Entered CNET Catalog: 12/01/2008
SKU: 0723755892743
Manufacturer: Motorola Corp.
Manufacturer description
The wireless music experience has been enhanced with an upgraded version of the award-winning MOTOROKR S9, the Motorola S9-HD. Freedom to exercise, move around and commute without wires to tangle or hold you back, is now enhanced with high-definition audio and ear buds that reduce background noise and improve comfort. The S9-HD is the benchmark of wireless music powered by Bluetooth wireless technology. The unique behind-the-head design creates a secure and stable fit - even in active conditions - plus easy to use controls for track selection, volume, play/pause and send/end that allow you to manage music and calls from the headphones.Product summary
The good: The Motorola Rokr S9 HD has a comfortable and secure design and great audio quality. The buttons are easy to use as well.
The bad: The Motorola Rokr S9 HD can feel unwieldy when exercising or working out, and the Bluetooth connection cuts out occasionally if the paired device isn't positioned correctly. Also, the power button feels stiff, and the charger jack cover isn't secured properly.
The bottom line: The Motorola Rokr S9 HD is a simple and lightweight stereo Bluetooth headset, but take caution when using it for an active lifestyle.
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Rating: 7.3
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 07/01/2009
When Motorola came out with the Motorola Rokr S9 headset two years ago, stereo Bluetooth headsets were still fairly new, and the S9 gained popularity because of its sports-centric design. Now that more phones have stereo Bluetooth capability (including the iPhone 3G, thanks to its latest firmware update), Motorola is wise to keep hammering away at making new headsets, like the Motorola Rokr S9 HD. It has a similar design to the S9, but is equipped with higher fidelity sound for your music-listening needs. We quite like the sound quality and the fit was OK, but it doesn't handle sports activity as well as we would like. The Motorola Rokr S9 HD retails for $99.99 but you can find it for as low as $60. The Rokr S9 HD comes with a Motorola D650 iPod adapter.
The Motorola Rokr S9 HD has a design almost identical to the S9. The neckband connecting the two earpieces floats slightly behind the head, and you wear the headset so that the ear loops hook over the top of your ears. It's not at all clunky or bulky, but we did find that it does pinch the sides of our head slightly. The S9 HD can also be a bit of a hassle if you have longer hair. Otherwise, it's quite comfortable to wear and it's easy to slip the headset on and off because of the slightly flexible ear loops. The earpieces sit just inside the ear opening, and there are three different size earbud coverings for a more custom fit.
The battery of the S9 HD is housed in a long and flat base at the back of the neckband. Underneath the base are the power button and charger jack with an indicator light in between. The music player controls are located above the right earpiece and the call button and volume controls are above the left. These side earpiece buttons are raised above the surface and are easy to find and press, but the power button on the neckband is a bit stiff. Also, the charger jack is covered up by a rubber flap that isn't very secure, thus reducing the headset's moisture resistance.
We tested the Motorola Rokr S9 HD headset with the Apple iPhone 3G and the Casio Exilim C721. The Rokr S9 HD comes with SRS-WOW HD sound that really amps up the overall fidelity of the music. You can choose between two SRS-WOW HD settings: one has fuller sound with more clarity, and another has balanced audio with enhanced bass. Music quality was quite spectacular as a result; the bass sounded round and full, and we were impressed with the surround sound qualities of the high-definition audio.
Call quality was a little less than stellar, but still surprisingly good. We could hear our callers loud and clear without any problems and vice versa. However, callers did detect quite a bit of echo in the background and they said our voices sounded rather harsh and machine-like at times.
We also tested the Rokr S9 HD out while jogging outdoors. The headset bounced up and down a lot, which felt a little uncomfortable and unwieldy. We also found that the Bluetooth connection would cut out every once in a while, especially if we were really jogging at a rapid pace. This happened a lot more when the paired handset was in the pocket, which might've caused a slight antenna interference; we would advise you wear an armband for better connectivity.
Other features of the Rokr S9 HD include support for call waiting and last number redial, plus the ability to transfer calls from the headset to the phone and vice versa. The Rokr S9 HD also has multipoint technology, which means it can connect up to two phones at once.
