Sony SBH80 Bluetooth Headset

EXCELLENT bluetooth headset, I've been using it for more than a year now, every single day, without fail.I work in a fairly relaxed retail store, and so I wear this under my collar of my work shirt, and constantly put one or both ear pieces in and out when I have time between stocking/ordering/customers. Even though I push the buttons to change song, adjust volume, answer calls upwards of 50 times per day, they are still fairly crisp and haven't failed me. I was worried at first about the small wires leading to the buds from the main body, but they haven't show the slightly sign of wear and tear except a small twist and bend that has formed from me tucking them into my front pocket or between the buttons of my shirt when I need to put them out of the way.I cycle to work and so I frequently sweat on the headset, but the rubber cover over the charging port has kept the port clean and uncorroded, and the finish as shown minimal wear.The stereo microphones sound fine for calls and occasional use on groupchat apps and programs, and the "answer/end call" button has worked well with both my Android and my older Windows phone. Minimal wind noise while I'm cycling, and with the Windows phone you could even hold down the answer/end call button to activate Cortana. Not sure if that feature works with google Now or Siri on the iPhone.The AptX codec makes a noticeable difference when I play music through my tablet which supports the codec. Less stutter, and crisper sounding music.Battery life is about 5-8 hours OF SOLID USE. Its phenomenal. Really. I can't fathom how this device can weigh only a few grams and get as much run time as it does. On standby I've had the battery last nearly 4 days. However, if I turn it off, the battery is usually within 20% of the original charge weeks later. Not that I've had it off for that long many times.Music quality is superb for a bluetooth headset. I've owned a few other earbuds from Sony and also own a few pairs of studio headphones (such as ATH-M40x headphones and the Sony MDR XB90ex earbuds) and while the sound may not be quite as good as the XB90's which had much larger drivers and could sip more power from my phone/tablet/pc/amp, they sound remarkably close, (slightly less bass, about even midrange and treble) even though the whole headset only costs about 1/2 as much as the earbuds did originally. They certainly don't sound quite as good as the ATH-M40x's, with slightly less crisp highs, and a very recessed amount of bass, but for cycling and taking your mind off of mundane tasks at work, the sound is very nice and certainly a step up from other bluetooth headsets I've tried in the 50-150 dollar range. I do use a different set of tips from another pair of earbuds I used to have that are slightly softer and to me make a better seal on my ears, which I've found helps bring out the low end of the earbuds more.One thing to note is that you CAN NOT simultaneously charge AND listen to the bluetooth headset at the same time. However, with the very quick charge time (about 30 minutes to one hour depending on the state of the battery) and the long runtime, you should be able to charge the unit overnight every night and be able to use it throughout the day without any issues.The ONLY part of the headset that is damaged is the small rubber tab that held the separate battery cover flap the the main case of the unit. I've included a screenshot to show that even though the rubber let go, the cover flap still functions normally and is still attached to the right arm of the set. I've considered gluing the part back, but it doesn't seem necessary, as it is slightly easier to plug in the charging cable with the flap more out of the way, and when you push the flap into place it is held very securely.I've since purchased 2 more pairs of this headset, one for a family member and another as a spare, just in case.I highly recommend this headset!I've included some screenshots of the state of the headset after more than a solid year of use. Top, bottom and some pictures of the charging port flap.

My mobile is the Nexus 5. Please see my other review for the Jabra ROX also.Pros:- Great sound quality, audibly better than Jabra ROX with or without the latter's Dolby Digital app. Bass on the SBH80 is superb. I'm a believer on aptX technology, this is my 2nd gadget embedded with aptX.- Great telephony sound quality on both ends but sound isolation is so good that I am still not used to hearing my muted/muffled voice this much.- More secure fit - even without any 'wings' like the ROX, my SBH80 fits tightly inside my ear canals each & every single time, but YMMV.- Nothing protrudes from behind - its main body rests onto the back of my neck with nothing sticks out unlike the ROX, which can rub against collars.- Better button control - better tactile feel except with its main power button, which has a design flaw of too minimal 'click' allowed, unlike all its other buttons which feel just fine.- Its earbud cables are super thin but for a reason - their higher flexibility allows you to move more freely without dislodging the earbuds. ROX cables are too rigid although they should last a lot longer than the Sony. Think of the ROX which is built like a hummer.- Seems to have longer battery life than ROX, which is unexpected as ROX's BT4.0 should enable lower battery usage. Hm... Also, charging time is much quicker than ROX.- Better isolation than ROX from exterior noise. You can hear your chewing sound louder here, but not your own voice during telephone calls as mentioned below.- Sound reproduction is less sensitive to precise orientation of earbuds unlike the ROX. You move the ROX a tiny bit and bass is altered. You yawn and your bass is cut in half. Not cool!- Less expensive than the ROX.Cons:- My own voice during telephone call is muffled (due to its great sound isolation from the outside world) is quite weird. I tend to yell as a result. I could hear the other party well and he can hear me very well though.- The aforementioned power button which is hard to push accurately, hard to feel if it's pushed in or not. Don't even think about pushing this if you wear gloves.- Very difficult to pack due to its large and 3D form factor. Without a carrying case, I dare not travel with these. Its arms look like they can be deformed permanently if not handled with care, uncool.- Not water- or sweat-proof. This is strictly for urban use.- USB charge port has a very rigid door that doesn't swing open wide enough, as a result, it's quite unfriendly to insert USB cable to charge it.- Scuffing sound present whenever tiny earbud cables rub against clothing. But this happens with the ROX too, albeit less severe in the ROX case.- Surface texture should be smoother than this rubberized type now, smoother texture will get caught in cloth material less likely.- Initial power on sound effect is confusing and unnecessarily complex. Did I just turn it on only or did I also turn on its pairing mode?- No battery indicator of any sort, unlike the ROX's verbal indicator.- No docking / securing of earbuds onto arms or among themselves.Conclusion: I'm returning the Jabra ROX and keeping these as I don't plan on using these for sports use any way.UPDATE: Late-Jan, '16: I've been using the SBH80 w/ new Nexus 6P with no issues for 2 months until a few days ago when these just dropped the range from the normal 30+ feet to less than 3 feet (first time ever in almost 2 years). I reset these. I unpaired then re-paired them. Nothing worked. Just to make sure it wasn't my phone's fault, I tested my Nexus 6P w/ a Bluetooth dongle that I connected to my car & connection range/strength is as good as ever. Seems like these SBH80's antenna just got kinked/broken or something. I've been using these (light duty) for almost 2 years so I won't drop its stars lower than 4. But I'm filing an extended warranty coverage w/ my credit card now. I'll choose another brand of BT stereo headset but will always compare their sound quality & other functionalities to these Sony's, which I'm totally fine with especially when I listen to my music at lower volume these days (so should you if you wanna keep your hearing).