Nokia BH-501 Stereo Bluetooth Headset Review

Introduction:

There must have been a moment for each of us when we had to use headphones in order to listen to our favorite music without disturbing the by-standers. One of the most annoying results of doing so, though, is missing an important call while enjoying yet another song from the favorite album. Big companies such as Nokia have set it as their objective to make things easier for us and have, respectively, offered interesting solutions thereof. One example is the Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-501 – a combination of stereo headphones and a Bluetooth hands-free.



Design:

As soon as the package has been opened we will come across the folded headphones; they are indeed compact this way and will not take a lot of space in your bag. The materials used are silver and black plastic; the control buttons, the microphone, and the LED indicators are located on the right speaker. The soft ear-holders and the clamp that spans the back of the neck are made of semi-transparent grey rubber. The foam-rubber packing on the inside is designed so as to secure more comfort along with external noise protection.


There is no other movable joint on the headphones, apart from the fold/unfold one, nor is there any regulation mechanism whatsoever. This feature distinguishes them from the standard supra-aural ones.

The total number of control buttons is three: volume up, down, and a multi-function one. All three are easy to detect and tell from one-another by touch, so you do not need to memorize their location and the respective function. When pushed, they make a distinctive “click” in order to confirm pressing has been successful. On reaching the max volume you will hear a short warning sound in the speakers to prevent you from trying to increase further.

Functionality:

Activating the pairing mode is standard – one has to press and hold the multifunction button for a few seconds while the device is off, and wait for the alternating blue-red indication. When requested, enter the traditional password – “0000”.

Nokia designers have considered making the headphones universally applicable – besides being operable with a phone, player, or computer, they can be connected to a phone and a music player simultaneously. This is a very convenient option indeed, especially for those who do not dispose of a Music player on their phone, but have a separate one instead.

Performance:

So far as music playback is concerned, performance is not up to the mark at all. We have been quite surprised by the fact that a device, intended mostly for listening to music, would show such mediocre results.

With bass, there is a distinctive lack of attack and detail, and lowest-range frequencies are scarcely represented. The “flat” medium frequencies make the sound of vocals unrealistic and outright unpleasant, while the high frequencies are metal-like and flat. Volume, though, is high enough to enable listeners to hear their music in most types of environment. As a whole, sound quality is somewhere in the middle between that of BH-500 and BH-601.

During conversation the user hears voices from the other end with excess bass, which renders them unrealistic and even unintelligible at times. Your voice, as heard by the collocutor, is of average volume, slightly muffled and with more bass, which once again result in being occasionally unintelligible.

According to Nokia specifications, the device should endure up to 11 hours in talk mode or 150 hours in standby; respectively, the operating range should measure up to 10 meters. Having been subjected to testing in real conditions, BH-501 showed a result of 10 hours and 45 minutes – a minor difference from the official timing and one that is better than those of BH-500 and BH-601. By testing the operating range we established a maximum operability distance of 16.9 meters (55.4 feet); normal conversation would be impossible if one went further. In this respect, the unit’s performance is much inferior to that of competitive models such as BH-601 and BH-500.

Comfort:

Besides the stylish design, Nokia designers have sought convenience for the user. Putting the headset on is absolutely effortless, the soft rubber parts comfortably matching the shape of the ear. The clamp behind the back of the neck provides for the tight pressing of the speakers against the ears, thus making sure that the user will enjoy music rather than external noise. Securing is very stable, so there will be no problems at even abrupt jerks or when jogging. This is quite important in case you love listening to music while doing your morning set of exercises. Those who are used to wearing hats should also take into consideration the fact that BH-501 are made in such a way, so as not to be an obstacle to putting one on.



The weight of the headset is 68 grams and it is evenly distributed between both ears. We can testify to the fact that users will not feel any discomfort even after 2-3 hours of wearing.

Conclusion:

The stereo headphones offer a superb way of listening to one’s favorite tracks without disturbing by-standers. The more so when they are wireless – it is indeed a convenience beyond any comparison. BH-501 is a model from the medium line of the company, inferior in sound and functionality to BH-601, but considerably lighter and more comfortable to wear over longer periods of time.