Related
http://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics®-P...&keywords=taotronics+bluetooth#productDetails
I've tried lots of portable speakers. Mostly of the "budget" category. Never bought beats, jambox or bose but usually went with the cheaper products. I have to say I was quite surprised by this speaker however.
*Build Quality*
It has a very rugged design that looks like an "egg". Holding it hand it has a good weight to it and feels rock solid. It looks like it could take some abuse from day to day use. Not once did I find anything flimsy or loose. It comes in two colors red and black.
All it comes with is a micro-usb charge cable. Which is fine with me.
*Performance*
Just like the build quality the sound quality is top notch. I was pleasantly surprised by it. A lot of the cheaper bluetooth speakers of similar size sound thin and starts to distort when the volume is raised too high. The Taotronic has a very nice full sound with more bass than I was expecting. I don't think its been noticed but there seems to be two speakers in the unit! EDIT - conformed via Taotronics support. There is 2 speakers! One for highs and one for bass!
One at the bottom facing up for the bass and a top speaker facing down for the highs. Please check the photos. I'll contact taotronics and find out.
It has a built-in rechargeable battery. So far I've used it for about 5 hours and its still going strong on a relatively high volume.
Connecting was breeze. Each subsequent connection is easy.
I did try to use the phone mic feature and while it was good when speaking with 3ft; anything past that and its pretty useless.
There is a aux 3.5mm jack if using an older mp3 player with no bluetooth.
There is a toggle switch that has multiple uses. It can play the next song, previous song, stop and play. Holding it to the left will lower volume while holding it right will raise the volume.
*Conclusion*
The sound quality can not be beaten in the price range IMO. It will surprise you I believe. Don't expect it to outdo the larger bluetooth speakers that are 10 times the price.
Note- I have been given a sample for a fair, unbiased review.
Jam Plus HMDX HX-P240 speakers I bought for £19 each
I bought two Jam Plus HMDX HX-P240 speakers. They are AWESOME. Great amazon reviews, each can work independently, about 4h battery life, comes in a jam jar case and color coded usb charging cable, works via bluetooth and aux in, can be paired with another jam plus to make it stereo speakers, volume is LOOOUUUD, no distortion, bass is good for a tiny speakers, they come in many different colours. Bought damaged box item from ebay for 19£ each from outlet stores. Only lid of jar was dented, speakers was as new and works great.
See my review on youtube working fine with the samsung galaxy S5 www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLjM_IPckHw very pleased with my purchase of £19 each as they work great alone or in pairs. Everyone at work who listened to them was asking me where i got them and how much and several were trying to buy them within a few minutes of listening to mine. People were borrowing it to take around to show their friends at work!
Please note that the old model is P230 and looks almost the same, but it cant be used in pairs, so if you want the pairing function and the new model is louder, then be careful which version you buy.
Mpow FreeGo
Over the course of the years I’ve tried many, many Bluetooth headsets and VERY few lasted more than a few days of use. A lot had poor performance, extremely uncomfortable or both.
I travel a lot and sometimes it’s just cumbersome having to hold the phone when talking and trying to multitask. So I gave the FreeGO a try and I’m glad I did.
Performance/Build Quality
When first looking at the unit; I was worried it was going to be too heavy with the size but I was pleasantly surprised when picking it up. It’s a lot lighter than I expected. Even though it was light weight it didn’t feel cheap in the slightly. Nothing flexed, or creaked to the point where I was worried about it falling apart.
The unit itself has a two toned looked to it. A shiny glossy part and matte soft rubber part. The soft rubber part is what actually is in contact with your ear. This makes it extremely comfortable to wear. So comfortable that I’d forget I had it on to be honest. The silicone ear tip that creates a “seal” for sound doesn’t really create a seal as the tip is oddly “flat” shaped. It’s not like the tips on earphones/earbuds where you would jam them in your ear canal. It simply hovers over the opening. This worried me at first that calls or sounds would be difficult to hear. Once again it surprised me. Calls still came in crystal clear, music sounded good and never missed a notification sound. I think the odd shape and not shoving them in the ear canal is what makes the headset so comfortable.
