Bluetooth Stereo Headsets

Stereo Bluetooth headsets for calls and music

Bluetooth headsets that support Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) allow for audio to be streamed over a Bluetooth connection. This is great for smartphones and cell phones that are A2DP-compatible. Bluetooth is also popping up on more MP3 players, and there are a number of Bluetooth adapters available for the iPod and other music players. Reviewers admit that sound quality is far from audiophile standards, but it's fine for short listening sessions, such as a workout.

The Plantronics Voyager 855 (*Est. $85) stereo Bluetooth headset gets high marks for call quality, thanks to Plantronics's AudioIQ technology. Though it doesn't have the wind-blocking capabilities of the Plantronics Voyager Pro or Aliph Jawbone Prime, the Voyager 855 delivers "clear, crisp, natural sounding audio -- both incoming and outgoing audio is excellent," reports Ross Catanzariti of Australian gadget site Good Gear Guide.

Music quality, however, doesn't fare so well. Jamie Lendino of PCMag.com thinks it's "middling to poor," and Catanzariti says "sound is passable, but far from outstanding, with a lack of crispness and poor bass reproduction." Some users on Amazon.com, however, claim music quality depends on a good fit. The Plantronics Bluetooth stereo headset comes with two earpieces, one that looks like a standard Bluetooth headset with an optional hook and another that consists of an ear bud connected to a cable. The second earpiece can be connected to the mono unit, which contains the controls, with the cable going behind the neck. Though several ear covers are included with the Voyager 855, they may not give a good seal, so users recommend investing in alternative ear covers, such as the Etymotic Research ER20 Earplugs (*Est. $12).

Another well-regarded Bluetooth stereo headset is the uniquely designed Jabra BT3030 (*Est. $65), though it costs a lot more than the Plantronics Voyager 855. What sets the Jabra BT3030 apart from other Bluetooth headsets is that it's not completely wireless; you have to plug wired headphones into its control pad in order to listen to music. Shaped like a dog tag, the Jabra BT3030 hangs from a lanyard around your neck or can be clipped to your clothes. The logic behind this design seems to be that your headphones aren't connected to your player, which prevents tangling, but you get somewhat better audio quality than you would with a traditional Bluetooth stereo headset. Jabra includes a decent pair of earbuds with the unit, but the BT3030 has a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack, so you can use it even with audiophile-quality headphones. Critics say music quality is pretty good, given that it's Bluetooth, though call quality depends on two things: your phone and the distance between the device's microphone and your mouth.

Reviewers report impressive music quality from the pricey Motorola Motorokr S9-HD (*Est. $100), a lightweight, attractive Bluetooth stereo headset with a behind-the-neck design. Like its discontinued predecessor, the well-reviewed Motorokr S9, there are reports from users that this Bluetooth stereo headset can't stand up to a sweaty workout. Many say that the touch-sensitive controls, which sit near the earbuds, go dead after a few workouts. Users have been creative in finding ways around this problem, including spraying the controls with hairspray or applying silicon paste. If you can still find it, the older Motorola Motorokr S9 is a much better value than its expensive replacement.