Review: PC-Mobile Retractable Hands-Free Audio Adapter

Since mobile phones including the Samsung I700 use a smaller headset jack than the stereo mini jacks commonly used on consumer electronics headphones, audio adapters have been sold to bridge the different dimensions. In Samsung’s case, placement of the right stereo channel on the outside of the connector socket causes a special need for custom cables. PC-Mobile steps up to the challenge with their Samsung I700 Retractable HandsFree Audio Adapter.

In the Box

The kit contains a retractable cable with a Samsung 2.5mm connector at one end, and a multipurpose connector at the other. The connector includes a microphone, answer/end button, volume dial, and a 3.5mm socket that will accept stereo mini jacks commonly found on headphones. The kit also includes a single earpiece with a 3.5mm jack to make a complete handsfree kit when you just want mono phone usage rather than stereo music usage. The earpiece can be worn as bare rubber-wrapped metal, or with a foam cover. The earpiece is round, unlike the included Samsung earphones which have a pimple at 2 o’clock that disagrees with my ear’s shape and causes pain within 30 minutes.

Answer/End Button

The answer/end button works perfectly with the i700, it will awaken a sleeping phone to make a call if you haven’t locked your i700 down to the power-on button only. It brings up the dialer if the phone is awake. Incoming calls can be answered with a single click even when the phone is locked. A single click also ends calls. Due to Samsung design, there is no way to make the answer/end button trigger VoiceSignal.

Volume Knob

While easy to locate and move, the volume knob does produce the static typical of 10 cent pots while being turned. The signal is solid without crackle once the knob rests.

Microphone

PC-Mobile’s microphone seems to passively suppress background noise, as callers reported less background noise with the PC-Mobile kit than with the i700 directly or Samsung’s earphones. Yet, PC-Mobile makes no claim that the microphone is noise-canceling. It appears that this limiting occurs merely through the reduced frequency response of the components in the PC-Mobile kit. When I switched between the phone directly, the Samsung earphones, and the PC-Mobile kit, callers found the PC-Mobile kit to produce the most muffled and distant output when worn casually. When the PC-Mobile microphone was lifted directly to my mouth, callers reported a clearer and louder sound than the phone itself. Unfortunately, it’s not in our nature to fuss with headset microphones that way. However, these comments are from callers who were asked to be specifically critical of the sound quality of our call, as opposed to callers who were unaware of what I was using to speak to them. I have never needed to repeat myself or heard any complaints of low volumes from any casual callers. The Samsung microphone from the earphones produces a hissy white noise, but offers slightly more volume. Talking directly into the phone produced sharply higher volumes, but background noise was similar to the Samsung earphones. That said, the microphone does perform well within reason without making the PC-Mobile adapter useless as a handsfree kit.

Earbud

The included 3.5mm earbud that completes the handsfree package offers tinny sound at lower volumes when compared to using one earbud from the Samsung kit. It does offer a clear signal and seems to reduce hiss. Given that it is tinny yet still reduces hiss, this is more an indication of a 1kHz-8kHz response than any active suppression of noise. The earbud is perfectly functional and acceptable for its purpose. Given that the whole package fits neatly in your pocket on a retracting spool, the PC-Mobile product will often occupy my pockets more than my car’s center console.

OK, Now Add Headphones

I tried the PC-Mobile unit with my plane bag Sony MDR-NC5 amplified active noise-canceling headphones, my wife’s Aiwa closed headphones, my son’s Walkman earbud-on-a-stickphones, my Sennheiser HD 600s with a 1/4" to 3.5mm stepdown jack, and a co-worker's Etymotic ER4P earbuds. I used homemade 192kbit MP3s that I know very well. Since Samsung’s provided headphones are the only other basis for comparison without introducing a comparison of the i700’s audio circuits to another device’s, I swapped back and forth between the Samsung earbuds and my test headphones with the PC-Mobile adapter.

Like any amplifier and speaker setup, if you ask a device to power something beyond its ability, you’ll end up with junk. The most parallel comparison was between my son’s CD Walkman headphones and the Samsung’s own earbuds. Both are very efficient and offered similar volume, dynamic range and frequency response. The i700 and the PC-Mobile adapter worked well with the Sony amplified headphones and resulted in minimal signal loss compared to the Sony headphones directly into my mp3 player. The i700’s low volume output benefited greatly from amplified headphones and easily justifies purchase of the PC-Mobile product. The whole point of an audio adapter is to be able to use better headphones, and in the i700’s case for most users, better begins with louder.

Stepping up to the Aiwas, a wider gap opened between the Samsung earbuds and the PC-Mobile with the Aiwa set. The volume was lower than the Samsung, but when the volumes were equaled using the Samsung’s volume knob, the Aiwa/PC-Mobile combo offered a richer sound with warmer highs and audible bass. This improvement was well worth the price of the PC-Mobile adapter.

Normally in my home audio system, even people that aren’t audio tweaks can pick up the difference between the Aiwa and Sennheiser units, so I’m well accustomed to how the Sennheiser sound like you’ve just walked out of a phone booth. The difference was hidden on the PC-Mobile and i700 combination. This could either be a factor of the i700’s line level power output, or the PC-Mobile unit’s use of very small gauge wiring. As a four-conductor cable capable of winding around a spool, the PC-Mobile unit is using around 26 or 28 AWG wire. The result is too small to carry a signal that Grado and Sennheiser can greatly distinguish from Aiwa and Sony. The output was dim and struggling, but no great difference from the limited sound offered by many other portable electronic devices when driving demanding cans.

That said, this product is targeting one or two steps up from what Samsung gives us right in the box. With that target in mind, the PC-Mobile delivers better sound than the Samsung headphones with any of the great headphones available at Best Buys and Circuit Cities. Tweaky audiophile headphones designed for the home stereo are not going to shine here. However, given a high end product designed for low power output devices like the Etymotic earbuds, I was clearly reminded that Samsung is not just a mobile phone company. I mention them here only because we're not exactly the most price sensitive crew. A few people that spend $600 on a phone might spend $250 on portable headphones. The Etymotics were louder than the I700's earbuds and sounded like I swallowed my phone: I couldn't get the music out of my head. I'll save that review for audioreview.com, but suffice it to say Samsung's consumer electronics expertise shows in their line level audio output section, and a good low impedance earbud can really make that obvious.

Summary

At $27.50 and available soon from PC-Mobile at Pc-Mobile data cables audio adapters for PDA, GSM and GPS Bluetooth, Nikon, the Retractable Handsfree Audio Adapter for the i700 is a convenient handsfree kit that will let you enjoy your better headphones. For further information on PC-Mobile’s similar products, check Mike Collins’ review of the PC-Mobile product for the XDA at http://www.pdaphonehome.com/forums/...&threadid=4953

Pros

Size
Doubles as complete retractable hands-free kit
Includes a 3.5mm mono earbud
Very clear microphone quality
Better audio output quality with better headphones that aren't too power hungry

Cons

Could have used better wire
Volume knob crackle