Best Bluetooth Headset?

[Dulanic]

I am looking for a good bluetooth headset that preferable supports A2DP. I will be using it a lot for home office use also so I would like something that is easy, quick, and good sound quality. I am trying not to spend a ton, but I want to invest in a great headset. I use my android phone for taking conference calls at home with google voice to not use minutes.

I have seen the new Platronic M1100 which looks kind of nice, but not sure how well it will work for extended use like I will need to use it for. Does anyone have any recommendations? It is very hard to find good reviews on recent headsets or ones I can narrow down to A2DP also as I would like to use it to listen to music here and there.

 

[watdahel]

I'm interested to know, too.

 

[Yuriman]

I don't know about what headset is "best" since I have limited personal experience, but I use a motorola HX1, and I'm very happy with it. I read that it's hit-and-miss as to whether or not it fits you properly and the "bone conduction" (not true bone conduction but it has to do with noise cancelation) works well, but at $40 I thought it was a steal, and it sounds great. It gets my recommendation.

 

[watdahel]

Yeah the HX1 looks enticing but the earpiece looks bulky and might not fit my tiny ear hole. Too bad I can't test fit it first. The Plantronics Voyager Pro from what I gather is the best performing bluetooth headset but it is bulkier than most. I'm in the market and as it stands the Plantronics Discovery 975, Aliph Prime and Motorola H17 are on top of my list. I've got to make a decision for Christmas present.

 

[mcveigh]

I like the blueant Z9 series

 

[Phynaz]

Best? Jawbone.

Now do you really want the best for $100?

 

[Yuriman]

The HX1 was hailed as the "jawbone killer", but that was a year ago, and I'm not sure what they have released since then. The HX1's stealth mode uses bone conduction, but it also has a pair of normal mics with noise canceling that you can switch to.

Most BlueAnt headsets don't actually go in the ear canal and should thus fit anyone, and they often have some impressive software too.

One thing to look for, is A2DP support. Most mono headsets don't have it.

 

[watdahel]

What's special with A2DP?

 

[zerocool84]

What's special with A2DP?

It defines how high quality audio (stereo or mono) can be streamed from one device to another over a Bluetooth connection.[1] For example, music can be streamed from a mobile phone to a wireless headset or car audio or from a laptop/desktop to a wireless headset.

A2DP was initially used in conjunction with an intermediate Bluetooth transceiver that connects to a standard audio output jack, encodes the incoming audio to a Bluetooth-friendly format, and sends the signal wirelessly to Bluetooth headphones that decode and play the audio. Bluetooth headphones, especially the more advanced models, often come with a microphone and support for the Headset (HSP), Hands-Free (HFP) and Audio/Video Remote Control (AVRCP) profiles.

A2DP is designed to transfer a uni-directional 2-channel stereo audio stream, like music from an MP3 player, to a headset or car radio.[2] This profile relies on AVDTP and GAVDP. It includes mandatory support for the low-complexity SBC codec (not to be confused with Bluetooth's voice-signal codecs such as CVSDM), and supports optionally: MPEG-1 , MPEG-2, MPEG-4, AAC, and ATRAC, and is extensible to support manufacturer-defined codecs, such as apt-X. Some Bluetooth stacks enforce the SCMS-T digital rights management (DRM) scheme. In these cases, it is impossible to connect certain A2DP headphones for high quality audio.

Using turn by turn navigation with a bluetooth and it can transmit what the nav says to your headset and transmit other things through your bluetooth.

 

[Dulanic]

Oh this is old thread lol I picked up a Plantronics Discovery 975 which works great. It doesn't have A2DP but it is very comfortable and came with a case which can recharge the ear piece up to 3 times.

 

[watdahel]

Is A2DP used in phone calls to get better sound?