As a rule, when a user sees a headset with auxiliary ear cushions in front of him, he subconsciously makes a little bit steep demands to it. Everybody wants that such a headset makes it possible not only to chat via Skype in a carefree way, but to enjoy the accompanying sound to games and movies as well and ideally in addition to listen to (but not just to hear) music. It is quite feasible to get all of this for defined amount of thousands of roubles. And even then – on conditions only that we are dealing with a wired headset.
But can we ever make such requirements to a wireless headset, and what is more with a price only in two thousand of roubles? The answer is obvious – if it is possible, then only to a certain degree, becoming aware of that the primary audience of a universal inexpensive device wishes to get a headset for every day, but not monitoring headphones for immersion in the classic music. Just with such an approach we have begun our testing of a new wireless headset produced by SVEN Company, which got to our test laboratory. SVEN AP-B770MV model is ranged by the producer as a long-life universal headset with high noise insulation degree, which operates with any devices with the Bluetooth module on their board.
Delivery package content
The headset is supplied in a quite big cardboard box of white color traditional for SVEN with big blue cross having been moved there from the Finnish flag. The box has transparent blister behind which you can see the headset.
Besides the device, we found inside only a USB cable to charge the built-in battery and printed User’s Manual in Russian language. The producer, alas, did not complete the headset with a cover for its transportation. An adapter to charge the built-in battery from the power supply network was absent as well in the package content.
Appearance and ergonomics
The headset is produced only in one color – black. All main elements of its case are made of mat absolutely unremarkable plastic. But external surfaces of cups, on the contrary, attract the attention by their a little bit unusual many-sided form, which resembles more the tortoise shell. The word “Turtle” would do for this headset in its name, but the producer decided to limit itself by an abstract alphanumeric code.
The cups are made of plastic, as well as their holders and all main headband parts, except for an internal extensible mechanism, which has a steel plate in its basis. Guides on it are also plastic, but you should not worry about the reliability of its construction – everything is produced thoroughly. The headband is covered with soft leatherette with filler for comfort.
ДерThough the cup holders are made of plastic, they also look quite strong. They enable the cups to deflect through an angle approx. 45°, but they additionally can rotate to one side for 15° and to the other side for 90°, that provides an opportunity to reduce the headset size substantially during transportation. The last thing partly compensates the fact that the construction of SVEN AP-B770MV does not envisage a folding mechanism of the headband.
The cups look quite big. They have three narrow buttons in their lower part to control power supply, volume level and playback. The left cup has additional quite big wire mesh behind which a microphone is hidden, but the right cup has mini USB port closed with a rubber plug. The last one is designed exclusively for charging the built-in battery.
АмEar cushions of SVEN AP-B770MV are not subject to replacement, though soft parts can be taken off. They close ears practically completely during wearing and do not press the head at all due to the well- matched density of the filler covered, as well as the headband, with soft leatherette. Though it does not practically breathe, but it is soft by touch.
As a whole, the quality of the headset production even has surprised us a little bit. All movable elements move smoothly, without creaks and jams, fasteners are assembled promptly, and the headset design indicates about its relatively high shock resistance. But only a simple design and not high quality of plastic betray the price segment of this device.
Headset operation and the sound quality
In order to make the first connection with one or another device, you will have to press and hold within five seconds the power control button on the headset. In this case, the headset is not just turned on, but it will pass to the search mode. The headset is connected to the Bluetooth adapter literally within one-two seconds, after which the device is ready to operate. We have tested the headset being connected to ASUS ZENBOOK UX51 notebook and to Samsung GALAXY S3 smartphone. The radius of action with direct visibility is really similar to the declared ten meters. The headset operated in the apartment perfectly even then, when the audio source was separated from it with a partition between rooms. We did not observe any distortions at that.
The headset copes easily with switching over between the call mode and playback mode. You must press the power control button in order to accept an incoming call. You can repeat the last outgoing call or switch over the telephone and headset to the voice-call mode using the same button. The control of playbacked tracks is organized traditionally as well.