Can be used on either ear. The earpiece has a 180 Degree Flip-boom arm for both left or right ear. Which is really convenient depending which ear you want to use it on.
The unit has 3 buttons: Volume up, volume down and answer call. All were easy to access when worn and always responsive. Pairing it to my phone or tablet was a cinch and took no longer than 2 minutes for initial pairing and subsequent pairings took seconds.
Sound quality was just amazing. Never did I feel like it wasn’t clear. The mic also performed superbly. The person on the line never had a problem hearing me or asked me to speak louder. What else can you ask for?
Last; it stayed in place. I’m sure everyone had that headset that was just impossible to keep in place and you ended adjusting it all the time. Not this one; I had it on the ENTIRE day and not once did I have to adjust it.
Packaging
It comes in a simple box. Has 3 different ear tips, a small faux leather pouch and a micro usb cable (flat cable which is a nice touch). The micro usb cable is of decent quality which is a plus in my book. It did not come with a wall plug though. So either use your phones or plug it into your computer to charge it.
Conclusion
It’s a no brainer for me if you’re looking for a great value Bluetooth headset. Good performance, good price and comfortable. I’d recommend it to anyone.
Nice review, but what do you use this for?
I have a pair of wireless Jaybird bluebuds I wear for running/working out, and flip them over for conference calls.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using xda app-developers app
ampm325 said:
Nice review, but what do you use this for?
I have a pair of wireless Jaybird bluebuds I wear for running/working out, and flip them over for conference calls.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using xda app-developers app
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I got the jaybird freedom, it wasn't cheap, but it was worth the price. The fit is good, sound is good too, battery lasts long, and sweatproof. Perfect for workout.
Only letdown that it is not good for phonecalls, they said my voice was very quiet when I used the jaybird freedom for phonecalls.
Im looking to buy a bluetooth headset for phonecalls, hope Mpow FreeGo will be good. Though i have the experience, when I am in a noisy enviroment, if I use a one-ear headset, I can't hear the other person on the phone. Not because the headset is not good, but because my other ear is exosed to the noisy enviroment. I guess that wouldn't be a problem for a 2-ear headset.
Good review, but i don't think it is worth buying, because the design and the specifications, the tronfy iwork mini 4.0 is better than this one, only $16.99, but longer battery life and more different earbuds.
Also has 15% Coupon now: GBJC7XNK
I own the Mpow also. Funny I thought I had lost my Mpow and pulled out 3 of older brands I've tried but didnt like. After a week with the older one, I quickly ordered 2 new Mpow's then found the missing Mpow in the trunk of my car LOL. I'm a big fan of the Mpow FreeGo
I don't think the phone comes with them. What headphones everyone will be using? Also, if anyone has the phone, could you let us know if the volume and call controls work on the headphones you have. Thanks!
When traveling I'll be using Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. In the office I use iPhone ear buds. They volume buttons don't work but the play/pause button does.
Sennheiser IE8i and Beyerdynamic t51i. Both have controls made for the iPhone so I'm only expecting the center button & mic to work like the rest of the Android phones I've plugged them into. If anyone has any recommendations for great headphones with full Android controls, I'm all eyes.
I'll be using RHA t20i and the Blue MOFI headphones. Don't have the phone yet. Going to try to OTG with my OPPO HA2, but will need an adaptor first. The RHAs expose bad recordings, so it will be interesting to see how the 6p performs without the DAC. The MoFi's just sound good with everything.
I have the monster isport victory headphones, and the play/pause buttons work and so does answering calls. The seek tracks buttons dont work though. These headphones have been great so far for an active person. There water resistant and have even survived the wash and dryer twice!
I have a pair of black and white zipbuds slide I bought about a month ago to go with my frosty 6p. So far I love them because they have a zipper to prevent the buds from getting tangled. The sound is WAY better than any other earbuds I've owned and it actually has bass! I'm not an audiophile by any means but I really love them and can't wait to get my 6p to match.
Also, I recommend getting them from amazon because they were $20 cheaper at the time.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I'm using a Klipsch S4i paired with a MPOW BT adapter for normal use. When I'm at home or need something more I use my Audio-Technica M50. If you need somehting cheap then Monoprice has a pretty decent selection also.
