Doremi Bluetooth Headphone REVIEW

Great choice for going hands-free.

Distracted driving is a major problem in our country, responsible for 431,000 injuries and 3179 deaths in 2014 (distraction.gov). To be fair, this data is not just related to texting or phone use, but this remains the common cause of distraction. With approximately 170 billion text messages sent in the US every month, during 2014 and 2015, we are lucky to only have those numbers listed above. Fourteen states now prohibit all use of handheld cell phones while driving. Please check out ghsa.org to see your local driving rules. This site seems to be updated regularly. A wonderful solution to distraction-free driving is to utilize a hands-free headset or to use your cars blue tooth. This is serious enough that some states, like Illinois, allow their police to pull you over and site you for this problem. This is known as Primary Enforcement Laws. In other states, these are Secondary Enforcement Laws.

I have received Doremi Wireless Bluetooth Earphone for review. The device arrived in a pewter colored tin, which is actually quite neat and works well as a gift. The box measures 5″ long by 3 5/8″ wide by 1 5/8″ tall. The only marking on the tin is the name Doremi punched into the top. The edges are nicely rolled and the tin is a good page. The top is easily removed and fits snuggly. It is not water tight but will definitely prevent splashing and serves as a great storage device for the headphones. Remove the top of the box and the inside is completely covered in foam. There is a thin black layer on the top of the tin and 2 rectangle cut outs in the same spongy foam. On one side is the USB A to USB micro cable 11 6/8″ long. The ends fit snugly into my USB A wall charger and the micro end fits snugly into the base of the main earpiece.

The large rectangular cutout has the headset in a plastic zip lock bag and another in-ear headphone with soft foam time and microUSB attachment. The main piece has the main control box that sits just outside your ear with a single flange internal ear foam tip. There is a wing that wraps around the top of the ear, which is actually quite comfortable. The device is rather light, weighing at 0.4 oz. You will hardly notice the device in the ear. I like the feel of this device and the tip is quite comfortable, fitting into the ear instead of on the ear. Plug the other earphone microUSB into the base of the device. Here is the biggest flaw with the device. The microUSB port needs to be flipped 180 degrees so that that the prong points outward and not inward, essentially creating a near circle. It is difficult to get this into your ear and feels less comfortable in this configuration than it did in the single ear configuration. Lastly, you have a 5×2 panel instruction manual.

Like any typical boy, with a new toy, I jumped into the device before reading the manual. I tried the single earpiece first. I was impressed with the clarity of the sound, the bass is reasonable with some weakness in the sub bass and lower bass. Overall, the sound is clear with only intermittent clicking/popping and distortion. I think that this is secondary to the Bluetooth 4.1. The connection did not pop/crack as often as many similar devices, which was refreshing. I flipped the switch on the inner side (close to your ear). I went to the settings on my phone and then to Bluetooth and found “Crazy Stone,” the name of the device. Why this device has that name is uncertain to me, it is odd. The connection was incredibly quick. The distance of use is roughly that of typical Bluetooth devices 10 meters or 30 feet. I went to my Amazon prime music and started listening to my go-to collection/tests. The single ear configuration is good for driving and the two ear configuration is reasonable for casual audio. The volume was very responsive along the up/down buttons on the outer rim. The headset has really nice volume control.

Unfortunately, I could not find the on/off button initially. I found the Up/Next Down/Prev button along the side. Tap for volume change and hold for next track and the on/off toggle. I did not like that the volume down button was on top and the volume up button was on the bottom, as this seemed inverted. I found the microphone just above the volume down button. I was frustrated with the device initially, as I was placing this into my ear. It continued to turn on/off the music and activated my Siri. I really thought that the device was glitchy. However, I noted that when I touched the golden color near the base of the device, it turned the song on and off. I was impressed to find that this device has a touch panel for on/off. Talk about a really neat and unexpected feature. Finding this, I turned to the manual to see what other features the device holds.

