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By Marguerite Reardon
Mar 27, 2007

One of the better cell phone developments in the past year has been the proliferation of stereo Bluetooth. While previously it seemed that handset manufacturers were consciously avoiding the feature, a simultaneous push for music phones has, thankfully, made stereo Bluetooth a reality. And as the number of supported phones increases, manufacturers have started to introduce stereo Bluetooth headphones as well. One of Moto's latest entries in the space is the Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active Headphones. Made with the sports enthusiast in mind, these headphones feature a sleek, space-age design that wraps behind your head. For both calls and music, the sound quality was decent--and the fit was relatively comfortable. Priced in the US$100 range, they're not exactly cheap, but they won't break the bank either.

Editors' note: This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. The S9 is expected to be launched in the Asia-Pacific region in the second quarter of 2007.

Design And Features
Motorola emphasizes the word "active" when mentioning the S9, and by looking at the S9's design, it's clear why. Sleek and aerodynamic, the S9 weighs less then 28g, which makes it one of the lightest stereo headphones we've seen. It also employs a simple, behind-the-head design that isn't clunky and doesn't look too conspicuous when worn. The rearmost portion of the headset, which holds the power button and charger jack, is the largest part of the S9 at almost 25.4mm wide, but the ends connecting the earbuds taper to a slim diameter of 6.4mm. We tested the red-and-blue version, but it also comes in a more subtle gray-and-black model as well. The S9 is water- and sweat-resistant, so you won't have to worry about wearing it during a hard workout.

Thanks to the practical design, we had no trouble slipping the headset on and off. Though the area with the power control and the charger jack is made of hard plastic, the ends are made of a rubberized material that bends easily. The ear hooks slipped easily on and off for us, but users with larger noggins may want to try the S9 before buying. On the whole, the fit is comfortable and the light weight made it barely noticeable, even for longer-wearing periods. The fit was quite secure as well. But the 0.5-inch earbuds did have a tendency to pinch if not positioned just-so. Indeed, it took us a few minutes of fiddling with the earbuds until they slipped comfortably into the ear. On the upside, the ear tips are made of a flexible rubber and you get a choice of three sizes.

The controls on the headset were easy to understand and to use. As we mentioned previously, the power control is located on the bottom of the rear end of the headset, just next to the mini-USB charger port. It can be hard to locate when you're wearing the headset, but we can't imagine you'd be turning it on and off excessively. The charger jack is protected by a rubber flap, although the fit wasn't very secure. A small indicator LED sits between the power button and the charger port.

Motorola smartly separated the phone and music controls on the S9. A Talk button and the volume control sits just near the left earbud. The former is easy to find and has a soft, tactile feel; the volume control is touch-sensitive and barely needs to be pressed. We haven't seen touch controls in very many headsets, but it's a feature we love on the S9. At times, they could be a bit too sensitive, but overall it was a very user-friendly experience. A music Play button sits near the right earbud and is also touch-sensitive.

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