Gennum nXZEN Plus 5500 Bluetooth Headset Frontwave Extreme

Product Description: Item #: H71377. Answer calls and groove while you move. nXZEN Plus allows you to enjoy on-the-go stereo from your MP3 or CD player and mutes your tunes when you answer your calls. Product Description: NXZEN PLUS Model 5500 - headset
Product Type: Headset - wireless - Bluetooth
Recommended Use: Cellular phone
Headphones Type: Headphone - monaural
Headphones Form Factor: Over-the-ear
Connectivity Technology: Wireless - Bluetooth
Microphone: Built-in
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Product Details:
  • Item Weight: 10.2 ounces
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
  • Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
  • Item model number: GU5500-SVUSW
    • Product Reviews:
    Let me start this by saying, I'm a frequent business traveler and immense user. I've been using "The Boom" for all of my calls. It's wired but is so good that know one ever know I'm not in my office. However, the wired headset is getting old and cumbersome.

    On with the review.

    my phone is a Treo 700w. I read several reviews stating the 700 wasn't compatible near the nxzen. I email the company and asking them and received an answer the next day - that it was compatible with any 1.1 or 1.2 Bluetooth comparable phone. So, over days gone by month, I've tested the following headsets:

    1. plantronics 640 2 stars (a tremendous amount of static)
    2. plantronics 510 3 stars (a little tough hear not good voice)
    3. Jabra BT800 4 stars (liked this not secure on ear, big)
    4. Jabra Jx10 4 stars (excellent but outgoing voice so so)
    5. Logitech HS03 3 stars (hurt my ear but not bad)
    6. Gennum nXZEN 5 stars (of what's available the best)


    As much as I love my "Boom" it's become quite cumbersome traveling as much as I do and I feel like the newer generation of Bluetooth headset should offer decent level and I could give up the wired headset.

    (I was disappointed in the overall performance of adjectives the headsets. I think or thought we should be at a point, from a tech stand point, where we could have a polite headset.)

    My first call was to my wife, who is the ultimate critic, as the old saw goes "if momma ain't happy then no one's going to be happy". I called her from the motor, with the radio on. With every other headset listed above she immediately said turn the radio off. This time she didn't mention it. I ask her if she could hear it and she "no". So I changed radio stations and turned up the volume and again she couldn't hear it. I spoke next to her all the way to my destination without a single complaint. Later in the afternoon, I called her standing at the entrance of an ER (I'm put in hospital software) with an exhaust fan going. She never made a comment. When I ask her in the region of the environmental noise she said she couldn't hear it. My wife has given me grief over my headsets since I started trying to find one that worked. The only two that have met her standard is (1.) the boom {wired} and (2.) the nXZEN and I promise you I purchased every wired headset on the market. Anyway, I made my first conference call yesterday and didn't have a single complaint in regard to them having trouble hearing me.

    For the record all of the above headset worked pretty good in a quite environment. The Jabra Jx10 had the best outgoing audio, next to the rest close behind, in a quite environment. The plantronics 640 had the worst "static" of the headset but was the most comfortable. You couldn't put your phone on your belt and carry a conversation. Most everyone I spoke with said the same piece, "you sound like you're on a headset".

    The Pro's:
    * It has the best out bound audio in a loud environment of any Bluetooth headset on the market.
    * The battery life is very obedient. I didn't run the battery down with a day of normal use. Unlike the plantronics 640 I have to charge, more then once, over the course of the day.
    * I haven't gotten the "Bluetooth static" like the others with the 640 human being the worse.
    * It's comfortable and secure but the in the ear design, which I prefer, can be a little intimidating. Some softer ear gels would move about a long way. It goes INTO the ear canal. Whereas the 640 was ultra comfortable followed by the Jx10, comparatively speaking.
    * Before I purchased the nXZEN I emailed customer service twice and get a response by the next day. So I feel that's a positive.
    * It comes with a USB travel charger! (1 smaller number large cord to carry).