ReaperNY said:
I'm using a Klipsch S4i paired with a MPOW BT adapter for normal use.
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I think i had those Klipsch ear buds - a very good set of headphones. Don't they have a 3 button mic you could customize in android via an application?
Also, the Sennheiser Momentums are a great sounding pair. Thought of throw that out there.
Elnrik said:
I think i had those Klipsch ear buds - a very good set of headphones. Don't they have a 3 button mic you could customize in android via an application?
Also, the Sennheiser Momentums are a great sounding pair. Thought of throw that out there.
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I believe that's the s4a. Mine is made for iOS but it was way cheaper ($40) and it's the reference edition. I have a Pebble to help me with controls otherwise. I haven't used the buttons in a while, so I'll try them again and let u know.
mosincredible Android OEMs implement the volume controls differently and not consistently. The IE8i you have have replaceable cables. I am not familiar with those headphones and am not sure what connectors they use. If they use common connectors (e.g. MMCX or two pin) then you can get an aftermarket cable on Ebay. There are many cable options that work with Samsung devices and they sometimes work with other brands. For instance my cables have full controls with my G4 but only had the standard play pause on my Motorola and HTC. When my phone gets here and if my cables work and your IEMs have common connectors I can direct you to aftermarket options.
As for headphone recommendations based on what you currently own if you are looking for IEMs I would carefully consider getting customs (CIEMs). There are tons of good CIEM suppliers and constant new entries to the market so pricing is very competitive. Of consideration though CIEMs generally have terrible resale value. Also, depending on how you use them (e.g. for working out or hard physical activity) and how sensitive/flexible your aural canals are fitment can be far more challenging than the glowing online reviews of how comfortable they are would lead you to believe. However, once you get a great fitting CIEM it's hard to go back to a universal.
My path to great CIEMs for my purposes was not as smooth as it appears to be for most people on for instance Head-Fi. I have a few pairs of very expensive acrylics that get very little use. I ultimately had to get silicone CIEMs to get something comfortable for my activities and admittedly excessively long listening sessions. In summary consider CIEMs but do so carefully as at least for me it was expensive and much harder to get to what I thought I was certain to get on the first try.
mosincredible said:
Sennheiser IE8i and Beyerdynamic t51i. Both have controls made for the iPhone so I'm only expecting the center button & mic to work like the rest of the Android phones I've plugged them into. If anyone has any recommendations for great headphones with full Android controls, I'm all eyes.
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I like making the wirecutter website to make decisions for me.
I have the JLab Epic Bluetooth 4.0 Wireless Sports Earbuds with 10 Hour Battery & IPX4 Waterproof Rating, Blue/Graphite
zeitgeb3r said:
I like making the wirecutter website to make decisions for me.
I have the JLab Epic Bluetooth 4.0 Wireless Sports Earbuds with 10 Hour Battery & IPX4 Waterproof Rating, Blue/Graphite
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I use their recommendations too. Recently bought the same wireless earbuds. Fit was good and bluetooth kept cutting in and out even on my replacement unit. Ended up returning it. Looks like they are investigation the issue with JLABS as well.
HifiMan Re-400 for the earplug
headphone: BeyerDynamic Custom One Pro and Audio Technica M50X
I love seeing so many ppl with the AT M50X cans.
piston 3 - gym or going out with friends
momentum over-ear - all other times
Sennheiser HD-25 with Fiio E07K Andes DAC/Amp Combo
Klipsch Image X10 and Jaybird Blue Bud X. I might need to end up getting a DAC for this phone for the Image X10 since the voltage is so low. They were so good with my HTC M8 though.
For the $$, best you can get...
http://www.wired.com/2015/06/mrice-e300/
I currently have the Bose Soundtrue's for Android/galaxy which has the inline mike and volume controls that work with Android as the name implies. For home use I normally rock the v-moda crossfade lp's (looking to upgrade to the crossfade wireless but waiting for reviews)
I currently have a pair of pink cheap ones from quick trip. All they had in a pinch. Lol
Sent from my Nexus 7
So, I want to have a portable speaker, but what is the best speaker to buy up to 100€(euros)(can't say price in dollars). I was watching a Samsung Level Box Mini, but I dunno.... maybe in the market are better speakers...
