BlueAnt Z9
Manufacturer: Blueant Wireless Part number: 093749
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The BlueAnt Z9 is a great-looking headset with outstanding sound quality at a very affordable price.
Read more
Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
BlueAnt Z9 price range: $29.99
- Reviewed by: Nicole Lee
- Reviewed on: 08/01/2007
The good: The BlueAnt Z9 is a smart and stylish Bluetooth headset with advanced Voice Isolation technology, with two different settings for a natural sounding voice and reduced background noise. There's a small clip on the back that you can wear on your shirt.
The bad: The BlueAnt Z9 has slight comfort issues with stiff volume buttons and a slightly large earpiece.
The bottom line: The BlueAnt Z9 is a great-looking headset with outstanding sound quality at a very affordable price.
BlueAnt Wireless is an Australian company that has made considerable inroads in the Bluetooth headset market in the United States with devices like the X3 Micro and the V12 with LCD. But while we liked them, they didn't quite stand out from existing Bluetooth headsets in the market. The new BlueAnt Z9 may change all that, with a stylish and comfortable design coupled with an advanced noise cancellation technology that claims to preserve the natural voice. Though there are other Bluetooth headsets with audio enhancement technologies, few come cheaper than the BlueAnt Z9 with its $99.95 price tag.
The BlueAnt Z9 has a lovely cutting-edge design that is both minimalist and stylish at the same time. Clad in black plastic, the Z9 measures about 1.61 by 0.68 by 0.44 inches in a simple rectangular shape. There's a small silver square in the top-middle position with the BlueAnt logo on it--this is the Z9's multifunction button. Though the multifunction button seems almost flush to the surface, it's actually a little recessed, which provides some texture for pressing by feel, and it's easy to press. The multifunction button also has a LED underneath that flashes blue or red depending on the mode. On the right spine sits two volume buttons, which are quite raised above the surface, with clear texture differences between the two. However, they felt a little stiff when pressed.
On the back of the headset are the earpiece and the flexible ear hook. The earpiece sits just inside the ear, but does not fit deep in the canal. Because of this, it doesn't feel very secure, and we would not suggest wearing the Z9 without the ear hook. Also, we found the earbud size to be a little larger than other headsets, so it may feel a little uncomfortable to those with smaller ears. Thankfully, the plastic ear hook is extremely flexible and is able to fit either ear with ease. BlueAnt also provides two additional hooks in case the first one breaks. We found that we could wear the Z9 all day without much discomfort. A charger sits on top of the earpiece and there's a small clip on the back, so you can wear it clipped to your shirt if you wish.
We tested the BlueAnt Z9 with the T-Mobile Sidekick 3 and the Apple iPhone. We were able to pair the headset with both phones without a problem. We experienced some minor feedback and static during calls, but overall it was quite loud and clear. Voice quality was enhanced thanks to the Z9's built-in Voice Isolation technology, which has two settings: Standard and Max. Voice Isolation Standard is for use in normal environments; it offers mild noise reduction and an emphasis on a natural-sounding voice. Voice Isolation Max is for much noisier environments; it features heavy noise reduction and a slightly less natural voice. You can switch between the two modes by pressing on the multifunction key during a call.
Our experience with the Voice Isolation settings proved BlueAnt's claims to be true. In the Standard setting, our callers heard us just fine, and reported a very natural-sounding voice with little background noise. We tried out the Max setting in a very windy environment on the sidewalk, and callers could still hear us quite well, but thought our voice sounded a little robotic. We definitely appreciate the choice of the two different modes for different noise environments.
Other features of the Z9 include the typical answering, ending, and receiving calls, plus call reject, last-number redial, voice-dial support, transferring a call from the headset to the phone and vice versa, call conferencing, call waiting, call mute, and the ability to turn the LED on or off. You can also pair up to three different phones and switch connections between them with a series of clicks. Rated talk time is 5.5 hours and rated standby time is 8.3 days.
