Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

---- UPDATE - February 14th, 2014... ---- Due to an inquiry in comments, I decided to revisit this headset. With two fresh units of Tone+ in my possession and testing with two HTC One phones and my old Evo 3D, I can change the results here. Prior instances of this headset suffered substantially from faulty Bluetooth radio linking. The two newer ones have not displayed such failure. My older review information gave three stars based on the Bluetooth problems. Now that there is evidence of resolution of this, I can raise that review to five stars. HOWEVER... as always, see below for the details. ---- After a year and a half with the LG Tone (HBS 700), the headset wire was finally chewed through by my cat. Finding the Tone+, I promptly went for it. See how much better they do and find out whether they improved over the last iteration. I was duly impressed. Major improvements in almost all categories. Read on for details. ======================= The Praise (Good Stuff) ======================= * Bluetooth 3.0 capable for extra features with compatible systems. * Informative voice prompts and information. * Comprehensive AVRCP implementation allows full range of AV remote controls. * aptX support provides excellent media quality and instant response. * Three internal equalizer modes to enhance Bass or Treble as well as standard. * Headset microphone mute function allows the user to mute the headset hand-free. * Excellent sound quality. * Great battery life. ======================= The Raze (Bad Stuff) ======================= * Easy to forget it's there. * Neckband style has some issues with longer hair if care is not taken. ======================= The Haze (Stuff to Consider) ======================= * Bluetooth connectivity is not as sharp as the original Tone HBS-700. * Bluetooth functionality and quality is always dependent on the device the headset is connected to as well. * Blocks external noise well, so not good for environments where hearing sound is important. When LG came out with the LG Tone headset, predecessor to this Tone+, I was able to give it a stunning review. Nothing is perfect of course. The Tone had some faults, but for those it was still an excellent headset and well-worthy of the 5-Star rating and eventual number one seller spot for headsets. Things such as a lack of extended multi-connection support and a lack of ability to mute the headset without going to the phone itself were among its few issues. Now, LG has released the Tone+ and they addressed almost every single customer concern. They implemented major improvements in system ease of use with the voice prompts. Adding aptX support allows devices that mirror this support to send precise sound timing and quality. Wire guards at junctions provide better stability for the cables. More equalizer options. The inclusion of mute capability is excellent. Build this on top of the existing tech in the Tone and it makes for a winning item. ======================= Comfort/Wearability ======================= The neckband design of this headset allows for a very comfortable device that is easy to forget about. No pressure on your head and ears and the ear buds tuck away neatly into magnetic cradles when not in use. The magnetic cradles are not exceptionally strong magnets, so it is definitely possibly for things such as jackets or seat belts to knock the ear buds out of their cradles. Wearing them is similar to any other in-the-ear headphones of similar style, and this version does come with multiple sizes of cups to accommodate various ear canals. It should be noted that when in use in both ears, even without sound, there is a pretty good noise muffling. When listening to music or phone calls in both ears, other things that require your hearing attention are far too easy to overlook. Great for zoning out. Not great to have both ear buds in while doing something where sound is important. The good news is that it's perfectly possible to wear only one ear bud on phone calls, thus freeing the other ear for important sound cues. Given that the microphone is on the left, that is the better bud to wear. By design, it stays stable even during a jog or many other items in an exercise routine. However if weights are more to your liking, or situps, the prone position on your back will make it less-happy unfortunately. Long hair has also exhibited a slight propensity for catching slightly in the parts of this, so requires some thought. ======================= Sound Quality ======================= The output data of the device you connect it to is going to be a major factor in the quality of the sound from these headphones. Good quality output will result in a satisfying audio experience, especially if the device is capable of aptX. For listening to music, watching movies, or other use of stereo sound, you might be surprised to realize that this is Bluetooth. The input quality for phone calls is on par with other short-mic headsets - that is, any headphone that doesn't put a microphone directly adjacent to the corner of your mouth, and rather near your ear for example. More importantly, that means that just like other headsets, this one will have a difficult time in louder environments. The hum of fans in a server room or the baseline noise of a car on the road may cause some phones to take too high a "silence" threshold with this headset and result in somewhat muffled or garbled-sounding voice to the other side. ======================= Controls... I love control! ======================= Skip a song, go back, play, pause, answer calls, change the volume, mute a call without pulling out your phone... Yep. You can do them all and more. Handy buttons on each pod bring many functions within easy reach. The use of these controls when wearing winter gloves can be a touch more challenging however. I found a useful feature in my phone in that my media players would listen to the forward/back controls of the headset even when the car stereo cable was plugged into the physical headphone jack. This allows me to conveniently skip songs on my playlist with a quick tap of a button at my neck rather than fussing with the whole phone at arm's reach in its mount. The ability to mute a call from the headset is also a tremendous addition from the original Tone. ======================= Physical Construction ======================= The connections of the wires at both the pod and the ear buds now have strain-relief, which helps reduce the likelihood of pulled wires or overly-bent ones. The wires themselves have a thicker and firmer feel, which makes them more resilient, but also causes them to stick out away from the unit further, thus more likely to be caught on things such as jackets and seat belts. Thankfully though the ear buds end up swinging loose as a result, I have not seen this cause a problem with the Tone before, and I expect less of an issue with this Tone+. ======================= Electronics ======================= This is where I have to put a "Take your pick" caveat in. The electronic construction inside the left pod leaves more metal to obstruct the Bluetooth antenna. Combine that with 3.0 considerations and it gets to be interesting. While the Tone had tremendously good range, the Tone+ carries normal Bluetooth range at best. Also, the signal is more prone to body-shadowing - literally a case of the water in your body creating a shadow in the radio signal as if the device is a light trying to shine on the left pod. Inside, the signal can reflect off walls. Outside, a phone on the right hip may create an interruption or some signal degradation due to no reflection and an entire body in the way of the signal. Voice prompts and information and an enhanced battery life are a substantial improvement over the Tone in this case though. Left on all night does not reduce the battery from a high level of power and a full eight hour work day of music and phone calls still allows an hour more of phone calling on the commute with no problem. ======================= Summary ======================= How does pick taking come into play? The Tone has excellent Bluetooth range compared to this, but lacks a lot of the improved features of the Tone+. This Tone+ headset packs in all of those features but at a moderate cost in microphone clarity in noisier environments and at a slight cost in Bluetooth connectivity. If always having a rock-solid radio connection is important, go with the HBS-700 Tone. If you want the new features and don't mind the reduction to less-outstanding Bluetooth radio work, then the HBS-730 Tone here will be a great thing.