Bluetooth Headset Headphones

Cardo Systems SCALA 500 Bluetooth Headset Review

I bought this headset because everyone said it was LOUD.

I have hearing problems, and I want a headset that I can hear. If that were my only criteria, this would be a good headset. This is my second headset, and I found that there were several features I had taken for granted on my old headset that are lacking in this one.

My old headset was a Motorola HS-850 headset Motorola HS850 Bluetooth Headset (Silver)[Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]. Features I liked on it: You could answer the phone by flipping open the boom, thereby turning on the headset and linking it to the phone. The back of this is flat and covered in a thin sheet of a rubber-like substance, which makes it easy to use with an in-ear hearing aid and has an edge that tends to block outside noise. It has about the same degree of loudness as the Cardo. It makes a little blip in my ear when the phone rings. This is useful when I have the phone in my handbag, which muffles the ring, so I don’t always hear the phone itself. When I go somewhere with friends, I wear the headset and can contact them or be contacted if we get separated. The headset is comfortable. It feels loose, and precarious, but has never fallen off and is actually quite secure, and is so comfortable that I’ve forgotten I was wearing it. The headset has a volume control. It turns on and off by flipping the boom mic open or closed, so it’s easy to see instantly if it’s on.

New, Cardo headset: takes long enough to turn on and link that you can’t use it to answer the phone with any degree of reliability, i.e., the phone will stop being answerable before you can get the headset working if it’s not already on. The back of this is flatter than most headsets, but still extends into the outer ear a bit. The shape might work with an in-ear hearing aid, but it would work better with some than others. The part the sound comes from is metal, and would probably bang loudly against a hearing aid, although I haven’t tried it. When the phone rings, the headset remains silent. This may not be a problem for others, but it makes it too easy for me to miss calls. The headset is comfortable for about two seconds, then it’s uncomfortable, and after a minute, it begins to HURT! The headset is very tight on the ear and does not feel like it will fall off. You can’t forget you’re wearing it because of the pain. I think this is not specific to me, personally, because there’s a very small amount of space between the back of the headset and the earpiece, so it’s going to pinch anyone’s ear. This headset has no volume control and relies solely on the volume control of the phone. There’s a button to turn it on and off, but you have to hold the button for a while to do this. Lights are the only visible indication that it’s on or off, and you may have to wait a few seconds to tell. Everything about the operation of this headset feels slow and clunky.

Both headsets tend to boost human speech in the higher ranges. This makes both of them sound tinny, but does a lot to enhance the understandability of speech, a plus for both.

I had a friend complain about background noise when I talked to him over this headset. He said it sounded like there was a fan on nearby. There was NO noise at all in my apartment at the time.

I wish I had spent the money on another Motorola headset, and I’ll probably buy another one as soon as I can scrape up the money. You can buy Cheap Cardo Systems SCALA 500 Bluetooth Headset & more at everyday low prices.