Creative WP-300 BT Headset - Good Quality, Wireless Freedom Ain't Cheap

It’s all about being wire free these days and the less wires you have to deal with, the happier you’ll be. With that very sentiment in mind Creative has just launched a slew of accessories and speakers using wireless Bluetooth technology. The WP-300 Bluetooth headset is one of these new devices to make it out and it’s designed to keep the average music lover as well as the audiophile happy. So naturally I wanted to see if this was true and here’s what I think.

Form Factor
The WP-300 is a well constructed headset with soft leatherette ear cushions that will keep your ears snug without letting your audio leak out and disturb anyone within earshot. I tested them for various periods – for an hour long stretch and then for at least 3 hours watching an entire movie with them on. The result, aside from a little sweat when not in an AC environment, was that they were extremely comfortable and more so since they weigh in at just 107g. The entire headset portion of the WP-300 is also covered with a soft material so as to sit firmly and conveniently on your head without sliding off or applying too much pressure around the top or side of your head. The adjustable sliders are slick but stay firm respecting the setting you decide on.

Well designed with well laid out, easy to manage button system

What’s most impressive are the large keys on the right headpiece. The layout is simple and very well laid out and does not require you to remember some complicated format. A large Play/Pause rests at the top portion of the center and shares the space with the power/sync option at the bottom just above a small indicator LED. Skip buttons are placed on either side with volume keys on the under side of the ear-cup. A Micro USB charging port is situated on the underside of the left ear-cup. The ear-cups are designed to swivel to one side to make them flat so the WP-300 is convenient to carry.

The black glossy finish with chrome strips gives the WP-300 an elegant and refined look. Very classy to be succinct.

Performance
Using 34mm Neodymium magnet driver units coupled with apt-X technology to enhance audio streaming via Bluetooth (2.1 + EDR, A2DP, AVRCP)) the WP-300 is more than efficient in delivering crisp, clear audio output. It was a most enjoyable experience using the WP-300 form music to videos via a PC or mobile device. Since they’re so comfortable to wear and the audio leakage is considerably reduced even at high volume, you’re ensured that the focus of your audio is on you and no one else. That also worked out great for a frequent commuter like me who has to otherwise deal with a plethora of unruly sounds emitting from every corner of a Mumbai Local.

Easy to carry especially with a pouch provided

Tone quality was superb. A resilient thump in the bass line rounded off the lower frequencies while mid and higher frequencies were well balanced so as to avoid sharp tone quality. I don’t recommend ever using these headphones with the volume peaked. Balance your volume via both devices. Any device, be it a mobile or PC with audio enhancements will only make the WP-300 better.

Features
It takes about an hour to charge fully from a completely drained battery. After that it’ll run for over 9 hours of non-stop playback at a full volume. That’s actually exceeding the Creative official timeline of up to 8 hours. It’s on these very very rare occasions that I come across a device that actually surpasses a company’s benchmark. What was even more impressive is that I was using it between rooms and was able to comfortably adjust and listen to music with a handset left a good 30 plus meters away.

Volume keys are also conveniently placed

While the WP-300 comes off as a really great wireless audio accessory, it has two things that I took issue with. Firstly it does not ship with a Bluetooth dongle for non-Bluetooth enabled devices like PCs. This means adding an extra charge (albeit not too expensive) to the already slightly heavy price tag. Secondly, at this price one tends to expect a microphone built in for calls and the WP-300 is unfortunately devoid of that feature. If you’re using this headset with your mobile phone you’ll have to remove it while taking a call.

The Bottom Line
The price tag on the WP-300 is Rs. 7,499. It seems rather expensive considering it’s not designed to support taking calls from your handset and doesn’t come with a Bluetooth Dongle. However, for an audiophile or an avid music lover who’s only interested in dousing his auditory receptors, ears to the rest of us, with great sounding audio, the price won’t matter and the WP-300 comes off as a great option. It’s a classy looking headset that’s well designed and has a great battery life. Nuff said.