Comfort/fit/fashion
Nokia's BH-501 Bluetooth Headset are worn as full wrap-around headphones. Like most full headsets, they're in no way inconspicuous — and because you've got "Nokia" emblazoned in big letters on each ear, you're also providing a significant chunk of mobile advertising when you wear them. Our only concern with the BH-501 concerns the volume up/down buttons; if you're a glasses wearer you may find that tapping on them grinds your frame into your ear a touch.
Sound quality
The BH-501 impressed us with its sound quality, with rich and deep bass comparable to most wired headsets and distinctive treble. Volume range was impressive, with only a touch of distortion at the top level, which is noted by an audible beep when you hit it — a nice safety warning to stop you inadvertently blowing your eardrums off.
Pairing/ease of use
The BH-501's simple three-button setup lets you set normal phone functions — call answering and volume, as well as ordinary music volume if you're using purely as a pair of headphones. Nokia claims an optimal range of around 10 metres from an audio device; we managed around half that in our home test environment.
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c13833
16/09/2008, 01:22 PM
rating
9/10
Great sound from the headphones. I love it. Best I've had. I can't go without them. The crisp sound quality is great.
Pros: Sound, bluetooth arrangement.
Cons: Headband easily breakable.
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zemran
19/08/2008, 10:26 PM
rating
1/10
I have got through 2 pairs of these and they break far too easilly. The plastic over the ears is too weak and after being used a few times it starts to crack and then breaks.
Pros: Good sound and easy use
Cons: very bad build quality
loses signal if you have your phone in the wrong pocket.
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Bugnacious
30/07/2008, 02:34 PM
rating
3/10
I can't connect these to a PC which is why I bought them & it says on the packet they are meant to! THere is no software available to correct this that I can find from nokia or else??!!!
Pros: I haven't used them yet!
Cons: They don't work - nor are they working with my iPhone!!!!???? HELP!
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baumblatt
15/07/2008, 11:40 PM
rating
4/10
Good sound but unconfortable. The left staff broke after one month, I tried to fix by adding super bonder but one week later the other staff just broke.
Pros: Good sound;
Cons: Signal easily affected by physical barriers; The staffs are very fragile.
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asherr
01/04/2008, 03:45 PM
rating
5/10
Good sound but unconfortable. Found them very good to job with and rarely had any drop out.
Pros: Easy to pair.
Very good sound.
No drop out issues
Good integration with Nokia phones as a headset.
Cons: Stopped working after I dropped them on the ground.
No indicator of battery life.
No option to skip or go back tracks.
No option to pause player.
Uncomfortable after a while.
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jesus4c
31/03/2008, 10:15 PM
rating
5/10
Loved 'em - 'til they snapped for no apparent reason. And as Nokia's warranty doesn't cover 'physical' damage, despite them being very well looked after, I'm now without headphones.
Pros: Comfortable, easy to use, great sound.
Cons: Weak plastic. Breaks easily.
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chaitow
26/02/2008, 02:24 PM
rating
7/10
Great set of BT Headphones, excellent sound, simple pairing and available from a fair way away.
Pros: Easy to pair, distance / range not a problem, excellent sound. if connection is dropped picks it up again pretty well.
Cons: Not usable with my bluetooth mouse, whenever i move the mouse the headphones cut out
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Yetsune
09/02/2008, 10:24 PM
rating
7/10
A faily good pair of earphones that remains relatively cheap without sacrificing sound quality. Unfortunately its poor build quality and 1.2 Bluetooth means that the Bh-501 is more suited for indoor or in-transit usage. Of the 2 headphones I bought, both had a slight background hiss on the right side of the headphone but this is usually unnoticeable during audio playback.
Pros: Good sound clarity.
Rich bass, puts most headband headphones to shame
Lightweight and compact, fits nicely into a backpack compartment.
Acceptable range when paired with a PC fitted with a Bluetooth antenna.
Cons: Range is somewhat limited when paired with cellphone.
Cheap spongey material, no acoustic seal.
Feels a little flimsy and fragile, not good for jogging.
Doesn't come with a carrying case (since you can squash it quite easily by accident in a backpack).
Windows XP driver not included.
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bibliobudgie
01/02/2008, 05:35 PM
rating
3/10
These headphones keep dropping out when I move around! I bought them specifically to exercise and walk without wires and if you do that the dropping out is almost constant. They are also not loud enough and don't keep out ambient noise. I feel ripped off!!
Pros: good style.
Cons: Drops out all the time.
Not loud enough.
Do not keep out ambient noise.
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masqn
22/01/2008, 01:04 PM
rating
5/10
Enormous! THe ear clips dig into my ears and I can't wear them for long. Very flimsy plastic broke quicly. Foam degrades very quickly. SOund is good. After only 3 months, these are now the headphones I wear to the gym because they work but don't look pretty and I don't mind sweating into them. Drops out A LOT if you move around
Pros: Nice sound
Very good at blocking ambient noise
Cons: Uncomfortable
Bulky to carry
Regular drop-outs (Constant really)
Flimsy
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