| Written by Lennie,
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Favoured : 90 |
This headset looks absolutely stylish, according to the last trends. Extremely solid, it can be of red-and-black design with rubber covering, but we have got totally black ones. S9 is not big, and you won't be looking like Princess Leia. Yup, it looks really great! You will feel sporty and full of pep. But then... Buttons My first thought when I started to study S9 was Oh God! They are naughty and don't obey me! Even the slightest touch brought to unpredicted behavior with tracks changing on a whim. I even had to fit them straight with very big caution. The buttons are freaky, you'll need to acquire a lot of skill to manage them. Very small – one raised and two recessed on each side, so if you have big mighty fingers, they will be not easy to manage... Of course, the good thing is that on the left are Volume and Call controls, and Next/Previous and Play/Stop are on the right, so they can't be confused. You'll hear beeps while increasing and decreasing music volume or changing tracks, and sometimes it bothers. Though, I've read a lot of information concerning these headphones, and some people really love the track controls.
 Design The headband makes discomfort. It is not only my opinion – my friends say this headset is designated for people with bald-headed style, and not only because my hair sticks everywhere in headset clefts so when I take the S9 off I tear my hair out. The earbuds are also not as comfortable as I expected. Maybe it is not their fault, and the reason of ear pain are ear loops that press irritatingly on my ears. The good point is that S9 is featherweight and don't hang on my ears like bricks (as HT-820 did). I see, the S9 is really for active people, as you can't lean back with your head, trying to make yourself comfortable in the armchair, because it instantly moves out of place. The headphones are made from a rigid plastic that makes them water and sweat resistant. At least they boast to be sweat resistant... because there are a lot of users' bursts of indignation – after a bike ride or active morning jogging the buttons gradually went completely dead. Oh, maybe some buttons held out, but the total result is poor. Sound 
What about sound? I've noticed irregular skipping (infrequently, but still...), and it was a surprise, as in this moment I was sitting just near my handheld. I've thought this problem had been solved already, because I had tested enough headsets with no drop-outs. Well, it's a pity, but Motorola wasn't able to decide the issue with skipping after lots of complains concerning. The sound itself is sometimes coarse, and the speakers being so small are not able to give really clear sound and profound basses. But, for wireless headphones of such size, the sound of music is really and truly good. On the other hand, the sound of a call is bad, to tell you the truth. While talking my friends heard me badly, and I heard scratches and interference as well. Moreover, while on a call, sound is heard only in the left speaker. LED What I really liked is an indicator light. LED is really small and unobtrusive. It is almost unnoticeable but very helpful, especially while pairing – purple helps a lot. You can disable/enable this indicator by pressing and holding button while turning on the S9, then it will remain disabled for the following states: idle (not connected to Bluetooth device), standby (connected but not on a call or streaming music), on a call, playing or pausing music. I haven't disabled the LED, 'cos it doesn't bother me. Charging When the S9’s indicator light flashes red, the S9 battery needs recharging. It is nice, but I won't take them off every hour to see if there is enough battery juice here. That's why, when it switched off with no warning, I was taken unawares. They say high tone followed by low tone, repeated every 60 seconds, should warn about low battery, but no warning I've noticed. By the way, the manual states, that “over time batteries gradually wear down and require longer charging times. This is normal. The more you use your S9 with your Bluetooth devices, the less standby time your battery has.” Hm... The charging port is cosily tucked away under the rubber flap near the Switch on/off button, so it doesn't spoil an appearance of the headphones. When the battery is charging, the LED turns red. It may take up to 1 minute for the indicator light to turn on. When the battery is 25% charged, the indicator light turns yellow. When charging is complete (a full charge takes just 2 hours), you'll see green. But note: the S9 can NOT be used while charging. Most people are impressed with the fact that S9 powers off after one hour if not in use (it means no audio or control activity), you won't find your headset dead of hunger. 
Pairing The S9 is hard to connect with a device, even if pairing was fast this time. But let's see what the user guide says about the ideal pairing :) It is important to pair the headset with your phone first. Ensure that the Bluetooth feature is turned on in your phone, next turn on your S9 by pressing and holding On button until the indicator light flashes three times in blue and then becomes steadily lit in blue to indicate your S9 is in pairing mode. From your device, perform a Bluetooth device discovery. When your S9 successfully pairs and connects to your device, the LED displays blue with 10 quick purple flashes. If wearing your S9, you will hear an audio tone indicating successful pairing and connection to your device. To pair your S9 with your Bluetooth streaming music device or adapter, you have to disable your current handsfree connection by turning off both your phone and S9. Then follow the same steps as while pairing to your phone. Incidentally, if you are using a Bluetooth adapter, it may pair with the S9 automatically when turned on, or may require you to press a button on the adapter. Finally, reestablish handsfree connection by turning on your phone and selecting the S9 from phone's Bluetooth menu. Later you can pair additional devices, but before pairing a new device you should restart the S9 and turn off any previously paired devices. The memory of S9 is up to eight Bluetooth devices. If you try to pair more than eight devices, the oldest paired device is removed from memory. “Pairing” links devices equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology and allows a previously linked device to remember your S9. Once devices are paired, they automatically connect when turned on and within range. Package Package contains: Motorola Bluetooth Active Headphones S9, wall charger, User’s Guide, pairing card, additional ear cups (you'll have to choose between 3 sizes) and carry bag.
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