Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Best iPhone 5 Bluetooth headset?

Also went through a review process. Winner came out to be Bose 2 - which sucks because its so expensive (but i wont call it over priced since I use the headset so much if its the best, its worth it). Excelled at things like button control (discreet volume buttons, on/off slide, one touch (not hold) siri activation), noise cancellation, sound both on calls and for music, etc. Range was good and battery life also good. Doesnt have that battery meter which is unfortunate but the stock earpiece was also the best i tried. That said, i highly highly recommend one of these - averysound.com
 
Just a note to anyone reading this thread looking for a headset. I picked up the Voyager Legend & it's a great headset with all the features I wanted. However it is terrible if there is any wind at all. I can have the AC on high and it will mess with the mic and forget it outside if there is a slight breeze in your face the people you are talking to wont hear you.
 
With recent iOS updates I have had some intermittent issues with my HX550 and the iPhone 5. Mainly audio can cut out after a few minutes on the call. I've learned to recognize it and quickly fix it mid- call by cycling the audio to iPhone and back to headset on the iPhone's call screen. Works every time. It's a bit annoying but I hope iOS 7 takes care of it. The HX550 did not have that problem before.

Also regarding sound quality on this headset, it appears that out of the box the headset defaults to wideband audio set to OFF. Make sure to go through the voice menu and turn it on. Makes a big difference.
 
I've got the Phiaton 210 BTNC (Bluetooth noise cancelling), and though it has a funky design, with the controlls having seperate remote with buttons, the sound is without a doubt the best I've ever heard in a bluetooth headset. The noise cancelling works great, the buttons work great, just everything works well. The sound is amazing, I guess you get what you pay for (they cost $129)

http://www.amazon.com/Phiaton-PS-210-BTNC-Cancelling/dp/B0089V4ZGM
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
pocketdoc said:
I have also tried many BT headsets.

I am a surgeon, so I like to be able to hear who is calling announced and to make a call by just saying "answer" or hitting the thing with my shoulder to answer (cannot use my hands while in surgery).

(Rest assured , I am taking medical calls while operating, not social calls - patients are safe)

Anyway, the BlueAnt Q2 is a great headset as far as sound, voice control, etc, but I have always had problems with disconnects with my iPhones and it is a little heavy. Otherwise, it is my number one choice.

The one I use the most now is the SoundID Six. Very light, easy to push button to answer (it announces the caller ID number, but is not voice activated to answer). Two presses activates Siri. There is an app that helps with some of the settings and clarity. I use Jabra earjels and the SoundID fits nicely into one of these.

I wish there was a MotoSpeak app for the iPhone. That seems to allow a lot of voice control of the Motorola headset mentioned. Can you do any voice control with the 550?
Click to expand...


Looks like the SoundID Six have been discontinued. I have a Voyager Legend now & the Jawbone Era. The Era is going back I just can't get a good fit & have had a few disconnects. I have had none with the Legend. I did a test today with both ear sets in a building with many fans running I was able to hear the person I was talking with better on the Era but they claimed they heard me better on the Voyager. The comfort of the voyager I find better then the Era too along with the hands free answering & better caller ID The only drawback I have found with the Voyager is its issue with the wind. I am tempted to try the q3
 