What do I need from speaker: Bluetooth connectivity, Rechargeable battery, LOUDNESS (very loud speakers). Battery life isn't that interesting, but I want it up to 5hrs.
Maybe someone has or had experience with Samsung Level Box Mini? Or had an another speaker that would be loud and from normal company (like Samsung, Philips, Beats by Dre,etc)?
I bought a small used speaker from a shop near me
its loud as hell even though its small and has no name on it :v but its working on my s5 mini
i bought it for 8$
Nice catch!
So, no opinions or recommendations?
Bose Soundlink Mini is by far the best portable Bluetooth box on the market right now!
Many dislike Bose for their poor price/quality ratio - but with this box they just destroyed everything. 10 of 10 would buy again only to have two of them.
But is there any selling this speaker in about 100€ range?
What about picking this speaker in used condition(because it's less price-y)?
I have my bose speaker for over 2 years now. The speaker only looks slightly used, due to the extremly stable case. When you lift it, you will know the reason.
The battery is still like it was on the first day (about 5-8 hrs playtime on high volume and bt connection).
I only encountered some connection problems, when you connect too many devices to speaker - but that can be fixed easily by pressing the BT button for 5 sec for deleting the connected device history.
Trust me, with this speaker you cant do anything wrong. with this speaker you will be the king of portable soundspeakers... And no, the speaker should cost about 150€ (i bought mine for 250€ though..)
I bought these http://www.pure.com/wireless-speakers/jongo-s3x/graphite for 80$, great quality overall, wifi and bluetooth connection + AUX at the back + built-in battery.
I have a Libratone Zipp Mini, the sound is incredible, beter than my bose soundlink, andere it's cheaper, it has wifi, bleutooth aptx, aux, it has an own app where I can change the sound, like outdoor or tabel or floor. I can also change the sound Dynamics it processes. It has more than 60 watts, really loud, with a good sound mod on your phone it goes even louder without distortion because of the 2 built in amplifiers, 360 degree sound, bass is nice but not so hard bass, I like that. Battery is 5-7 hours. I picked it up at the Apple premium resellers Calles "Switch" in belgium for 250 euro's, but I think it's cheaper now. Yeah not your price range bit as an musician Igove some advice: you can better use your money for a more pricey but much better speaker with good sound. I listen Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Rory Gallagher, Jeff Buckley, John Frusciante but also electronic music, it just sounds so good. Greets Beau (very long post btw hehe )
Anker Sound Core
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-SoundCore-Playtime-Bluetooth-Portable/dp/B016XTADG2
Can't say anything about those speakers previously mentioned but without a shadow of a doubt the Anker Sound Core is the best for battery life, which if you think about it is the only reason you are getting a portable speaker. If people make the argument about better sound, that is not relevant because the soundcore doesn't sacrifice sound quality at the price of battery life. I've got the first generation Anker Sound core sitting in front of me right now, I got it in October of 2018, it's now the 16th of April 2019 and I can recall charging it possibly 3 times?
I have used it for some outdoor things at the beach over summer (southern hemisphere) and Christmas, charged it over that period. Used it on and off at medium to high volumes, certainly has a battery life that far exceeds any other device I have owned. It will outlast pretty much any thing else, while still sounding good, having no distortion that I can hear at max volume, being small enough to put in your jacket pocket.
To put it in better terms, unless you leave it running with music on it, you can be fairly sure that when you do have to charge it you won't remember the last time you charged it. That's how long it lasts. Makes sense too because anker makes batteries primarily, so that technology is ported over to their speakers. All batteries don't seem to be equal. Other portable speakers are made by speaker companies who try their hand at battery manufacturing, whereas Anker is a battery company which tried it's hand at portable speaker making. That's the only reason I can see for such a good product. Because of this, I'd say that the superior battery know how of the companys product allows the speakers in the portable speaker to be better arranged electronically than competitors speakers who have less thorough knowledge of batteries.
