With mobile devices becoming more and more common it isn’t surprising that we are starting to see different devices pop up that have built in support for them. From keyboards to headsets, the most common type of interface used to connect these devices is Bluetooth. Eagle Tech has kindly shipped us one of their brand new foldable Bluetooth headsets to test with our mobile devices. The Bluetooth headset is in the Arion brand of products and features both Bluetooth audio and microphone. Join us as we take a look to explore the new device and find out how it holds up.

Product Name: Arion Foldable Bluetooth Headset

Review Sample Provided By: Eagle Tech

Written By: Brennon

Pictures By: Brennon

Specifications

Bluetooth version	3.0
Bluetooth Profiles	A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP
Headphone Type	Vertical On-The-Ear
Microphone Type	Omnidirectional
Frequency Response	80Hz 20kHz
Operating Time	Up to 13 hours
Power Input	DC 5V 160mAh
Wireless Range	Up to 30 feet
Net Weight	3.7 Ounces
Dimensions	5.7 x 3.9 x 2.3 inches

Packaging

The packaging for the Arion Foldable Bluetooth Headset is simple and clean. They went with a black and green color scheme and the box has a nice sheen to it. That’s a Martin Sheen by the way, not a Charlie Sheen; Simple and elegant rather than wild and extravagant. On the front of the box we get a look at all of the different color schemes that the Headset is available in. We can also see the model number as well as a bit of information explaining that it uses Bluetooth technology and that it is made for the iPad and iPhone. Let’s hope that it works fine with Android devices as well.

On the right side we get another glimpse at the headsets in all of their colors. Eagle Tech was also nice enough to put a sticker under the color that is contained in the box so we know which we are getting before we open it. I am sure this helps cut down on packaging cost since they don’t have to print different boxes for each of the six different headsets. From the placement of the sticker on our box, we can see that we received the red and black style headset.

On the left side of the packaging we get yet another graphic of the headset near the top. Beneath that we have a short list of features of the product. There really is nothing new or exciting thus far, just a clean professional look that grabs and keeps your attention.

On the back it begins to get a little bit more into detail as to what exactly the product is capable of. Near the top we get a short product overview as well as a few graphics explaining what exactly the product does, and features that it comes with. Below that we get a list of product specifications. This list is much longer than the short list of features that we saw on the side. Finally we get a look at what is included in the package with a short list of its contents.

Inside of the main packaging we can find a plain white box. Once we open that box we can find a few things. The two smaller pieces are the micro USB charging cable and the user manual. The last thing we see is the nice carrying case that comes with the headset. The case is a hard shelled case that will protect the headphones from damage when transporting them. The case even has a carabineer so that you can clip case to your person while you are on the go. These are nice added features that you don’t always see, both the case and the carabineer hook on the case. When we finally get inside the case we can see the headset we are after snuggled safely inside folded up nicely waiting for us to use it.

Comfort and Audio Quality

Comfort – First off I want to talk about the comfort because I was worried about it right away. You can see from the pictures that the ear cushions are not what you typically see with a headset. Typically you either have the over the ear style cushions that cup around your entire earlobe, or the in ear style of headphone called earbuds that actually insert into your earlobe to deliver. These headphones simply have a square cushion on the earpiece that is meant to sit on the outside of your earlobe and play the music into them.

I would say that the earphone portion of the headset isn’t uncomfortable, but I didn’t find myself forgetting the fact that I was wearing them. I still felt them, and occasionally have to reach up and adjust them.

The headband was rather uncomfortable in my eyes. It is made of a rubber product but isn’t very padded or comfortable. The material it is made of grips very well, which can be a good thing in some cases, but not in this particular case. The headband grabbed onto some of my hairs and refused to let go causing me some discomfort when taking them off or putting them back on.

The headset did adjust plenty using the adjustable arms on either side of the headset. One problem I did have is that the adjustable arms are rather stiff. They gave me some difficulty coming out and going back in and I was worried that I might break them even though they were made of metal. I have broken stronger headsets than this one with less effort I assure you.

The buttons on the side of the headset were very convenient. One major feature of the headset is that it boasts that it is hands free and with the different buttons it certainly accomplishes that. There is a button that answers and hangs up calls, which I will touch more on in the microphone section, a volume up and down button that controls the headset volume, which is separate from the volume of the phone itself, and forward and back buttons which cycle through music. The forward and back buttons worked for both my music library and the forward button allowed me to skip songs that I did not want to listen to on Spotify.