i have been using sennheiser x450 and they work really they are great when you walking the dog and you get a call coming in and you can just answer it and have you conversion and when it finished the music that you were listening comes straight back on no messing around and also gives good battery life too roughly about 7 hours and other good thing about them you also get when you purchase them is a 2 years warranty peace of mind any problems just send them back and they would give you a new pair no problem if my pair ever brake any time outside the warranty period then i am going to buy a new pair straight away no questions asked this headphones are very expensive but they are worth the money i prefer to buy something that last a long time then something only last a few months and you have to buy a new headphones i have had loads of wired ones in the past and they have been no good at all i have found the bluetooth one are better then the wired ones but the best i have tried so far to date is x450 sennhieser other thing i like about the sennhieser x450 is that if you battery is no good or you run out of power then you can buy spares and just carry a couple of spares with you all the time so that you never run out of power so you can talk or listen to you music out haven to charge nothing up i get about 3 days out of my x450 using a few hours a day every day without fail for something either for calls or listening to music the only really downside about have bluetooth headphones is that the battery in the phones goes quite quick if you are on a long conversation sometimes i have looked in the past and thought that gone down quite quick i always carry a external battery charger with me at all times to make my life a i bit more eaiser for me so that i never run out of power i hope my view has helped you out in what you are going to buy if you do decide to buy sennhieser x450 headphones then you wont be disappointed with them at all the sound quality is really good just becareful when you are by traffic you cannot hear whats on the roads to well
 
pommie82 said:
i have been using sennheiser x450 and they work really they are great when you walking the dog and you get a call coming in and you can just answer it and have you conversion and when it finished the music that you were listening comes straight back on no messing around and also gives good battery life too roughly about 7 hours and other good thing about them you also get when you purchase them is a 2 years warranty peace of mind any problems just send them back and they would give you a new pair no problem if my pair ever brake any time outside the warranty period then i am going to buy a new pair straight away no questions asked this headphones are very expensive but they are worth the money i prefer to buy something that last a long time then something only last a few months and you have to buy a new headphones i have had loads of wired ones in the past and they have been no good at all i have found the bluetooth one are better then the wired ones but the best i have tried so far to date is x450 sennhieser other thing i like about the sennhieser x450 is that if you battery is no good or you run out of power then you can buy spares and just carry a couple of spares with you all the time so that you never run out of power so you can talk or listen to you music out haven to charge nothing up i get about 3 days out of my x450 using a few hours a day every day without fail for something either for calls or listening to music the only really downside about have bluetooth headphones is that the battery in the phones goes quite quick if you are on a long conversation sometimes i have looked in the past and thought that gone down quite quick i always carry a external battery charger with me at all times to make my life a i bit more eaiser for me so that i never run out of power i hope my view has helped you out in what you are going to buy if you do decide to buy sennhieser x450 headphones then you wont be disappointed with them at all the sound quality is really good just becareful when you are by traffic you cannot hear whats on the roads to well
Click to expand...

I think we are referring to bluetooth headsets that are used to make a phone call. I cannot imagine using these while driving!

Consider using punctuation...
 
new headset

looking for replacement for my lost jawbone era. Although it may be the best, i want something new to try.
i stopped by at&t store and they had some new models i am having trouble finding reviews about:
the motorola sliver ll ( i had the original it was great to listen to audible books but awful for phone conversation)

the blueant Q3
and
the marque 2 m165 ( i hhad the original which had bad noise cancilation so i gave it to my wife)

anyone use any of the above? like? don't like?

thanks
 
entfla said:
looking for replacement for my lost jawbone era. Although it may be the best, i want something new to try.
i stopped by at&t store and they had some new models i am having trouble finding reviews about:
the motorola sliver ll ( i had the original it was great to listen to audible books but awful for phone conversation)

the blueant Q3
and
the marque 2 m165 ( i hhad the original which had bad noise cancilation so i gave it to my wife)

anyone use any of the above? like? don't like?

thanks
Click to expand...

I had the plantronics m155 which I LOVED! Good sound quality, good battery life, small size, good design, etc. I used it a lot while fly fishing with my buddies to keep in contact with them without having to risk handling my phone while standing in a waist deep river.

Then one night I had a mosquito fly onto my ear and I swatted it not thinking about the Bluetooth in my ear. Swatted that headset right into the river.

Now I have the Plantronics A170 which is essentially identical, but it seems less reliable (I've had disconnects) and has an annoying British voice that I can't stand. This is the Marque model that is sold exclusively by Apple.

My advice would be to get the M155 or M165. Plantronics makes a great product.
 
