The main attraction of the Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 headphones is their teensy size.
Weighing less than 12g, the Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 headphones sport an earbud-style design with a slender strand of cable connecting the two buds.
Such luxury and convenience don't come cheap, though: the Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 headset lists for £99.
Sony Ericsson provides three sets of different-size earbuds in the package, though the even smallest pair were still a smidge too large for our small ears. Nonetheless, we were able to get a reasonably good seal, and the overall fit seemed comfortable, secure, and discreet. The Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 headphones stayed snug as we walked (and then ran) around.
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In general, the Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 headphones deliver great-sounding tracks, with crisp vocals, warm (but not overwhelming) bass, and clear reproduction of background instruments - such as a tambourine's jangles. We found, however, that dance music, such as acid jazz, tended to come across as a mishmash rather than distinct tones.
Phone call quality is mostly good. In our tests people could tell we were speaking on a headset, but voices were clear at both ends. Call recipients occasionally heard a crackling sound in the background; they told us that - though our chatter blocked background noise somewhat - when we stopped talking, the loud din became quite noticeable.
The Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800's inline control unit actually dangles down from the left side of the headset. This unit houses the microphone and the action button - the headset's only control. We found it a bit annoying, as it often got tangled up in our hair, but surprisingly it didn't bob around much.
You use it to turn the Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 on and off; to initiate, accept/reject, and end a call; and to play or pause tunes. The HBH-IS800 doesn't let you adjust the volume or skip forward or backward through tracks. We missed that.
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Comments
BobFromBristol said: Have had these for two years and the only downside is the charge life 2 to 3 hours but what can you expect from this tiny battery pack