When LG launched its flagship model G5 this year, it also released a new wireless Bluetooth headset, TONE PLATINUM (HBS-1100). According to the word PLATINUM, it is not difficult to guess that LG is going to focus on the high-end market this time, so can Tone reach a new height?
Detailed parameters
San Wai 6.0 "(W) X 7.04" (H) X 0.5 "(D), weight 2.05 pan driver
Bluetooth 4.1， Supports HEADSET (HSP), HANDS-FREE (HFP), ADVANCED AUDIO DISTRIBUTION (A2DP), GAAT
HARMAN KARDON PLATINUM
TONE&TALK app supports Android & Apple
Balanced armature
Call/play/standby time: 11/10/415 hours
Charging time: less than 2 hours
Appearance and packaging
The outer package adopts black as the main color, with the product drawing, name and model printed on the front, and relevant introduction on the back. The overall style is consistent with its high-end positioning, which is calm and low-key.
The flip design is adopted. There is also a layer of plastic packaging inside. When it is completely opened, TONE PLATINUM (HBS-1100) can be seen lying quietly on the top. The accessory box below also uses full black color.
A complete list of accessories, including data cable, replaceable earplug, manual and independent NFC label. There is no surprise in accessories. The only special one is TONE PLATINUM (HBS-1100) Although the NFC function is supported, the NFC chip is not integrated into the headset. If the author is accustomed to using NFC for pairing, the NFC tag cannot be randomly discarded.
The headphone switch is arranged on the inside of the right side. The headphone cable is of telescopic design, so there are buttons on the inside of the left and right sides for control. A small indicator light beside the power switch is used to remind the headphone of the current different states.
The outside is equipped with relevant control buttons, including play/pause/stop buttons, call buttons, volume inching switches, etc. The USB interface for charging is on the right, and is equipped with a dust cover. It can be seen that the main body of the earphone is made of plastic material, with aluminum alloy embellishment on both sides. The surface is treated by wire drawing process, and the small grid lines on the inside, so the appearance, material and workmanship are excellent.
Wearing and operation
Because of the size of the metal material and volume, TONE PLATINUM (HBS-1100) is slightly heavier than the Sony SBH-80 used by the author before, but because it is a neck band headset, the pressure is not great in fact. The in ear design has a good sound insulation effect, and the stethoscope effect is relatively slight. The earplugs are softer than those of Sony, making them more comfortable to wear. After experience, the author does not recommend wearing it for sports. First, the fixation effect is poor. Second, TONE PLATINUM (HBS-1100) is easy to stick to the neck after sweating, which makes it uncomfortable. If you sweat more in summer, you are recommended to wear a shirt with a collar or polo shirt.
Auditory sense
Considering the practical use of the wireless Bluetooth headset - answering and making calls and enjoying music, the front ends used in this test are all mobile phones. TONE PLATINUM (HBS-1100) uses the latest aptX HD technology and HARMAN KARDON PLATINUM sound effect for publicity. Can it surprise us?
Because it is the first Bluetooth headset that uses aptX HD technology, the LG G5, the only one that supports this technology at present, was specially selected for audition. Compared with Sony Xperia Z5P, which also supports aptX, the author did not feel that the use of aptX HD has a better performance. Although aptX HD is better in data, it may be limited by the wireless environment and the quality of the product itself, It didn't bring users a better experience.
TONE PLATINUM (HBS-1100) has a neutral overall tuning, and "MSG" is not added much, which is similar to Apple's "boiled water" feeling. The ability to create sound field is strong, and it seems relatively "open". During the test, different formats of audio sources, such as Hi Res compliant flac, 320Kbps MP3, 256Kbps aac, and QQ Music Online, were used. After transmission through Bluetooth, the difference is not very large, Hi Res did not win an overwhelming victory. It was slightly better in sound field and analytical power, and the volume adjusted to 70-80% was equivalent to the volume of 50-60% of the general sound source. If it was not a "Golden Ear" user, it would not be too tangled.
The bass part is weak, and the contrast between the cello and the double bass in the symphonic suite is too weak for the violin, and sometimes it may even be inadvertently ignored; The treble is OK. Except for extreme situations, it can no longer be restored. Most of the time, the performance is satisfactory, and there is no harsh or unstable sound; Perhaps it is because it has the call function, and the voice and midrange voice perform best. In some tracks, the voice is particularly prominent, and the accompaniment is easy to be ignored.
The separation between the left and right channels is not very good, and the surround sound effect is not very obvious. When switching between the left and right channels, there is still a feeling of "adhesion". Apart from the fact that it has been mentioned that it has a good effect on human voice, the author found that TONE PLATINUM (HBS-1100) also has an additive effect on orchestral music when comparing orchestral music with string music unintentionally. The timbre of the clarinet and oboe is more prominent, which has a lot of flavor compared with string music. If you use TONE PLATINUM (HBS-1100) to listen to music, the author recommends selecting vocal or wind based tracks, which will give you a good experience.
TONE PLATINUM (HBS-1100) has an excellent performance in answering and making calls. Compared with the author's previous SBH-80, it is better in both sound quality and radio reception effect, but sometimes it is powerless in noisy environments. LG also has a companion app of TONE&TALK, which supports functions such as adjusting vibration alerts and voice alerts. If voice alerts are not annoying, it is difficult to turn on voice alerts and miss messages (laugh).
Charging and endurance
In terms of the endurance, TONE PLATINUM (HBS-1100) is basically consistent with the 10 hour use duration advertised. The author mainly uses it in commuting and leisure time, talking or playing music, about 2 hours a day. It can support 5 days without problems, but can barely reach 6 days. During the use period, it has been connected to the handset or in standby mode, and has not been closed. The charging time is also less than 2 hours in line with the publicity, and the actual test charge can reach more than 80% of the power within 1 hour.
summary
LG's TONE PLATINUM (HBS-1100) high-end wireless Bluetooth headset is excellent in all aspects. If you are not too impressed with Sony's "outrageous" Bluetooth headset of the same kind, the traditional high-end TONE PLATINUM (HBS-1100) may be more suitable for conservative users. The retractable headphone cable is convenient to store and avoid the headphone cable from shaking. The practicality of this point really beats Sony's neck band headphones. In the field of wireless Bluetooth headset, the biggest disadvantage of TONE PLATINUM (HBS-1100) should be the price of thousands of yuan.
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