Clockwise from top: Lubix UBHS-NC1, iSkin Cerulean F1 earphones, iSkin Cerulean TX Bluetooth transmitter (sold separately), and Lubix UBHS-LC1.

Thanks to Bluetooth wireless technology, you no longer have to be tethered to your iPod or iPhone. Lubix’s UBHS-LC1 and UBHS-NC1 are Bluetooth headsets you can use with the iPhone, while iSkin’s Cerulean F1 works as either a Bluetooth iPhone phone headset or as Bluetooth headphones for an iPod equipped with a Bluetooth transmitter.

Unfortunately, however, you can’t use any of these headsets to listen to an iPhone’s iPod because Apple didn’t implement the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) in the iPhone’s Bluetooth. This is not the headset makers’ fault, but it certainly makes buying a Bluetooth headset for the iPhone a limited-return investment. We hope Apple will release an update to remedy the situation.

Cerulean F1. The Cerulean F1’s right earphone as a mini USB port; easy-to-access controls for power, volume, and track forward and back; and a multifunction button. The left earphone contains the battery that recharges via USB. The cord connecting the two earphones was long enough for comfort, even for those of us with beefier necks. For the iPod, you need to use iSkin’s Cerulean TX Bluetooth transmitter (part of the Cerulean TX+RX, $149.99), which connects to the iPod dock.

The Cerulean F1 easily paired with the Cerulean TX–equipped iPod. The sound was clear, but lacked warmth and richness. Pairing the ’phones with an iPhone was a snap, but call quality was degraded with static. The Cerulean F1’s audio quality when connected to a Mac is disappointing - you’re limited to monaural audio, so music sounds like poor AM radio. The audio quality was fine for Skype calls, however.

But after 20 minutes of wearing the Cerulean F1, our ears started to hurt. The ear clips, made of wire and set inside rubber tubing, were the culprit, but the headset falls off without them. After some fiddling, we were able to shape the clips to a position that was more comfortable, but not ideal. You get two sets of ear clips.

UBHS-LC1. The left earphone on the Lubix UBHS-LC1 has an LED for caller ID; the volume, track, and power controls; and a USB port for charging. The two earphones snap together with magnets, and a rubber piece holds the cable so you can wear the UBHS-LC1 securely around your neck when not in use. But football players, weightlifters, or anyone else with a large neck won’t like this necklace design: When you put the earphones on, the rubber cable holder slides up, tightening the cable in a noose-like fashion. You could always cut the rubber holder off, but that seems like notable design flaw. Despite the noose-like design, we were able to wear the UBHS-LC1 in relative comfort for over an hour.

After the breezy pairing with our iPhone, we found that calls came in loud (enough) and clear, and sounded much better than they did with the Cerulean F1 headset. The caller ID LCD works well and comes in handy for screening calls from your boss while you’re hanging out with your drinking buddies. We were able to pair the UHBS-LC1 with our Mac, but we never actually got the headset working. Every time we tried to open the Sound System Preferences to select the UHBS-LC1 for output and input, System Preferences froze.

UBHS-NC1. Using the UBHS-NC1 was a similar experience to using the UBHS-LC1. The controls are on the left earphone, and the UBHS-NC1 also has the same magnetic snap-together design and necklace cord. The earphones fit comfortably too. The main difference is the rounder, smaller shape of the UBHS-NC1, which lacks an LCD screen for caller ID.

With the UBHS-NC1, we had the same Mac-pairing problems that we had with its $99 sibling. When it came to audio quality when used with the iPhone, we couldn’t tell the difference between the two Lubix headsets.

The bottom line. Both Lubix headsets are solid contenders for the iPhone (that is, the phone part, not the iPod), but don’t bother trying to use them with your Mac. The Cerulean F1 headset, on the other hand, is big and bulky and was the least comfortable of the three, even after we adjusted the ear clips.

UBHS-LC1

COMPANY: Lubix

CONTACT: www.lubixmobile.com

PRICE: $99

REQUIREMENTS: iPhone or Bluetooth on Mac

Easy-to-use controls. Caller ID display. Good phone call quality.

Cable fits tightly around large necks. Didn’t work with Mac audio.

UBHS-NC1

COMPANY: Lubix

CONTACT: www.lubixmobile.com

PRICE: $85

REQUIREMENTS: iPhone or Bluetooth on Mac

Easy-to-use controls. Small. Good phone call quality.

Cable fits tightly around large necks. Didn’t work with Mac audio.

CERULEAN F1

COMPANY: iSkin

CONTACT: www.iskin.com

PRICE: $129.99

REQUIREMENTS: Bluetooth transmitter on iPod, Bluetooth on Mac

Easy-to-use controls.

Poor Mac audio.