Nokia BH-600 Review

Nokia as a company, which has a long tradition in mobile communications, always tries to offer the right solution for every consumer. The BH-600 model is not an exception and the accent on the stylish design and the handy control keys. The DSP-technology embedded in the headset looks after, for the high sound quality on the other end of the line. This, as well as the long talk time and standby time, suggests to us that this model is designed for the corporate users and people with high criteria for the sound quality and long operation time.

The sales package contains:

• Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-600
• Nokia Compact Charger AC-3
• User guide

Design:
The device is made of stylish black and silvery plastic and it would definitely satisfy the taste of a wide range of consumers. On the front of the device stands out a multifunctional button, which can be pressed with no effort and there is a LED indicator below it. On the side you can find a button for volume control and there are contacts for charging on the upper side part.

The control of the device is very easy, and the button for volume control is embedded in the outline of the device, and at a touch you can feel the raised ‘+’ and ‘-’.
The use of this button is more difficult and it requires greater effort to press it, which is achieved easier by the tips of your fingers. It is unhandy that you cannot feel which one is ‘+’ and which one is ‘-’, but in a couple of hours of use, you get used to it and it doesn’t matter to you.

The attaching of BH-600 is achieved by the usual way through flexible rubbery coated hook. The design of the device enables you to wear it on your left or right ear and for this you have to raise and turn the hook.

Functionality:

The pairing is activated when the phone is turned off and you press and hold down the multifunctional button for a couple of seconds, while the LED indicator starts to light continuously. Then you have to insert the code 0000, and in this way to enable the two devices to connect to each other.

Through the multifunctional button you can control some of the functions of the phone. Answer/end calls is activated by one short press. Last number redial is activated by pressing and holding down. Voice dialing is activated by one short press. You have the option here to turn on / turn off the microphone by pressing simultaneously „+” and „-”. When the microphone is turned off, you can hear discreet sound signal in your headset that reminds you of this. This is a very convenient function when you need some privacy and a function that will please the business consumers.

Performance:

According to Nokia official specifications, the device lasts up to 7 hours of talk time and up to 220 hours of standby time. We have tested these specifications and after the test, BH-600 lasted about 5 hours and 30 minutes talk time when the sound volume was at maximum. Though, this is less than the officially declared 7 hours, it is an excellent achievement for the device. Let’s keep in mind that Digital Signal Processing improves the quality of the signal, but decreases the talk time and the standby time. And we have a device here that does not differ in battery performance, compared to devices without DSP such as BH-301, BH-700 and BH-801.

The sound quality in the headset is very good. Yet, we have one remark that it sounds a little bit hollow. The volume of the sound is loud enough, so you will not have problems when you talk in a noisy environment.

The volume of the sound on the other side of the phone line is very load. Hardly someone will notice that you use hands-free device for talking. The sound is a little synthetic/metallic, but it is hardly noticeable. The external noises are reduced to minimum, thanks to the DSP technology and you will have no problems to talk in the open air. But in strong wind even this headset cannot filter all the noises.

When testing with a loud music the DSP reduces some sounds from the song, but the vocals are mixing with your voice. Despite that, if you are talking loud you can make understandable conversation.

The signal strength test of the device went perfectly well. The quality of the signal stayed unchanged to 30.8 m., which is almost the same result as the BH-701 model. In our subjective every-day tests, BH-600 presented itself extremely well, and no matter in which pocket the phone was placed or if it was left on a table and walking away from it, the signal reception stayed unchanged and there were no external noises.

Comfort:

Attaching and removing the hands-free device is quick and easy with one hand only. If you feel some kind of discomfort when you first attach the device to your ear, make sure that the rubber coated hook is fixed properly around your ear. It is made of plastic material that enables you to curve it, so that it fits best to the shape of your ear.

The attaching of the device is stable. Though, when you make abrupt movements, you have the feeling that it will fall down. This is hardly possible because the hook reaches almost to the end of the ear and in this way surrounds it well.

This device, with its 18 grams, is one of the heaviest devices of the company and you start to feel it in 2-3 hours of use. However, it doesn’t cause feeling of discomfort and annoyance even in 5-6 hours of use.

Conclusion:

Even thought being a mid-tier model, BH-600 is truly the best DSP-enabled hands-free we have tested so far. Our previous winner, the Plantronics 665 offered worse DSP performance, a lot shorter battery life and slightly worse sound quality.

We had really hard time thinking of any CONS and we really are just in love with it and we highly recommend it.