Review: Nokia Purity Pro Wireless Headphones by Monster
I like gadgets, but my tolerance for price is low. But a friend of mine showed me his Nokia Purity Pro headphones (made by Monster) and I tried them...and bought a pair.
I've been using the same Beats by Dre Tour In-Ear Headphones for over a year. I've taken them all over the world and they've worked great. However, on planes they hurt the insides of my ear, and once I got them stuck in my ear real good so I started re-thinking my aversion to over-the-ear headphones.
I used to have a pair of the original Bose noise-cancelling from years ago. Noise-cancelling technology has apparently improved a lot since then. When my friend showed me his Purity Pro's we were standing in a parking lot after lunch. I put them on and the street noise just stopped. Any low-level or repeated noise just disappeared. They work at least as well as my Bose did and are a joy to use on a plane.
The model I bought was the "Nokia 02734L7 BH-940 Purity Pro Wireless Stereo Headset by Monster" which is a mouthful, and I paid $300 for them, which was about $150 more than I wanted to pay. Sadly, I'm looking at Amazon today and seeing these headphones as low as $235. There's also wired versions for $79, although they lack the noise-cancelling and Bluetooth (of course) features.
I consider myself a power user and I don't put up with a lot of trouble from my devices. If it sucks or doesn't work in some way, it's going back.
The "oh gee" feature of the Purity Pro's is that it has NFC (Near Field Communication) to aid the initial paring process. The resulting pair is still Bluetooth. If your phone has NFC, more power to you, but after it's paired you'll never use this again.
The Bluetooth feature that I really appreciate is the ability to pair with multiple devices - up to 8. You can also be simultaneously connected to two devices which is REALLY convenient.
Note: Read the manual (PDF) and turn on "Bluetooth Multipoint" to use this feature.
For example, right now as I type this I'm connected to my laptop's audio (for Skype and Lync) and to my phone for music (Spotify and phone calls). I could certainly go along with connecting to just one, but when you're sitting in a café working, it's really nice to have "all electronic audio" from your devices routed into your headphones. I can listen to music, take Skype calls AND answer phone calls using the headphones.
I also have them paired with my tablet (so phone, laptop, tablet) and I must say, having no wires to worry about really IS a nice touch. I feel like just NOW, today, in 2013 the promise of Bluetooth is happening.
It's also a microphone (the mic is near the left ear) so I can take calls OR use it as a mic for Skype/Lync.
Of course, if I have a better mic or a laptop with an Array Mic I can tell the computer to NOT use the headphone's mic and use another. (You'd be surprised how often folks forget that they have full control over what mics are used for regular apps or communications apps.)
The headphones turn off when you close them up and reconnect when you open them. They have an internal battery and recharge using a mini-USB connector. They say they last for almost 24 hours of use, and if the battery runs out you can just switch to a standard 1/8" headphone plug. I have used them for a few months and have never needed to move to wired but it's nice to know they will keep working even with a dead battery. That said, they top off fast using mini-USB cables I have in my bag already. I did a 6 hour flight from New York watching movies last week and didn't give headphone battery life a thought.
One other cool feature is that the headphones talk to you. When you're pairing with Bluetooth or the battery is doing something it talks in your ear and says stuff like "Connected."
There's switches behind each ear for answering calls, changing volume, and going previous and next track. There's also some more subtle gestures, so RTFM. For example, double-press the Call button to decline a call, or hold the Call button to switch to phone from the headphones. Press and hold the call button when not in a call to use Siri or Voice Dial. You can even pair with more than one phone and use the < button to manage calls from both phones while on one call.
I got the black ones because I'm fly, but not that fly. There is also white, yellow, and red. I've seen those as cheap as $230 on Amazon, so search around.
They were somewhat expensive but I'm using them every day and I'm happy with the purchase. They are comfortable, light, fold up into my backpack easily and don't beg to be charged all day. Recommended if you're looking for a great pair of tech-savvy wireless Bluetooth headphones with noise-cancellation.
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Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.
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I have a personal cell and a work cell. During work hours, I want to call out with my work cell but during weekends, after hours, I want to call out/sms with my personal cell.
Seems kind of lazy to ask you but this kind of info is *impossible* to get from the spec page
Thanks. I owe you a coffee
Taki - Good question...but I don't know. I've never had to as they are connected simultaneously.
These are all too choices if you prioritize sound quality. None of them are cordless or noise cancelling though, so they're not really comparable.
Beyond all these cool features, what is the quality of sound (sound hiccups, etc.)?
I've got the Logitech H800 which goes for about 1/3 the price on Amazon and I've been very happy with them for the last year.
It sounds like the benefits of the Nokia/Monster are better construction (I assume based on the look), the multi-device pairing, and the sound quality/noise cancelling.
