Arctic Sound P311 Bluetooth Headphones

- Audio on the move is just so much better without wires to get in the way, but a decent stereo headset costs a lot. Or does it? Arctic Cooling have a lightweight and cheap set that may check all the boxes.

Main features

• Invisible microphone included

• Travel case included

• Compatible with mobile phones

• Supra-aural headphone features soft pads and ear cup style

• High fidelity stereo sound, including powerful bass and crisp highs

• Ideal for sports and on the go

The box for the Arctic Sound P311 Stereo Bluetooth Headphones gives you a clear view of what you are getting, with a window showing off the contents. The box clearly states the headphones are Stereo and Bluetooth, and you can see the carrying case through the window.

The rear of the box is filled with small print on features and specifications in multiple languages, so you should know exactly what you are getting. Inside, everything is held with in a moulded plastic insert.

Included with the Arctic Sound P311 Stereo Bluetooth Headphones are a zip up hard case and a standard mini USB cable for charging. The case features a material outer covering that has a weave akin to carbon fibre, and the entire case feels quite solid. There are two zip pulls as well, making sealing the case quick and efficient.

The headphones themselves are clearly a behind the head or neck band style, with the cups designed to fit over the ear lobe.

As you've no doubt noticed from the previous pictures, the Arctic Sound P311 Stereo Bluetooth Headphones can be folded away for storage in the supplied case (or where ever is convenient for you). They have a black and silver design and are actually quite small, with the cups being little more than an inch and a half in diameter.

The cups have a foam padding on the interior which is slightly leathery in texture but quite comfortable. The speaker cones themselves are protected on the inside by the usual speaker mesh cloth.

Both cups have been designed to have nearly the same appearance for a symmetrical look, so the left cup matches the right on the exterior with a raised and shaped black insert; the insert on the left cup is non functioning. You can also see the Arctic logo.

The right cup has all of the user controls, the battery and the USB charging socket. Despite this, both cups are evenly balanced and very lightweight. The black outer ring has four separate controls; Volume up and down, Skip forward and backward. The middle of the black outer ring is what Arctic call the multi-function button. This button can be used (as the phone image printed on it would suggest) for making and ending a call, but it can also be used as a play/pause button during media playback.

This button is also responsible for turning the headphones on and off, as well as for pairing functions. Holding the button down for 3 seconds, turns the headphones on; another 3 seconds turns them off. Holding the button down for seven seconds puts the headphones into pairing mode. Each of these functions is indicated by a red or blue LED. A blue LED comes on to let you know the headphones are switched on, and much like on many bluetooth headsets, it will flash on and off for the duration of use. When you switch the headphones off, the red LED comes on for a second or two. During pairing, the red and blue LED's will alternate. While charging, the red LED remains lit until the headphones are fully charged. Very simple to use and understand.

Charging is done via a standard Mini USB port. No powered charger is included, but there is a regular USB to Mini USB cable included. To charge the headphones, you simply pull the cover off the mini USB port and plug it in. A few hours later, the headphones will be fully charged and according to Arctic, you should get around 20 hours of playback before they need charging again.