SLC Flyfishing said:
I had the plantronics m155 which I LOVED! Good sound quality, good battery life, small size, good design, etc. I used it a lot while fly fishing with my buddies to keep in contact with them without having to risk handling my phone while standing in a waist deep river.

Then one night I had a mosquito fly onto my ear and I swatted it not thinking about the Bluetooth in my ear. Swatted that headset right into the river.

Now I have the Plantronics A170 which is essentially identical, but it seems less reliable (I've had disconnects) and has an annoying British voice that I can't stand. This is the Marque model that is sold exclusively by Apple.

My advice would be to get the M155 or M165. Plantronics makes a great product.
Click to expand...

You might wanna have the A170 checked out. This is the headset I use and have never had a disconnect. I find it actually a lot more reliable then the M155 I used to use, go figure.
 
As far as i considered, the best bluetooth need to be comfortable, long battery life.
I get small ears, so it is hard for me to find the right size earphones
 
I have tried 3

jawbone Era sent it back

Voyager Legend and Blueant Q3 still have both

I use the Q3 the most, it's a toss up between the 2. I would have to give the Vayager a little edge though as far as features go.
 
I thought about the Q3 but I read a review which said it had poor audio volume for a2dp playback which is my most important use of the Bluetooth headset (audio books and podcasts)
How have you found audio playback?

Thanks
 
entfla said:
I thought about the Q3 but I read a review which said it had poor audio volume for a2dp playback which is my most important use of the Bluetooth headset (audio books and podcasts)
How have you found audio playback?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Don't use it a lot for that but when I have it seems OK. The volume on the Q3 gets louder then the Voyager.
 
After losing my last HX550, I decided to give the Jawbone ERA a try. I'm very happy with it. In fact, in all but two respects it's better than the HX550. It never drops a call, never blasts my ear with a loud ring, and always sounds great. The downsides are: it does not have the flip mic boom, and the radio link to the iPhone is not as strong - the body can interfere though it's not as bad as some. But 99% of the time the sound quality is rock solid and it works great with Siri.

The Jawbone ERA is now my #1 recommendation for an iPhone bluetooth headset.
 
redman042 said:
After losing my last HX550, I decided to give the Jawbone ERA a try. I'm very happy with it. In fact, in all but two respects it's better than the HX550. It never drops a call, never blasts my ear with a loud ring, and always sounds great. The downsides are: it does not have the flip mic boom, and the radio link to the iPhone is not as strong - the body can interfere though it's not as bad as some. But 99% of the time the sound quality is rock solid and it works great with Siri.

The Jawbone ERA is now my #1 recommendation for an iPhone bluetooth headset.
Click to expand...


What I did not like about the Era was the non hands free answering & the caller ID limitations.
 
SunnyFL said:
What I did not like about the Era was the non hands free answering & the caller ID limitations.
Click to expand...

I have the Jawbone ERA and I don`t like the sound quality...the person calling me sounds bad compared to when I use the iPhone earbuds with mic :mad:

Is this the same for everyone? :confused:

Does the Bose 2 sound better than the ERA? If so, I'll get that...:eek:
 
look i have bought and used quite a few bluetooth headsets and I have to say the best is the LG Tone + HS-730.
 
I use the Plantronics Discovery 975. Great style, comfort, and audio quality.
It comes with a case which can be used to charge the headset as well.

Even Nick Fury and a few of The Avengers uses it ;)
 
n10797 said:
I have the Jawbone ERA and I don`t like the sound quality...the person calling me sounds bad compared to when I use the iPhone earbuds with mic :mad:

Is this the same for everyone? :confused:

Does the Bose 2 sound better than the ERA? If so, I'll get that...:eek:
Click to expand...

I'm getting good sound out of the ERA. It's not as good as headphones, but good for a bluetooth.

Occasionally I've run into a sound problem with either the earpiece or the mic. I fix this by "forgetting" the device on my iphone, factory resetting the ERA, and re-pairing. Doesn't happen often.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back