All I can say is that I was impressed by it, and so were other people online.
Since the Nexus 6P comes without headphones, I was wondering which headphones everyone is using, and how much did it cost them? Would you recommend them to others? If you have tried more than once pair of headphones (wired or wireless) which one would you recommend?
I'm using the XBA-A3's at work and on the go: http://amzn.com/B00FJISZ28 They use a hybrid driver - pairing both a dynamic driver with two balanced armature drivers to create a fantastic sound.
I wear them about 6 hours per work day. They are by far the best sounding headphones I own. That's saying something, as I also own Sennheiser HD 650's, AudioTechnica ath-m50x, Shure SRH-840, Blue MoFi's, and Vmoda Crossfades which I use with my laptop and various portable/desktop headphone amps/dacs.
In searching for the best earbuds, I purchased and returned the RHA t20i, Shure 425s, Sennheiser Momentums, B&W C5s, and Audio-Technica ATH-CKR10... none of which were bad by any stretch of the imagination. The Audio Technica CKR10s are the closest to the XBA-A3, in my opinion. The XBA-A3's have an edge in mid and high end clarity in my comparisons. Balanced armatures for the win. I also prefer the over-ear wire guide and detachable cables. Also, most of those listed above don't have an in-line mic, which the Sony's do have. So, the A3's won, and I'm loving them daily.
M_Shaaban said:
Since the Nexus 6P comes without headphones, I was wondering which headphones everyone is using, and how much did it cost them? Would you recommend them to others? If you have tried more than once pair of headphones (wired or wireless) which one would you recommend?
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Sennheiser HD800's with a chord Hugo amplifier.
~$2200 and sounds wonderful. Would recommend it any day.
I've always used my Audio Technica ATH-ESW9 for whenever I'm away from my T1 at home. They're around $200 new and I got mine for $120 like new off of Amazon a couple years ago. One thing I've always like is the sound signature of the ESW9 deviates from the rest of the Audio Technica offerings, and it's an absolute joy for listening to acoustic instruments. Brownie points for using real wood too. Along with the durable lambskin leather, part of the reason why I prefer them for portable use, the ESW9 provide decent isolation without muting your surroundings when they're properly seated on your ears. Call me paranoid, but too much isolation is why I don't use earbuds; I see it as a hazard.
LG HBS-810, paid about $85, plus $15 for some comply foam tips. Can't complain.
Sony XB-90EX (About 120$ import) with Gain ramped to 5 and the new powerAMP, I think I'm sold until the hybrid tips wear off.
SpiritBreak3r said:
Sony XB-90EX (About 120$ import) with Gain ramped to 5 and the new powerAMP, I think I'm sold until the hybrid tips wear off.
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I've just ordered a pair of these, how are you finding them in general?
Stretlow said:
I've just ordered a pair of these, how are you finding them in general?
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I'm a basshead and this is my first "In-ear" monitors. I've also been and will be sony's XB fanboy and these pair just blew my mind.
JVC FX850s, though the phone's output & internal DAC makes them sound like crap (coming from Note 4). V4A doesn't make it much better. Placed an order for a cheap portable DAC, FiiO K1.
SpiritBreak3r said:
I'm a basshead and this is my first "In-ear" monitors. I've also been and will be sony's XB fanboy and these pair just blew my mind.
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Great to hear, fan of the bass myself... thanks for the post..
They're currently somewhere between Japan and Manchester
I'm using Sony MDR-EX650 Earphones with Brass Housing, Smartphone Mic and Control. By far the best in ear headphones I've ever bought, and I'm really hard to please when it comes to sound quality. The sounds take is incredibly open for in ear headphones. I can hardly feel them in my ears, the bass Is punchy without making the sound muddy. Fantastic, really glad I bought the 6p, and these headphones. Got them for £60 but can get them for around £40 online
Bose QC 20's ("Samsung Model" which is their Android version) All of the buttons work (vol+,-, play/pause) and it has ANC with an 'active button'. The active mode gives you mild noise canceling with enhanced speaking level tones for running/working out. I paid $300 for them this past summer and I don't regret it at all. I own 5 pairs of Bose headphones total (QC 20's, Freestyle, SiE 2's, OE 2's and the True Sound over ear ones)
Been using the latest xiaomi in ear pro these past two weeks, it is a hybrid : 1ba and 1 dynamic. Bass seem overpowered (i'm not a basshead), mid a bit high and buttons (mic n vol) works with my music player (black player ex), build quality is great for the price. I would recommend this Xiaomi (i got it for around $28 ) for 'on the go' earphones. For 'serious listening' i use my red Shure 535LE with black oyaide cable.
