Travel Technology - Any good BT headsets out there, or is wired still the way to go?

I have lots of colleagues who use various BT headsets. I find the outgoing voice quality apalling on most of them. I need a headset to use both in my office and in my car. I would prefer a wireless solution (I would love a in-ear style earbud like my Sennheiser CX300), but outgoing voice quality is the most important factor. I presently use an Sony Ericsson K660i and (quite seldom) voip from my iPod touch, the problem with using a wired headset with that handset is that the clunky connector tends to fall out. Our cell phone choices is very limited by our head office, so a change of phone isn't in the cards at the moment.

I have checked out the Jabra JX 10 Series II and Plantronics Voyager 510 and 520 (only online so far).

Budget: under $150

Difficult... I used to have a Samsung WEP 200 which I loved for the Formfactor
http://dailymobile.se/2007/12/31/unboxing-pictures-samsung-wep-200-bluetooth-headset/

I think quality wise BT Headsets are a lot better these days, but it always depends on the devices you are using together...

Personally I don't use BT Headsets since I have BT integrated in my car and would always forget to charge the headset, or not have it paired when a call comes in, or or or... just too annoying for me personally.

Plantronics, Jabra and Aliph are generally reliable and get good reviews. Prices should be CONSIDERABLY lower than $150 (I would expect half that for a high-end model).

Ideally start to decide on a formfactor at first (in-ear, loop etc.) and look for reviews then. It might make sense to check out SonyEricsson (related) Forums to look for actual experiences of BT Headsets with your particular phone.

I read Cnet dot com for headset reviews. I've owned Plantronics and they're very good. The Plantronics Discovery 975 is rated highly and within your price range. The only reason I didn't get it was b/c it was out of my price range. I recently bought the Blue Ant Q1 which received good reviews and it has been working well for me.

The Jawbone headsets are great. They are probably right around $150 and have great noise and echo cancellation. Plus, they look good.

Jawbone headsets are mainly marketing - they don't sound any better than any other high end headset.

At the moment, the Plantronics Voyager Pro is probably the best there is. The Motorola HX1 does REAL Jawbone conductivity and sounds fantastic.

The Blue Ant Q1 is not bad, but doesn't sound as good as the Voyager Pro.

If you have $89 to spend - go with the Voyager Pro, you won't regret it.

I use the plantronics 510. It is a little old school in that it is not a fashion statement, though I think audio in and out is excellent and the battery lasts forever (huge plus for me). I primarily just keep it in the car for when I am driving, so the less I need to remember to bring it into the house to charge and then back out the better.

EDIT: Plus you can get it on Amazon for <$40. At this price I don't feel bad if I lose it or wash it.

For long conference calls on my mobile phone I use the plantronics voyager855. Super comfortable, good output/input. Was pricey but it's old model so should be under your budget. (And it's stereo if you want to pair for music)

In the cars I always keep cheap BT, now using the Motorola H375 - universal USB charger that also works for BB. Less than $30.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm gonna try and find the Plantronics Voyager 855 locally, failing that I will go for the Voyager Pro.

Both of them are TCO 07 approved which is a great benefit in my book.

edit: picked up the 855 on ebay for $50 including s/h.

edit: picked up the 855 on ebay for $50 including s/h.

Wow that's awesome....I know what I'll be getting when my H375's die out!

Wow that's awesome....I know what I'll be getting when my H375's die out!

$31.50 on Amazon ;)

I got the 855 when it came out, and paid $110. My wife now has mine, and until Plantronics comes out with something better, I'm never getting it back.

Actually, if you want something that doesn't look like a bug crawling out of your ear, there are some decent BT headsets from Sony Ericsson.

The SE HBH-DS980 is a stereo BT headset, with in-ear design, and pretty good sound quality (both sending and receiving).

I've used three of them; one original that was stolen in Prague a couple of years ago, my current one, and the same unit for my wife. She loves hers, and I love mine.

Nice bonuses to it: It hangs around your neck, rather than sticking in your ear. So you can just put the earpiece in when you're taking a call, and otherwise it hangs from your neck. Two, it's stereo, so if you so desire, you can use it for music. Three, it supports multi-host, so you can pair it with multiple devices (only one actively connected, of course). I have mine paired with my Blackberry Bold 9000, as well as being paired with my iPod Touch (I find the sound quality for the headset as good as more wired headsets in the same price range, though I'm probably not a real audiophile).

Note, the iPod Touch doesn't support Headset profile, so it's good for music only, and not voice. Still, it works well for music.

It also has an OLED on it, so it will display incoming numbers etc; I can answer my Blackberry without taking it from it's holster and still know who it is.

Best Bluetooth headset I've ever owned, and I've owned DOZENS.


Patrick

$31.50 on Amazon ;)

I got the 855 when it came out, and paid $110. My wife now has mine, and until Plantronics comes out with something better, I'm never getting it back.

In truth, you were the one to originally suggested this to me when I asked about BT that could be used with UMA enabled phones. ^

The H375 does not work with UMA and by coincidence my son got the 855 as a gift and gave to me sometime after your suggestion.

I just went on eBay to buy a $5.00 USB charger for 855 as the original OEM was a made for use in HK, with triple plug (aka 'large'). I'd luv another but my wife would kill me - already got about 4 H375 to go through!

$31.50 on Amazon ;)

I got the 855 when it came out, and paid $110. My wife now has mine, and until Plantronics comes out with something better, I'm never getting it back.