User reviews
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Best headset I've tried to date
by tech-man--2008 on August 17, 2007
Pros: Design/Noise Cancelling/Comfortable fit
Cons: Would have liked standard mini usb charger
Summary: I have tried 5 or 6 headsets over the last 12 months including the Samsung wep200, the Jawbone and the Blueant x3. The wep 200 is a great looking headset ...
Summary: I have tried 5 or 6 headsets over the last 12 months including the Samsung wep200, the Jawbone and the Blueant x3. The wep 200 is a great looking headset but it didn't live up to expectation during use. The Jawbone worked the best but it was rather large and quite uncomfortable. The x3 didn't have any noise cancellation but it worked and fitted well so I thought I'd give Blueant another shot especially after seeing their fancy product video explaining the noise cancelling in the z9. It arrived on Tuesday and I've been busy testing it over the last few days. At first looks, the z9 is a great looking headset. It is very small and lightweight but would it perform? Blueant has included two noise cancelling settings in the z9. When using it with my Pearl on busy streets, in cafe's and even at home with screeming kids around and in the max mode it does exactly what Blueant claim. The people I spoke with could hardly hear any background noise and at my end, there was more than enough volume. The sound quality is also very good. You can pair the z9 with more than 1 device and switch on the fly so I also paired it with my iPhone and it worked equally well. I would have liked to see a mini usb charger (to go with my Pearl) however the usb charger is compact enough for traveling.
The z9 exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend it.36 out of 37 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Simply the best I've tried
by mrlom1955 on September 2, 2007
Pros: Size,Fit,Looks,Quality
Cons: Earbud a hair too big
Summary: I now own both The BlueAnt Z9 and the Jawbone. Although the jawbone is pretty good, I started getting complaints from people that they could hardly hear me or I ...
Summary: I now own both The BlueAnt Z9 and the Jawbone. Although the jawbone is pretty good, I started getting complaints from people that they could hardly hear me or I was really scratchy. About 15% of the time. With BlueAnt that hasn't happened once yet.Everyone that complained said they could hear me perfect now!! It is smaller and more comfortable than any others that I have tried and is also the easiest of all to place on your ear. No clumsy fumbling around like some of the others I've tried.
It looks great and I highly recommend this one for sure!!!23 out of 23 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great looking earpiece that matches my Pearl
by rachsm on August 15, 2007
Pros: Love the looks
Cons: The clip is more for the guys, what's for the gals
Summary: Just to share my experience.
I own a Blackberry and was given the z9 as a gift.
My first impression was that the audio quality was good, but not quite ...Summary: Just to share my experience.
I own a Blackberry and was given the z9 as a gift.
My first impression was that the audio quality was good, but not quite near what the reviewer?s claimed.
I then spoke to customer service at Blueant who was really helpful. I was advised to turn the echo and auto volume control off on my BB as both the phone and headset noise cancellation would cancel each other out.
Now, I would give it an 8 for audio quality especially when driving with the music on and a 9 for its looks and comfort.
This was the advice given by Blueant customer service on how to optimize the audio quality.
1. Whilst the Z9 is connected to the handset, enter the Bluetooth Setup menu and scroll down to the ?BlueAnt Z9? device.
2. Whilst ?BlueAnt Z9? is highlighted, click the menu options button and select ?Device Properties?
3. Scroll down to ?Echo Control? and set to the off position
4. In this same screen, some Blackberry Handsets also have an item called ?Automatic Volume Control?. If this is present, please also set it to the off position.
5. Save the settings and you are right to go.16 out of 17 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The BEST BT headset I've used yet!
by Soapboxhothead on November 10, 2007
Pros: Selectable NR, looks, lite-weight, battery life
Cons: Ear hook a little funky
Summary: My summary comment is no hyperbole! To date, this is the best darn bluetooth headset I've used and believe me, I've been thru a drawer full! I'm ...
