Sony Ericsson HBH-IV835 Bluetooth Headset Review

This is the review of Sony Ericsson HBH-IV835 – a stylish wireless headset whose operation is based on the Bluetooth v2.0 technology and the design is simple and streamlined. It is the manufacturer’s sole headset without any sort of ear-hook whatsoever that is attached to the ear only through the small rubber-coated earpiece. Its dimensions are normal and the shape – narrow and extended, reaching 2.4 inches (62 mm) – which is not little at all and distinguishes it from the small-class headsets.

The device box is quite simple and contains:

• Sony Ericsson HBH-IV835;
• A charger;
• 2 additional earpieces for different ear size;
• A cap for connecting the neck strap to the charging port;
• A user manual;
• A neck strap.
  

The neck strap is the same as the one in other sets of the same manufacturer – GV 435 for instance. There are two options: you can either fix it directly to the headset (we find this to be very inappropriate since there will be a strap hanging from your ear while using the set), or – to a small ‘cap’ with an opening that can be attached to the set’s charging port afterwards. The latter is a good solution that resembles the strap of Bluespoon AX2, which is attached directly to the set’s mini USB port.

As already noted, 835 features an exceptionally extended and very narrow corpus which makes its shape seem quite out of proportion. To add style, the front panel is made of an interesting, smooth, and light reflecting material, which is good looking indeed and pleasant to touch but, unfortunately, easily marked by fingers – which is noticeable at light.

The entire front panel is removable (one must proceed so in order to attach the neck strap directly to the headset) and replaceable – in case it has been damaged or another color scheme is needed. Unfortunately there are no different-colored panels for this model on offer by the manufacturer at present. The back is made of mat black plastic and the narrow separating line between both is contrastingly silver. The same color scheme has been applied to the ring between the earpiece (also black) and the corpus.

The weight of IV 835 is only 10 grams (0.3 oz.), but unfortunately one can feel even that little unless the device has been constructed so as to distribute the load evenly on the head. The earpiece is a black mushroom-shaped rubber that can be easily bent and is very soft because it is not made of solid material. It resembles the shape of the rubber pieces of Sony Ericsson’s Walkman phones and one must insert it inside the ear, thus cutting off the outside sounds. It is in fact the only mechanism to attach the headphone to one’s head, so in the set there are rubbers of three different sizes for better results. Since they are all round-shaped you can use them on either ear without the need to alter anything – you simply insert then in the standard way.

We were very strongly surprised indeed when we were examining the set’s buttons, simply because there were only two of them: a calling key and a power key! There are not any sound controls whatsoever (perhaps the manufacturer had decided to eliminate them in view of inability to make them easy to use) – so the device is solely controlled automatically by the DSP system. Unfortunately Sony Ericsson did not do a good job of making the only headset control button usable; it is very small, difficult to detect and there is hardly any tactile feedback after pressing. Moreover, the set is unstable on the head which makes the button usage nearly impossible unless one is holding the device by hand. We may add the unpleasant feeling at doing so because one has to push it to the ear.

Operating:
Working with the device is standard and its options do not exceed the regular ones. Operations are carried out mainly thought the only convenient button – the call key. A simple push answers an incoming call when the phone is ringing or terminates an active conversation. In order to reject a call one must press the same button for 2 seconds. Pressing it once in stand-by mode will start the voice commands and two fast clicks - dial the last number. There is one rare option – a master reset. It can be carried out by simultaneously holding the power and call keys for about 8 seconds.

Performance:
The headset left us with mixed feelings regarding its merits during conversation. An unpleasant effect that is instantly noted is the sharp and grating ‘chainsaw’ sound heard by the other party when answering thought the headset. Your voice is heard clearly and nicely, but the bad news is very weak. The sound in your ear is comparatively normal and clear, but once again – not very strong, which may cause trouble in a noisy environment.
The DSP system is strongly effective against wind noise interference – it filters well even at strong wind and you can talk intelligibly and trouble-free. However it is not equally good at sounds like music and you will have difficulty if it is louder.

Comfort:
Installing the headphone in the ear is an easy job – you only have to insert the rubber sponge into it. Unfortunately, on taking its place it does not feel comfortable at all – it droops, wobbles and even drops down at inclining one’s head. When drooping the headset is not taking its proper position, so the microphone is no longer directed to the mouth, weight distribution is altered (and more clearly felt), and the overall result is a ridiculous look with a headphone hanging, instead of standing at its place on your face.

There are three rubber earpiece sizes in the set but none of them was even close to our normal size so none of them would do – during the test we tried all of them and only the largest was near to fitting, but even it turned out to be too small (and not only in our case) – it is not of any use because the headphone once again slips out of the ear. Since this is the only way to hang this model onto its place, we would rather SE offered more than three sizes of rubber caps in the set – thus rendering the device usable by a larger group of people.

Despite not securing the headset well, the rubber is fairly distinctly felt into the ear because it goes deep into the auditory canal. Even a short-time use of the headset causes an unpleasant sensation of a foreign body in you besides the deafening effect of the rubber shape, meant to prevent the outside noise.

Conclusion:
What IV835 is deficient of is comfort of wearing – it simply lacks any. Though one may think the elementary (supposed to be convenient) putting on is a plus – it will make you think of taking it off your face as soon as you have hung it there – it is just a nuisance. We find the lack of sound control buttons to be peculiar in a situation where the only remaining button – the multi function one – is inconvenient and hard to use. Overall, the headset is one of the worst we've tested!