Page 1: UBHS-NC1
Intro:
I have always been a bit weary of doing reviews of things very subjective and a Bluetooth headset is just one of those things. When Lubix offered to send a review sample over, I was hesitant until they insisted. I'm glad they did since the UBHS-NC1 is a great stereo headset. I'm not a headset kind of person, but as standard Bluetooth headphones, they rock.
Warning: This review contains a picture of me! Run.
Box:
The Lubix retail box contains the information you'd need to make an informed purchase. Yes, looking at the box doesn't really give you exactly how this headset works.
Parts:
The Lubix NC1 retails packaging comes with a bunch of nice things. You get the NC1, a manual, an AC adapter (USB hookup), a mini-USB cable, and a few earpiece covers.
I'm very happy that these devices are moving to USB standard power. These chargers will work with pretty much any USB power device. The plug swings fully out to get into any outlet with ease. Thought was put into this design.
If you had any doubts, the AC adapter is made for indoor use only! I might be a bit rusty on my USB specs, but the rated amperage for full power is only 500mA. This charger boosts it for faster charge times.
The NC1:
The unit itself is a stereo headset. It contains two earpieces as shown. In this shot, the power switch is located on the top of the left earpiece. The earpieces themselves are quality. You can tell when you inspect the product. These are cheap feeling.
The unit breaks apart to fit in each ear. Notice the extrusion of the earpiece in relation to the control portion of the unit. The opened port is the mini-USB charging port located on the left earpiece.
The unit contains functions for volume control as well as call control and music control. The function controls are simple and easy to use.
Testing:
Pairing the device was easy if you follow the directions. Make sure you hold the call button in while turning the unit on until the status light flashes blue. You can then pair the unit to your phone/music player with the code of "0000" and after the initial pairing, nothing else needs to be done.
The range on the unit is very impressive. I was two rooms away and in the kitchen with the unit still performing flawlessly. It was only after I went into a third room that the unit began to cut out and drop audio. Still very impressive.
As a phone headset, the NC1 performs fine. I paired it with my RAZR and there was no problem making calls and having a conversation. It is pretty funny to call a friend and keep him on the phone with nothing to talk about.
Testing the audio quality is very subjective. I started out by listening to some music from my PDA. I'm pretty impressed with the quality of the sound. The fact that the unit doesn't have ear hooks and instead relies on the unit being jammed into your ear gives the sound quality some boost and added noise reduction (from the unit acting like earplugs, not from any active blocking). There are a bunch of special modes that are interesting to try out. Each does something different to the sound. Enabling any of them makes the sound more 3D, but you may be missing the feel of the song by doing it.
Look:
The huge problem with the NC1 is wearing it down the street. Granted, you can wear it as a necklace since the two halves join together by a magnet and wear it around your neck... but that's pretty weird to do as well. If you saw me walking down the street wearing this, what would you think? Overkill maybe. Granted, on a train or a bus it is a bit different. If you're worried about getting strange looks, you'll want to find something a bit more discrete.
Conclusion:
The Lubix UBHS-NC1 stereo headset goes for about $50-65 which is actually a pretty good price for a good stereo headset. Your device will need A2DP to get the full benefit, but even if you only have mono, it is still pretty good. You really need to concern yourself with how you'll look when you wear the headset. You need to decide if the functionality is worth the amount of stares you'll receive while using this. Other than the crazy look, the Lubix UBHS-NC1 is a great Bluetooth headset.
I'd like to thank Lubix for sending this unit for review.
I have always been a bit weary of doing reviews of things very subjective and a Bluetooth headset is just one of those things. When Lubix offered to send a review sample over, I was hesitant until they insisted. I'm glad they did since the UBHS-NC1 is a great stereo headset. I'm not a headset kind of person, but as standard Bluetooth headphones, they rock.
Warning: This review contains a picture of me! Run.
Box:
The Lubix retail box contains the information you'd need to make an informed purchase. Yes, looking at the box doesn't really give you exactly how this headset works.
Parts:
The Lubix NC1 retails packaging comes with a bunch of nice things. You get the NC1, a manual, an AC adapter (USB hookup), a mini-USB cable, and a few earpiece covers.
I'm very happy that these devices are moving to USB standard power. These chargers will work with pretty much any USB power device. The plug swings fully out to get into any outlet with ease. Thought was put into this design.
If you had any doubts, the AC adapter is made for indoor use only! I might be a bit rusty on my USB specs, but the rated amperage for full power is only 500mA. This charger boosts it for faster charge times.
The NC1:
The unit itself is a stereo headset. It contains two earpieces as shown. In this shot, the power switch is located on the top of the left earpiece. The earpieces themselves are quality. You can tell when you inspect the product. These are cheap feeling.
The unit breaks apart to fit in each ear. Notice the extrusion of the earpiece in relation to the control portion of the unit. The opened port is the mini-USB charging port located on the left earpiece.
The unit contains functions for volume control as well as call control and music control. The function controls are simple and easy to use.
Testing:
Pairing the device was easy if you follow the directions. Make sure you hold the call button in while turning the unit on until the status light flashes blue. You can then pair the unit to your phone/music player with the code of "0000" and after the initial pairing, nothing else needs to be done.
The range on the unit is very impressive. I was two rooms away and in the kitchen with the unit still performing flawlessly. It was only after I went into a third room that the unit began to cut out and drop audio. Still very impressive.
As a phone headset, the NC1 performs fine. I paired it with my RAZR and there was no problem making calls and having a conversation. It is pretty funny to call a friend and keep him on the phone with nothing to talk about.
Testing the audio quality is very subjective. I started out by listening to some music from my PDA. I'm pretty impressed with the quality of the sound. The fact that the unit doesn't have ear hooks and instead relies on the unit being jammed into your ear gives the sound quality some boost and added noise reduction (from the unit acting like earplugs, not from any active blocking). There are a bunch of special modes that are interesting to try out. Each does something different to the sound. Enabling any of them makes the sound more 3D, but you may be missing the feel of the song by doing it.
Look:
The huge problem with the NC1 is wearing it down the street. Granted, you can wear it as a necklace since the two halves join together by a magnet and wear it around your neck... but that's pretty weird to do as well. If you saw me walking down the street wearing this, what would you think? Overkill maybe. Granted, on a train or a bus it is a bit different. If you're worried about getting strange looks, you'll want to find something a bit more discrete.
Conclusion:
The Lubix UBHS-NC1 stereo headset goes for about $50-65 which is actually a pretty good price for a good stereo headset. Your device will need A2DP to get the full benefit, but even if you only have mono, it is still pretty good. You really need to concern yourself with how you'll look when you wear the headset. You need to decide if the functionality is worth the amount of stares you'll receive while using this. Other than the crazy look, the Lubix UBHS-NC1 is a great Bluetooth headset.
I'd like to thank Lubix for sending this unit for review.