Summary: My summary comment is no hyperbole! To date, this is the best darn bluetooth headset I've used and believe me, I've been thru a drawer full! I'm a professed gadget-dork. If it's new or cutting edge, chances are good I've got it. I tend to go thru cellphone handsets at the rate of about one every 6-9 months out of sheer boredom. (I'm in business sales for ATT so I get them easily.)
Ever since I switched to BT technology for a headset I've struggled with noise or lousy voice quality over BT. This is my number one pet peeve because I spend 2-4 hours a day on the mobile as I'm nearly always in the car during con calls. I felt it was tacky & disrespectful to my clients to have them suffer thru the So.Cal road noise or background racket (trash trucks and leaf blowers seem to plague me!) while we discussed business.
I've owned a handful of BT sets including: Jabra JX10 & BT160, Plantronics Discovery 610 & 650 and the Moto H500 & H700, not to mention a couple other off brand models. Suffice it to say I've spent the $$$ on these things struggling to find the right one. I've paired all or most of them with the RAZR, SLVR, Samsung Sync, Blackjack and D807 and currently with the BlackBerry Pearl & Curve (my corp device). With all but the Discovery 610 and the Jabra JX10, background noise to the caller was either overwhelming or otherwise completely distracting. Both the 610 and JX10 did a better than average job of knocking down noise but the most common response I got from the people I called was I sounded like I was "in a tunnel" or "holding the phone at arm's length" so they struggled to hear me in all but the most quiet places and even then commented on the poor quality of my voice over the BT set. Frustrating! The Jabra JX10 was the best of the lot (especially with the BlackBerry's) but even it was passable until I came across the BlueAnt Z9!
NOTE: If you own a BB device and have trouble with your outbound sound quality, disabling encryption & turning off echo control IS A MUST! Also contact your carrier to be sure you have the latest BB patch or software rev level, VERY important in fixing many user issues!
The BlueAnt Z9 is near flawless with my Pearl and Curve with ATT service here in LA. (Barring those pesky dropped calls in the canyons) :-D Folks on the other end can barely hear background noise in my car, even on the NR low setting. Isolation Max produces a slightly "processed" or robotic sounding voice when pushed to block out significant noise (see garbage trucks). The standard NR setting is very natural sounding. Voice dialing works beautifully, sound quality in-ear is top-notch and plenty loud. Volume control is easy and intuitive once you get the "feel" for which button is which. The unit is very light and can be worn for hours w/ or w/out the hook and I found the earpiece to be plenty comfortable. Looks are top-quality and I get comments on the unit all the time. Battery life is among the best. My only real complaint is I sometimes fight with the earhook to get it comfortable but that's a highly subjective comment as I prefer the hook for additional stability.
This unit is as good as they get, especially for the price. I've not had the chance to use the Jawbone so I can't be purely comparitive but BlueAnt's dual-mic, DSP technology works as advertised. If the size, weight and price of the Jawbone give you pause, look no further than the BlueAnt Z9!!! I certainly won't !!!14 out of 14 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Not as advertised
by EDPLAP on August 30, 2007
Pros: It looks good and feels good on the ear.
Cons: The sound quality wasn't that great.
Summary: Okay. Maybe I received a bad unit, but this headset did not provide any of the noise shielding that was described in the video and in reviews.
I heard a ...Summary: Okay. Maybe I received a bad unit, but this headset did not provide any of the noise shielding that was described in the video and in reviews.
I heard a crackling sound in my while on calls and after several test runs to friends in different noise environments, it was clear that the noise shield did not affect the way I sounded against my environment.
The best test run was at a local sports bar the day I got it in the mail. I let it charge fully before testing it. My bud stepped outside and called me while I was in the bar, he could not tell when I was using the max or standard setting.
After I write this, I'm going to send it back for a replacement or just go back to my other brand.14 out of 16 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Aliph Jawbone & Gennum NX6000 killer!!!!!!!!!!
by fuku2001 on October 18, 2007
Pros: People can hear u!!! U can hear people!!! $$$PRICE$$$
Cons: Controls are tricky.
