Home > Consumer Reviews > Motorola H 98689 T820 Bluetooth Stereo Headset (Black)

To echo what most reviewers are saying, these are great bluetooth headphones. I use them to listen to movies/TV on my PC when others in the room don't want to be disturbed, and they are consistently excellent.

A lot of reviewers are questioning the "high-quality audio" claims of the HT820. These people need to get a clue. There are two prominent Bluetooth audio profiles: basic and stereo. The stereo profile is called "A2DP." MOST PHONES AND OTHER BT SOURCES DO NOT SUPPORT A2DP. In fact, most non-"musicphones" that weren't launched in the last year (like every Motorola RAZR others than the V3i and the V3m) do not feature A2DP.

If your phone supports A2DP, you will get crystal clear stereo sound. If it doesn't, you will get low-bitrate mono-sound. In which case, you are wasting money on a set of headphones like these. BUT DON'T BLAME THE HEADSET, blame your phone manufacturer for cheaping out.

This is the best Bluetooth stereo headset that I have found so far. In "headset" mode these work great with Skype or a Bluetooth phone. The audio quality in "headset" mode is average at best but that is typical for a telephone headset. The built in microphone is effective as long as the ambient noise level isn't too high. It might be an improvement to put the microphone on a small boom.

These headphones can also operate in "audio sink" mode if the device you are pairing them with supports it. In "audio sink" mode the audio quality is very good for playing music or watching movies.

My sole complaint about this headset is that they are uncomfortable to wear for extended periods - several hours at a stretch.

Durable. Sounds great. Mic provides good sound for those on the other endof the connection. I like the wrap-around fit (walkman-style headphones look dorky - wrap around is better). Although.. after 30 minutes the tips of my ears can become sore which I am learning to cope with. I use it with Motorola L2 cell phone and Anycom 250 USB dongle for Skype. This is the one to get. I had a competing Plantronics product -- in fact two of them -- but they both broke in the same place due to the use of plastic in high-stress areas. The Motorola design is much smarter.

I used these headphones with the HTC Advantage 7501 and it worked very well. The sound was very good and the controls worked as advertised. However, the ear pads come off easily and after only one week I lost one. Motorola said they don't sell the ear pads separately and apologized for the inconvenience. They were a bit uncomfortable with the ear pads so obviously without one the headphones were unusable. Seems like a design flaw to me and I feel a bit ripped off. If you do decide to purchase this product I would immediately glue them in place.

Cons, or here's what you need to ask:

1. Does your phone support A2DP? If not you won't get high quality stereo, if you get audio out of it at all.
2. Does your phone support AVRCP? If not you won't be able to remote control your songs on your phone. You'll have to use your buttons on the phone.
3. Does your bluetooth adapter support A2DP? If not you won't get high quality stereo.
4. Does your bluetooth adapter support AVRCP? If no, you won't be able to remote control your computer player.
5. Do you mind plugging in the headphones with a mini audio cable if that's the only way to get stereo? It comes with a short cable in case you have a device that only supports a mini jack.
6. Do you mind buying the Motorola DC800 for all your other wireless remote listening needs? That's going to add some cost but can connect to most audio devices so you can go wireless.
7. Do you like the style?
8. Is your head not too big for the strap? It's not adjustable.
9. Can you be careful not to lose the earpads? They come off easily.
10. Are you using it in a noisy/windy environment? The mic does not perform well in that environment, otherwise it works great.

Reasons to get this:

1. It works great if you have support for A2DP and AVRCP. I have found that the software that supports this the best is BlueSoleil on BlueTake BT007SX bluetooth adapter. See my review of that.
Bluetake BT007SX EDR Bluetooth Adapter (USB, 100m)
Bluetake BT007SX Bluetooth EDR USB Adapter
and for shorter range at higher price (go figure that out?):
Bluetake BT009SX EDR Bluetooth Adapter (USB, 10m)
Bluetake BT009SX EDR Bluetooth Adapter (USB, 10m)
2. The remote controls are great if you have the right phone or bluetooth adapter/software.
3. It charges very fast.
4. The charge lasts a long time.
5. The phone and stereo quality are quite good.
6. You can plug it in with a mini jack if you have no other options.
7. It's techno-cool.

-j