Designed by the venerable high-end headphone maker, this Bluetooth headset costs a bundle and won’t handle your voice calls. But the Ety8 has an ace up its sleeve. Read our review for the scoop.
Review summary of the Etymotic Ety8:
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 The Etymotic Ety8 stereo Blueooth headset isn't cheap, and it doesn't support the HSP or HFP voice-calling profiles. But if you take your tunes seriously and don't want the hassle of wires while you're on the go, the small, lightweight Ety8 earbuds will be music to your ears. Despite the lack of calling capability, we appreciated the cord-free, comfortable design and top-notch, noise-isolating sound, making it a nice (if pricey) option for music lovers who don’t want to get tangled up in wires. As an added bonus, the headset will also work with an iPod thanks to the optional 8Mate adaptor (for another $100, that is). Release: December 2006. Price: $200.
Pros: Lightweight, comfortable design; iPod compatibility; stellar sound quality.
Cons: Hard-to-press buttons; non-elastic cord; no hands-free or headset profiles.
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Full review of the Etymotic Ety8:
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Design - Very Good
The Etymotic Ety8 headset is among the smallest stereo Bluetooth headsets that we've tested, and features sleek rectangular earbuds with a matte black finish and gray trim. While we appreciated the attractive design, we were disappointed by the lack of elasticity in the fabric cord attached to the earbuds. The Ety8 headset weighed in at 0.7 ounces, but felt nice and light in our ears. The earbuds fit very snuggly and didn't move when we tilted or shook our head. While we had no trouble finding the Ety8's buttons with our fingertips, the little controls were difficult to press; we had to grip the earbud as we pushed to avoid dislodging it. A multi-colored LED tells you whether the headset is charging, in paring mode or ready to play.
Sound - Excellent
If you’re looking for a Bluetooth headset that handles voice calls and music, then keep looking; the Ety8 only supports the A2DP stereo Bluetooth profile, not the HSP or HFP profiles for hands-free calling. But while it’s aimed primarily at Apple iPod users (Etymotic will throw in an iPod adapter for an extra $100), the headset will also crank tunes from your A2DP-enabled phone -- and it cranks them well. We were impressed by the Ety8’s crisp sound quality; every drum solo and guitar riff was clear and audible, and we enjoyed the clean, strolling bass on Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," even when the headphones' volume was at its lowest setting. We were also pleasantly surprised to feel quite the bass kick on our tunes, which is often missing on your garden variety earbuds. The headphones are noise isolating, and when we weren't rocking out to our tracks, background noise in our New York office was reduced to the faintest mumble.
Setup -Very Good
The Ety8 paired easily with our Samsung SPH-M610. Setup was similar to any other Bluetooth headset we've tried (such as the Samsung SBH170). The Ety8 remained in pair mode for a solid five minutes, giving our phone ample time to catch up. Pairing the earbuds with the iPod adapter was even easier. Once you plug it in, you simply turn on your iPod and the music pumps through the headset immediately. However, we were disappointed that the 8Mate doesn't include an extra port on it so that we could charge our iPod while simultaneously using the Ety8.
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| Samsung SBH170
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Comparison
Compare the Etymotic Ety8 with similar products
Who is the Etymotic Ety8 for?
Music aficionados
Price and availability
The Etymotic Ety8 are available immediately and retail for $200 or $300 with the 8Mate adapter.
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