Would you recommend Aftershokz Bluez

By Dave Nason, 16 May, 2014

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Hardware and Accessories

Hi all. I am considering buying a pair of Aftershokz Bluez for work purposes, to run VoiceOver through, as I need a headset over my ears for taking phone calls, and don't want both coming through the same earpiece. Would people recommend this approach? Are people generally happy with Aftershokz Bluez? How would you rate the battery?
I have a pair of wired Aftershokz but want to cut down on the number of wires. Also, mine came out before the Bluez so I wondered if there may have been some general improvements in the headset.
Thanks, Dave.

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Comments

Great set of headphones but I'm not sure they'll meet your needs

I have purchased a pair of the aftershock blues headphones a couple of weeks ago I do not believe it is possible to separate voiceover on an iPhone when using the upshot blues you may be able to do this with a Macintosh computer though the battery will last you approximately six hours of continual use so you might want to keep that in mind I hope this helps

Mac

Thanks for the reply. Sorry yes I should have said that it would be a Mac I'd be using.

Then you can indeed reroute

Then you can indeed reroute voice over to your headphones and have your other work related stuff go someare ele. tha'ts the beauty of these things. I don't use the aftershocks but I hear they work well for what you might want them for. Take care and be blessed.

Thanks

Thanks Marrie. Well it's the best solution I've come up with so far anyway :)
This is the first telephone based / call centre type job I'll have done since I had to switch from magnification to screen reader, so I'm entering unchartered waters in having to deal with two separate audio sources, both technically and in terms of my brain being able to concentrate on both at the same time! :)
Cheers.

Bluez for work

Hi Dave, I use the Aftershokz Bluez for work, my main purpose was similar to yours, the ability to answer the phone without taking off my headphones at work - I use a PC with JAWS at work and get about a work day and a half off a single charge so I have two sets. With a single set you have to charge them every night for uninterrupted use. I've heard that a new version of these headphone is coming out soon, the Bluez 2 and Aftershokz is claiming several improvements so you might want to hold off a bit so you get the latest.

Hi Carlos, that's great,

Hi Carlos, that's great, thanks for the information. Nice to know it works with Jaws & PC too as I may actually have to use PC rather than Mac, we're still working on the details.

aftershokz

Hi.

I would recommend the aftershokz.
I purchased mine sometime in August of 2013, so I think I still have the old model.
Personally, I don't feel the need to upgrade since I hear they removed the switch to turn them on which I really don't like.
It's apparently now a button you press.
I also like how the headphones talk to me. For instance, it says pairing when the headset enters pairing mode and audio device connected/audio device disconnected when I connect/disconnect the headset.
I wouldn't recommend them for phone calls, as all bluetooth devices go into a really crappy mono mode when the microphone is used.
Of course this is what I think regular phone calls sound like, and this is just my opinion. You may find that they work just fine for you.

Good stuff. As I'm not

Good stuff. As I'm not primarily planning to use them for phone calls, that's not a big issue for me. But yeah you're right, it's hard to get a really good bluetooth headset for phone and VOIP calls.

phone calls and new model features

I actually find the Bluez are pretty decent for phone calls, although my primary use is for work. I agree about the new model regarding replacing the on/off switch with a button, I prefer the switch. But purportedly the new headset does a better job with isolating sound leakage, the previous model has a big problem leaking out sound when the volume is turned up high, in an office environment this is not a problem for me since I can set the volume low enough to keep the output private, but in public transportation or noisy environment where you need to turn up the volume the sound leaks out quite a bit so a person next to you can hear what you're hearing. I don't know how much better the new model is at this but they claim it's much improved, I'm hoping I can try the new model. Regardless, I would recommend the product for work use, so far it's the best solution for me rather than using a standard headset that blocks your ears or a wired unit. Until my Braille skills are good enough to do my work with a Braille display the Aftershokz are great.