It is worth noting especially sensations while wearing SVEN AP-B770MV. Pure subjectively you feel the comfort while wearing the headset not on the money, as the saying goes. If an unknown person, who does now the device, is asked to close his eyes and after putting on this headset to his head to compel to name its approximate price, then the indicated sum will certainly appear higher than the actual price. The thing is in practically ideal geometry of the case, movable cups and successfully matched filler for ear cushions and headband. It is simple to say this, but every producer is by no means to obtain such things and never mind in that price category in which our today’s guest is positioned. Ear cushions close ears practically completely and do not affect them at all. And the same is true for the headband, which is adjusted for your head precisely. All these facts make it possible to wear the headset continuously even for the whole day. At that ears, of course, will sweat a little bit, but there is no escaping this defect, alas.
But the ease of control in SVEN AP-B770MV, on the contrary, doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. It is quite impossible to recognize by touch narrow long rows of buttons. As a result, you often press the power button instead of the volume control button or pause a track being playbacked instead of starting the next one. The location of buttons in the lower part of cups is also cannot be named a successful solution in no way – it is very inconveniently to press them.
The microphone sensitivity level is quite high. The microphone transmits the voice without any distortions while chatting in total silence, but if there is little external noise, then your interlocutor has already to listen attentively to your voice – the headset has the omnidirectional microphone, i.e. it listens to not only you, but also everything that takes place around. The situation is especially lamentable with the quality of voice transmission in the street – there external noises are able to muffle your speech completely.
Noise insulation in SVEN AP-B770MV is not ideal, but the most external noises are softened successfully. Some noises are muffled completely and some are muffled to the comfort level. Of course, if you put this headset on your head and plunge into the capital underground in the rush hour, then the external noise and uproar will not disappear as if by magic, but the difference in its saturation volume with headphones or without them you will feel distinctly. At that, people around you will not listen to your music jointly with you. You may not worry about that, because the headset after being put on your head practically does not let the sound out.
Regarding the quality of sounding, then the headset did not give us special surprises. The quality of music reproduction appeared on quite expected and high level (within the framework of genre of inexpensive Bluetooth headsets). We did not observe noises and distortions of sound. For the rest the situation is well known to many users of inexpensive headphones: enhanced basses and nonwell clear middle and high frequencies. Furthermore, the sound seemed to us not very impressive. After changing the headsets for wireless analogue Philips SHB4000 we were under the impression that a “film” was removed between an ear and ear cushions, which muffled the sound. As a whole SVEN AP-B770MV deserves the firm “good mark” for the quality of sounding. This headset will definitely suit for listening to music of different genres on the way or in a workplace. At that according to the quality of sounding, it can be easily compared with most wired models at the cost of up to two thousand roubles.
The producer declares that in the playback mode the headset must operate continuously for 22 hours. In practice with the middle (comfort) volume of sounding the device stood for 18 hours and 13 minutes. It is less than the promised time, but the result impresses in any case. If the headset is used from time to time only (while getting to work), then you will not to have to charge it for whole week. But for long journeys SVEN AP-B770MV can be named on the whole as an ideal variant. If you have not forgotten to charge the device beforehand then you will not have to search a socket in an airport at all.
Summary
SVEN AP-B770MV headset is a product, which, undoubtedly, is worth the money spent. For the sum less than three thousand roubles a user gets a wireless model with the quality of sounding as in wired headphones at the cost of less or even the same sum. SVEN AP-B770MV has the following advantages:
- clear and steady sounding without distortions,
- high production quality,
- unusually high level of comfort while wearing,
- quite good noise insulation level,
- self-contained operation over a long period of time.
If the shortcomings indicated above do not dismay you, then SVEN AP-B770MV headset can be purchased as a model for every day. This is one of the best universal wireless headsets in its price category.