LG Tone Pro Bluetooth Headset / Bēm Wireless Mobile Speaker

**swanicyouth** · 05-17-2014, 02:35 PM

So, I hate wires. I use a wireless mouse/keyboard (IMac), WiFi (IPad/iPhone), wireless printer (Epson), and now I'm getting into Bluetooth speakers and headsets.

I picked these LG Tone + headphones up at Best Buy for about $70 based on good reviews on Amazon.

They are Bluetooth, so they are "wireless". The "buds" sit in little magnetic carriers. The "collar" sits around your neck:

Little buttons on the side have all kinds of features:

Battery is said to last 15 hours talk time & 10 hours music time. The headphone give you voice audio prompts when the battery is low or you are getting out of range.

So far - so good. I like these much better than my old Sony Bluetooth headphones. The buds stay in your ears and the Bluetooth seems to work pretty well. I have these headphones paired to two devices: iPhone & IPad. Pairing was simple following the directions.

Sound is pretty good with nice bass. The headphones have 3 equalizer settings. All and all, these so far seem like the perfect detailing headphones. You can take calls with them, but something about talking into headphones makes me feel like a D-bag, so I doubt I'll ever do it. For those that like to detail with headphones who own a Bluetooth device - these seem pretty sweet so far.

I did see other models in my research that lack the "collar" and are much smaller (just buds on a string). However, the caveat seems to be the battery on those only lasts 1/2 to 1/3 the time. I'd also probably loose them.

Small complaint: charging plug is quite long (maybe 4') - but it comes with no AC wall adapter to charge -only USB. However, it does work fine with an IPhone AC adapter.

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Next up is the Bēm Wireless Mobile Speaker:

This thing defines what it means to be awesome. $40 at Costco - about twice that much retail. Much smaller than the "Beats" one I've seen around. It's just a small cube about the size of a tennis ball:

Sound is quite rich and bass is quite good. Sound is actually stunning for a a single speaker this small and fills up a room pretty nicely. Battery is said to last about 6 hours - but it's never actually ran out on me yet, so it seems quite good.

Controls are simple: volume and play/pause. Pairing is quite easy as well. I've noticed speaker can loose Bluetooth connection (not pairing) if your device is dormant. But, it doesn't happen while streaming sound. This would be a great speaker for a small garage.

Small complaint, the power/charging cable is quite short, maybe a foot and a half. But, it does come with an AC plug (USB goes into AC plug):

So far, I'm really liking these Bluetooth products. For the headphones, you don't have to have your iPhone in your back pocket giving you the butt crack pants sag. For the speaker, it's great to watch movies on your IPad with. Especially for someone like me who watches a lot of old movies where the sound isn't the greatest.

I'm sure you can buy like crazy expensive audiophile type $$$ products that are much better than these. But, for me, these products work great.

**swanicyouth** · 05-17-2014, 02:53 PM

A quick and dirty video of the speaker:

http://youtu.be/7_g_HcJtbVA

**Becciasm** · 05-17-2014, 03:03 PM

Thank you for the recommendation and review. I have been looking at the headset for a while.

Keep us updated on how they work for you.

Fathers day is right around the corner!

Sent from my VS840 4G using AG Online

**Rmd** · 05-17-2014, 09:49 PM

+1 on the Bem speaker. I've been really impressed with mine.

**spiralout462** · 05-17-2014, 11:24 PM

Thanks for the details! Something like the BEM speaker would serve me well. It seems like they still can't figure out how to get decent sound out of a laptop.

**hollerstiltner** · 05-18-2014, 07:54 AM

How well do the LG headphones keep sound out? I'm wondering how they'd do while mowing/weedeating.

**swanicyouth** · 05-18-2014, 08:05 AM

Originally Posted by hollerstiltner

How well do the LG headphones keep sound out? I'm wondering how they'd do while mowing/weedeating.

Pretty well. There isn't any real noticeable difference when listening to these or or a decent set of wired buds. So, if you like buds in general - these are pretty good. The highest volume probably isn't as loud as wired buds maybe.

**cleanmycorolla** · 05-18-2014, 10:09 AM

Stephen, I use the new wireless Beats by Dre and I love them, I too hate wires. I know you love your iPhone, you should check out the UNU Aero Case, it is a wireless charger for your iPhone, it's pretty sweet!

**swanicyouth** · 05-18-2014, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by cleanmycorolla

Stephen, I use the new wireless Beats by Dre and I love them, I too hate wires. I know you love your iPhone, you should check out the UNU Aero Case, it is a wireless charger for your iPhone, it's pretty sweet!

That case looks pretty sweet. But, I need an OtterBox - I'm a destroyer.

**guy48065** · 05-19-2014, 12:03 PM

Thanks for the post. I think I'll be buying both--been thinking about a bluetooth headphone that used buds so I can wear them under muffs when mowing. I use buds now but sometimes the cord gets snagged when I get too close to branches & vines.
As for the speaker--I've been noticing the huge price range for this type product. No way I'm spending $200 on a speaker to listen to lousy 128k streaming audio so $40 sounds lots more sensible.