These headphones with their behind-the-neck design take not much place. The headband, which Samsung calls "Shape Memory Neckband," is flexible (even too flexible) – it is a cord that can be twisted in any manner, so you can store and transport them with no problem. The cord thickens in places of ear hooks and fastens to metal insertions. There are thick soft foam padding on the earpieces. Usually, the music can be heard by the people around if there are such ear cushions on the headphones, but in this case no-one could listen to the songs but me.

The headset sits on the head quite firmly. I've read other reviews and user opinions of the SBH170 in Internet, people bitterly complain that these headphones tend to fall down. It is not my case, maybe because I have a not big feminine head. But I agree, they are not good for fitness.

I encountered another problem. Once I worn these headphones, they started to weigh down on my ears. I couldn't set them the way my ears would like, all the time I felt discomfort. After several hours my right ear ached as though someone had tried to tear it off.

All the controls are integrated into the left earpiece, which is rather unusual, as we used to see the control buttons on the right one. They are Rewind/Forward, Play/Pause/Stop, Volume Up/Down, Talk Button. The On/Off switch is separate. You will hear distinctive beeping while pressing Rewind/Forward button. But when pressing Volume button there is no beeping (in my opinion – thanks God).

To Samsung's shame, these buttons are located so uncomfortably! They are hard to remember and to find by groping, too small and inconvenient.

The design (including the convenience of control) is 1 of 5.

Sound

The sound is not amazing – it is tinny, and bass is rather poor. The songs with a lower bitrate are awful (more awful than the same tracks with the other pair of headphones). But the songs with the bitrate 224 - 320 kbit/s sound almost crystal clear. The acoustic guitar sounds satisfactory, but, meanwhile, the sound of electric guitar tends to be distorted. Yet the headset is pretty loud when playing music.

The biggest disappointment is the quality of sound during phone conversations. The sound was too quiet, and I had to speak in a very loud voice. Thanks God I tested the headset at home, so no-one got informed about my private secrets. I would never use this headset for the conversations in a public place. In addition, I heard voice dropouts, some words could barely be discerned. My friend said I had sounded as though I was sitting in a can.

Functionality

Samsung's headphones perform quite standard functions that depend on your cellphone possibilities: voice dialing, scrolling through call logs, placing a call on hold and answering a second call. You can switch between two calls and switch the call from the phone to the headset. Also you can mute the microphone – just press and hold Volume button. The SBH170 can remember no less than four A2DP devices. Ah, almost forgot, there is no multi-device support.

Connection

To pair the SBH170 press and hold the Call button, and while holding it turn on the headset. The indicator (very small!) will flash as a light show (blue, red and purple, and then blue again). Choose Samsung SBH170 on you're phone list and confirm your desire to pair with it. Enter the passkey – 0000, the same as in the most headsets. I've managed to complete pairing in no time. And the next day the connection was resumed in a second.

When the microwave oven is on, the sound disappears even without previous skipping or distortion.

Altogether, with the range being total 12m, Bluetooth connection isn't impressive. I admitted dropouts (though they are rare and occasional) even sitting near the sound source. I can't call it skipping... sound just disappears for several seconds. It is due to absence of buffering.

Battery

The headset has a non-removable rechargeable battery. To prolong its life fully charge the battery before using the headset for the first time. The indicator is red while charging, and after the battery is fully charged the light changes to blue. You won't be able to use the headset while charging. When the battery is low again, the beeps and red indicator light will warn you about it.

The battery life is 10,4h.

In the box you will find a very cute carrying case, travel adapter and user guide. The carrying case keeps it shape, it is durable but soft. There is no place for a charger, yet it's not a big deal.

Well, it's up to you whether to purchase the SBH170. I would buy something else, but maybe you'll find your pros...

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