Summary: After trying out 2 Jawbones and the Gennum NX600, this steals the show by far.
It's small, lightweight, comfortable and the sound quality is a notch above the rest, ...Summary: After trying out 2 Jawbones and the Gennum NX600, this steals the show by far.
It's small, lightweight, comfortable and the sound quality is a notch above the rest, not outstanding but not horrible.
Way cheaper than the other two I tried, customer support is great! Actually spoke to a live human being, who guided me with an online upgrade with the Z9 to my crappy Treo 700P.
The unit appears to be well made, I didnt feel any looseness with the ear peice like the jawbone. The controls are kinda tricky, in the sense that there are 3 buttons and they handle several functions according to the sequence and time held.
The earpeice as big as it looks fits the ear well along with the ear hook, although not as comfy as the Gennum NX6000, it definitely beats the Jawbone in this arena. Love the tie clip holder it's attached to, really makes life easier when you dont need to have a bluetooth hanging off your ear.
In conclusion I have to say the Z9 beats out all the other units I've tried in, all areas, it's light, cheap, small, works, has great support, functional, sound could be better, but it's really just as good or better than more expensive units. At long last, I have a bluetooth that I can keep.11 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
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looks cool, but thats about it
by DESIGN-STUDENT on October 29, 2007
Pros: looks nice, size and weight, noise cancelation works, comfortable
Cons: MUFFLED SOUND QUALITY!
Summary: i was hoping this headset would be a good one, it looks so much nicer than the jawbone and it is suppose to have comparative noise cancellation. the noise cancelation ...
Summary: i was hoping this headset would be a good one, it looks so much nicer than the jawbone and it is suppose to have comparative noise cancellation. the noise cancelation does work well, but it muffles your voice so much that you have to constantley repeat yourself. the standard mode leaves your voice a little less muffled to your caller, but you still have to repeat yourself all the time. i left myself two voicemails with the voice isolation standard and on max, and i could barely make out what i was saying. however, i did notice that it cancelled out my tv in the background pretty well, especially in max mode. i even upgraded the software to the new 3.2 version, and it didn't improve anything. so i'm rating a z9 a 2 because sound quality is the most important thing on a headset.
10 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
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One of the best I have used ... but not perfect
by Michael Fromin on October 26, 2007
Pros: Firmware upgrades!!!, small, good sound
Cons: Earpiece not small
Summary: The Z9 is a very small and light headset. With the earloop it stays firmly in place and is quite comfortable to wear. The only issue people might have with ...
Summary: The Z9 is a very small and light headset. With the earloop it stays firmly in place and is quite comfortable to wear. The only issue people might have with fit is the size of the earpiece itself - if you have small ears it may be uncomfortable.
The sound quality of the Z9 is good - BUT YOU NEED TO DOWNLOAD THE LATEST FIRMWARE TO GET GOOD SOUND QUAILTY FROM THIS HEADSET.
When the unit arrived at my door it was still at V1.0 but as of 25-Oct-2007 the firmware is at V3.2 - you will see SIGNIFICANT improvement in the sound quaiity in its MAX Isolation mode with these updates.
Also - if you have a Blackberry make sure you follow the instructions for configuring the BB software for the headset - you need to modify some default settings for the headset.
Overall for the price this is a better value than the Jawbone but the sound isloation is a small pinch less impressive. I would buy this again in a heartbeat!5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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best Bluetooth yet
by pdewestcoast on September 12, 2007
Pros: comfortable, clear audio transmit and receive
Cons: receive volume doesn't quite go high enough
Summary: I've tried almost all the Bluetooth headsets, discarding past units due to poor performance (like the Aliph Jawbone), because they died (Samsung anything), people I talked to hated how ...
Summary: I've tried almost all the Bluetooth headsets, discarding past units due to poor performance (like the Aliph Jawbone), because they died (Samsung anything), people I talked to hated how I sounded (Motorola, Jabra, Ericssen units), or I just lost them (Samsung WEP200 and WEP410).