    The cons:
    * Occasionally the callers voice has seem muffled. You can adjust the audio next to a graphics equalizer that comes with the software but I haven't done that yet.
    * It's not as responsive as the Jx10 as far as working with the Treo. It's taking up to 6 seconds to connect to an outgoing appointment
    * The same thing with incoming calls
    * The controls are confusing at best, hold the pinch, press the side etc etc.


    All in All the positives far out weigh the negative. This is the best Bluetooth headset I've found. The most important feature to me is the noise cancelling substitute. That's a must with any headset, especially if you do any business with your phone.
    I had to give this headset around a week to grow on me. Forget about the other Bluetooth headsets you may have had, the 5500 is a different animal. In-ear audio, harder button pressing, small form factor are a moment ago a few things. Superior range is a nice feature. I have found that I leave this headset on ALL DAY. I wouldn't name it plush comfortable, however, it is barely noticeable and I forget I have it on. The nice thing near the in-ear design is the fact that you can hear if you are gettting a call in a noisy environment. The beep and buttons do take a little getting used to, but give the nXZEN PLUS 5500 a chance and I dream up you will like it.=]
    I have been through several different wireless Bluetooth headset now. I have developed ten criteria to help separate the wheat from the chaff when buying a Bluetooth headset. The nXZen is the best headset I have tested so far, but that's not wise saying a whole lot considering the competition.

    Overall, this headset is a worthy contender for the best available right now. With the exception of a few minor grievances, I can recommend the nXZen very highly.

    1. Comfortable fit - you obligation your headset to be comfortable for at least an hour at a time, if not for an entire day. The nXZen has stayed contained by my ear for several hours at a time. I often forget it's there. (A-)

    2. Secure fit - when you nod or shake your head, you don't want to feel the headset wiggle around or shifting its position. If it does, you will constantly be reaching up to check it and adjust it. The nXZen has no issues whatsoever with security. (A)

    3. Excellent incoming sound point - anything less and you will not be thrilled. Nearly every headset on the market today fails this criteria. The incoming sound element on the nXZen was very good for a Bluetooth headset. (A-)

    4. Excellent outgoing sound ability - surprisingly, there is absolutely no relationship between the incoming and outgoing sound quality. I hold tested a wide number of these headsets and nearly every one fails either number 3 or number 4. You don't want your caller to ask if you are calling from a wind tunnel, and you don't want an echo on either end. Echo is a through factor with these headsets. With the nXZen, callers sometimes complained that my voice got louder or softer, but not a soul complained of crackling or other Bluetooth artifacts, and no one has heard any echoing so far. (B-)

    5. Noise cancelling - your headset should own some form of noise cancelling technology so that others can hear you when you speak in a noisy environment. The best Bluetooth headset available now offer DSP (digital signal processing) that filters out the noise, but the effecting of that technology is inconsistent, so having DSP does not necessarily mean you will be happy with ceremonial in noisy conditions. The nXZen has a pretty advanced noise termination system that utilizes two microphones, one closer to your voice than the other. It performed admirably in windy conditions. I own used it in a couple of other noisy environments with satisfactory results. (A-) (Note: If I be grading on a curve, it would get an A+, because I have never tested a better DSP headset).

    6. Sound isolation design - The noise invalidation is helpful for outgoing sound quality, but for incoming sound, I believe that the headphones should fit INTO the ear canal, completely blocking out outside noises so that YOU can hear your CALLER clearly. I have tested too many of the other sort, and have been disappointed by the maximum volume being too low, and also by the fact that others could sometimes hear what my tourist is saying when they are standing close to me while I use it. I have a pair of Shure E5C earphones I immediately use for my iPod. These are inserted into the ear canal, and I can assure you from personal experience that this is the most effective means of solving the incoming sound problem. An in-ear design completely isolates the incoming nouns, meaning I don't have to turn the volume up very high and can hear even contained by a very noisy environment. It also helps with the out of harm`s way fit issue above. The nXZen does use a sound-isolation earpiece that fits into my ear, however it does not fit as well as it could into my ear canal. It has a fixed angle, and for me the angle seem incorrect. If they had put that earpiece on a swivel it would have been unflawed. They do offer a range of different ear pieces; one of them is adequate, just not fail-safe. (B+)

