Etymotic etyBLU

Etymotic played a very huge role in bringing high quality earphones to the mainstream while other companies were still developing these earphones specifically for musicians and studio professionals. The increased sales of portable media devices and advanced mobile phones were one of the influences along with the fact that the earphones that most models come with have only mediocre quality. Etymotic responded with various models that cost a bit more, but bring about noticeable changes in sound quality, comfort, and convenience. Now Etymotic is targeting the business users that rely on the convenience of Bluetooth headsets. Their approach is to bring the same sound quality that made their other products famous to a wireless solution. This product is known as the Etymotic etyBLU Bluetooth Headset.

Etymotic etyBLU Bluetooth Headset

Design and Comfort

The most surprising thing about the Etymotic etyBLU is that it actually uses the same comfortable triple flanged eartip that is used in the other popular Etymotic models like the 6i and hf2. This means the same setup procedure in inserting the earphone as well as the same comfortable seal and noise isolation benefits which is necessary in keeping the calls clear. Like the other Etymotic models, foam tips are included in the package and can be used as a substitute any time.

The design of the Etymotic etyBLU veers away from the traditional Bluetooth headset models by innovatively extending the noise-canceling directional microphone so that it is placed very near the mouth. At the same time, the ear gets the full comfort effectively blocking 98% of the background noise.

Looking at the device overall, this is not the kind of device for people that are into fashion. However, the design is very sleek for all people who love gadgets to appreciate. The black design may even match a few mobile phones. There are even some controls to perk it up like the shortcuts for activating certain features such as call answering, call waiting, 3-way, voice dialing and call transferring although this can vary amongst different plans.

The Etymotic etyBLU package primarily consists of the etyBLU Dual-Mode Noise-Isolating Headset and the MLUmaxx Quick-Connect Mic that go together for full functionality. An earloop is also included as an optional accessory for keeping the headset in place. A windscreen and replacement filters are also included for cleaning purposes. When the device isn’t used, the Etymotic etyBLU may be charged using the USB charging case or can be placed inside the compact carrying case.

Features

The Etymotic etyBLU features two microphones that make sure quality voice is transmitted. The first microphone is built into the end of the earpiece while the other serves as the extender with noise cancelling features. It equalizes the microphone features with a self-supporting profile to make usage simple.

The internal mic can always be used for conversations where the outside environment isn’t noisy. As a standalone Bluetooth headset, the etyBLU still outperforms the lower costing Bluetooth headsets. The BLUmaxx external mic mode makes use of the second is ideal for noisier environments thanks to the 25 dB increase for noise cancellation. The etyBLU is up-to-date with the times as it fully complies with the Bluetooth 2.1+EDR specification. The device can be used for nearly 7 hours during talk time or can stay on standby for over 100 hours.

This Bluetooth headset is not clearly for listening to music since there is no second earpiece. However, the sound quality is superb where voices are very clear. The near-perfect response accuracy makes the headset efficient for recording live conversations without annoying background noise. As long as the device and Bluetooth headset do not fall out of Bluetooth range, the entire experience should be smooth.

Bottom Line

The Etymotic etyBLU Bluetooth Headset successfully brought their patented technologies to Bluetooth headsets. There are a lot of technologies backing it up making it recommended for people that find their existing Bluetooth headset lackluster. Others that use Bluetooth headsets more often will be impressed with the sound and noise cancellation. The Etymotic etyBLU Bluetooth Headset costs a bit over $100 which isn’t bad because of the nice features and nifty accessories.

Average User Rating:
Actual User Reviews:
• “I have been trying unsuccessfully to find a bluetooth head set that worked well for 3 years. My problem during this time is that most of my phone calls are long i.e. 10-20 minutes and some longer. I have found a few headsets including three Plantronics units that work great but either drop the call or the connection with the phone after being on a call for over 5-10 minutes. To date, I have tried 7 headsets from three manufacturers with no success. None of them will last longer than 20 continuous minutes and most don’t sound very good. I saw the etyBLU unit was coming out and was eager to try it since I love my ER4p’s that I have owned for 5 years now. They were finally available and I purchased one hoping that someone got it right. Boy, did Etymotic get this right. This headset is GREAT! My second call using them lasted 40 minutes and the headset worked just fine. Also, I used the extended boom with the noise canceling and the other conference call participants thought I sounded much better than when I used my other headsets. I was also driving at the time which I usually wasn’t when I used the other headsets. My hats off to the engineers at Etymotic for this headset.I have tried the unit with and without the boom and found that it works best with the boom. I also had to swap out the blue ear flange for the larger gray since it fit my ear better. I haven’t needed to use ear hook so I obviously have no experience to relate. Battery life is good to great. I have been able to be on several calls lasting over 2 hours without the battery giving out. This is not something I could say about the Motorola or the Plantronics devices. All of the units state that they have many hours of talk time but usually it translates to 2-3 hours at best. The Plantronics was the weakest at under 2 hours. I haven’t run the Etymotic until its battery is dead so I can’t provide total talk time but it is at least 3 hours.” – S.Crawford (IL, USA)

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• “I love driving ragtops – the wind in your hair, the sun on your face – but if you use a cell phone and need a headset – you are pretty much out of luck. I got a great response out of the Shure Quietspot earpiece – but it was wired and had no control button on the earpiece itself – all calls had to be generated through the phone. It was a decent compromise. I tried a variety of Bluetooth earpieces but they either were too quiet on my end to hear through the wind noise, or the person on the other end of the call couldn’t hear me. The Etyblu fixed that! The boom mic is clear as a bell and people don’t realize I’m calling from a convertible. The sound quality on my end is great. I did have some problems getting it to fit right. Frankly I had to use the soft rubber insert with the earclip to get it to stay in right – the flanged in-ear adapters just didn’t cut it for me. However, it is easy enough to put on and it is worth the extra second to use it. There is occasionally a slight bit of static noise, but not much. Battery life seems really good so far. I am really pleased with this device! If it wasn’t for the fit issues I’d give it a solid “5″ but it’s really better than a Four in my book!” – N.Caruso (CT, USA)

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