Yeah, I saw that. But unfortunately buying electronics from Amazon and shipping out of the US is too expensive (S/H was more than the item itself, and then they pre-charge for custom fees, which for a small item such as this seldom come into play).

I've a lot of experience recently with BH headsets, most of it bad. Here is a summary of my experiences:

1) My first -- about 4 years ago -- was a Nokia HS-11W. Basically indestructible, it still works fine, good sound for calls, etc. But also basically basic, and I wanted something I could also listen to music with, i.e. stereo.

2) About 2 years ago bought a SE HBH-DS980. Great sound, great functionality. As Patrick mentioned, it just hangs around your neck and has earbuds, so wearing it doesn't cause the sort of social issues that traditional BT headsets do. Also very light, very comfortable. Big downside was battery life -- I could barely get through a workout without having the thing die on me. Also, whilst the caller display is supported by SE handsets, and apparently (based on Patrick's experience) also by Blackberry and perhaps others, it did not work with my Nokia. Furthermore, the things started to disintegrate after a few months. First, the mic went. For calls, there is mic built into one of the earpiece leads so it hangs near your mouth. Again, a great design. Next to the mic was the "call-handling" button, which allowed you to answer an incoming call without the need to touch your handset. This stopped working after a few months, so it basically became BT headphones (good only for listening to music) rather than a headset. Nevertheless, I kept using it until a few weeks ago when one of the two earpieces died.

3) I also had bought a Jabra 8010 or something like that -- can't remember the exact model number, which sounded great but was huge, heavy, uncomfortable and ugly, so I only used it once -- it's still sitting in a drawer. However, I loved the little snap shut pouch that came with it, and use that all the time. 150 USD for a pouch.

4) After the SE died, I did a lot of on-line research and eventually settled on the Plantronics Voyager 855, which others have recommended. I wanted something like the SE, but with longer battery life. It arrived last week. I loved it (as others here have) -- nice design, light, comfortable, reasonable sound quality, seems to have good battery life (listened to music for 2 1/2 hours without getting the "low-battery" warning tone), like the sliding boom design, etc. etc. Only one problem -- after a total of about 5 hours of use, it has died completely. One thing I demand of my headsets is I must be able to use them whilst working out. After it died, I did a bit more on-line research and found that numerous users had the same problem -- if you work out with them on, sweat works its way inside and kills them. Plantronics has a warranty, but it is only for a replacement. In my case, they said the 855 is no longer available, but they would send me the "Backbeat 903" model instead. Unfortunately, a check of on-line reviews quickly revealed that this headset has the same problem, with several users getting replacements 3, 4 and 5 times and having the same problem every time.

5) I found that users found the same problem with the Sennheiser MM200

6) I finally found the Nokia BT505, which I will try to buy tomorrow -- Nokia claims it is specifically designed to be "water and sweat resistant". I'll try to let everyone know how it works out.

Yeah, I saw that. But unfortunately buying electronics from Amazon and shipping out of the US is too expensive (S/H was more than the item itself, and then they pre-charge for custom fees, which for a small item such as this seldom come into play).

Now up to $34.99 :D

Best BT I've found--and I've tried a bunch--is Motorola's new Endeavor HX1. Excellent call quality, plenty of volume, voice prompts and real bone-conduction technology when you need some serious noise reduction. The extreme noise reduction can be turned off when it's not needed with a tap on the earpiece.

I have about given up on BT. I have a Plantronics boom mic wired headset that works flawlessly and doesnt tempt me to walk around like a dork with a headset on all the time (I only use it while on calls). In my car I use a BT speakerphone (Motorola) that works reasonably well, however.

Best BT I've found--and I've tried a bunch--is Motorola's new Endeavor HX1. Excellent call quality, plenty of volume, voice prompts and real bone-conduction technology when you need some serious noise reduction. The extreme noise reduction can be turned off when it's not needed with a tap on the earpiece.

Yeah - I love mine. Plus, having a REAL power switch is great too.

Very good headset, albeit a tad pricey :(

After buying 3 other headsets and being unsatisfied, I bought a blue parrot set on the recommendation of a trucker friend. VERY dorky. But, I can hold a conversation while sitting under airport PA speakers without the person on the other end even noticing most time. Great battery life. Did I say they look DORKY. Popular with truckers. Boom mic is about 1 cm from your lips.

Plus, having a REAL power switch is great too.


Yes, forgot to mention that!

My Blackberry Tour sucks with the bluetooth. I'm not alone as Crackberry and Bberry forums reports similar problems. I'm back to using the wired plugs that came with the phone, and if I can't find a better wired solution, I'm probably going back to the 8830 that worked perfect with the moto 855 and the synch in the car.

recommendations for a wired earpiece?

My Blackberry Tour sucks with the bluetooth. I'm not alone as Crackberry and Bberry forums reports similar problems. I'm back to using the wired plugs that came with the phone, and if I can't find a better wired solution, I'm probably going back to the 8830 that worked perfect with the moto 855 and the synch in the car.

recommendations for a wired earpiece?

I use an earlier version of this one. (http://www.plantronics.com/north_america/en_US/products/mobile/corded-mobile-headsets/mx256-x1-black) With mine you need an adapter to use with my Curve or iPhone. The adapters a couple bucks and I just leave it on the end of the cord. I find it to be good ergonomically and great for sound. Has mute and answer/hangup buttons on the cord. I like it a lot. Used it to make a ton of calls from Obama phone banks too, so it has been used very heavily ;)