LG Electronics Tone+ HBS-730 Bluetooth Headset (Black)

I own both the 700 and 730 models. I purchased the 700 3 weeks ago and used it extensively. I love the 700. The sound is not stellar, but it isn't totally crappy. The sound lacks depth, like the difference between AM sound and FM sound, though not as extreme. The sound also distorts on the loud end. However, it worked great.

The 730 has a few extra features that make it better, like the voice battery status and other messages. The sound is much better. The sound quality now rivals mid-tier phones that would please the average user who likes bass and mostly clear sound. It's full sound, but not audiophile quality. I am no audiophile and do have mild-medium hearing loss. I hate total flat response, anyway, even if it is "pure." I like good clean sound with a little extra nice, tight bass. Compared to my Bose QC15s, this is not too far off. I'd say this is pretty darn good for BT headphones. This would be worth the upgrade hands down if not for one big flaw.

The range of this is far inferior to the 700 I own. It drops out sound and makes it choppy after 10 feet. With the 700, I can be 2 stories down, 20 feet away, and choppiness is minimal. Not so with 730. Just turning my back to my phone from 10 feet away and sound drops. Knowing the battery life is a little better on the 730s, it makes me wonder if LG didn't simply reduce the BT radio power for more efficiency? I hope not. I was perfectly fine with the battery life of the 700s. That's just speculation, but the radio performance between the two headsets is huge.

What I love about BT headsets is the freedom I have to leave my phone down and do things. With the 700, I had this freedom with OK, but nothing special sound. With the 730, I have great sound with good bass, but can't go more than 5-10 feet without having annoying drops in sound.

Which one to send back?

Update 9 OCT 2012:

I really love the sound improvement over the 700. I find I am using the 730 all the time and have modified my behavior in order to prevent the dropped sound. One thing to note is that these in ear phones are comfortable, but are so because they don't jam all they way in the ear. There is a little more air that gets in. In the office or at home, no issue, sound and bass is great. While driving in the car, I lose a lot of bass and have to turn it up more and stuff them tighter in the ear. It is still a clearer, more open sound.

Based on the few comments left, I will be calling LG to see if my unit is defective.

I also want to note that the color difference where the buds attach is much better. The silver color is less obnoxious. I tend to be more conservative in dress and don't like loud colors that scream, "look at me."

I do wish the wires were a more flexible as the stiffness causes them to stick out. Thankfully, the wires are very thin and most people won't notice them from a distance.

I also wish the magnets were a little stronger. It's easy to knock them out of the holder area.

In spite of these other little points, I still think this is the best BT headset I've ever had. The biggest advantage is that they are "there." With my past headsets, once they are out of the ear, I kept losing them all the time. Not so with these. It's also way better for listening to music, way better. I also like that when it's loud, I can put both buds in and actually hear the conversation I am having.

Update NOV 27 2012:

I ended up keeping both. I'm using the 730 less and just starting going back to the 700 because of the better range. The big reason for this is because the 730 began dropping out in the middle of a longer phone conversation. This was getting very annoying, especially with my 35 minute each way drive to and from work. I'd have to scramble to turn on the speakerphone. All it took was a shut off and turn back on to make it connect, but this is not good. It does this even being fully charged. I wanted to send back the 730, but with my busy schedule, I unfortunately missed the deadline.

With the latest problem, I can't recommend these. Short range for music is one thing it won't matter in certain situations. Drops during calls is a deal killer for me.

I am also finding the magnets to be more of an issue, though more a minor annoyance. I tuck everything in under my collar and fish out the ear buds by pulling on the wire. I'd rather just go to where it is supposed to be seated. This is true of both 700 and 730.

UPDATE 19 FEB 2013:

After several more months of use, I almost exclusively use the 700s while the 730 sits collecting dust. Why? The only major advantage the 730s has, with its range issue, is the sound quality. So, if it's just going to be headphones, I'd rather use good headphones. That's what I've done first with the V-Moda M-100 (which include a mic, a great portable headphone with really good sound) and now the HiFiman HE-500, which gives me awesome premium sound, though no mic and not really portable.

I still use the 700's paired to my phone because it is more reliable. Still, it does drop on me, an issue I'm going to blame on my phone, as it has other quirks that lead me to believe that.

After reading some comments below, those who were in the same boat as me, until LG offers a fix, or a better model, go with the 700s. If sound is really important to you and you are just going to sit in an office, buy yourself a nice in ear buds or headphones with great sound quality and a built in mic. There are a lot of choices that way.

