Freedom from stubborn cables while listening to music or answering calls is what the Bluetrek MusiCALL Stereo Bluetooth headset, awaiting its review, promises to offer. Despite the fact that some of us are inseparable from our phones, it tends to get a little annoying at times when we are forced to miss an important call while travelling or driving. And that is when a Bluetooth headset comes to the rescue by providing the much needed flexibility to attend calls and liberty from tangling cords. With plenty of Bluetooth devices at our disposal, let see what sets this one apart from all others.
The Bluetooth MusiCALL headset sits neatly along with all its accessories in the box packaged inside a transparent plastic cover. The device that doubles up as a remote to control the music and calls comes with Hi-Fi Stereo headphones with earbuds in three different sizes. Also included is a carry pouch, user manuals and USB cable to charge through laptops and systems. Though the package is pretty much satisfactory, our review unit does not manage to grab the attention owing to its not-so-impressive design.
The sturdy circular black and silver Bluetooth device sports a clip on the reverse side to hook it firmly to clothes and bagstraps. It is embedded with multiple keys in the front alongside a dual colored LED indicator which flashes red and blue lights when switched on. On its upper side is a 3.5mm jack to connect headsets and USB cable. The built-in microphone, also on the upper side, helps users to take calls while the device is clipped on. Its lightweight (15g) form factor makes it extremely portable and the clip attaches itself effortlessly. Though the brushed metallic texture fails to amaze us with average looks as we have come across far better-looking headsets, the Bluetooth attempts to make up for it by not being a fan of fingerprints.
The LED indicator’s blue light starts flickering as soon as we switch on the device. Pairing it with A2DP or AVRCP mobile devices and Bluetooth-enabled computers is extremely easy and once paired, it remembers the last paired device to save users from going through the connection process again and again. After setting up the connection once, it automatically synchronized with our Sony Ericsson mobile phone within a few seconds. Though it does not support two phones at a time, this V2.1 backward compatible device can be paired with a music player and a mobile phone (HSP and A2DP), simultaneously. It also supports VoIP calling. The manual turned out to be pretty handy with simple instructions on the functions of the Bluetrek MusiCALL.
One thing that elated us the most about the appropriately named MusiCALL is its sound quality. The Bluetooth stays connected to the device within a radius of 10 meters and transmits a clear audio while answering calls or when listening to music. The NoiseLock feature for wind and echo cancellation enhances the audio transmission to avoid issues with outside noise. What adds to the clarity and comfort are earbuds of different sizes and since we couldn’t part with our favorite headphones we connected them to the device through its universal 3.5mm jack. On average usage, the battery life is pretty decent.
The LED indicator alerts when the Bluetooth is switched on or whenever a key on its remote is pressed. When powering the device, it flashes the red light and turns itself off when charged. In addition to the LED, the indication tones inform about low battery, incoming calls and connections to the mobile devices. Controlling it is easy with five buttons for playing or pausing music, changing tracks and volume. Long pressing the play/pause button puts the power on or off and hitting it once will help answering or ending calls. Besides these basic functions, we could reject, redial or transfer calls, although it’s tricky to remember all combinations for various operations. The Bluetrek MusiCALL Stereo Bluetooth headset also recognizes voice when paired with handsets that support the function.
If we ignore the appearance of our review unit, there is not much to complain about. To sum it up, the device gave us some affirmative things to say. It is easy to pair, carry and clip while transmitting a clear audio. It can be used to carry out various functions like handling calls and music without using the phone. Users will have to shell out Rs. 2,645 for this portable device. The Bluetrek MusiCALL Stereo Bluetooth headset manages to earn an 8 on 10 rating from us.
