I received by LG for review purposes. Here are my thoughts are 6 weeks.
Aesthetics. The unique ‘on-neck horse-shoe’ design is inconspicuous sits neatly and discreetly around the neck line. Unlike the the G4 nobody has asked ‘what is that?’, and I mean that I a good way. And if you are wearing a open collar top it’s almost completely hidden.
Comfort. I simply forget that I’m wearing it, its that light. In fact there was a time when I was looking for it and found it looking in the mirror! There is some kind of small rubbery section about and inch behind the neck that i very flexible and allows one to easily and comfortably wear or remove the device from the neck. There is no horizontal clamping force at all. All the edges are rounded and so there are no pressure points to possibly cause any discomfort.
Utility. So at either end of the ‘horse shoe’ as it were are the two main function buttons most commonly used. The call answer button on the left and the play/pause button on the right. These are the only buttons on the top surface, about the size of a finger tip with a smooth concave recession and pleasantly tactile depress/click. The design and positioning meant I was never left feeling around the neck band to answer a call or pause a song. The volume rocker and tracker switcher are placed on either side of the outside edges, which again are intuitively placed and although a littler harder to find due to their size never gave me any real trouble. Now the greatest trick this unique device pulls off is that the earbuds retract into the device. It is really is revolutionary. You simply grab both ear bud tips, located at either end of the neck band (about where the collar bones are), with each hand and pull them lightly until they are fully extended, at which you should easily be able to put the in your ears with a little slack on the line to spare. They retract independently too so it’s not problem if you only want to use one side. To retract them you simply press two buttons just on the inside of band where the tips are. Again these buttons are intuitively placed and I never had a problem locating them. The retracting mechanism is smooth, quick and has never gotten stuck. When the buds are fully retracted there are no visible wires anywhere so it looks tidy, but most importantly the wires won’t catch on anything and the tips are safely tucked away. My only fear is that this mechanism could potentially get stuck and become very fiddly, if not impossible to fix.
As someone who works outside and who constantly uses his arms with various tools and equipment, I find such clipless, wire-free designs often fall off, but because the neck band is rigid (other than the small flexible section at the back) it always stays put, not even coming a little loose. This is due to the weight being distributed at the ends of the band in the front, basically using gravity to keep everything in place. Combined with the tidy wire system, this perfectly suits the needs of someone who has a very active job yet has to take calls frequently.
Connectivity. In 6 weeks of constant use I have never had a random disconnect or dropout. You have to leave the room from the connected device and even then it sometimes stays connected. Connection is made almost instantly when requested from any device.
Sound quality. Often a weakness of stereo bluetooth headsets. Here I would say the Infinim’s performance is adequate. Call quality is very clear and voices are naturally represented, not being to sharp or soft. This makes when one listens to music as the sound signature of this headset tends to emphasize the vocal range. I would say it lends to the mid/bass end of the spectrum with the treble being rolled off, for example, violins/strings sound soft and a little distant. Other hand drum/bass has a reasonable punch to it without becoming distorted, muddy and drowning the mids out. As with many bluetooth headsets it introduces some floor noise (a faint hiss) but this I not really noticeable if you're outside or listening to quiet instrumentals. Again this will probably not be someones primary device for listening to music, but does a great job for when one is on the go.
Battery. I’ve only charged it twice in 6 weeks of moderate use. I don’t know exactly what the average time is on constant playback but even if I had to charge it once a week it would be impressive. Outstanding.
Concerns. The wires. They are thin! Maybe about 2mm in diameter. Although they are safely tucked away when retracted, I wouldn’t be surprise if they were easily damaged if one snagged them on anything whilst the ear buds were extended. It’s hard to say how likely this would be to happen, but it’s certainly worth baring in mind.
Summary. Being so functional and with adequate sound quality in this product category I would highly recommend this to anyone who has a very active job or needs something for the gym. At £65 in the UK I would have to say that it's value compared to competitors will come down to how important the SQ is against functionality, but in my own experience I feel it definitely represents good value for money.