I was asked to try out the LG TONE+ stereo headset. I have the previous version of the LG TONE and enjoyed that one but this one has really nice updates. The first one I noticed was a call clarity has gotten even better. The previous one was good too but this one is exceptional. I also like the fact that when you turn it on there is an automated voice telling you that the power is on and the battery level. This is nice when you are driving and you have it on your neck and flip the switch that you do not have to look to see whether the power is on or off. There is also the capability to have it speak to you your incoming text messages, and voice activated dialing. It is comfortable to wear and I had no problems pairing the Bluetooth to my phone. I use it at the gym when I am exercising and have no problems with it. I can't wear it running however since it bounces around but its perfect for the elliptical and weight training. The ear bubs that were on it were too big for my ears but it comes with three different sizes so it wasn't a problem to switch it out.

Buy LG Electronics Tone+ HBS-730 Bluetooth Headset (Black) Now

I generally do not review products but I was compelled to write a review about this one mainly because it is such a good headset and yet fails in the basic bluetooth function. I bought one, returned it and bought a second one that I will return soon.

In this review I will analyze the entire product name and you will get a good idea of what to expect. This product is called "LG Electronics Tone+ HBS-730 Bluetooth Headset Retail Packaging Black". Here is my review of each portion of this title (not in order):

Headset: The music and phone sound is REALLY great (even when biking). I struggled a bit with the ear piece sizes as I run, bike, and workout with these on. I finally settled for the smallest size but it still slips out once I start sweating or if it is raining/misting not that big a deal when I am running but REALLY annoying when I am biking. The controls are accessible but not very easy to find when you are biking in the winter with gloves. The fit is pretty comfortable and I don't feel it for the most part. It even hides inside my collar (with a little bulge). When not hidden, it looks like something out of stat trek.

Bluetooth: WOW how could LG MESS this up so badly. The headset cuts out on a regular basis (every few mins). I can't put the phone in the back pocket (think biking, running). I can't hold the phone the "wrong way". I can't walk more than a few feet away from the phone (10 ft). All these were NOT an issue with my MOTOROKR S9-HD.

LG Electronics: I called and talk to the LG customer (twice). They were not very helpful. Both times they insisted that they have NEVER heard of this problem. I even asked them to go and look at all the reviews on Amazon and other sites as well as the note that Amazon had on their site about this product being under review due to excessive returns. But they just asked me to send it into LG at my own expense. I told them "No, I would rather return it for a replacement and then LG can deal with Amazon". But they would not acknowledge that there is a problem and blamed my iphone, HTC phone, and iPad. REALLY bad customer service.

Tone+ HBS-730: I tried my friends HBS-700 and it did NOT have ANY of the problems that this one has. Bluetooth works exactly as you would expect. No problems on bike or run with the HBS-700!

Retail Packaging: Contains headset, 3 sizes of ear buds, power supply, and manual

Black: Yup I can confirm, its black!

After all this I have gone through 2 of them and had to return them. I am tempted to order another one just to see if the same problems persists. If nothing else it may force LG to take some action if they see so many returns from so many customers.

1/3/13 UPDATE: I ended up returning the second one and bought a third one (also from Amazon) and tested it out for a month to see if I could root cause the issues. This one holds the connection better than the other two (but still far worse than my Motorola S9-10 both in terms of distance from phone and placement of the phone).

What I did find is that the problems with connectivity get worse as the battery hits "medium" power. Sometimes it will be connected playing music for 30-40 mins with the phone sitting right in front of me at my desk and then suddenly start skipping and dropping the connection even though I have not moved at all.

The other thing I wanted to comment on is that the ear gels don't really stay in during bike rides or runs. I have tried all three pairs that came with it but no luck.

Unfortunately, I will have to return this set also. I may try the Motorola S11-HD (although it is >2x the price).

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I had the hbs 700 for a couple of months and the blue tooth worked as advertised up to a distance of about 30 feet before it got flaky. I was and am very pleased with it. I got the 730 because of the new features. The sound quality is significantly better but the first day I had it, with the headphones around my neck and my droid razor max on hip, the blue tooth disconnected constantly, only staying connect for 10 or 12 seconds. I wondered if it was the phone so I paired with my nexus 7 and had the same experience. I processed a return with Amazon but while waiting for the new on I continued to use it. I found that if it has line of site to the phone it stays connected. Anything blocking the path including your hand or arm (or turning your head as another review mentions) causes the blue tooth to drop.

Another intertersting development, after using is for 4 or 5 days, the range and stability seems to be improving. It will stay connected now at distances of 8 or 10 feet as long as line of site is not obstructed. I have no idea what causes this and customer support from LG is non-existent at this point. Buy at your own risk.

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I had the LG HBS-700 blue tooth headset and loved it. Unfortunately, I lost it.

The LG HBS-730 is better in every way. I like the white inserts better than the orange. The sound quality is better and the battery life is longer.

Unlike some other reviewers, I have had no problems with the blue tooth. I get good distance with it.

This headset is so comfortable that I have it on most of the day. I just put some relaxing acoustical music on low volume and work away. When a call comes in, I answer it on my headset. The voice quality on phone calls is excellent.

This is the perfect headset for exercise. No wires. This is a great headset. It's literally like having a soundtrack to your life.

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