The Motorola Rokr S9 HD comes with a Motorola D650 iPod adapter, which will add stereo Bluetooth functionality to any iPod via the dock connector. It also comes with a drawstring pouch for the headset. The Rokr S9 HD has a battery life of up to 6 hours talk time and/or playback time.
User opinions
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User Rating: 
4/10
Expensive for what you get
Pros: No wires, cool look, external controls a plus, syncs easily with my blackberry
Cons: VERY poor connectivity outdoors with music listening and phone use
people hated talking to me on the phone, poorly designed...earbuds fell out because they are only glued in. after trying to fit the rubber covers the ear buds ripped out.
User Rating: 
1/10
It looks cool... that's it
Pros: Looks great, great sound quality when listening to music.
Cons: Extremely uncomfortable and horrible call quality
I ended up taking this garbage headphones back and replaced them with the Altec Lansing Backbeat 906 bluetooth headphones. The new ones are by leaps and bounds a better product and highly recommended. Great call quality (people can't tell I'm on bluetooth headphones), very lightweight and aren't obstructed if you wear glasses. While the bass-response isn't as good as the Motorola's, overall quality and satisfaction with the product results in a 10/10 for me.
User Rating: 
6/10
Decent product but overall dissastisfied
Pros: Sound quality is good, buttons are easy to use, it syncs easy with my iPhone. I have not had any problem using it to talk on the phone. I've not used the buttons much but they work ok so far.
Cons: I have a small head and it still clamps too tight and hurts my ears. The design feels awkward. It is too uncomfortable to use for long. Reception poor when I am moving around or if the phone i s not just perfect in alignment with the headphones.
User Rating: 
8/10
Has good points-bad points Good outweigh the bad
Pros: Sound is fantastic. Music in both ears, phone call in both ears? The best. Range is fantastic.
Cons: Going to be tight on big heads.
For my head, the fit is excellent. These things are not coming off, unless I take them off. Solid feel. Not all the controls translate to the iphone, which sucks. Some people state the pause button works, but not for me.
Bottom line. If you have a smaller head, this headset is awesome.
User Rating: 8/10
Can't imagine being without them
Pros: The motorola S9-HD work great indoors.
Sound is great. The build quality is fine. Worked right after charging. I've use for a week now and charge time is great. Phone runs out before they do which is at least all day for me. Call qualilty is great.
Cons: As soon as I go outside the sound breaks up.
User Rating: 
7/10
Great sound -not so good physically
Pros: Great sound, it is impressive how well the device delivers sound.
Great battery life.
Surprisingly light and excellent fit. Perfect for sports.
Cons: The small ear buds continuously fall off the headphone.
The blue-tooth reception is not good.
The call quality is less than acceptable.
The charging mini-USB receptacle is covered by a rubber cap that doesn't seem to fit well.
The sound quality is outstanding (once you manage to line up your transmitter and the earphone). SRS WOW HD technology does make a difference.
This earphones fit almost perfectly in your neck and fit well in your ears, and since they are very light then don't fall off easily. Perfect for running, jogging or similar activities.
My two biggest complains are poor call quality and poor blue-tooth reception. Also, the ear rubber pieces fall off the little speakers very often. I would like to see an improved blue-tooth reception, a much better call quality and noise-canceling earbuds (the currently offered earbuds are not very good) all of it in the exact same design. I think Motorola nailed it with this device but making this little improvements will make this earphones the best of the market.
User Rating: 
3/10
Returned it 4 times in 10 months
Pros: Great sound, easy to pairing, light weight and comfortable, on wires.
Cons: I had to return or exchange my S9-HD 4 times in 10 months because the microphone stops working about every 2.5 months.
User Rating: 
5/10
Not great with iPod touch
Pros: Sound quality was a little flst untill I enabled the SRS option. After that it was very bass heavy. The fit was good on my large head.
