Rarely does a bluetooth headset ever catch my attention. That is, of course, until I saw the Carbonn BHS-110, which made me immediately think “how on Earth do I put this on?” This, my friends, started the journey towards my review of the Carbon Bluetooth Stereo Headset BHS-110 and its more traditional family member, the BHS-25.
Carbonn BHS-110
Carbonn BHS-25
What’s In The Box
When opening the BHS-110, you’ll be greeted with:
1x Bluetooth Headset (BHS-110)
1x Manual
1x MicroUSB cable
To be honest, though, it’s a relief that the bluetooth headset can be charged with any microUSB charger. So, should the charging cable provided be too short, or stopped working, you can easily use another one that you may have lying around for a smart phone or a power bank. The packaging itself is compact and easy to open. You don’t really have to cut anything to get it open, and you can easily repack the contents if you wanted to organize it that way.
The BHS-25 is almost the same exact way, except the packaging is in a different form, and instead of the headphone-shaped headset, you get the more traditional earpiece. And again, you can use any other microUSB charger to charge the bluetooth earpiece.
1x Bluetooth earpiece (BHS-25)
1x Manual
1x MicroUSB cable
Design and Build
On the BHS-110:
Remember when I mentioned that my first thought upon seeing it was “how on Earth do I put this on”? Well that’s because the BHS-110 looks more like a traditional pair of headphones when it’s still in the packaging. I first tried to put it on as if they were headphones. Obviously, it didn’t work. This is because the buds that would go in the ear are facing different directions. Then again, maybe that’s because I’m not much of a bluetooth headset user until I tried these. So, a word of caution for people who don’t have much experience with devices like these.
Here’s how you actually put it on: the headphone-looking body actually goes on your neck, while the earbuds are detachable, and you wear them like regular earbuds. The necklace-esque design is actually where the microphone is located. Other than that, the other nifty features of the design include a vibration every time you turn the bluetooth headset on. There’s also an LED light for the play/answer call button so it can be visible even in the dark.
The material from which the Carbonn BHS-110 is built has a slight rubbery feel to it, and it’s also quite flexible and lightweight. I recommend users that have rather strong grips or strong hands to try and not exert too much force, because it feels like it could break if you bend it hard enough.
On the BHS-25: The BHS-25 design is simple, sleek and traditional. It looks exactly like how the classic bluetooth earpiece would appear. This makes it perfect for professionals who have to take calls on the go. An LED light conveniently indicates when the unit is turned on. Then, it will blink in two different colors when it’s looking for a device to connect with via bluetooth. After, it will beep to let you know if it’s low on batteries. The buttons on the device feel crisp, and the clicks help give that sensation. Meanwhile, the earbud is comfortable, and it doesn’t hurt at all when it’s worn for a long time.
Sound Quality and Performance
The build and packaging seem relatively good so far, but how does the audio quality stack up? And the answer is: not that bad. It’s nothing absolutely spectacular, of course. Using the BHS-110 for media yields the same results as any other pair of earbuds (especially proprietary Samsung earphones), except for one noticeable difference. Lows and bass tones stand out the most, even though I used upbeat rock songs to sample the audio quality. I’m not sure what it exactly is, but listening to any sort of audio on the BHS-110 made me feel like the instrumentals were an octave lower (the vocals were fine). Maybe it was because the device really accented the bass tones.
The songs I used:
“Goodbye Friendship, Hello Heartache” by Cinematic Sunrise – the first minute
“SURPRISE-DRIVE” by Mitsuru Matsuoka – entire song
“Mang Jose” by Parokya ni Edgar – the last half
It’s also little bit weird with calls, as the person on the other line kind of sounds like they’re a bit farther away from the phone than they really are (Proof: I was looking at the person I called). Fortunately, I could still understand the voice on the other line well.
The BHS-25 performs just about the same way with calls as well. Its audio quality is okay, though it’s not exactly a unit that can deliver ultra-crisp call quality.
It takes about two hours to charge the BHS-110 to a full battery, while the BHS-25 takes roughly the same time.
Should You Buy It?
If you have the cash to burn for a bluetooth headset, then the BHS-110 and BHS-25 are ‘okay’. At worst, however, they’re mediocre. However, if you’re on a tight budget and you simply need to own a bluetooth headset, then Carbonn has just the solution for you. Carbonn’s bluetooth headset products range anywhere between Php 799 to Php 999. This gives you a lot of bang for your buck when it comes to quality and comfort. Unless you’re an audio aficionado, the Carbonn line of bluetooth products is certainly a deal to be considered when your peso can only go so far.