This one works. It stays on your ear (that loop really does matter), and the "Max Isolation" feature really does allow people to hear me when there is a breeze (but not strong wind).
It pairs and responds to calls instantly. No annoying delays where you wonder what is happening between your phone and headset.
Talk time and standby time seem fine - lasts for two days easily, and you can charge this thing from the wall or from your computer's USB port. Very handy.
This would be a 10 if the receive volume were better. In really noisy environments it is a little hard to hear.
Bought mine at SimonCells5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Product., volume great, receiving end great
by hansentribe on November 14, 2007
Pros: Great voice isolation technology,
Cons: Multifunction button in wrong place
Summary: I love this, I have had several motorola headsets and have had ok luck with them. I travel in the car and via airports quite often one type of head ...
Summary: I love this, I have had several motorola headsets and have had ok luck with them. I travel in the car and via airports quite often one type of head set is not always good for both and this one is! I also have a cell phone and blackberry and often need to switch between the two. It only takes a few button pushes to switch between the two phones. I gave it a 9 for one reason only. the Multifunction button. It is in the wrong place. When I put it in my ear, I press the button almost every time and this engages the voice dial on my phone.
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Blueant Wireless
- Part number: 093749
- Description: The Z9 leads the next generation of Bluetooth headsets with its stylish design and use of dual microphone, noise reduction technology via BlueAnt's patented Voice Isolation Technology, a revolutionary proprietary Digital Signal Processor (DSP) software solution. Voice Isolation Technology uses sophisticated techniques to separate the voice signal from all background noise, enhancing and isolating all frequencies that affect voices coming in to and out of the headset and resulting in noise suppression, wind noise reduction and echo cancellation. In addition, the Z9 incorporates two 'Voice Isolation' modes that a user can switch between when making a call - 'Voice Isolation Standard' for use in normal everyday environments providing a natural sounding voice while removing mild background noise and 'Voice Isolation Max' to provide superior intelligible voice clarity for use in extreme noise environments. The Z9 is also one of the smallest Bluetooth headsets on the market today. It can be clipped neatly onto a tie, shirt, blouse or cuff when not in use and comes equipped with a stylish, translucent ear-hook further reducing its presence when worn. BlueAnt's Z9 is a sophisticated addition to the already, highly successful BlueAnt product range. The Z9 Bluetooth Headset offers a range of advanced specifications making it one of the most innovative Bluetooth headsets to be launched to date.
General
- Product Type Headset - Bluetooth 2.0
- Width 0.7 in
- Depth 0.4 in
- Height 1.6 in
- Weight 0.4 oz
- Recommended Use PDA, Cellular phone
- Additional Features Built-in DSP, Volume control, Answer/end button, Echo cancellation, Upgradeable firmware, Noise canceling circuit, Voice Isolation Technology
Headphones
- Headphones Type Headphone - Monaural
- Headphones Form Factor Over-the-ear
- Headphones Technology Dynamic
- Connectivity Technology Wireless - Bluetooth 2.0
- Bluetooth Profiles Headset Profile (HSP), Hands Free Profile (HFP)
- Sound Output Mode Mono
- In-Cord Volume Control Included
Microphone
- Type Built-in
- Microphones Included 2
Remote Control
- Type None
Wireless Link
- Radio Frequency Range 2.402 - 2.480GHz
- Transmission Range 33 ft
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x USB, 1 x Bluetooth
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included 1 x USB cable
- Included Accessories 3 earhooks
- Compliant Standards CE, FCC, RoHS, WEEE, C-Tick
Power
- Power Device Power adapter - External
- Battery Headset battery - Rechargeable - Lithium polymer
- Run Time (Up To) 5.5 hour(s)
- Standby Time 200 hour(s)
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 2 years warranty
Manufacturer info
- Blueant Wireless
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Blueant Wireless products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.blueant.com.au/
- Address:
6 Martin St, Melbourne, Victoria