    7. Fast connection speed and solid connection - when your phone rings, you need the headset to react hurriedly. Many headsets do not, so you sometimes miss calls because of your headset's slow reaction speed. This can often be the bad habit of the phone's Bluetooth implementation, not just the headset. Also, you want the connection to your phone to be stable. Many headsets drop past its sell-by date frequently and must reestablish a connection or even be re-mated to the phone. Again, this sometimes is the fault of the phone, but not always. The connection speed of the nXZen be OK, it usually takes 5 - 8 seconds to establish a connection. Once a connection is established, the "reaction time" be very fast. (B+)

    8. Excellent battery life - you want your headset to necessitate charging as infrequently as the phone itself. In other words, you want it to last at least all day, next you just need to remember to charge it when you charge your phone. I have used the nXZen all daylight for several days now and have yet to use up the battery on any given light of day. I have recharged it each night. This meets my criteria markedly well. (A)

    9. Low battery indicator - you want to know if your headset is getting close to being out of juice. I hold not experienced running out of batteries yet on the nXZen. I will update when that happens. (No grade on the other hand.)

    10. Features - you want to be able to initiate calls from the headset, and you want support for voice recognition if your phone offers that, so that you can literally dial and downfall calls without ever touching your phone. I don't have voice dial on my phone so I have not tested that piece. I am happy with the function of the buttons and the ease of use. I have initiated and done calls with the multifunction button, which is easy to locate and use with the headset on. So, so far this is an (A).

    I plan to experiment the Plantronics 645, which has not yet been released but is due out any day. Also of interest is the Jabra JX-10, which I hold not had my hands on yet. I would say these are the solitary two other headsets worthy of testing right now. I have not tested any other headset that score even a C+ on my criteria.

    It has become clear to me that some headsets do better on certain phones and worse on others. My tests own all been done on one phone, my new BlackBerry 8700c. This headset is an A- overall. I'm keeping it!
    Noise cancellation that really works!
    I've tried several Bluetooth headsets claiming to overthrow background noise. Until this one, I've been left wanting. The GENNUM nXZEN Plus really works!
    NxZen Plus 5500 Pure Rubbish
    I've work in telecommunication for over 30 years. I rely on my cell phone for my work. I'm very disappointed in the NxZen Plus 5500.
    Nominal improvement over lower tech rivals
    The Gennum nXZEN stands out as the most advanced headset on the flea market, using a dual microphone array and substantial DSP horsepower to reject ambient noise and enhance sound...
    GENNUM nXZEN PLUS Wireless Bluetooth Headset 5500
    I have owned this headset for about a year. I will say that it is not the best built externally, but the internals are holding up fine.
    Incredible noise cancellation, unusable controls
    This earpiece is a combination of amazing nouns cancelling technology and terrible user design. On the plus side, I can talk while taking my car through a saloon wash.
    Great Headset
    I've been using it for a month now and am very impressed. I work around illustrious pitched electronic popwer equipment and was able to talk using the headset without the company hearing...
    Review of Gennum nXZEN Plus Wireless Bluetoothe
    The headset did own better background noise reduction than other devises used. However, the inner ear attachments came bad far too easy.
    construction superintendent
    The item has excellent reception, however, Iv'e been have problems with the earbuds. They secure poorly to the unit and I already have lost two earbuds when I remove them from...
    Can't believe the number of upright reviews
    This headset was incredibly disappointing. It does have good noise invalidation for the listener, but for the headset user, the volume was variable and volume controls are...
    The best nouns rejection on the market.
    This Bluetooth is the absolute best for sound rejection when talking. In loud airports, loud buses, loud motor, everywhere. . .

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