I just lost my Bluetooth headset in JFK (switching from Emirates to painfully incompetent Delta/ComAir flight to Boston yesterday). I use a Blackberry 7100t and will likely switch soon to a Blackberry Pearl. What are the highest quality bluetooth headsets? Sound quality is obviously the most important criterion. Does Digital Signal Processing really improve performance? Signal volume -- I gather that a lot of Motorola models are just not loud enough. Any other criteria that you use (e.g., comfortable fit, battery life)?

Which headsets do you like best?

To me, it's been a tradeoff. The larger bluetooths (that wrap around your whole ear) seem to be the best quality, but it looks like you work for Jerry Lewis' telethon.

I have been very happy with the latest pt discovery, 655
Nice form factor, VERY light, great sound and people say it sounds much better with ambient noise

Actually, it looks like your name is "Seven of Nine."

The one that uses the same charging cable as one of my existing devices.

Really. I don't need another cable in this life.

I always liked the Jabra 250 for sound quality, but I hated how big it was and how it was always breaking apart on me (plastic part that connects the ear piece to the rest of the rubber headset). I have tried three of the Motorola-type headsets, but never liked any of them. I may go back to the Jabra, even if I have to buy an extra for when the first one breaks.

nmenaker, are there problems with charging this unit? I seem to recall in reading the reviews that you plug it into a holster to charge and that its fit in the holster is not terrific. Do you have that issue? Otherwise, it looks perfect.

I agree with this, but doubt that I can realize this aspiration. There are the Juice/igo chargers that can give you an extra tip for each device, I think, but I'm not sure this solves the problem. I'd actually like a car charger for my Bluetooth headset as well as some way of charging while I am in the house/hotel/office.

I also have a pt 655. I think it is terrific. it is the first headset I can hear. mechanics of ear install are similar to a shure headphone. very light. i do not notice a delay. some of the earlier models had delay complaints.

i have had no trouble plugging into the charger, once i learned right side up from upside down.

i've gone through just about every top of the line headset in the past 4 or so years. had a plantronics m3000. the m3000 will not work as a doorstop.

I also have a Plantronics Discovery 655. Since it is my first headset, I have nothing to compare it to.

That said:

- the cylinder that you put the earpiece into is secure ... as long as you turn the earpiece in the right direction.

- volume was my main concern, and this set is plenty loud enough. I often have to turn it down a notch.

- there is a bit of delay, but I have no idea if this is the headset or the phone or their particular characteristics of meeting each other. The phone I use is a Samsung SGH D820 - also chosen for good ear volume.

- I like the size of the unit.

- There is a behind the ear "stabilizing" wire that you can put on. You take the silicone ear tip off, place a hoop in the wire piece over the ear tip post, then replace the eartip. The biggest hassle I have had so far with the unit is that ear tip can rotate quite easily to "unlock-remove" positions leading to it and the wire falling off in my briefcase or pocket ... or onto the ground.

- I do like that it is small.

The Sony Ericsson HBH-DS970 looks good. I am going to be getting it this week...

http://www.mobile-review.com/review/...ds970-en.shtml

The last BT headset thread here had a lot good comments about the Plantronics 640 unit. So I got one and can only say there must be a reasonable unit to unit variation. I can only refer to my unit as a useless piece of junk. Probably the single most useless piece of gadgetry I have ever purchased. It is possibly the most disappointing purchase I have ever made, I get more value from Chinatown fake watches than from that headset.

The reason is the issue you refer to with the charging holster. Mine will not stay in the holster. Even if it is pointing downward, with gravity pushing in the direction of a good connection it pops loose so it doesnt charge. I have to brace it and weight the unit down to hold it in the holster. As a result I never use mine.

I went to a good Shure wired unit. I look like a dork, but then again, I always do so what does it matter, but the sound is fantastic. In my car I have a Moto Speaker unit (HF820), not on the ear but speaker on the dash, that works great. I have also really been fairly happy with a Moto HS850 headset but I dont use it as much due to the fact that I am now blessedly free of Moto phones and I dont carry that charger as a result.

The Plantronics 655 looks to be a completely different design. Im guessing they figured out the problems. I also notice that the place I got mine now sells all of the components separately, cases, adaptors and earpieces. Perhaps because of the thing popping out.

Edited to add:

At the same time as I got myself a Plantronics 640 I got one for my wife. I knew she never used it but it turns out it isnt because of the charging. I got hers and checked and it goes in the holder perfectly and seems quite snug. Im charging it up now. If I havent thrown mine out and can find it I will check with hers and see if it is the holder, the earpiece or both that dont work right with mine. I might try to resolve it then. I probably should have sent it back when I got it but was so annoyed that I just ordered the Shure instead.

Another thing I have noticed is that some sites say that both the 640 and 655 have a lot of compatibility issues, including Treos with both units being a problem and HTCs with the 655. Have people used the 655 with Treos (700w in particular) or HTCs (TMo SDA and TyTN in particular). Thanks for any info on the compatibility. I will post an update if I can figure out the charging holster issue.

In my research today, I discovered that the 640 or 645 is the unit with the charging problem. The 655 seems to have fixed that problem.

For Blackberries, the 655 has a several second delay in answering calls. However, there is a specific Blackberry version that is supposed to come out shortly from RIM that fixes this problem. I may wait for it.

It seems that Motorola's have volume and other problems but that there is a lot of variability -- some units connect to a specific phone well and some don't. I haven't seen any logical explanation as to why that might be the case.

Has anybody used the Plantronics 510? It is a somewhat older, bigger model, but seems to have gotten good reviews.

Thanks for that additional info. Also the 655 supposedly will not work with any Treo.

I have a SoundPort. It's actually a custom earpiece where they take a mold of your ear so it fits perfect and it so comfortable. It helps to cut out a lot of background noise as it fits in your ear so much better. I use it with both my RAZR and my Blackberry 7100.