Entered CNET Catalog: 01/11/2007
SKU: nx6000
Manufacturer: Gennum Corporation
Product summary
The good: The Gennum nX6000 is a compact and attractive Bluetooth headset with great sound quality and a comfortable fit.
The bad: The Gennum nX6000's controls require some getting used to.
The bottom line: The Gennum nX6000 is a great little Bluetooth headset with excellent noise-cancellation technology and a comfortable fit.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 03/03/2007
Though we've enjoyed Gennum's previous Bluetooth headsets--such as the Gennum NxZen--for their performance, we haven't always been impressed with the design of the headsets. However, the company's latest model, the Gennum nX6000, boasts a sleeker and more lightweight design, prompting us to take special notice of it at CES 2007. Now it's finally on the market at $129.99.
The Gennum nX6000 has a wonderfully minimalist and compact design. Measuring only 1.75x0.8x0.5 inches and weighing in at a very light 0.38 ounce, the nX6000 is wrapped entirely in black save for the three silver buttons that adorn its sides. On the front are two tiny holes that make up its dual microphone array, and there is an LED and a charger jack on top of the device. The left spine is home to the multifunction button and the volume decrease button, and the volume increase button is on the right. While the controls are flush to the surface, they still have enough texture to provide tactile feedback when the headset is worn on the ear. The buttons were a little stiffer than we'd like, though we still managed to press them without too much effort.
Moving on to the back of the headset, there's a nice soft eartip that acts as the earpiece and a flexible ear hook. The earbud is the kind that sits deeper in the ear, similar to the earpieces on the Sony MDR-EX71SL earbuds. We're big fans of this style because it fits securely and comfortably in the ear, and the nX6000 is no exception. The nX6000 also comes with a few other earbud sizes so you can choose the right fit for your ears. We also found the ear hook quite comfortable sitting around our ear, even when wearing glasses. The ear hook can be turned around to be worn on either ear.
Although we were mostly pleased with the design of the headset, we couldn't help but find the controls a little awkward. Like most Bluetooth headsets, you have to press the multifunction button in certain lengths of time and listen for a certain tone depending on what function you're trying to perform. However, the nX6000 seems a little more time-sensitive than most. For example, the difference between ending a call, muting a call, and putting a call on hold is about one to two seconds of button pressure between each step. If you're a second late or early, you might end up performing a completely different function. We did finally learn how to time our button pressing, but you should read over the user manual to get the hang of it.
We tested the Gennum nX6000 with the T-Mobile Sidekick 3, and we were able to pair the headset with the phone without a problem. We were very impressed with the noise-cancellation digital signal processor of the headset, as we were able to hear our callers just fine even while standing near a busy traffic intersection, and vice versa. Aside from answering, ending, and rejecting calls, the nX6000 can also mute calls and put calls on hold, and it supports call waiting and three-way calling. Other features of the headset include Bluetooth 2.0 functionality, a battery charge indicator, as well as a mini-USB charging ability that lets you download firmware updates from Gennum's site. The headset has a rated talk time of six hours and a rated standby time of 3.75 days.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5out of 5 user reviews
Very disappointing
Pros: Compact, sleek design
Cons: Poor sound quality and does not fit securely
out of 5 user reviews
Almost Perfect!
Pros: Excellent noise reduction, compact, good fit, high volume, long range.
Cons: Earbud falls off (use super glue!)
One warning: Be careful not to buy from online vendors that seem especially cheap like BLUEHEADSETS.COM -- I have first hand experience with them: you may end up with forgeries, and they are a customer service nightmare!
out of 5 user reviews
Disappointing in actual use
Pros: Small, stylish, cute as hell, purportedly great features
Cons: Difficult to fit, buttons small, not as good sounding as promised, ear loop falls off easily
My reality didn't hold up. Like the guy who posted above me, I am using it with a Verizon LG8600. I found the fit to be awkward. Though the in-ear design looked like it would be stable, the three sizes of spherical earbud pads (like you would see on Shure E series earbuds) meant that the speaker either fit too loosely, making for poor contact, or too snugly, making it hard to get the bud all the way in my ear.
The ear loop is able to be positioned easily so the earpiece can work for either the left or right ears. But it falls off easily. They provide two different sizes of loops, but neither was perfect for my ear. Since all ears are different, I prefer ear loops that can be bent slightly to create a perfect shape for your particular ear.
Charging options are fine -- a USB cable with a separate wall plug adaptor -- but the plug adaptor broke for no apparent reason (it wasn't dropped or crammed in a crowded briefcase) forcing me to tape the unit back together. Battery life seems good, and the color LEDs give a good indication of what's going on with the unit, though like all the headsets I've seen, it's still hard to figure out which blip or flash mean what. Volume and multipurpose buttons are small and hard to find, but some of that is endemic to the small size of the earpiece itself.
All of this would be manageable if it weren't for the fact that, for me, it simply sounded bad. Somehow, I was getting staticky response, unlike my cheaper and less-featured Jabra B510 or Motorola HS850, even though those earpieces had problems of a different sort (the Motorola didn't sit on the ear well enough, the Jabra dropped connection like crazy).
I still use it in rotation with about five other earpieces -- I have yet to find the perfect piece -- but it simply doesn't sound as well as opthers, even with its features. Maybe it's the phone, maybe it's the earpiece. I'll check it with my son's LG Chocolate and report back.
Bottom line, after all the reviews and recommendations, and price, I expected much better.
out of 5 user reviews
THEY CANT HEAR YOU!!!!!!!! Poor support...
Pros: looks nice, light, user friendly
Cons: Sounds like your in a wind tunnel all the time...
out of 5 user reviews
Not for LG phones
Pros: light weight, very comfortable, prompt activation and deactivation
Cons: lousy with LG phones: tinny sound for both parties, insufficient volume