The fact that the headset is also easily storable and transportable is also something I think should factor into comfort. It is easy to fold the headset and store it in the carrying case, it only takes ten seconds or so, and that leads to it being a very viable source for folks that are on the go. I could see this headset being the perfect solution for either runners, or for frequent fliers.

Bone Thugs N’ Harmony – The Crossroads – Once again we line up to test another pair of headphones on all of our favorite music. This song is littered with mids and lows and sprinkled with highs. The headset did a great job with the mids and highs but the lows left me with a bit of a hankering for that bass kick that we all know and love. In comparison to the other headsets I have recently reviewed I think that this one fails to live up to the standards the others set.

Nat King Cole & Natalie – Unforgettable – This is a very light and mellow song with mostly mids and highs but with the occasional low from Nat King Cole. Once again the mids and highs were excellent, but the lows were once again a bit flat. The rest of the song, however, I felt was excellent at the very least comparable to some of the other audio products.

Eric Clapton – Rush (Soundtrack) – 10 – Tears In Heaven – Another light and mellow song that did very well on the Foldable Bluetooth Headset. The highs and mids were again rather good, but the lows fell short for a third time. I started to notice a trend so I had to test it out. It seems that the Foldable Bluetooth Headset does well with very light, mellow tracks that you may listen to so that you can relax, but with the heavy, faster paced, tracks that you would typically listen to at a louder volume it falls short in my eyes.

Ludwig van Beethoven - Für Elise – This track is also very light and mellow in my opinion, but it has mostly highs with the occasional mid scattered in. I was very disappointed in the headsets performance with this track. I felt like though even it was a light track with mostly highs that a lot of what made the track special, the age and the excitement it has contained within was lost while using this headset. I was actually very surprised at the poor performance of this song because of the fact that the headset had been doing so well with light tracks previously.

Television – Doctor Who – Another dose of everyone’s favorite two hearted doctor, but this time on a wireless headset. The dialogue and action mix once again made for a perfect test of the headset. The Foldable Bluetooth Headset did not disappoint. All of the audio, from action to talking sequences was produced clearly and perfectly by the headset. I was a bit confused though, because I couldn’t really think of a situation outside of testing where I would use the headphones to watch TV or movies. I don’t watch a lot of movies on my phone, but it felt a bit awkward to wear this particular headset while watching a show. Earbuds don’t make me feel that way, nor do standard over the ear headsets, but I can’t really put my finger on what it is about this particular headset that made me feel weird.

Microphone – The microphone on the headset works perfectly. I was told that not only did I not sound worse on the headset that when I use the handset, that it may actually sound better. The audio did not sound distant (I problem I personally have experienced with other Bluetooth headsets) and everything was crystal clear. The audio on my end while using the headset was also perfectly fine, I didn’t have any issues hearing the people I talked to and I had no issues with cutting in and out unless I went too far away. The buttons all worked as they were supposed to, mainly the button to answer and hang up calls worked nicely as a hands free solution.

One last thing I want to talk about is the distance that I was able to use it. It uses Bluetooth technology so obviously it is a wireless device. I had perfect audio the entire time I was in my basement. I left the phone in one room and wandered around the entire basement without so much as a single missed note. When I got to the stairs it started to beep and boop at me to let me know that I was getting out of range, but once I got upstairs in around the same area as I was before it worked again. So clearly it doesn’t have issues going through walls, it just has a limited distance that it will work over, but the distance is big enough that as long as your phone is near you, you won’t have an issue, but you obviously can’t leave your phone in your car and use the headset inside another building. I will say that the distance this headset can go is further than the Jabra Bluetooth Headset that I use from time to time. Not too much more, Ide say another twenty to thirty feet, but enough to notice a difference.

Overall and Final Verdict

All in all I think the Arion Foldable Bluetooth Headset COULD be a great item. It has decent sound quality, even if the comfort isn’t the best. Typically comfort is huge for me, but seeing this as a headset for runners especially makes the comfort matter less in my eyes.  The microphone has crystal clear quality and honestly impressed me. The range of the device is also somewhat exciting as it is a larger range than my other Bluetooth devices. The one problem that I am having that is holding me back is the price. At nearly $70 MSRP I think that it is a bit much, there are cheaper Bluetooth earpiece solutions out there, and better audio solutions at the same price, I realize it is a hybrid and is thusly priced, but if you want just a Bluetooth earpiece or JUST a headset for audio, you are better off looking elsewhere.