Recently someone found this site while hunting around for insight about the ideal headset for their small office. Not finding exactly the answer they were looking for they emailed me the following note.
I came across your blog and I love it. I run a digital agency from my home office in Manhattan, and I’m looking for a high quality over-the-head boom mic bluetooth headset to use on my late-model Android phone for client calls. Despite all my research, I can’t seem to find a really good high quality boom mic bluetooth headset. I purely want to use this in my home office, as do several of my freelancers who also work from home. Any suggestions? Cost isn’t the issue, quality is what I care about most.
Thank you,
Zachary
Well, Zachary, thanks for the kind words. I can see that we share a common belief that it’s worth the effort to communicate well. I share your frustration with respect to the kind of tool that you’ve been seeking. The solution isn’t obvious, but I can offer you some guidance nonetheless.
It’s inexpensive, rugged, clunky and most definitely narrow-band. It does have the right sort of boom-mounted microphone and over-the-head wearing style.
It has a strange, very retro look to it. Except that “retro” is cool and interesting. The P-20 is neither cool nor interesting. I still have it, but I don’t ever use it. Nor would I recommend it.
To be fair, I’m pretty happy with the Plantronics Voyager Legend
While the options make for a nice “system” the move away from the standard micro-usb power connector, as was used in the Voyager Pro Series
Your email was quite specific about an “over-the-head boom mic” and “Cost isn’t the issue.” On the basis of these two points I’d recommend the Jabra PRO 9470. That may be a little counter-intuitive since it’s not a Bluetooth headset.
The desktop charging stand contains both the DECT base and Bluetooth radios. Thus you can leave your cell phone on your desk and walk around while on a call. The DECT wireless link for the headset itself will give you 150m of walking around range.
The headset can be worn using different headbands, accommodating those who prefer behind-the-head or over-the-ear as well as over-the-head.
The audio quality is outstanding as is the battery life. The battery is end-user replaceable. This fact, combined with the availability of replacement earpads and headbands, suggests that the Jabra Pro 9470 will last a good long while, even under heavy use.
There is one significant down-side to this choice; since the headset itself is DECT-based you cannot use it as a mobile solution. It will serve you well in the office, but not in the car or on the street.
To be honest, I don’t own a Jabra Pro 9470, but someone whose opinion I trust (Karl Fife) swears by them.
If you look around for reviews online you’ll find that most people simply didn’t need such three-way connectivity, making the device, with a street price of around $240, just too expensive. I think that means that the reviewers were not within the target market for such a headset. It’s clearly competitive with similar products from Sennheiser
The desire for a boom microphone and over-the-head wearing style basically puts you into a headset designed for office applications. It happens that some of those devices have Bluetooth connectivity, making them also applicable for use with a cell phone.