Is the max volume actually loud on the BH-940 or is it lukewarm? This is one of the main problems I have with BT headsets as a NYC subway commuter, although perhaps the noise canceling makes this moot. Can you get them to turn off without folding up? I don't carry a bag and the switch on the H800 make it easy to just turn them off and hang them around my neck. How is the sound quality in a noisy environment with the mic by your ear? The H800 has a fold-out boom, but it doesn't seem very helpful based on how mad people get with me if I forget to mute on conference calls!
Thanks!
Sennheisers BT headphones are actually more expensive and not as good, plus less features. People love throwing those audio brand names around though...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vjR1JeSOk8
http://www.parrot.com/zik/usa/
Notable features:
Bluetooth
Noise cancelation
Replaceable battery
Optional wired cable
Can use them as regular wired headphones if battery dies
Touch controls on the right cup for play/pause, forward/back, volume.
If you take them off they automatically pause the audio
I'm in love with mine.
Anyway, good review.. :)
Stopped using them.
I can get the new model for $120 through Amazon, and it's supposed to have better noise reduction, and they only use a single AAA battery.
I also have a pair of Sony MDR-v6 headphones I bought in 1988. They are heavy though, and I find if I wear them for more than an hour or two it's annoying. Nowhere near as bad as in-ear headphones. I have a pair of Klipsch in-ear phones as a backup in my bag, but I can only use them briefly.
So I considered buying a pair of bluetooth headphones like these, or the Sennheiser PXC-450, or PSB M4U. But they're all $300 or more, and since the batteries and such are in the cans they gotta be heavy.
So I think I'll live with my wires. Not just cheaper initial purchase, but they last longer before breaking. That's my logic.
I thought it was the streamer device but when I did a bit of research it seems that all bluetooth headsets have this issue.
Is there a way to deal with this, or do you only listen to audio only type stuff using these?
Thanks,
BOb
I also have a pair of Sensaphonics noise reducers which I carry with me everywhere and use them in almost every live music situation or even at trade shows, conventions, etc. where noise levels are too high. You can get various level filter caps to suit your needs. I rarely need anything more than 9db. I can actually hear better with them than without because they cut off all the static like distortion noise above say 14kHz. Check their site for a graph.
You can get custom in ear monitors and noise reducers at a lower price by searching on eBay and so forth, but Sensaphonics is justifiably the market leader. I am 70 years old and my hearing is barely diminished in spite of countless rock shows where the noise in literally deafening.
One problem is Bluetooth has limited bandwidth(768Kbps, or half the 1.411Mbps bandwidth CD audio tracks use), so it requires audio compression to pass the signal. To manage compression that means it has to look ahead before sending, which means a delay. On top of that since Bluetooth is a radio signal and uses the common 2.4Ghz band, it's subject to interference from a lot of consumer electronics, including Wifi, microwaves, etc.. So you could see severe lag because of other devices causing interference and the packets needing to be resent. Apple has a support page about this, because it's a common issue with their idevices... http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1365
I'm starting to feel better about my wired life decisions. Even though it would be cool to be able to move around without taking headphones off.
Is there any particular reason you did not go for Dre Beats Wireless (since you said you own Beats already and like them)?
I was thinking about getting these but now I am curious if they have any obvious disadvantage compared to the "Purity Pros"?
I bought mine at a retail store, and the guy said they were way better than headphones like beats, but he said the name sells those, not quality.
I own a pair of Bluetooth headphones and when I activate the mic form any application, the quality just drops to phone quality.
The settings are grayed out in Win7's Sound menu as well, hence it seems to be either a limitation of Bluetooth bandwidth or a poor driver.
Just curious as to what you found.
I bought a pair of Purity Pro's based on your review and so far I am really happy with it. I used them on Germany's autobahn and was amazed at the level of noise cancellation when I lifted an earpiece at 100mph or so. There was a hurricane of wind noise around me that I had never before realized even to exist.
I also enjoy the enthusiam from the headphones' voice when they tell me they are "co-nec-ted!!!" after starting them up.
Who'd have thought I would buy anything from Nokia again. So, thanks for the recommendation!
It works extremely well with the Nokia Lumia - fast connect and audio switch over.
Had it for nearly two months now with no regrets.
On the downside, about an hour into a car journey the noise cancellation started switching off for a second then back in again, which was so disturbing that I couldn't keep listening. Was driving so couldn't fiddle with the phone or headset to see if reboots would fix :-(
I couldn't connect a second device until I found RB's reference to the Purity Pro app on the Lumia phone where there is a multi-pairing setting.
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That said, these actually seem pretty nice. I might consider getting a pair for when travelling or doing teleconferences.