Custom AX2

Overivew

This is an unusual review in that I am testing a headset you cannot go out and buy commercially at this time. It is; however, a headset you can make yourself. Bob Hamilton AKA Mr Wiskers on HoFo came up with the idea for this headset in an attempt to meet his needs for a functional headset in a noisy environment. A lot of headsets claim to have noise canceling ability but few deliver on that promise in a way most of us would consider useful. The key to this headset is the incorporation of the ety-com microphone. Information on it can be found here and here. More information is available here. The cost for this headset is $69.00 from the manufacturer. Additionally you will need an AX2 Bluetooth headset. The AX2 is a small light weight headset that is a follow on to the Bluespoon AX with several improvements and a reasonable $79.00 list price. The combination will cost you $148.00 exclusive of shipping and taxes assuming you can't find either at a discount. You still have the task of taking the two apart and soldering in the microphone from the ety*com to the AX2. However, there is no headset on the market that will match its performance on noise cancellation at the sound quality level you will get from this combo. I am getting a little ahead of myself so I will hold off saying more until we get into the meat of this review. Bob indicated that he will be providing me with how-to photos and instructions and I will include them in the final version of this review.

ety*com Specifications

RECEIVER

Transducer type: balanced armature

Impedance: 32 Ohms @ 1 kHz

Maximum continuous input: 1 V

Sound pressure level 1 kHz: 97 ±3 dB @ 0.1 V

Frequency response: 22 Hz to 12 kHz

MICROPHONE

Microphone type: directional electret

Operating voltage: 1.0 V to 10.0 V

Close talking sensitivity: -46 ±3 dB dB re: 1 V/Pa @ 1 kHz

(measured @ 15 mm from source)

Noise Rejection: 10 dB

(compared to an omnidirectional microphone at the same location)

Bluespoon AX2 Specifications

8 Hours Talk Time
* Up to 1500 Hours Standby
* 2 Year Manufacturer Warranty
* Bluetooth v1.2 Compliant
* Only Weighs 10 Grams!
* Includes AC charging unit

Bluespoon AX2 is a discrete device with a weight of 10 grams. It is 42 mm long, 25mm wide and 27 deep. It is based on a three button interface used to control the functionality of the headset. It has a mini-USB adapter used to charge the headset through USB port of your PC/MAC and it has user exchangeable coin cell type battery. Charging time is approx. 2 hours. AC charging unit is included

Results

Build and Construction: The new AX2 appears to be better made than the original AX and the problems with cracked shells appears to have been fixed. The fit and finish are definitely improved. The microphone from ety also appears to be of excellent quality construction and Bob did an excellent job of assembling them together. I could only detect a small blemish where he pried the lid off of the AX2. It looks like a factory made unit. He even had a nice pouch for carrying it. In his personal use he has custom made earplugs made for wearing the headset. He also stated that the Jabra ear gels would work. I had a set of them and while I could put them on the unit, I could not get them comfortably in my ear due to the diameter of the speaker on the headset. I reverted to the AX2 spring arrangement which I find reasonably comfortable. It isn't as comfortable as the Plantronics D640 or the Flamingo, but it is close and I can wear it for a few hors without a problem.

Comfort: Speaking of comfort, this is always a tricky question. If you followed Bob's advise it would probably be the most comfortable headset you could find but that would add a couple of hundred dollars more to the cost. If you had to wear it all day it would be worth it; however, if you only need it occasionally, that is a steep price to add on. I would recommend trying the AX2 soft spring and if that fails try the Jabra ear gels.

