Three weeks with the Nokia BH-905
by Volker Weber
Photo: Nokia
Almost three weeks ago I told you about the Nokia Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-905 with active noise cancellation. Time for an update. It works exactly as advertised, if you are not trying to use it with an iPhone. And Apple is to blame here.
The headset pairs with iPod, iPhone or iPad just nicely. But it does not work very well. I can listen to music on both the iPod and iPad, but not on the iPhone. Controlling the Apple device only works partially. I can start and stop music, but I cannot jump tracks. Making phone calls, on mobile or VoIP does not work at all.
How do you do to find the company to blame? You switch devices. Enter the BlackBerry Bold 9700, stage left. Pair with the Nokia headset:
It recognizes all profiles and works absolutely brilliantly. You can play music, skip forward and backwards, control the volume, pause and play. When a call comes in, the music fades out and you hear a ring. One tip with your finger and you have accepted the call. Noise cancellation is an independent subsystem that works whether you are playing music or accepting a call.
The Nexus One works as nicely as the BlackBerry. As you would expect, the Nokias aren't bad either. It's just the Apple iOS Bluetooth stack that is broken. If you are having issues with your iPhone/car setup, look no further than Apple. On my iMac I have zero difficulties with the headset though. It recognizes both the input and the output side of the BH-905. I can use it to play music or to make Skype calls.
Would I recommend the headset? You bet. Unless you plan to use it with an iPhone.
PS: If you need to wire the headset with a PC that has separate mic/phone sockets, you need the AD-77 adapter.
Comments
Only had my BH-905 for a week (thanks vowe for the tip) and really, really like it. (Yes I have an iPhone ;) ) For regular listening to music I prefer using a cable though - I'm not that happy with the Bluetooth sound quality - I can hear compression artifacts when it's coupled to the MBP. Also I had to realize that I have to use the 3.5mm adapter on the MBP - otherwise the headphones sound like a tin can.
Noise reduction is working very nice though (not only works on trains and planes, but also when the offspring is having the TV on)
Volker, does this headset have the atomatic call repetition on push of a button (which drives everybody mad that I know)?
If it does, can it be disabled?
Am using the Dr. Dre Studio headset (Monster) and willing to change.
How do you find the shape of the headband? It looks a little weird in video reviews I've seen.
Hi. I am very pleased with my BH 905 headset, but wonder why the mic doesn't seem to work on skype, althought the headphone side of things does, using bluetooth on my PC. The mic works using my 6230i Nokia phone on bluetooth. Any help here would be most welcome. Thanks.
Hugh
