Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was looking for a set of wireless (i.e., bluetooth) headphones to wear on my walks because I kept swinging my arm into the cord leading from my pocket to the wired headphones. After much research and reading, I decided to give these a try and they are great in nearly every way, falling just short of a 5-star review for points I'll hit at the end. First the good stuff. These puppies are smartly formed, cleanly designed and are easy to use and hook up. Like any bluetooth device, I simply clicked on the multi-function button, put it near my iPhone, selected the choice in bluetooth discovery and I was on the air. 10 seconds, start to finish. Sound quality is exceptional, better than my wired headphones actually. That's helpful, because I walk in high density traffic areas (and schools) so ambient noise is loud and continuous. But I also like the fact that I can hear the world around me, so I don't, oh, let's say, walk into a truck (or bicyclist), so it's good that the headphones don't wipe everything out. Signal strength seems fine, too. I keep my iPhone in my shorts pocket and the headphones have no trouble picking up the signal nor operating the controls (volume, track. play/pause). I have not experienced a dropped signal yet. I've primarily used over-the-ear headphones in the past, because (1) I have smaller ears and (2) I don't like things sticking inside them. I was a little nervous at first that I couldn't use these as straight over-the-ear headphones, but the included smaller buds are reasonably comfortable (we'll see how they fare for the full 10 miles). Operation is easy and fluid, with forward and back track simple and direct. Volume controls are similarly straightforward and, as with most headphones, are located on the right earphone. The cord is more than long enough for my average frame and I suspect it would manage beefier people as well. There are a couple of cautions that force me to drop the rating from a full five stars: 1) I have an iPhone and. as yet, have not discovered a way to talk to Siri with these headphones. In all my wired sets, simply holding the multi-function button for 2 seconds triggers Siri, but in these headphones, that is the "off" button and the headphones shut down. I've posted a question here to see if anyone has managed the feat, since Siri is useful for switching apps, checking the time and other valuable hands-free functions. 2) While the quality of the sound is great (and really, who gets true audiophile sound out on busy streets?), the volume through these headsets is amped up pretty high. When I checked my iPhone volume settings after manipulating them through the headphones, it was down to about 25% of full. While that's great for listening through the headphones, it's a little annoying if you don't remember to reset your iPhone volume after you're done (otherwise you better listen really hard for your ringtones). I am quite pleased with the ease of use and performance of these headphones. With a couple of more convenience features, I would happily give this a full five-star rating. In fact, if Siri is not that important to you (or you're not an iPhone user), then consider this a 5-star vote!