3. Bluetrek ST1

Similar to the Motorola S9s but much more bendable, the Bluetrek ST1s also have a rigid central section for the battery and the mini-USB power connector. The arms bend so much that the ear buds twist up and fit into your ears while the central section sits at the back of your deck. These aren’t in-canal ear buds and there’s not much noise isolation. The ST1s are light enough to be comfortable if you adjust the fit of the foam ear bud covers but the rigid central section can catch and pull at the ear buds as you move your head around.

As they’re so flexible, the flat neoprene carry case is welcome to protect them; there’s room to fit your media player in as well, and a USB cable but not the charger. Pairing and turning the ST1s off involves pressing and holding the power button – which doubles as the talk button – for a long seven seconds and waiting for the button to flash red and blue. This is more complicated than some other headphones. The phone controls are all assigned to the talk button (apart from using the Volume Up button to mute a call). As the difference between answering and rejecting a call is how long you hold the button for, you may find you yourself taking calls from people you wanted to avoid. The play/pause button is on the left ear bud, with the forward and next buttons, and the volume control is on the right ear bud with the talk button; once you memorize which way round they are, this is a logical arrangement.

Sound quality is only fair and occasionally disappointing. Bass is flat and hollow, especially at low volumes – it improves with more volume. Treble is a little tinny, and while you can hear the detail in music tracks, it’s not as clear as on better headphones. The sound quality for phone calls is average too; you’ll hear callers more clearly than they hear you and even with the volume up you may have to speak more loudly than usual. Reception is average; you’ll get interference on the other side of a brick wall and you can’t get as far away from your media player as with other headphones.

The Bluetrek ST1s have an unusual design and a low price for multi-point headphones, but the sound quality may disappoint.

The Bluetrek ST1s score better on price and design than sound quality.