Hisense HB400C Clip Stereo Headset Review
by Adel Gabot
I realize this bluetooth headset, the Hisense HB400C, is getting a little long in the tooth, coming out early in the year (in fact, an advanced copy was given away in our last Christmas promo), but I checked the archives and it still has not been reviewed. It seems to have slipped under our writers’ radar and escaped a good review. But it’s still selling in the stores and seems to be a reliable little headset. I got it as a gift this Christmas, so I figured what the hell, why not review it?
It’s your basic bluetooth headset: there’s a small, clip-on receiver with A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile)/AVRCP (Audio Video Remote Control Profile) capability, plus earphone attachments, a lanyard and a small power adapter charging thingie. The receiver can clip on to your shirt, or hang by the provided lanyard like a necklace, your choice. You pair the thing with your bluetooth device simply by pressing the multi-function button on the front of the receiver for approximately three seconds. The receiver appears on your bluetooth list and you just select it. (The MFB is inconveniently placed, though, and it’s easy to accidentally press it when you don’t intend to.) That’s basically all there is to it.
The headsets come in two flavors, a dual-ear stereo headset for listening to music, and a single-earphone mono headset for monitoring phone calls. They both jack in to the 3.5mm port of the receiver, and it comes with a small magnetized little area to hang the mono headphone on when not in use. You can use the receiver with most bluetooth-enabled devices, and is handy for keeping your device out of sight in your pocket or bag, with only the receiver and headphones showing.
The provided stereo headset sounds adequate, if a little too simple: it’s like listening to a good-quality radio broadcast. The highs, mids and bass are all equally present, and none of them dominate. The physical earbuds are slightly on the big side, and the foam paddings don’t help. But the point of the Hisense is it severs the physical connection between your device and the receiver/headset, and it does well in that regard. It functions well within the 10 meter limit, so you can wander within the length of a mid-sized room and still listen to your device, connected via A2DP/AVRCP technology. There are basic remote control functions afforded by the receiver, like volume control, although it only selects from within a playlist; it cannot choose from among your different lists, which sort of defeats the purpose of a remote control.
The provided mono earphone also works wonderfully, and the receiver does the fundamental call-answering and call-making functions expected of a bluetooth receiver, like answering/ending calls, last number redialing, voice dialing and all that. The microphone on the receiver has good and strong pickup, and you don’t need to raise your voice above regular levels to be heard. Whichever earphones you choose to use, the device automatically pauses when a call comes in.
The power charger attaches to the receiver via the earphone jack, and to the charger via full-sized USB. It takes about three hours to charge, and has about six hours of talk time, six hours of music playback, and 160 hours of standby time. Just a hair under adequate, if you ask me (I would have preferred an 8-to-12 hour talk time and music playback, but for the price you take what you can get.)
The Hisense HB400C Remote Bluetooth Headset is an adequate, middle-of-the-road option, great for its price, and you can’t go wrong with its all-around functionality.
PRICE: P2250
Available at Power Mac Center, iStudio, Switch, Digital Walker and other stores
PROS
- Inexpensive
- Small, compact
- Comes with stereo and mono headsets
- Includes a lanyard, for when the clip won’t do
CONS
- Limited remote controls
- Largish earphones
- Multi-Function Button inconveniently placed
- Sound output quality merely adequate
