Palm 2 in 1 Pro Headset Review

I am used to the ear bud type of headset so when I ordered my 680 I thought it was time to try something new, having never used “in ear” earbuds. In the end it took two attempts to order this headset because the first supplier had reassigned the code to the Palm Holster and not updated their website; so after receiving the holster I made a quick call and became the proud owner of a holster and a full refund.

Once I had the headset I decided to test it against my existing standard Treo headset and use my Sennheiser MX500 headphones as a baseline for comparison; I do not use a headset for calls as a rule so this review is focussing on sound quality. To use the Sennheiser I needed an adaptor so because I needed a quick solution, I could not wait to order one from the US, I walked into my local Vodafone store, which I usually find is a good source of hard to find accessories, and picked up an adaptor for £4.00. Admittedly it adds another couple of feet or so of cable but for £4.00 I wasn’t about to complain – see picture left.

To make it fair I selected a range of music, six tracks, including some opera, classical, Motorhead (Stand By Your Man – yes they really did a version of this!), Ozzy, JXL, Dean Martin etc. and played each in turn, using Pocket Tunes, in the same quiet environment. The Pro set provided good clear sound but I found them a little light when playing music that required more bass, it came through slightly tinny; the standard headset gave a better sound but the Pro does have the advantage of an in-line volume control, like the MX500’s, which I find really useful.

I then took them out for a real world test, the journey to/from work, which consists of a walk to the train station, a train journey and a subsequent walk to work. I did this over three days, one set per day, and still found of the two Palm sets the standard set performed better. I should add the caveat that I found the Pro headset difficult to use because of the poor quality fit due Palm only supplying one set of the rubber “in-ear” plugs which let in more background noise that the other sets.

Overall neither out performed the Sennheiser but of the two I would recommend the standard set or if you prefer “in-ear” buy a good quality set, and adapter if required, which ship with a range of interchangeable ear plugs.

Pros:
Good sound quality
Well made
In-line volume control

Cons:
Cost
Slightly tinny on bass
No additional different sizes of “in ear plugs”

Anyway, on the upside I am giving these away along with the holster, my 680 (sadly not free), and other bits – I will post in the forum over regarding this under the title “Free to a Good Home”.