Etymotic EtyBlu Bluetooth headset

Reviewed by

Nicole Lee

on 05/07/2008

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The thing that sets the EtyBlu apart from most other Bluetooth headsets is that it comes with an optional extended boom mic dubbed the Blumaxx Quick-Connect Mic. Just attach it to the bottom of the headset, and you will get up to 25 decibels more noise-cancellation when compared with only the internal mic. It even has a foam windshield cover for windier environments.

All of which brings us to the big question on sound performance. We tested the Etymotics EtyBlu with the RIM BlackBerry Pearl. The pairing process went smoothly, and we managed to make and answer calls without a problem. We had high expectations of sound quality, so we were a bit disappointed when call quality was mixed. We heard our listeners quite clearly with plenty of volume, but there was the occasional static blip in the background, even though we weren't near other Bluetooth devices. It wasn't a huge nuisance, but it still bothered us.

When we used the headset without the boom mic, listeners reported some ambient noise in the background, plus quite a bit of echo in our voice as well. After we attached the boom mic, though, the outgoing sound quality improved dramatically. There was almost no echo, and the background noise was almost completely gone. We also tested the foam windshield cover while in a windy environment outside, and listeners said that it did help to limit wind noise. However, boom mic or no boom mic, listeners found the overall volume a little lacking. Even when we maxed out our volume levels, listeners thought we sounded a bit on the soft side. This isn't a huge problem while in the car or in the office, but we found we had to raise our voices a lot more in a noisy environment like a crowded shopping mall.

The EtyBlu has fairly standard headset features such as the ability to answer, end, and reject calls, last number redial, voice command support, call waiting support, three-way calling support, and the ability to transfer a call to the handset and vice versa. It comes with a USB charging cable plus a small carrying pouch. The Etymotics EtyBlu has a rated battery life of 7 hours talk time and 4.2 days standby time.