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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
A Look At Streaming. BlueAnt Ribbon: A Critical Review.
By Andre Lawrence
The "Ribbon" is a Bluetooth streaming device that enables a Bluetooth-installed device to transmit audio to an analog product. It is the equivalent to Jabra's "Street" device.**** Inspection ****Ribbon was released just weeks after BlueAnt's Embrace, a fantastic, premium, wired headset and has the marks of BlueAnt Wireless' meticulous design.The Ribbon is designed like a typical commemorative ribbon and in this crossed bar style, it can easily slide on a shirt or a pant pocket--something that Jabra's Street streamer was widely criticized for not being able to do.The Ribbon has a half-inch soft rubber outer casing over a marine blue, polished inner casing. On one end is a 3.5mm opening and a micro-USB port on the other end.The kit comes with:* The Ribbon--Streaming piece* Micro usb to usb plug* 3.5mm (a) to 3.5mm (a) plug* wired headset (very thin wired)* additional ear plug sizes* usb to ac plug.As with the "Street" set, the Ribbon should be seen as, primarily, a streaming or a device that connects a digital device to an analog device despite the fact that the set comes with a headset included.The inclusion of the headset is somewhat deceptive because the headset is cheaply made and offers no great audio fidelity--BlueAnt's supplied earbuds included.Additionally, unless your smartphone's input opening (i.e. micro usb) is damaged and unable to hold the headphone's plug, there's no real benefit to spend $70 for a device that only moves the headphone wire from your waist to your chest area.The end result is, is that you're not free of wires.**** Headphone Performance ****Wearing the Ribbon on my shirt and pairing it with my phone didn't give me a great audio fidelity with the supplied headpiece. The price at the time that this review is being posted is $69. If you are buying this for the primary purpose of using it to connect your headset with it, then you'll need to either supply a better headset than the one supplied or buy at least a moderate-priced/ quality headset so you'll add about $50+ to the price. So, you're really starting off with a price of $120.For $120, you can have a completely wireless stereo Bluetooth headset like the exceptional Motorola S11-Flex HD Wireless Stereo Bluetooth Headset - Retail Packaging - Black/White or the Jaybird Freedom Sprint Bluetooth Headphones - Retail Packaging - Midnight Black.Or, you can attach the wonderful BlueAnt Embrace to this device, but the pair will set you back $200.**** Streaming Performance ****Well, what about using the Ribbon as AD/DA converter?This device has a very LIMITED range.Typically, a Bluetooth device has a connection range of 30'. I tried several times to connect this device to a Pioneer system that we have outside from a Windows pc streaming at no more than 15' away.Every conceivable way, the pc would say the Ribbon was connected and within seconds, it would say "disconnected.I paired the device to my Android phone and it wouldn't connect to a boombox 10' away, but at 5', it successfully connected and I heard some Marley blasting through when I hit the Line In button.I also had similar results when connected to my Mac desktop to the same Sony boombox. The distance is about 6.5' from computer to Ribbon & radio.**** Conclusion ****Pro's* Beautifully designed, feels durable and soft to the touch.* Price--at $69, it's reasonable for what it would be able to do.The included accessories, if purchased separately would run you back about $20 easily and you can easily find many uses for the parts that you're not using at the moment with other devices. (Maybe the sum of the parts is more valuable than the whole?)* Theoretically, more versatile than just an "wireless headphone set."Con's* Cheap (quality) headset--you'll need to supply your own or purchase a better pair for use.* Very narrow stream connection. Roughly 5'. And, the Ribbon wasn't particularly successful in maintaining a connection to the receiver once connected.As much as I loved the Embrace because of the components, the beautiful design, the quality of the materials and a not-too-steep price, I find recommending The Ribbon a much tougher decision.I wouldn't use it as a default, wire to wireless headphone connector: it's just not practical. And, to use it to stream music to your old, but quality analog stereo component system or boom box, it failed to impress me.3 stars.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
The Ribbon is just okay
By Donna
The BlueAnt Ribbon Blue tooth headset is small, two inches long and less than two inches at it's widest point, so it doesn't get in your way but the wires from the earbuds will. The outer material is rubberized while the inside facing is smooth plastic.The "Twist and Go" action of The Ribbon is very small in the amount it will twist and could easily break if twisted too firmly, it's more of a press than twist action. The Ribbon attaches to most of my clothing and stays attached except in the case of thin soft cotton material, than it will fall when I lean over.The range for the Ribbon is disappointing and you certainly don't get "Up to 10 meters *33 feet) RF coverage" as stated in the description. I've found that the devices attached to the Ribbon can't be more than 6 feet out of range or the audio cuts in and out constantly. Also there is periodic interference between my iPhone and the Ribbon while my iPhone is either in my pocket or in hip holder next to my body. This got real annoying while listen to an audio book, not hearing certain words randomly, I kept wanting to get my other wireless headset, Lg Tone (Hbs-700) Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Headset - Bulk Packaging - Black/orange, instead of using the Ribbon.The earbuds that comes with the Ribbon are very cheap and do not output quality audio. The earbud wires will produces noise when they rub against your clothing or anything else. So be prepared to use your own earbuds with the Ribbon.The controls on the Ribbon are easy to identify by touch and easy to navigate, that's biggest plus about the Ribbon. The next plus for the Ribbon is the battery life and charge time. It does indeed play close to 6 hours and charges in less than two hours.Personally, I think the price tag, 70 bucks at the time of this review, on the Ribbon is too high based on the actually quality of the range and noise interference between connected devices plus the fact if your buying this to use with a mobile phone you'll need to buy another set of earbuds.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Zip!
By ~~Hummingbirder~~
I am offering a caveat in this review: I do not have a smart phone. I am using this headset for streaming on my android tablet.This does come with written instructions, which state you should download the app from Google Play. Well, Google Play said the app was not compatible with my device. Ruh-roh! But you can also go to BlueAnt's website, and I downloaded the app from there. I had no problem downloading it, and following the provided instructions, was set up to listen to internet radio in just a few minutes.The headphones are lightweight, and I find the smallest ear buds quite comfortable. The sound quality is more than acceptable. I've used the device only inside my home (it's winter!), and it hasn't dropped a signal yet. The controls are straightforward. The "clip" is easy to wear on a shirt.This comes with a USB/AC adaptor for charging. I kept the clear plastic box for storing the charger and the extra ear buds.
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