Do You Still Need a Bluetooth Headset?
The era of the traditional Bluetooth headset is coming to a close. If you look at Amazon or any other major retailer, you see that the single-ear headsets of 10 years ago have largely evolved into stereo Bluetooth headphones, almost all of which include microphones for you to make calls with. While there are still mono headsets on sale, many of them are either low-quality, no-name products, or several years old.
That means many people will want to head over to our list of the Best Wireless Headphones and the Best True Wireless Earbuds. Most have microphones and call control buttons, and we detail call quality in each review. But you don’t want to wear headphones while driving, for instance, and that’s not the only case where a traditional single-ear Bluetooth headset comes in handy.
Picking the right headset might seem simple, but it actually comes with a challenge that’s unique to all headphones, and, well, anything that needs to be placed in your ear: It’s tough (and not completely sanitary) to try products out before plunking down the cash for them. But a major component of a headset’s success depends on how it fits and feels—and that varies widely from person to person, or even from ear to ear. Other important factors include sound quality, design, style, battery life, and extra features. We’ve come up with the main points you should consider when shopping for a Bluetooth headset:
Bluetooth Headsets vs. Bluetooth Headphones
Stereo headsets aren’t just for listening to music. They also make calls, often quite well. So if you’re thinking about a pair of wireless headphones to rock out to, you may not need a separate mono Bluetooth headset.
That said, stereo headsets are usually bigger and heavier than mono headsets, and while an over-the-ear pair of headphones may be great at listening to calls, the outbound noise cancellation abilities of their microphones may not be up to heavy street noise.
Bluetooth Headset Call Quality and Noise Cancellation
Call quality is an issue in both directions; one headset might sound full and crisp in the earpiece, but then transmit a thin, computerized-sounding version of your voice to the person you’re talking to. Make sure that good (or at least acceptable) call quality is mentioned in the review any any headset you plant to buy.
See How We Test Bluetooth Headsets
How well you can be heard when you’re in a speeding car with the windows down, or in your office on a VoIP call, can quickly separate the good performers from the bad. Headsets with two or three mics usually perform the best, as there’s at least one mic dedicated to detecting ambient noise, which the headset can then cancel out using adaptive digital signal processing algorithms.
You definitely pay a premium for advanced noise cancellation, but depending on what you need your headset for, it might be worth it. We test noise-cancelling performance in every one of our reviews. For more on noise cancellation and how it works, head over to our roundup of the best noise-cancelling headphones.
Bluetooth Headset Battery Life, Comfort, and Range
A guiding principle with mono headsets: If you don’t want to charge, go large. Bigger headsets mean more room for big batteries.
Comfort is a very personal choice. The best in-ear headsets have a range of fit styles—for instance, several different sizes of eartips, plus an option for an over-the-ear hook in case headsets always fall out of your ear. If you absolutely can’t bear to put something in your ear, go for an over-the-ear stereo headphone pair.
Most Bluetooth headsets offer about 30 feet of good range before they start popping badly or devolving into digital artifacts. Larger headsets, with larger antennas, can have a bit more range/
How Much Should You Spend on a Bluetooth Headset?
The sweet spot for a mono Bluetooth headset is $99 list, and you can often find those models discounted to $70 or $80 if you shop around. A good stereo headset generally runs between $100 to $200. You can still find a decent headset for under $50, and sometimes you can find a really good one at that price since headsets tend to stay available in retail channels for a long time after they’re discontinued. Typically you’ll have to buy something a little bit clunkier, with noise cancellation that isn’t up to par with the leaders, but then again, you aren’t paying a premium for it.
