Motorola Stereomoto HT-820 Review (pics, specs)

ccbr01 · 01-01-2006, 06:33 PM

Introduction

Most people nowadays have headsets. I use my headset for skype, instant messengers, music, and an occasional game of Counter-Strike, so after doing some research, I found that the new Motorola’s Stereomoto HT-820 was what I wanted.

The Motorola Stereomoto HT-820 Box

What Is In The Box:

Bluetooth Headset
Motorola Charger
Quick Start Guide
Motomanual

Contents of the Motorola Stereomoto HT-820 Box

Specs:

These were taken off the motorola website.

Length: 165mm
Width: 165mm
Height: 63.5mm
Weight: 100g
Talk Time: Approximately 17 hours
Music Time: Approximately 12 hours
Standby Time: Approximately 500 hours
Bluetooth Version 1.2
Range: 10m (Class 2)
Supports any OS but bluetooth dongle/card must be A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) compliant
Supports pausing and changing tracks with AVRCP (Audio Video Remote Control Profile)

Setup:

Setup was very easy when using the right bluetooth dongle/card. Before you begin, you must already have a bluetooth dongle or card. With that said, the Quick Start Guide says "Charge, Start Bluetooth, Pair, and Test/Use." Basically that is all you have to do for the setup of the headset. However, I did have trouble with my IOgear GBU211. I contacted IOgear about it, and they said that the broadcomm bluetooth chip that the GBU211 has does not support A2DP. I did get A2DP to work with the GBU211, but the computer was very unstable. That is why I purchased the BlueTake BT007Si. The BlueSoleil software recognizes both resources that the HT-820 has. Moreover, I use the same procedure to setup the HT-820 with my Motorola E815 cell phone. Edit: For connecting the HT-820 to computer and phone, all you have to do is turn on the headset, and the headset will connect itself to both devices.

BlueSoleil Software sees the HT-820's AV Service and Headset Service

Design:

The design of the HT-820 is sleek and small. They conform to my head feel comfortable when wearing them. What is special about the HT-820 is the controls that are on the headset. The left earpiece has the incalling switch between music/cell phone button and the volume control buttons. The right earpiece has the buttons for pausing and changing tracks. The right earpiece also has the microphone that is supersensitive. When I talk trough it, people can hear me very clearly. The best thing that I love about the HT-820 is that it has no wires. When comparing the HT-820 to the Logitech Gaming Headset, all I have to say is that my desk looks cleaner because of no wires. This is why I think the overall design is great for what it does.

A look at the right earpiece

A look at the left earpiece

A look at the back of the headset

A comparison of the Logitech Gaming Headset to the HT-820

Performance:
The performance of the HT-820 is amazing. I can play high quality stereo music while I walk around the house, and when paired with both cell phone and computer, if a call comes in during streaming, the HT-820 will beep in my ear until I answer the cell phone. When I get done with the call, I just push a button on the HT-820 and the music resumes. The range I get is about forty to fifty feet from the computer. There are some things that I do not like about the HT-820. First, I cannot have A2DP on the upstream because of the Bluetooth Version 1.2 720kbps. I have to switch to the Headset Service in BlueSoleil before I can talk on Skype or cell phone. This is a bluetooth software problem, not the HT-820. Switching to the Headset Service downgrades the audio to mono channel just like the single bluetooth earpieces run. Also when I have the HT-820 paired with the phone, I cannot stream my mp3 songs from the phone to the headset. I have contacted Motorola about this, and Motorola said that more likely that an update will be made to accomodate the HT-820.

Conclusion:

If you are wanting a headset that is wireless, this headset is for you. The option of streaming music from your computer will make you wear headphones for a long time. (It does for me) All in all, this is a great product from Motorola.

Pros:

Wireless Connectivity
Lightweight/sleek
Great range
Can pair with multiple devices at same time (cell phone and computer)
Great sound

Cons:

No A2DP upstream

Availability:

The official site of the Motorola Stereomoto HT-820 is (http://direct.motorola.com/ens/BTSte...A&language=ENS)
Here, the item can be purchased; however, I purchased mine from www.cellularking.com for $99.00USD. That is with free shipping.

Charles P. Jefferies · 01-01-2006, 06:43 PM

Nice context ccbr.

Bluetooth is just going to get more popular. I think you almost motivated me to get the internal bluetooth module for my notebook due to the fact that you can walk around, with no wires or music player in your pocket, and still listen to music wirelessly.

Thanks a lot!

ccbr01 · 01-01-2006, 06:57 PM

Yes, a the high quality stream through A2DP wirelessly is very nice. Hopefully with Bluetooth Version 2.0, they will have A2DP both downstream and upstream.

Andrew · 01-01-2006, 09:39 PM

i'd love to have these. it's so hard to find these things for sale, even on the Moto website they're soldout

thanks for the great review ccbr01!

ccbr01 · 01-01-2006, 10:00 PM

Yeah, I just added some more text to the review. I thought I did not give a clear enough statement explaining the high quality audio.

ccbr01 · 01-02-2006, 12:37 AM

Talking about hellomoto.com, the site doesn't even have full support of the HT-820 nor my E815 phone. Hopefully the update page will be built soon, so I can upgrade the firmware in the E815. This quote from the HT-820 page.

Quote:

Stream music from your Bluetooth 1.1 or higher enabled mobile phone with Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) and Audio Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP). (Currently the only Motorola mobile phone supporting these profiles is available in Asia.)

I wish this could be the US too. My main thing would be to go back to school in two weeks, and impress the 50% of campus that has an ipod. Say like, "Yeah, I'm wireless, aren't you?" I would jump for joy if I could say that. lol

zicky · 01-04-2006, 04:55 PM

Looks great!!! I've been looking for one for quite a while, but the thing about changing to headset via software is kind of a turn off...I'll have to wait and see when they update that. Overall, intrigues me enough to want to buy it though.

ccbr01 · 01-04-2006, 05:08 PM

It's not really the Motorola HT-820. It's the bluetooth software that runs on the machine. If the software could broadcast two profiles to the same device, it would work. Like the music stream and my Motorola E815 phone. So it is not the HT-820's fault.

Edit: It's the same situation for the HT-820 to the E815. The phone can't run two profiles at on time. Hopefully Motorola will have this fixed soon.

zicky · 01-04-2006, 05:53 PM

So the issues you mentioned that you didn't like are more software-based?

ccbr01 · 01-04-2006, 06:08 PM

Yeah, but its not directly related to it but still happens. maybe I should have put that in the review. I have never really thought of phrasing like that before. Sorry for that. It is software related. The only problem with the headset is no A2DP upstream.

Edit: I found what is keeping the computer from broadcasting two sound profiles because windows doesn't support two sound cards at once. I really didn't think about it, but any bluetooth software installs sound card codecs for each bluetooth sound part. Like now, I'm streaming through the AV service, and I'm using the Bluetooth AV/HS Audio sound codec. With the bluetooth headset service, windows runs a codec called Bluetooth Audio. I hope this clears up anything.