Samsung HS3000

The Samsung HS3000 features an interesting design for a stereo Bluetooth headset. It comes with a set of wired earbuds, plus a separate main body that clips onto your shirt. It works for both voice calls and music like most stereo Bluetooth headphones. But it doesn't convert into a mono Bluetooth headset with an ear hook, like the Samsung Modus HM6450 ($99, 4 stars) or HM3700 ($59, 4 stars); the HS3000 is a pure stereo model. The HS3000 won't win any sound quality awards—stereo Bluetooth or otherwise—but it's a decent, low-cost headset that should please casual music listeners.
Design, Fit, and Pairing
The HS3000's main body is made of a hard, matte plastic, and feels very light. A sturdy plastic clip on the back lets you pin the HS3000 to a shirt pocket. A Talk button and indicator light sit on the front panel. The sides contain the power switch, volume buttons, a Mode button, and a trio of music playback controls for pausing or skipping tracks. The bottom edge holds a covered microUSB port, while the top edge houses a standard-size 3.5mm headphone jack.
This last point is interesting; while Samsung includes a set of in-ear buds with rubber tips, you can actually use any set of wired headphones. The HS3000's main body contains the microphone, not the earbud wires, so you can still make or receive calls with any set of headphones plugged in. That makes the HS3000 much more versatile than most stereo Bluetooth headsets—particularly for audiophiles who are willing to forego Bluetooth's inherent audio quality limitations in favor of wireless listening, or even just for wearing whatever headphones or earbuds are the most comfortable.
The bundled earbuds include soft ear tips that are somewhere between rubber and plastic, in terms of texture. I found them quite comfortable to wear. I'll refer to them as in-ear buds, since they sit inside the ear a bit and don't sit outside like stock iPod earbuds. But they don't go all the way in and form a tight seal like audiophile-quality earbuds do (sometimes at the expense of comfort). Samsung also includes two additional sets of ear tips in the box—one larger set than the pre-fitted ear tips, and one smaller set—as well as an AC adapter.
The first time you power up the HS3000, it automatically enters pairing mode; subsequent pairings require you to hold down the Talk button for several seconds while the unit is turned on. The HS3000 supports Bluetooth 3.0, and can also pair with two Bluetooth devices simultaneously. But unlike some other headsets, you must first activate multi-point mode manually. For this review, I paired the HS3000 with an Apple iPhone 4 ($199, 4.5 stars) and a Casio G'zOne Ravine ($149.99, 4.5 stars) with no issue or audio dropouts in either case.
Sound Quality, Other Features, and Conclusions
Sound quality was well balanced for the most part, but decidedly flat. It's not artificially boosted in any way, with even response across the frequency spectrum. Bass response was just okay; there was enough to give the music proper weight, with some oomph to kick drums, but it didn't extend to the lowest frequencies, nor did it have much punch. But the main issue was a lack of detail, as well as a lack of sweetness in the high range. Listening to Mumford & Son's "Little Lion Man," I didn't hear the distinct stereo separation I usually hear over other headphones and earbuds.
Quibbles with audio quality aside, the HS3000 is fine for casual or background listening, and the in-ear design isolates you from external background noise. On the other hand, there was significant cable thump audible, so these aren't a good choice for exercising. The Mode button cycles between three DSP algorithms: Normal, Instrument, and Vocal. Each of the latter two settings were quite poor, so I listened via the Normal mode almost exclusively.
Other features: The Talk button makes, answers, and ends calls; you also hold this down for a few seconds to enter pairing mode. The LED light doubles as a battery status indicator, and changes between blue (above 80 percent), violet (between 80 percent and 20 percent), and red (below 20 percent) to reflect the amount of charge remaining. The voice prompts offer the same info, and also keep you posted as to call, connection, and pairing status. Range was average; I could walk about 10 feet away from my handset before hearing audible artifacts in the music. A full charge takes about two hours; under continuous music playback, battery life was good at 7 hours and 23 minutes.
All told, the Samsung HS3000 is inexpensive and unusually flexible for stereo Bluetooth headphones. It's a good choice if you prize battery life above all else, or if you've got your own pair of headphones that you want to use in lieu of stock earbuds. The Samsung HM3700 comes with a much better set of stereo earbuds, lacks the HS3000's cable thump issue, and also converts to a mono headset with an ear hook, although it's bulkier and doesn't have the HS3000's standard size headphone jack. Don't want to deal with earbud wires at all? Then check out the Novero Tour ($79, 4 stars); the Tour's standard plastic earbud design means you don't get the same deep bass as you do with in-ear, rubber ear tips, but they're quite comfortable for all day use, fold up for traveling, and have no exposed wires.