[ptkelly]

I have a Nexus 5. I'm not a music fan but I like listening to music when I walk my dog. I bought Bluetooth earphones. They have a name but the instruction manual was generic. I think a Chinese company sells these to anyone who wants to put their name on them. When I put my Nexus 5 in my pocket the sound skips, cuts out, and occasionally beeps loudly. If I put my Nexus 5 in my shirt pocket they seem to work fine. I don't think it's a loose wire.
A. Any suggestion for improving reception?

Second part. When I look at Bluetooth earphones/earbuds I see brand names I've never heard of. Can anyone suggest a good brand? Obviously, I'm not spending $100 to listen to tunes when I walk the dog.

[ptonantryloc]

What you describe sure sounds like Bluetooth earphones at the limit of their reception. I don't know what else you could try besides replacing them with something better. I'm currently using:

Amazon.com: JAM Transit Wireless Ear Buds (Black) HX-EP310BK: Electronics

Which cost about $33, give me about 30 foot range (I've never had an issue with them in my pocket), and actually sound pretty darn good.

[ptkelly]

Thanks, David. I tried the Nexus 5 on the right side of my belt instead of in my left pocket but I still get skips. I moved it up to my shirt pocket and it was fine. Apparently, these rotten earphones have a one-foot range. Avoid Net-It.

[ptkelly]

Thanks, David. I tried the Nexus 5 on the right side of my belt instead of in my left pocket but I still get skips. I moved it up to my shirt pocket and it was fine. Apparently, these rotten earphones have a one-foot range. Avoid Net-It.

The above post was stupid and I needed to come back and correct it. The earphones are not the problem. The earphones are sold under a variety of brand names by different companies but I believe when the connect to Bluetooth they show the connection as X770 regardless of brand.

The problem was metal interfering with the Bluetooth signal. When the cellphone was in my left pocket, my keys were hanging right above it, between the phone and the earphones. I'm not sure what was blocking it when I had it on my right side but when I moved it a bit to the front it worked fine.

When I was in my apartment, I could put the phone on my desk and it would work fine for 20-30 feet, providing a wall didn't get in the way. My walls are brick and reinforced concrete and I think the rebar does a number on Bluetooth.

Anyway, I apologize to Net-It. The problem was with a crappy set of earphones. I also have a pair of Bluetooth Logitech earphones I use for Skype and they are very sensitive to rebar, too.

[ptonantryloc]

That's interesting. I only use my headphones while exercising, so I've got nothing metallic on me. I never would have thought bluetooth would be that sensitive to metal.

[ptkelly]

I could be wrong, again, but the mass of metal in my too many keys is the only thing I can think of as a causative factor. Wiggling the wire between the two earpieces causes no skipping. And it always happens when it's under my keys.