Any audiophile -- by which I mean "one who insists on extremely high-end sound quality" as opposed to "anyone who likes music," an all too common misuse of the word -- would only ever listen to portable music on their high-end, hardwired headphones, rather than wireless Bluetooth headphones like the Altec Lansing Backbeat 906, introduced at MacWorld and to be displayed at CES. When sound quality is your only concern, that single wire is well worth being able to use headphones with powerful drivers that sometimes requiring a portable amplifier.
The vast majority of us have no business calling ourselves audiophiles (if you didn't pay at least $5,000 for your speakers, you're out of the running in most cases). And for us, Bluetooth headphones are not without their charms -- chiefly among them the abolition of the headphone cord, that notorious tangler with bag straps and snagger of obstacles. Early models put too much weight on the listener's ears; Altec Lansing hopes it got the design right with its new Backbeat series, featuring both in-ear buds that seal with the ear canal and loops that go around the outside of the ear.
Altec Lansing worked with Bluetooth earpiece manufacturer
Plantronics to increase call quality through the device's dual omnidirectional microphones, used to make calls while not listening to music. Plantronics' OpenMic adds external audio to your mix so you don't get run over while talking, while its AudioIQ raises call volume to compete with background noise. Extra features include voice dial, last-number redial and call transfers from phone to headset and vice versa, so you can switch back and forth if necessary.
"The new Backbeat 906 wireless earphones are engineered for superior acoustic accuracy, balance, and clarity... without getting tangled up in wires and cords," stated Bernice Cramer, VP of Marketing for Altec
Lansing. "We think users are going to love the amazing new design and fit, as well as automatically opening up the mic to their surroundings with just the touch of a button."
Here are the Backbeat 906's specs from Altec Lansing. The otherwise identical 903 unit lacks the Bluetooth transmitter required by the iPhone and other portables that lack the Bluetooth A2DP profile for stereo audio (choose the 903 if your phone has A2DP):
The
Altec Lansing Backbeat 906 ($130 with transmitter) and Backbeat 903
($100 without transmitter) are scheduled to ship in February.
(It sucks that iPhone users need to add the bulky transmitter in order to use this. Hopefully, the next iPhone will feature the stereo audio
Bluetooth A2DP profile for streaming music to headphones, car stereos and home entertainment systems, or Apple will enable A2DP with a firmware upgrade to existing iPhones and iPod Touches.)
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