fancy product video explaining the noise cancelling in the z9. It arrived on Tuesday and I've been busy testing it over the last few days. At first looks, the z9 is a great looking headset. It is very small and lightweight but would it perform? Blueant has included two noise cancelling settings in the z9. When using it with my Pearl on busy streets, in cafe's and even at home with screeming kids around and in the max mode it does exactly what Blueant claim. The people I spoke with could hardly hear any background noise and at my end, there was more than enough volume. The sound quality is also very good. You can pair the z9 with more than 1 device and switch on the fly so I also paired it with my iPhone and it worked equally well. I would have liked to see a mini usb charger (to go with my Pearl) however the usb charger is compact enough for traveling.
The z9 exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend it. -
"Simply the best I've tried" on by mrlom1955
Pros: Size,Fit,Looks,Quality
Cons: Earbud a hair too big
Summary: I now own both The BlueAnt Z9 and the Jawbone. Although the jawbone is pretty good, I started getting complaints from people that they could hardly hear me or I was really scratchy. About 15% of the time. With BlueAnt that hasn't happened once yet.Everyone that complained said they could hear me perfect now!! It is smaller and more comfortable than any others that I have tried and is also the easiest of all to place on your ear. No clumsy fumbling around like some of the others I've tried.
It looks great and I highly recommend this one for sure!!! -
"Great looking earpiece that matches my Pearl" on by rachsm
Pros: Love the looks
Cons: The clip is more for the guys, what's for the gals
Summary: Just to share my experience.
I own a Blackberry and was given the z9 as a gift.
My first impression was that the audio quality was good, but not quite near what the reviewer’s claimed.
I then spoke to customer service at Blueant who was really helpful. I was advised to turn the echo and auto volume control off on my BB as both the phone and headset noise cancellation would cancel each other out.
Now, I would give it an 8 for audio quality especially when driving with the music on and a 9 for its looks and comfort.
This was the advice given by Blueant customer service on how to optimize the audio quality.
1. Whilst the Z9 is connected to the handset, enter the Bluetooth Setup menu and scroll down to the ‘BlueAnt Z9‘ device.
2. Whilst ‘BlueAnt Z9’ is highlighted, click the menu options button and select ‘Device Properties’
3. Scroll down to ‘Echo Control’ and set to the off position
4. In this same screen, some Blackberry Handsets also have an item called ‘Automatic Volume Control’. If this is present, please also set it to the off position.
5. Save the settings and you are right to go. -
"The BEST BT headset I've used yet!" on by Soapboxhothead
Pros: Selectable NR, looks, lite-weight, battery life
Cons: Ear hook a little funky
Summary: My summary comment is no hyperbole! To date, this is the best darn bluetooth headset I've used and believe me, I've been thru a drawer full! I'm a professed gadget-dork. If it's new or cutting edge, chances are good I've got it. I tend to go thru cellphone handsets at the rate of about one every 6-9 months out of sheer boredom. (I'm in business sales for ATT so I get them easily.)
Ever since I switched to BT technology for a headset I've struggled with noise or lousy voice quality over BT. This is my number one pet peeve because I spend 2-4 hours a day on the mobile as I'm nearly always in the car during con calls. I felt it was tacky & disrespectful to my clients to have them suffer thru the So.Cal road noise or background racket (trash trucks and leaf blowers seem to plague me!) while we discussed business.
I've owned a handful of BT sets including: Jabra JX10 & BT160, Plantronics Discovery 610 & 650 and the Moto H500 & H700, not to mention a couple other off brand models. Suffice it to say I've spent the $$$ on these things struggling to find the right one. I've paired all or most of them with the RAZR, SLVR, Samsung Sync, Blackjack and D807 and currently with the BlackBerry Pearl & Curve (my corp device). With all but the Discovery 610 and the Jabra JX10, background noise to the caller was either overwhelming or otherwise completely distracting. Both the 610 and JX10 did a better than average job of knocking down noise but the most common response I got from the people I called was I sounded like I was "in a tunnel" or "holding the phone at arm's length" so they struggled to hear me in all but the most quiet places and even then commented on the poor quality of my voice over the BT set. Frustrating! The Jabra JX10 was the best of the lot (especially with the BlackBerry's) but even it was passable until I came across the BlueAnt Z9!
NOTE: If you own a BB device and have trouble with your outbound sound quality, disabling encryption & turning off echo control IS A MUST! Also contact your carrier to be sure you have the latest BB patch or software rev level, VERY important in fixing many user issues!
The BlueAnt Z9 is near flawless with my Pearl and Curve with ATT service here in LA. (Barring those pesky dropped calls in the canyons) :-D Folks on the other end can barely hear background noise in my car, even on the NR low setting. Isolation Max produces a slightly "processed" or robotic sounding voice when pushed to block out significant noise (see garbage trucks). The standard NR setting is very natural sounding. Voice dialing works beautifully, sound quality in-ear is top-notch and plenty loud. Volume control is easy and intuitive once you get the "feel" for which button is which. The unit is very light and can be worn for hours w/ or w/out the hook and I found the earpiece to be plenty comfortable. Looks are top-quality and I get comments on the unit all the time. Battery life is among the best. My only real complaint is I sometimes fight with the earhook to get it comfortable but that's a highly subjective comment as I prefer the hook for additional stability.
This unit is as good as they get, especially for the price. I've not had the chance to use the Jawbone so I can't be purely comparitive but BlueAnt's dual-mic, DSP technology works as advertised. If the size, weight and price of the Jawbone give you pause, look no further than the BlueAnt Z9!!! I certainly won't !!! -
"Not as advertised" on by EDPLAP
Pros: It looks good and feels good on the ear.
Cons: The sound quality wasn't that great.
Summary: Okay. Maybe I received a bad unit, but this headset did not provide any of the noise shielding that was described in the video and in reviews.
I heard a crackling sound in my while on calls and after several test runs to friends in different noise environments, it was clear that the noise shield did not affect the way I sounded against my environment.
The best test run was at a local sports bar the day I got it in the mail. I let it charge fully before testing it. My bud stepped outside and called me while I was in the bar, he could not tell when I was using the max or standard setting.
After I write this, I'm going to send it back for a replacement or just go back to my other brand.
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