This is one vestige of my last experience with Sony Ericsson, a brand since evolved and simplified to just Sony. I had actually gotten this headset packed in with the purchase of my humble Sony Ericsson Aino (U10i).
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| Sony Ericsson MH100 - one solid Bluetooth receiver |
It was quite a welcome change as all my previous Sony Ericsson phones came with a pair of wired earphones that connected not by the conventional 3.5mm jack but by that really annoying proprietary FastPort that came fitted with Sony Ericsson phones from 2005 - 2010.
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| The FastPort is dead. Long live the 3.5mm jack |
You may be wondering why I would write about a relic of the past in this day and age. I say tribute should be paid to quality and the MH100 certainly served me well. Long after my Aino faded into oblivion like most other handphones, the MH100 remained my audio receiver of choice.
Design
The MH100 Bluetooth receiver brings back memories of Sony's stylish Minidisc remotes. There is a solid clip at the rear that easily grips onto your shirt. The right edge comes adorned with the standard and essential Play/Pause, Back and Forward buttons. The left one is a touch panel for your finger to slide up or down to adjust the volume of the audio playback. Smack above the LED panel, there's a self-explanatory call button.
The intriguing part of the device is the LED panel. It doesn't actually display any text but just 4 distinct lights. By holding the switch at the base, the lights start illuminating upwards signalling the powering up and finally blink to indicate how much power there is left in the unit. Keeping it simple, 4 green lights show full power and 1 blinking red shows a dire need to charge. You get the idea.
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| Light 'Em Up |
Features
Pairing the MH100 with the Aino is child's play. Turn on the Bluetooth on the Aino and activate the MH100 and boom, they connect and you can already start playing music. The pairing experience with other devices is trickier. When testing with the Samsung Galaxy SII, you need to activate your mobile's Bluetooth. You then reset the MH100 by pressing the power and call buttons together for 5 seconds. The LEDs will then start flashing blue and green like crazy and during this period, find the device on the phone and select it. The LEDs stop flashing and hey presto, you're paired.
Performance
The audio quality of the supplied HPM-78 in-ears is decent enough. Putting things in perspective, they are decent enough to whip the default iPhone/Samsung earpieces into submission. Nothing less from what is demanded from a Sony. The bass is tight and controlled such that the listening experience on the train does not leave you begging for heavier sound. The vocals of Diamanda Galas on Erasure's Rock Me Gently come through well enough, not crystal clear nor overly shrill. but enough for one to appreciate the track. Overall, not for music aficionados who demand studio quality audio but certainly meets the expectations for frequent train/bus commutes to work.
The range of the MH100 is around 10 metres. No problem if you like to walk around your room when gathering your thoughts at the thumping of an Armin Van Buuren track.
Charging is via the Sony Ericsson FastPort. You can either connect directly to the FastPort cable or by docking it on the Aino cradle. The charging process ain't too long. 2.5 hours does the trick.
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