Product: Motorola Endeavor HX1
Manufacturer: Motorola
MSRP: $129.99
Author: Nick
Date: October 8, 2009

For a long time now, Aliph’s Jawbone has been the front runner in background noise cancellation. Many have tried to beat the Jawbone only to fall short. Today we will be looking at Motorola’s newest headset, the Endeavor HX1, which takes a unique approach to background noise cancellation. While the Endeavor uses all the standard tricks, it is the first time I have seen bone conduction technology in a Bluetooth headset. Unlike the Jawbone, which places a sensor on your skin, the Endeavor’s bone conduction technology places a sensor right in the ear.

Specifications/Features

• 7 hour talk time, 10 day standby time
• CRYSTALTAK Technology
• Automatic Volume Adjustment
• Voice Prompts
• Dimensions: 47mm x 18mm x 12mm
• Weight: 13 grams

Packaging/Contents

The Endeavor HX1 sample I received came in a plastic box with aluminum edging.  While the packaging was definitely unique in terms of materials used, it was slightly more difficult to open than I cared for.  Opening the packaging requires a common tipped screwdriver to unscrew and remove a plastic tab in the top of the packaging and then pry the front plastic piece off.   Included with the HX1 is 4 different ear buds (the smallest is already pre-installed) a charger, and a manual.

Setup/Pairing

I found the initial setup to be very easy. Upon turning the Motorola Endeavor on for the first time, it immediately went into pairing mode. Voice prompts then walk the user through the pairing process. However, I believe that these prompts are a little too vague for someone new to Bluetooth headsets. This is not really Motorola’s fault though as every phone is different and would be impossible include directions for every phone.

After the initial pairing, the headset will automatically pair to any of the previously paired phones. If one of those phones is not detected, the HX1 will automatically go into pairing mode. I really liked this feature as I will frequently change phones and do not need to remember a tricky button combination to enter pair mode.

First Impressions

When I first heard about the Motorola HX1, I was unsure how I would like wearing something that looked as invasive as the HX1′s ear bud. However, due to the small size of the ear bud, I found the Endeavor to be quite comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. For those with larger ears, there are 3 larger ear buds included.

In terms of both size and weight, the Endeavor HX1 has a smaller footprint than a lot of other Bluetooth headsets but is slightly heavier. Most of the added weight more than likely comes from the part of the ear bud that sits in your ear canal.

The HX1 has 4 buttons to control the various functions of the headset: the “call” button, a dedicated stealth mode button (for activating and deactivating stealth mode), as well as 2 buttons dedicated to controlling the headset volume (up and down). I much prefer having several buttons on a headset as it often times makes the headset easier to use because there are not as many tricky button combinations required for basic features.

Testing

Like every other headset that we test here at Maximum CPU, we put the Motorola Endeavor HX1 through the following tests:

• Outside in windy weather
• Outside next to a busy roadway
• In the car with the vents blowing
• Inside with the TV on
• Inside with a group of 4 people talking
• Inside with no background noise

Under normal circumstances, the HX1 uses dual microphones and Motorola’s CrystalTalk sound processing technology. While not perfect, it worked well in most indoor environments as well as outside with only a slight breeze. Anything more than a slight breeze became noticeable to the person I was talking to.

In situations where the standard CrystalTalk noise cancellation was not enough, I could simply press a dedicated button on the headset to activate Stealth Mode. When in stealth mode, the headset completely turns off both microphones and uses the in-ear sensor to transmit audio. In the past I have worked with such technology so I knew that if implemented properly, bone conduction audio transmission would work. However, my main concern was with what the end result would be. After all, my prior experiences with bone conduction technology were in extremely loud environments were you were usually yelling and how your voice sounded usually wasn’t important as long as what you were saying could be understood.

I was very impressed with the noise cancellation abilities of the HX1 and it is by far one of the best headsets I have ran across in this regards. Several times I had switched between CrystalTalk and Stealth mode and the person I was calling reported the difference as being night and day in almost all circumstances. When in stealth mode, the sound quality transmitted was slightly reduced but almost no background noise was audible to the person being called. Also in addition to the standard tests, I decided to perform an extreme wind test. This was done by riding an ATV (all-terrain vehicle) at speeds up to 35mph. During this time, everyone said it was more like I was using a cheap headset in a slightly noisy room and due to the in-ear design of the HX1′s ear bud, I could hear them without any problems as well. Quite impressive considering I was riding across a field at 35mph on a noisy ATV.

One major thing is worth noting here. Fit of the ear bud is extremely important when it comes to how well Stealth mode works and as such, results may vary between users. While I had excellent results with Stealth mode, one of the other staff members has larger ears, and while stealth mode still worked, it did not work as well for him.

Conclusions

At first I must admit I was a little skeptical on how well Motorola’s use of bone conduction technology would work. I knew bone conduction worked but I did not know how well they would work in a Bluetooth headset were high sound quality was also required. I was pleasantly surprised with Motorola’s introduction of bone conduction to consumer-level headsets. CrystalTalk worked well in most average every day environments, while Stealth mode’s bone conduction technology worked in even the nosiest and windiest environments I came across. That being said, fit of the ear bud is extremely important and while the Motorola Endeavor HX1 worked well for me, it may not work as well for everyone.

Pros

+ Comfortable to wear
+ Fits different sized ears
+ Stealth mode extremely effective
+ Buttons not hidden under a shield
+ Dedicated volume buttons

Cons

- Noise cancellation abilities affected by positioning in ear

Tags: Bluetooth, Endeavor, headset, HX1, Motorola