This review is focused on the features, comfort, style and battery life of this pair. I'll leave the sound quality to the audiophiles. It's AKG anyway so expect good quality.
Here's the link for product specs: AKG Y45BT.
The Package
I bought these headphones for Php 6,740.00 from Egghead, one of the best speakers and headphones stores in Metro Manila, Philippines. AKG Y45BT is available in Black and White colors. Personally, I like the white pair.
Inside the box, you will get a pair of AKG Y45BT, a mini-USB charging cable, user manual, carrying pouch and a detachable audio cable.
These are Bluetooth headphones but including a detachable cable in the package is a big plus. It saves you from boredom when your headphones ran out of battery while traveling. I used this cable only once, just to test everything that's in the package. The cable looks thin unlike the coiled or flat cables found in other products. Honestly, I think it will snap instantly once you accidentally pulled it.
The carrying pouch looks good but I think it's too small once the pouch is closed. The interior is soft but it won't give enough protection on your headphones. It is not a hard case but for the price, I think the pouch is good enough.
Portability
Smaller than the iPad Mini, the pouch only require little space in your bag but place it somewhere safe.
The Design
I bought the white pair because it looks really stylish. Unlike the AKG Y50 that has a huge AKG text written in each cups, the AKG branding in this headset is smaller but I find it stylish and not too overwhelming. The white headband has a rubbery feel. You might want to hold this with a clean hands because of its color. The brown padding does a good job in giving comfort when you put these on. The ear cushions are also soft, but after 30 minutes you may feel it pressing hard against your ears, thanks to its sturdy build. I lift them from time to time because of discomfort. Maybe after few more days it will loosen and lessen the pressure on my ears.
At this price range you may find another pair of wireless headphones that has over the ear design if you don't want these applying pressure on your ears.
They can be adjusted depending on the size of your head. There are also numeric indicators in each side to help you adjust both sides evenly. The metal frame on the headband and the hinge makes it sturdy enough so it won't break when you adjust it or fold it. I think it is also responsible for the tighter feel when you put these on.
All the control buttons can be found in the right ear cup and the mini-USB port on the left. The red light beside the mini-USB port indicates that it is in charging mode and turns off when it's done.
The volume controls are located near the back side of the right ear cup. Between them is the play button that has multiple functions: press it once for pause, play, answer and end call; twice to skip track, thrice to play previous track. These buttons are close to each other that there is a chance that you may press the middle button whenever you wanted to adjust the volume. Once you put them on, you have to feel the buttons with your thumb. The middle button has an embossed little dot in the middle. Once you feel it, you will know that it's the middle and from there you will know which button to press for volume adjustment. In my experience, it takes some time to familiarize yourself with the buttons' position. They are so small that I unintentionally press the pause and play button whenever I make volume adjustments
Near the front side of the right ear cup is a microphone, a small light indicating the wireless connection status (You may refer to the user manual for the status each blinking pattern represent), and the button for switching the Bluetooth on and off. At the bottom of the right ear cup is an audio jack for the detachable cable for wired listening.
Pairing Time!
I own a Nokia Lumia 920 and I've been using it with this headset since I bought it. Turning Bluetooth or NFC on and it's done. I tried connecting it with my iPad mini and I also didn't have any problem.
Handling Text Messages and Phone calls
When I received the first text message after I paired this headset with my phone, the headset paused the track that I am listening to and I was surprised with the female voice which says:
"Message from , you can say read it or ignore". Next you can hear a beep that prompts you to give the command to read or ignore the message.
If no command is given, it will say "sorry i didn't hear anything" then resume the track.
When you say read it, It will read the message but you may want to ignore it instead if the message is not in English.
I also answered a phone call without having to take the phone out of my pocket. Just press the Play button and start the conversation. Press the same button to end the call.
I honestly find the voice prompt annoying whenever you receive messages often and she has to pause the track and recite her lines and then you will say read it or ignore that puts you in an awkward situation specially when you're in public. You may want to pair it with iPod touch or any music player instead.
I immediately tested this headset after the unboxing and the battery lasted for about 8 hours of listening to music, and phone call. You will know that the battery is running low when you hear it's warning tone from time to time until it stops playing. During my testing, I heard the low battery warning tone 15 minutes before it is drained. That was about 5 songs at full volume.
My headset's first charging time was about 1 hour and 30 minutes. A red light glows up telling me that the charging is in progress and when the red light turns off, that means charging's done.
After the first charge, the battery lasted more or less 8 hours and the second charging time was about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
My Thoughts on AKG Y45BT
Like what I've said, I chose this headset because of its:
1. Wireless Connectivity. Bluetooth and NFC is really my choice.
2. Design. Among the other available wireless headset, this is the one that I liked the most.
3. This is within my budget. If I have 10K Php and above I would buy other similar product
After few days of using this, I am satisfied with the sound quality but the voice prompt whenever I receive text message is annoying. You can connect it to your other media player with Bluetooth instead if you don't want to be disturbed.
The discomfort due to the pressure it applies on my ears after an hour of use is not an issue to me since I only use it whenever I leave the house and travel for about an hour to the office, during breaks and free time. I might consider over the ear headset for my next pair. I do not recommend it for those who have big head.
When it's hanging around the neck, I need to adjust its length so I won't feel that there's something holding me in the neck. If you're a bigger guy, maybe this one's not for you.
The pouch might protect the headset from scratches but not from breaking if not secured in your bag. I find it small that I need to carefully put the headset inside so the zipper won't scratch the white headband.
I honestly wanted to swap it with the black one because my white AKG Y45BT is prone to dirt. I really need to take good care of this because a little scratch or dirt or stain will be really noticeable. If you will be getting this one, you might want to consider this.
8 hour battery life for me is enough. But if you want to listen to music all day in the office or in the house, you might me thinking twice before buying this.
On full volume, you might not hear the voice of the people talking around you but you can still hear the sound of the vehicles and horns when you travel.
That's all for this review and I hope this helped a little in choosing your next wireless headset. Thanks!