Me and the Custom AX2

Visual size comparison between AX2, D640, Custom AX2, ety*com, and theBoom

Connectivity: Pairing the AX2 is easy. You put the unit into pairing mode by holding the power button until the connect button/LED until the LED flashes red & blue. You then use the code of 0000 in your phone device to establish the pairing. I had no problem pairing it to a BB 8700 and a BB 7290. The unit will go into a sleep mode if left idle long enough or if it is taken out of range from the handset but one can re-establish the live connection by just pressing the answer button quickly. On powering it on, it instantly connects to the handset. I have not had it drop a connection while in use and I found in my distance test it had one of the best ranges I have seen in any unit. It is sensitive to placement relative to the handset and does not like the handset to be on the left hip if the headset is in the right ear and vice-versa.

ety*com headset (sorry for lack of focus)

Distance Test Custom AX2

Distance Test D640

Sound Quality: Outgoing sound quality was very good to excellent. incoming sound quality is also very good to excellent. I found incoming sound to generally be clear and full. Callers said that this was the best sounding headset they had heard in both quiet and noisy environments. They stated that the sound was loud and clear and even when I was in a noisy location, they often could not tell unless I pointed it out to them and then the difference would register, but only if it was really "drive you nuts" loud. However, I will let you be the judge in the sound comparison between 6 units, first in a quiet environment and then in a noisy environment and the custom AX2. Noise cancellation is extremely good with the exception of wind noise. It does not come with a wind sock and I did not try it with a wind sock. Volume level was very good, rarely needing more than a 1/2 volume setting.

The following is a new feature. This is a recording of what the user wearing the headset hears in the earpiece in terms of quality.

Listener Earpiece Sound Quality

Custom AX2

Quiet Sound Tests using 8700:

Custom AX2

Plantronics D640

Plantronics V510

Plantronics M3000

nXZEN 5500

Sony Ericsson HBH-610

Flamingo

Noise Cancellation: Noise cancellation is superb. In every test you can not hear the background noise unless the level is staggering and it never overpowers the speaker, The real miracle is that it accomplishes this noise reduction without the digital drop outs and digital sound imparted by other noise canceling headsets. It is far less obtrusive than some sets that achieve noise cancellation at the expense of audio quality. The D510 was the former leader in this category. A brief test I conducted in a mild breeze showed it to be sensitive to wind noise but I need further testing to determine whether that is at an unbearable level or not.

Noise Tests using 8700:

Custom AX2

Standard AX2

The Boom Wired Headset

ety*com Wired Headset

Plantronics D640

Plantronics V510

Plantronics M3000

nXZEN 5500

Sony Ericsson HBH-610

Flamingo

In Car Tests:

Plantronics V510 with 7100t in Car

Flamingo in car with HW6510

Plantronics D640 in Car

Custom AX2 in Car

Custom AX2 at highway Speed

Wind Noise Test:

Custom AX2 with no windsock

Custom AX2 with make shift Windsock

Ease of Use: The unit is easy to use with just three buttons, one being a nice round large button for connecting, disconnecting, powering on & off and pairing. The other two are for volume up and down. I find the unit easy to use and comfortable. It is small but very ergonomically designed so you don't have to struggle to find the right button to use when you need it.

Me and theBoom

Other Comments: So far, this unit appears to be the best in meeting my criteria due to its small size, high comfort level, excellent sound quality for both the sender and the receiver, good range and good battery life. No other headset has better noise cancellation and it is comfortable for an eyeglass wearer. It appears to have better sound than the Flamingo and much better noise cancellation. If there is any drawback to the unit it is that it is not commercially available and the boom mic can be an annoyance. What I mean by that is that you can easily forget it is there and hit it with an object like your hand or food. I suppose some people will complain that it is geekier looking to have a boom mic too. Finally, wind sensitivity appears to be an issue

I found that when the unit moves out of range and then back into range you must reestablish an active connection by clicking the power button. It immediately becomes an active connection. It supports muting, call transfer, call waiting, and last number redial. Another nice feature is the removable and replaceable battery.

Conclusion

This custom headset is a real winner! Great sound, great noise cancellation, good wind noise immunity, good battery life, small and light weight and relatively comfortable. If it were commercially available it would be my first choice. It has a USB charging port but it is a custom mini USB and not the same as the BlackBerry's. It comes with a neck lanyard that has a mini USB connector that is used to connect to the headset and hold it on the lanyard until ready for use.