The manual is double-sided, with one side in English and one in Chinese. The manual is acceptable/passable with obvious grammatical errors. It starts with a preface, thanking you for purchasing the device, reviews warnings and then discusses the description of the device. This is a Bluetooth 4.1 device DC5V power supply and an internal 150mAh Li-Po battery capable of 4 hours of playback and 4.5 hours of talk. It takes roughly 1 hour to charge the device fully (1.1 hours per manual). The manual has a really convenient diagram and clearly shows an MF (multifunction) touch key. There is an LED indicator near the volume + button (near the ear piece). When you power the device on/off a voice will announce power on/off. The device will connect to your Bluetooth as listed above. You can answer/end a call by tapping the multi-touch button. Reject a call by holding the multi-touch button for 2 seconds. You can also say yes or no to answer the call. The multi-touch button is quite sensitive and works really well. Again you will notice that as you put the device on/off you will activate/deactivate the device multiple times. The manual details connection to 2 devices, which I never utilize. This does support IOS battery widget on the top of your screen (I did not notice this in the manual).

The extra ear piece is a single flange device and measures at 18″ from device to tip of the earbud. This is more than enough cable to reach around the neck, either in front of or behind. your head). The back of the accessory does have a wedge shape, which allows you to pinch and insert the earphone. This was a nice feature. I prefer double flange to single flange for my ear earphones, but these are quite comfortable. The company provides a small and medium tip for your to try, thus providing some broader scope. Personally, I thought I would not like the large controller in front of my ear, but this was actually quite comfortable. Most of the controllers, on other devices I have tested, are 1-2 inches from the ear piece and this leads to downward traction on the ear canal, leading to fatigue. Since the top of the ear supports the weight of this device, it actually was quite comfortable. This device is right ear specific and is not reversible that I could find.

Sound:
This device is likely not going to be a go-to choice for audiophiles. Let me tell you that I have tested high end supra-aural that cannot output this sound. The more I tested the devices the more I liked them. You have great sound both for music, audible audiobooks and phone calls roughly at 30-50% volume. If you turn this up beyond 50% it is actually painful and too loud. I found myself turning the volume down, to better enjoy the sound. I found this worked well for hands-free calling in my Chevy Silverado, which is quiet while riding. It actually did much better than I expected in my Class C Diesel Motorhome with a lot of background noise. The engine is ridiculously loud. My wife noted that this provided less “tunnel” sound than other devices I have tested. Overall she was pleased with the hands-free nature and she has now commandeered the device for her van/use.

When you combine this with the accessory IEM for the other ear, you will notice that the sound is clearer, yet remains Mono. My typical audio test songs are “Why So Serious Dark Knight Rises” Joker Theme, to test the bass. It passed this test incredibly well. Listen starting at about 3 minutes to 4 minutes. Good speakers will have some really nice bass, some alternating features, and sub bass. Poor speakers will have a lot of gaps and then pick up around 4 minutes. These played well through the entire test. Next, I listen to Bohemian Rhapsody to test the stereo effect. I really do love this song for its stereo alternating effect, making me smile every time I hear it. Unfortunately, I did not get the left sided “little high” and right sided “little low” and was a little disappointed. Typically headsets in this class are a bit tinny and treble heavy/sharp. I did not experience that with these speakers. I really enjoyed listening to audible with just the main earpiece, while driving. I will likely not use this device for pleasure listening, but I do like the option should I decide to listen with both ears. Do not use this while driving, one ear only!

Summary:
This device will work well as an option for hands-free calling. This headset does have an acceptable battery life, with a good 4 hours straight of listening. It charges in just about an hour, which is very reasonable. It has vocal reminders “low battery” “Connected” “Power On” “Power Off.” The device does connect very quickly and has a good range from your primary device. It supports IOS battery widget, showing you how much time you have left. Talking on the phone was much more natural sounding on this device, than other similar devices. This device really does have some amazing features, but the USB micro port needs to be changed 180 degrees. This really is unfortunate as it makes the device much less comfortable and awkward. I rate the device at 4/5 stars.
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