A few weeks ago, I was in the market for a set of headphones to use with my Ipod. The budget was about £20, I just wanted anything I could plug in and listen to my music. I was pleasantly suprised to see that play.com had an offer for the Jabra BT620S Bluetooth Stereo Headphones With iPod Bluetooth Adaptor A125S for an astonishing £17.99. (play.com no longer sell the set, only the headphones, however, the headphones and adapter are available on amazon.co.uk)

And when my new toy arrived, boy was I pleased. Apart from the fact that I could listen to music wirelessly, I could also pause, play and change the volume from the headset, which I thought was pretty cool. And the sound was really, really good, something I took for granted until I had to use the earphones that came with the Ipod when I needed to charge the units.

But then, I had to go for a walk around the office, and that was when I realised the main problem with this kit.

And that problem is the A125S adapter that plugs into the Ipod. There are two main problems with this unit, so let me take them one at a time.

1. The unit does not ‘lock’ into the Ipod, as the port it connects to is used for a few other things, and was not designed that way. So if you have your Ipod in your pocket, and you’re walking around, it’s moving constantly, and every now and then, it slips out of place. I’ve tried my trouser pockets, jacket pockets, and breat pockets, and it’s the same everytime, the unit does not stay in place, and the music cuts out a bit too much for my liking. I’ve found that the only way to keep it steady is to walk with the Ipod and the adapter in your hand. Which is ok for a walk around the office, but not for a commute on a packed tube train.
2. The unit itself is super fragile. Taking it home everyday from work involved keeping it in my backpack. I tried my best to keep it away from stuff that could damage it, but about 2 weeks after I bought it, only one ear was working on the headphones, because the adapter was damaged. Fortunately, Jabra technical support is top class, and the unit was replaced for me within a week, very impressive. Now, I leave it in the office, and don’t take it around too much.

So if you’re in the office, you can leave the unit on your table and work, go round and talk to your teamates and use these headphones. Or if you’re doing housework, you can leave your Ipod in one place in the room, and move around listening to music. But once you are on the move, these headphones are not for you. I’m on the lookout for another set of headphones to use at home, something cheap, but quality, any ideas?

All my life I have never been able to use earphones like the ones in the photo above. They look really cool, and ‘neater’ than the traditional headphones, so I have never stopped trying. But I had the same problems everytime, they would not fit in my ear, and when I eventually managed to get them to fit, they were extremely uncomfortable, and I could not wear them for too long. I thought that the problem was that I didn’t know how to use them properly, maybe I wasn’t putting them in the right way?

A few weeks ago, I had a really, really bad ear infection, and had to go and see the doctor several times. One day, during his ear exam, he said :

“Do you know that your ear canal is really narrow? It’s nothing to worry about, but it’s narrower than the average ear, probably the smallest I’ve seen in an adult, that’s all. “

This morning, as I picked up my earphones, I now know why I will probably never be able to use them again. It’s taken years of trial and error (and a lot of wasted money, buying new earphones, looking for the ‘perfect’ one), but now, I can listen to my music comfortably, and wear my headphones with pride !!