PLANTRONICS Backbeat 903 Behind-The-Neck Stereo Bluetooth Headset

Pros: - The audio quality is surprisingly good. The frequency response is decently flat and it has the range. I would say it's enough to justify higher-bitrate mp3s.
- No active light, it's actually decent-looking
- Standard microusb connector, 5 volt charge
- Stiff cord prevents tangle while allowing storage in small places. This is close to the ideal form factor.
- Bluetooth/A2DP is flawless (Motorola droid, also tested with windows stacks) It handles calls and voice prompts accordingly.
- Battery life is good, at least two days of moderate use, haven't tested standby for longer though

Cons: - Loud indicator for every action including each volume change
- Long press (2 seconds) needed to skip foreward/back. It will continue if held longer so you can still navigate back on devices that require a press before the 2 second mark, it will just take a while.
- The connecting cord is stiff enough to dislodge/make uncomfortable the ear pieces when using certain head rests, or pillows (though overall it's still preferable)
- As mentioned the audio is nice, but it varies greatly depending on how much of a seal these feel like providing at any given time. The fit is fairly loose, the adjustment doesn't achieve much, and I'm often holding the ends in my ears to experience some of my more subtle music. there is no sound isolation regardless so these are more suited to quiet environments. (they are loud at the highest volume which might be consolation for some)

Overall Review: - I've used these for 9 months now. The build quality leaves a little to be desired, but cheap plastic means light weight and the weakest part is easily fixed. Some time ago I broke one of the friction collars that holds the adjustment in place; had it in my pocket with some other stuff. A strip of any sort of tape around it restores this functionality.
- There is a bass-boost feature and one that functions like a hearing aid for some reason. If you don't use these it's hard to remember how to enable/disable them when you do so accidentally.
- Comfort is neutral. They aren't bad, you can wear them for a good number of hours, but you can't leave these on all day and forget about them. I treat them as a convenient (passive) headphone replacement so it works.

Also, while I love these, I don't think they are quite worth the MSRP. Avoid doing so if possible.

Pros: - Sound quality is nice.
- Bass boost actually works!
- High maximum volume.
- Seems to pick up voice well (no complaints from the other end of the call). Wind does affect the mic, though.
- Flexible cord makes for easy storage.
- Good long range over reasonably open air. I had it connected from over 25 feet away yesterday

Cons: - For my head and ears, the fit is so-so. Compared with plain ear buds, I always notice that they're on my head. With ear buds, I often didn't notice I was wearing them. I wish the loops were somewhat flexible for a better fit
- Sometimes doesn't sync to both the phone and general audio features on my HTC Hero. For some reason these sync as two separate functions, so it syncs twice when connecting.
- High effort required to press the buttons. This makes it tough to use the press-and-hold features.
- It tends to lose connection when the source / phone is next to my body. The receiver is in the left earpiece so it's recommended to keep the source device toward that side (in the case of a phone or audio player. Putting it in my pants pocket causes signal drops. Holding it on the right side of my body causes drops. Today I had them maybe 16 inches apart, with the phone in my shirt pocket, and it STILL had signal loss every few seconds. If I hold it away from my body it works f

Overall Review: The range thing is odd. Close to the body it drops like mad but when I walk 20+ feet away I have a good connection unless my head is in the LOS between the phone and headset. Maybe this is symptomatic of Bluetooth in general. Either way, it's a bit annoying when the music cuts out constantly. Once I set the phone a foot or two away from me on a table top, it works like a champ.

I recommend testing the fit beforehand. The best sound quality in the world is no good if you can't stand to wear it. For me, it's taking a while to get comfortable with it.

On some calls I have noticed an echo effect that I don't hear with wired buds.

The ability to really crank up the volume has been helpful in the industrial environments I often work in.

Two antennae would be nice so the right-side limitation wouldn't cause so many drops.