Best Bluetooth Headsets

Top-rated Bluetooth headsets

Dual microphones are becoming standard on high-end Bluetooth headsets. Typically, one mic picks out the sound of your voice and enhances its sound quality while the other detects and filters out background noise. A particular challenge has been filtering out wind, although a new generation of Bluetooth headsets does a better job of this.

The newest offering from Plantronics is the Voyager Pro (*Est. $100), and reviewers agree it handles wind and background noises like a champ. Both CNET and PCMag.com give it their Editors' Choice award, and Nicole Lee at CNET says it does a better job of canceling noise than a discontinued model of the Aliph Jawbone, which also earned Editors' Choice awards at both sites about a year ago. Lee tests the Plantronics Bluetooth headset in a quiet environment, in a car, on the street and next to an electric fan and is "blown away by the sound quality of this headset in almost all environments." Aoife McEvoy at PC World describes incoming and outgoing call quality with the Plantronics Bluetooth headset as "consistently splendid," making voices clear and natural. Some reviewers say the wind-blocking capabilities are more effective on the Aliph Jawbone Prime (*Est. $130), but the Plantronics Voyager Pro has a nifty feature: It emits a beep when wind may be interfering with sound quality so that you can turn your head away from it.

The one drawback to the Plantronics Voyager Pro is its design; reviewers say this Bluetooth headset is bulky, with a thick battery pack that sticks out from behind your ear. Unlike most stylish headsets (such as the Aliph Jawbone Prime and BlueAnt V1), a boom microphone sticks out, "making you look like you escaped off the bridge of the starship Enterprise," according to Peter Svensson at ABC News. That said, the Plantronics Bluetooth headset is lightweight (only 0.6 ounces), and the weight is distributed nicely over the ear, so the headset is comfortable for long-term wearing. Considering its price and advanced noise-canceling technology, reviewers say it's worth looking like a telephone operator if you're consistently making calls in noisy environments.

The Aliph Jawbone Prime, which costs $30 more than the Plantronics Voyager Pro, boasts a sleeker design. This Bluebooth headset, which looks very similar to the previous version of the Aliph Jawbone, measures 2.1 inches long by 0.5 inches wide by 0.5 inches deep, and it weighs 0.4 ounces. It comes in cleverly named colors such as "Drop Me a Lime" (green), "Lilac You Mean It" (purple) and even "Blah Blah Black."

While the Jawbone's design hasn't changed much, there are some significant technological improvements. First, the NoiseAssassin technology has been updated, and reviewers agree it blocks out even more ambient noise than the 2008 version of the Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth headset. Fit was a concern in the older model, and Aliph has improved the design of the ear covers, called New Fit Earbuds. The earbuds include a small loop that presses against the inside of the ear for a more secure fit. They're made of very soft material, and there are no complaints of discomfort from reviewers. The earbuds also help position the Bluetooth headset so that it's directed towards your mouth and keeps the voice sensor (a small white nub protruding from the bottom part of the headset) closer to your jaw, which is the secret to getting the best noise cancelation.

However, some of the same drawbacks that existed in the previous Jawbone Bluetooth headset live on in this model. Reviewers consistently say that it's difficult to distinguish among the headset's buttons, despite the inclusion of a notch on the multifunction switch. In addition, battery life remains disappointing. The Jawbone Prime Bluetooth headset has a claimed four and a half hours of talk time (to Plantronics Voyager Pro's 6 hours), but Sascha Segan at PCMag.com got only three and a half hours in his rundown test. This could clearly be a problem for power users.