Big Picture Big Sound

Part IV: Seidio's Redemption

As the last step in my quest for the "perfect" set of headphones for the Palm Treo 650, I decided to check out a device that isn't actually a set of headphones at all. It's a headphone adapter. "You're reviewing an adapter? Are you nuts?" Well, no, and yes. You see this little-adapter-that-could is much more than a simple adapter, and it may be the key in enabling your Treo to really shine as both a phone, and as a robust portable media player.

Those of you who read my earlier review of Seidio's 2-in-1 InEar Noise Isolating Stereo Headset know that I loved its ergonomic design and usability, but was not a big fan of its sound quality (to put it mildly). Fortunately Seidio takes the excellent ergonomics of the 2-in-1 design concept and makes it available for use with any headphones.

Functionality/Ergonomics

Seidio's 2-in-1 Retractable Stereo Adapter for Treo 650 and 700w includes the microphone, volume control, button and retractable cord of the 2-in-1 headphones line, but terminates in a standard 3.5mm headphone jack that accepts any standard headphones. Unfortunately this does lead to an excess of wires but this can be managed, through the use of cord winders and shirt pockets. Like the rest of the devices under review in this series, the Seidio adapter allows you to listen to music, and when a call comes in, switch over to phone mode at the touch of a button, without removing your headphones.

The microphone is of average quality, but perfectly acceptable for everyday use. The call button operates third party control software such as "Headset Controls" so, with the appropriate media player, you can program a series of button pushes to perform different actions on your Treo. Two quick taps on the button might skip to the next song, or perform a redial on your phone, depending on which mode you're in.

Sound Quality

For review purposes, I paired the Seidio with my reference in-ear noise-isolating earphones the Etymotic Research ER4P, and it was a match made in heaven. The Seidio performed the switching and volume control, while the Etymotic 'phones pumped out nothing but pure music, occasionally interrupted by a subtle ring tone followed by my lovely wife's voice reminding me to pick up milk on the way home from work.


Even better, the Seidio's standard 3.5 mm headphone jack allows you to route the output through an outboard headphone amplifier for even higher quality sound. The audio output on the Treo is less than stellar so supplementing the sound with one of Headroom's excellent little headphones amps like the Total Airhead or Total BitHead amp offers a noticeable improvement in the smoothness and three dimensionality of music playback on the Treo.

Final Thoughts

Paired with a high quality set of headphones like the Etymotic Research ER4P, or Shure E4C, the Seidio 2-in-1 stereo adapter and hands-free microphone offers a nearly perfect solution for music loving Treo-philes who want their various Treo functions to play nice together. You get excellent ergonomics, simplified user control without the need to access your Treo directly, and sound quality that is as good as it gets on the Treo.

Specifications:

° Color: Black with silver accents
° MSRP: $34.95
° Cord length: 7.5 inches to 35 inches (adjustable)
° Phone/device compatibility: For use with Palm Treo 650/700w/Audiovox SMT 5600/HP iPAQ hw6500 Series/i-mate Jam/SP3/SP3i/PDA2/MDA II/Compact/O2 XDA II/IIi/II mini/Orange SPV C500/M1000/Qtek 8010/S100/S110/2020/2020i

Manufacturer's Contact Information:

Seidio U.S. Offices
10415 Westpark Dr, Ste B
Houston TX 77042-5314

Phone: (713)974-2277
Fax: (713)974-1102
Web site: www.seidio.com

Related articles:

° Part I: Palm Treo 650 Hybrid HeadSet/Headphones
° Part II: Seidio 2-in-1 In Ear Noise Isolating Retractable Headset/Headphones
° Part III: Shure I4c-T Sound Isolating Earphones
° Part IV: Seidio 2-in-1 Hands-Free Headset with Stereo Headphone adapter

° Shure E2c Noise Isolating Earphones
° Etymotic Research ER4P Earphones with Headroom Total AirHead amplifier