Cons: I have an iPot touch that has os 3. I expected that the bluetooth functions of the Ipod would match up with the s9-HD. The fast forward, pause and rewind DO NOT work unless you use the included dongle. Even at that the connections drops all the time
User Rating: 8/10
Good Stereo Bluetooth, Good enough Call Quality
Pros: -Superb Audio Quality
-Good Range
- Easy Paring and controls
- Fair Enough call quality
Cons: -Fits awkwardly for me, you get used to it but i feel they should had worked on the design more.
User Rating: 
10/10
Only one word "Outstanding"
Pros: The sound quality is amazing.
It connected to my iPhone without any issue.
Cons: I could see where it might be somewhat uncomfortable to someone with a large head.
User Rating: 1/10
If it only worked as advertised!!
Pros: Great Sound!!! Light weight
Cons: It does not work if you sweat a lot, I have returned one and the second I cannot return Motorola wont answer my calls, emails and faxes .These units are useless if you want to use them for sports, The control buttons do not work after one month.
A much better purchase is the S305, cheaper and more comfortable.
Motorola customer service and International warranty are simply non existant: stinks!!!
STAY AWAY FROM THIS HEADSET!!!
User Rating: 5/10
S9 was not dependable not sure about the Rokr S9
Pros: no experience with this product but the S9 was junk. after a few months the left channel stopped working. Motorola replaced the S9. After a few more months the new replacement pair stopped working too. Motorola did not replace the new pair.
Cons: good design , good sound, fantastic idea.
User Rating: 5/10
Worst "connectivity" known to man
Pros: Lightweight. Great sound (when not cutting out)
Cons: cuts out when you enter the outdoors. This is a show stopper for me.
You will find my pair of INDOOR s9-HD headphones on ebay... :)
User Rating: 3/10
Products function buttons will fail after moderate use.
Pros: product has good sound and is lightweight
Cons: I had to return my s9 6 times (yes, no exageration) under warranty, and this was with normal use in the gym, no abuse of any kind. Each time motorola replaced it with a new one, every new device failed the same way.
User Rating: 1/10
Like it BUT...... too many issues had to return
Pros: Light weight, looks cool, sounds fantastic (but see below)
Cons: Constantly cut out with Apple iPhone (and the iPhone works fine with two other bluetooth stereo headsets I've tried), the controls are a little hard to use without poking your ears and not very intuitive.
User Rating: 6/10
Walking, running, and work out no problems
Pros: The sound is great I use with my Omnia i9810.
Cons: The rubber cover for the micro usb port for charging
User Rating: 
2/10
Useless product! Don't sweat or expect customer support
Pros: IF they worked, they would be very convenient for using with an active lifestyle (gym, bicycle, jogging, etc) ... too bad you can't do those things with these headphones
Cons: You can't sweat at all in them!! Any mild sweating causes the buttons to not work.
ear buds are not very comfortable
Customer support is poor!
I tried using mine in the gym and when bicycling.
Evidently, you can't let any sweat get on the headphones, or the buttons go bad. Do a google search to see how many complaints there are about these headphones. Plus, see the YouTube video which shows one recommended work-around by spraying the headphones with hairspray before using, in order to creat a type of protective sealant against any form of perspiration.
Additionally, Motorola support is pretty useless. After making it through the voice-activated call-screening system I received "help" from a tech who really didn't seem very keen in helping me. My problem is that I bought my headsets when back home in the US, but I live and work overseas. Motorola, for being an international company, does not provide INTERNATIONAL support!!!! When I repeatedly asked to speak with his supervisor, he refused and said they have no supervisors available. After the 5th request to speak with a supervisor I gave up on that idea. He finally relented from my insistence and told me that they will ship me a replacement product to a relative's address in the US (great... now I have to wait until December to have my second pair break within a few days!!).
I will repeat the refrain of so many others. DON'T BUY THIS PRODUCT and avoid the hassles of dealing with poor product quality and poor support.
By the way, in my google search I came across so many complaints of people replacing these headphones between 3 and 13(!!!!) times!!!!