Aesthetics. The unique ‘on-neck horse-shoe’ design is inconspicuous sits neatly and discreetly around the neck line. Unlike the the G4 nobody has asked ‘what is that?’, and I mean that I a good way. And if you are wearing a open collar top it’s almost completely hidden.
Comfort. I simply forget that I’m wearing it, its that light. In fact there was a time when I was looking for it and found it looking in the mirror! There is some kind of small rubbery section about and inch behind the neck that i very flexible and allows one to easily and comfortably wear or remove the device from the neck. There is no horizontal clamping force at all. All the edges are rounded and so there are no pressure points to possibly cause any discomfort.
Utility. So at either end of the ‘horse shoe’ as it were are the two main function buttons most commonly used. The call answer button on the left and the play/pause button on the right. These are the only buttons on the top surface, about the size of a finger tip with a smooth concave recession and pleasantly tactile depress/click. The design and positioning meant I was never left feeling around the neck band to answer a call or pause a song. The volume rocker and tracker switcher are placed on either side of the outside edges, which again are intuitively placed and although a littler harder to find due to their size never gave me any real trouble. Now the greatest trick this unique device pulls off is that the earbuds retract into the device. It is really is revolutionary. You simply grab both ear bud tips, located at either end of the neck band (about where the collar bones are), with each hand and pull them lightly until they are fully extended, at which you should easily be able to put the in your ears with a little slack on the line to spare. They retract independently too so it’s not problem if you only want to use one side. To retract them you simply press two buttons just on the inside of band where the tips are. Again these buttons are intuitively placed and I never had a problem locating them. The retracting mechanism is smooth, quick and has never gotten stuck. When the buds are fully retracted there are no visible wires anywhere so it looks tidy, but most importantly the wires won’t catch on anything and the tips are safely tucked away. My only fear is that this mechanism could potentially get stuck and become very fiddly, if not impossible to fix.
As someone who works outside and who constantly uses his arms with various tools and equipment, I find such clipless, wire-free designs often fall off, but because the neck band is rigid (other than the small flexible section at the back) it always stays put, not even coming a little loose. This is due to the weight being distributed at the ends of the band in the front, basically using gravity to keep everything in place. Combined with the tidy wire system, this perfectly suits the needs of someone who has a very active job yet has to take calls frequently.
Connectivity. In 6 weeks of constant use I have never had a random disconnect or dropout. You have to leave the room from the connected device and even then it sometimes stays connected. Connection is made almost instantly when requested from any device.
Sound quality. Often a weakness of stereo bluetooth headsets. Here I would say the Infinim’s performance is adequate. Call quality is very clear and voices are naturally represented, not being to sharp or soft. This makes when one listens to music as the sound signature of this headset tends to emphasize the vocal range. I would say it lends to the mid/bass end of the spectrum with the treble being rolled off, for example, violins/strings sound soft and a little distant. Other hand drum/bass has a reasonable punch to it without becoming distorted, muddy and drowning the mids out. As with many bluetooth headsets it introduces some floor noise (a faint hiss) but this I not really noticeable if you're outside or listening to quiet instrumentals. Again this will probably not be someones primary device for listening to music, but does a great job for when one is on the go.
Battery. I’ve only charged it twice in 6 weeks of moderate use. I don’t know exactly what the average time is on constant playback but even if I had to charge it once a week it would be impressive. Outstanding.
Concerns. The wires. They are thin! Maybe about 2mm in diameter. Although they are safely tucked away when retracted, I wouldn’t be surprise if they were easily damaged if one snagged them on anything whilst the ear buds were extended. It’s hard to say how likely this would be to happen, but it’s certainly worth baring in mind.
Summary. Being so functional and with adequate sound quality in this product category I would highly recommend this to anyone who has a very active job or needs something for the gym. At £65 in the UK I would have to say that it's value compared to competitors will come down to how important the SQ is against functionality, but in my own experience I feel it definitely represents good value for money.