I'm rocking a V-Moda Crossfade LP2 - picked them up as open box off eBay for $99 and added the XL foam ear pads from V-Moda, also an eBay purchase. They sound ridiculously good, and the ear pads make these comfy af. The inline remote does NOT work though, but it worked on a Lumia - go figure, as Apple and MS have a patent deal. >.> Get with it Google! I miss pausing my music or summoning Cortana with the Play/Pause button on the cable.
M_Shaaban said:
Since the Nexus 6P comes without headphones, I was wondering which headphones everyone is using, and how much did it cost them? Would you recommend them to others? If you have tried more than once pair of headphones (wired or wireless) which one would you recommend?
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I've got a few hooked up for different purposes, Grado SR325i are my hands down favorite for sound but unless I'm sitting still in a quiet room they're not so wonderful.
Realistically though, my MPOW Cheetah Blueetooth get the most play time. $16 on sale. They don't sound anywhere as nice as my RE0's (which I bought so long ago I don't remember the price, definitely more than $16 though), but the whole wireless headphone thing is just so darn practical and the battery life is good enough that I would definitely recommend them.
I've been using Audio-Technica M50x's ($133) around the house and Klipsch S4's ($99) or Jbuds ($35) while out and about. Very happy with all of them.
I use some jbl wireless in ears, bose qc 20s, and sennheiser momentum in ears.
Beats PowerBeats2 Bluetooth for cardio. Paid $100 on Black Friday. I think at $100, its pretty good. Battery life is amazing. Sound is decent. But I wouldn't pay full price for them.
Shure SE215 for everything else. Paid $100 for them.
Bose QC15 for flights which I haven't traveled much lately so its not used ah much. Forgot how much I paid. Maybe $300ish.
I also have Bose IE2, Audio Technician M50 but those are rarely used.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
For wireless listening, I use a pair of Jaybird Bluebuds X. They work ver well and sound pretty good.
For wired listening, I have a pair of Klipsch S4is that I use when the BlueBuds are out of battery, and mostly for calls. My favorite pair are the Vmoda Crossfade LP2. The Vmoda give me the best sound out of all my headphones, but I don't like wearing them for extended periods of time. The Vmoda inline controller button does not work on the 6P by the way, and the same applies to many stock headphones for some reason.
I backed The Dash on Kickstarter two years ago and it looks like I should finally be getting mine in the next month or two. I'm very excited to get them to replace the BlueBuds, but Bluetooth sound quality will never match wired units.
M_Shaaban said:
Since the Nexus 6P comes without headphones, I was wondering which headphones everyone is using, and how much did it cost them? Would you recommend them to others? If you have tried more than once pair of headphones (wired or wireless) which one would you recommend?
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Unless you are an audiophile, I will recommend the Mpow Wolverine: http://amzn.com/B017I50T0K. They are cheap and the sound is excellent in my opinion. Additionally, they work perfectly with "Ok Google" commands, I mean detecting the "OK Google", which I have found to be inconsistent with other wireless or wired headphones. The microphone is on the volume control bar, so it is closer to your face and phone calls are really clear.
I also own the Mpow Swift: http://amzn.com/B00PW3B194, which I bought first. These are not as good, the sound is not the best in my opinion. I use them at work to listen to music and news podcast, so I don't need real good sound, as I keep the volume very low. The microphone in this one is on the right-ear headphone, so people have trouble hearing me if it is windy.
PS: No, I don't work for Mpow, I bought them because I found them on sale, so I paid $9.99 for each one.