Thanks to my iPod, I can soak up tunes or devour audio books while cleaning the house, walking the dog, or shopping for groceries. I love how easy it is to create a “soundtrack for my life” with my iPod … but I hate the fact that hearing that soundtrack requires me to have an annoying white cord dangling between my ears and my left front jeans pocket.
I’m delighted, then, to have discovered Logitech FreePulse Wireless Headphones. Now, when I’m Swiffering in time with Annie Lennox’s “You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart,” the wires don’t get in the way … because, with the FreePulse headphones, there’s no wire.
There are two pieces to this miracle of modern technology: the wireless headphones themselves and the matchbox-sized transmitter that makes the miracle possible.
I love the headphones themselves; they’re light and remarkably comfortable. (And, because they incorporate a “back of the neck” instead of an “over the head” design, they don’t saddle me with a case of “headphone hair” for the rest of the day.) When not in use, I just shift ’em to my neck; when I’m ready to listen again, I slip the silicone loops over my ears and I’m good to go.
Power and volume controls are conveniently located on the right-hand earpiece, making it easy to adjust the volume when the shuffle setting on my iPod juxtaposes a quiet Gregorian chant with Steve Perry’s make-out anthem, “Don’t Stop Believing.” Though I’m sure a true audiophile would find some aspect of the sound to whine about, I’m perfectly happy with the richness and clarity of the FreePulse, and haven’t even found a reason to try the optional “bass booster” setting.
The transmitter comes with a flexible connector and a set of plastic adaptors that make it easy to snap the unit onto my iPod Nano; these days, I hardly notice the transmitter is there. (The package includes a short cable that enables the transmitter to be connected to any device with a standard “headphone out” mini-pin connector.) The Bluetooth connection to the headphones is reliable and stable … though, like other users, I do experience the “one-second drop-out” about once every two or three hours or so.
The transmitter is powerful enough to send signals about thirty feet; walls and floors reduce that range to about twenty feet. In my experience, the signal sounds great, right up to the edge of the transmitter’s range; there’s no gradual drop-out and no “fuzzy edge,” like I’ve experienced with other wireless headphones.
I should also note that, for the first time in years, total strangers at the local supermarket are stopping me to ask, “Excuse me … but what are you wearing?” When I explain that I’m wearing wireless headphones, people are intrigued. When they hear the sound quality, they’re delighted. When they understand they can use these headphones with their own iPod, they get a sort of childlike wonder in their eyes.
Frankly? For the price — a cool $88.00 bucks at Amazon.com — you can’t beat this level of quality, functionality, and reliability. If you’re looking for a very cool, very 21st-century headphone solution — and don’t mind the occasional adoration of strangers — the Logitech FreePulse is probably the ticket.
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