User Rating: 8/10
S9-HD A big Step up from its older Model S9
Pros: Great Bass, Best i heard for Bluetooth
Makes great use of the SRS effects in songs unlike the older S9
Slight light design. Good for light - medium outdoor activities.
Water Resistant, everything is sealed up to protect from rain
Cons: **Box lists Apple as one of its supported models, But Fails to mention next/previous track not supported by any Current OS (3.0)
Position of where you hold your phone will determine interference AKA skips
**Price should be $99 like the older S9**
Amazing sound, Great Bass, Nice slim Design just like the normal S9, 6 hour Battery could be a little better, but very workable
Although the S9-HD should be $99 like the older S9 which its Replacing (S9 is discontinued now) i paied the full 129.99 CND at Futureshop, and have no complaints other then the lack of Iphone track skipping support. Which has nothing to do with the headphones itself
User Rating: 
9/10
very good, would reccomend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pros: very good reception, have no issues with cutting out like other reviews, very lightweight, look good, sound great!!! love the ipod adaptor and the case. good battery life also!!
Cons: a little uncomftrable to me after extended use (like 1.5 houss), but might be the way my ears are :p
i also like how the charge time is relatively short!!!!
my pair of them work great with my razr v3 and ipod touch 2g on 3.0, i would definatly reccomend to a friend!!!!! dont listen to all the cutting out crap, they work great
User Rating: 5/10
Hurt Like Hell!!"
Pros: Sound great look great
Cons: Pinch your ears
User Rating: 9/10
Great sound quality for music & calls.
Pros: The sound quality on this headset was great, especially for the price. Great job with music - especially using the SRS Wow settings. Can really hear the bass and doesn't sound at all tinny. Good sound on calls too. Easy to use controls.
Cons: Only problem I have is the fit. I have kind of a small head so the earbuds don't quite sit in my ears like they should. But it's workable, so I'm fine. I would not use these for working out, though. They just don't feel that stable.
User Rating: 1/10
Great if not sweating or riding a bike
Pros: Ear bud design
Stereo
Sound (when it works)
Cons: Bluetooth transmitter
Volumen buttons freeze and erroneously change up & down
Sweat/water seeps under protective cover
DO NOT BUY THESE based on expert reviews they haven't used them like we do to know.
User Rating: 10/10
Amazing for the people who aren't picky
Pros: Great sound, Great call qulity, Easy conect, just great.
Cons: nothing really just dont sweat to much just to be safe and dont block the connection.
User Rating: 9/10
A great headset, with great sound, good connectivity
Pros: Unlike the CNet review, I had no trouble with stability of the headset while jogging. The sound quality is such an improvement over my original S9, and rivals wired headphones everywhere except in bass. Excellent bluetooth connction to my HTC Touch.
Cons: While bass is much better than in the original S9, the earpieces still are external to the ear, limiting the bass response. My experience with Bluetooth is that it is a little TOO sensitive, picking up other people's cell phones!
User Rating: 6/10
Improved reliability over S9. Stereo phone calls.
Pros: Stereo audio for phone calls and richer, deeper bass as compared to S9. I have used these for the past month and they already have outlasted my S9's - double the lifespan!
Cons: Same as before and noted elsewhere; comfort could be an issue especially if you have long hair.
User Rating: 8/10
Great headset, excellent sound!!!
Pros: Sound is excellent!!!
Cons: I wish that the unit was more snug around the back of my head.
User Rating: 8/10
Best wireless headphones
Pros: Great sound quality and easy connectivity. It paired really well with both my Sprint Instinct and my Ipod touch. I would highly recommend this for anyone who is looking to get rid of those annoying headphones with wires that tangle up or break.
Cons: Fit wise, it took some getting used too, but other than that no cons on this product at all.
User Rating: 9/10
a very good sounding wireless headset
Pros: found this product to have very good sound in low and mid level decibles and connection to ipod via adapter was a breeze. love the wireless at the gym no worry of catching a wireon equipment or your arm.
Cons: noticed at very loud decibles the bass of what was the crystal clear sound starts to distort the quality even if bass is lowered in ipod settings. also some issues applying headset to pc's (xp ok vista not that simple)
