How to Choose a Bluetooth Headset

The best Bluetooth headsets allow you to control your phone and other Bluetooth compatible devices from the headset with your voice. For hands-free controls, your Bluetooth device turns your voice into a remote control. You can use this voice control to play and pause a video business presentation, stream music or call your boss.

How to Choose a Bluetooth Headset

There are many different Bluetooth headsets in a wide range of prices. Some offer a comprehensive hand-free experience with the ability to control devices with voice commands and apps that allow you to dictate text messages, emails or status updates on social networking websites. Others simply transfer the audio from your phone to the earpiece, freeing your hands.

Performance

The most important element of a Bluetooth headset is audio quality. Without high quality sound, you can't effectively communicate with the people on the other end of the call. This has two parts: audio received and audio transmitted. The best headsets have a wideband audio driver capable of reproducing frequencies that are closer to the frequencies made by the human voice. Narrowband audio drivers, common among older and cheaper models, sound thin and tinny.

The second part to audio quality is the sound captured by the headset's microphone and sent to your caller. The best Bluetooth headsets have multiple microphones that work together with internal digital equalizers to recognize and eliminate the frequencies of background noises. The best noise cancellation systems are so effective that your caller would never guess that you were walking along a busy street.

Comfort Features
Comfort is important because you'll wear your headset even when you're not on a call. The best Bluetooth headsets feel secure on your ear and give you the option of wearing on either ear. This is important because you don't want to feel like the device is on the verge of falling off your ear. In addition, your ear can experience fatigue from long phone calls so being able to switch ears allows you keep your hearing fresh.

Ease of Use

Your Bluetooth headset shouldn't require extensive training to use effectively. You should be able to pair it with your phone out of the box and take calls immediately without a lot of setup. The best Bluetooth headsets give voice directions for pairing and setup and should connect automatically after the initial pairing.

Help & Support

If you come across any questions or concerns with your headset, you'll want to contact the manufacturer's support representatives. The more options for help, the better off you'll be. We've rated all the customer service options for comprehensive help and support.