Has your family been complaining about hearing every single detail from your game? Are you interested in having a chat with your teammates? Want to go for a nice run? Or perhaps you just want to listen to music without being held in place by a cord? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, then you should look into picking up a Bluetooth headset.
Bluetooth ensures that you can go wireless and will not be bound by the length of the wire, which often tends to be a little too short. It also offers a great deal of flexibility in terms of the headphone type. You can find over-ear gaming headsets, in-ear buds, or even pick between one headphone or two.
These types of headsets make for some very versatile headphones that will adapt to suit just about anyone. Whether you’re a gamer, an office worker, a sports enthusiast, an audiophile, or all of the above, there’s something out there for everyone.
Many different factors need to be considered when shopping for a Bluetooth headset. We prepared this guide to help you understand the nature of these headsets in and out. We’ve also compiled a list of our favorite picks to help you make your choice.
Let’s get right to the point — time to learn more about Bluetooth headsets!
Things to Keep in Mind
Bluetooth headsets come in many shapes and sizes, so it’s really difficult to point at one pair and call it the best of the best. With so many categories and specs to look at, it’s no wonder that many of us just get confused.
Below we will cover the most important things to consider when buying a new Bluetooth headset.
- Type: As mentioned above, Bluetooth headsets have a rather large variety. Some of the types you’ll encounter are over-ear, on-ear, headsets, buds, sports earbuds, single earbuds & more. It’s good to decide which type appeals to you the most.
- Compatibility: This one is huge. Before you ever choose to buy a Bluetooth headset, you need to make sure that your device is compatible with one. Keep in mind that desktop PCs don’t have Bluetooth compatibility by default, and you may need an adapter.
- Battery life: Most Bluetooth headsets will serve you well for many hours on a single charge, but this differs from brand to brand. If long battery life is your main concern, keep that in your consideration.
- Isolation: Not all headsets will offer the same type of isolation. If you choose to go with a headset with over-ear ear cushions, a lot of the outside noise will be blocked out. However, all the other options will have slightly inferior noise-canceling features.
- Range: The majority of Bluetooth headsets have a more than adequate range, but if you want to be able to move a lot, for example, during exercising, look into a model that has an exceptionally long range.
- Microphone: Much like the headphone type, microphones wary by model. Most proper headsets will have a foldable or retractable microphone. It’s good to pick a noise-canceling model if you’re looking to use the headset in noisy places.
- Budget: Bluetooth headsets may, in general, be more expensive than their wired counterparts. However,
Our 5 Best Bluetooth Headsets
We’ve now covered the very basics of Bluetooth headphones. This is everything you’ll essentially need, but if you’re into research, make sure you check out sound frequency, impedance, latency, and more.
We want to make this guide as user-friendly as it can possibly be, so we’ll be skipping the minute details, and we’ll get right down to business. Got any questions left by the end of the article? Not a problem! Drop us a comment, and we’ll get back to you with every single piece of information that we can.
With all that said, it’s time to take a look at all these great Bluetooth headsets!
1: Plantronics Voyager Focus
Best Overall Pick
This versatile headset has caught our eye for multiple reasons, but the thing that stands out the most is the immense sound quality.
Type: Over-the-head
Battery life: Up to 12 hours talk time
Microphone: Flip-up
This is an over-the-head headset that does not cover your ears entirely, giving plenty of room to breathe. There is the downside of slightly worse noise cancellation, but overall, the comfort of wear makes up for that.
Despite the lightweight and slim build, it does not seem the least bit flimsy, and it’s rather sturdy. The aforementioned comfort holds up throughout the entire day and allows you to wear this headset for hours on end without any kind of discomfort.
It can be paired with multiple devices, such as a mobile phone, a tablet, or a PC. It delivers surprisingly good sound quality for this price point, and that extends to the microphone. The microphone has an interesting feature in and of itself: it can be swapped from left to right easily, so you can adjust it all you like.
This is a headset that will work well with most types of tasks, ranging from gaming to general use.
Pros
- Excellent sound quality
- Durable but lightweight
- Microphone mute button with a visual indication
- Super comfortable
- Pairable with multiple devices
- Long battery life
Cons
- Largely made of plastic
- Could do with a bit more noise cancelation
2: Plantronics Voyager Wireless Bluetooth Headset
Best Single Headphone Pick
Don’t let the name fool you — this is not the same model as above. This is a single headphone Bluetooth headset that will serve you well for taking calls.
Type: single headphone
Battery life: Talk time – 3 hours, idle time – 7 hours/9 days
Microphone: rotating
Mind you — this is not a gaming headset. It will let you listen to music, but only through one ear. For most people, this headset will be used either for work or for staying in touch when on the move. If this is what you’re after, you’re likely going to find it quite excellent.
Amazon Alexa has been built-in into this. A good side-effect of that is the ability to control the headset by command. You’ll be able to answer or ignore calls by simply stating the command without having to press any buttons.
It goes right into the ear and is very comfortable, so you should have no issue wearing this the whole day if that’s necessary.
Voyager has solid noise cancellation for something so small, and the rotating microphone offers about the same. Lastly, it’s easy to pair up with your device of choice and has good battery life.
Pros
- Great tool for taking calls and staying on the move
- Comfortable to wear
- Easy to install/pair
- Amazon Alexa built-in
- Controllable by voice commands
- Impressive battery life
Cons
- May sometimes drop calls depending on the connection
3: COWIN E7 Active Noise Canceling Headphones
Best Budget Pick
Want an excellent headset that won’t tear a hole in your budget? COWIN comes to the rescue with this over-the-ear Bluetooth headset.
Type: Over-the-ear
Battery life: 30 hours playtime
Microphone: Built-in
This is a large headset that goes over your ears and allows for a great deal of noise reduction. That, combined with the fact that it’s a wireless Bluetooth headset, means that you can effectively block out the outside world regardless of noise levels.
The 40mm large-aperture drivers offer a surprisingly good sound quality, with bass reaching as deep as needed and every individual instrument being clearly heard.
Want a headset to take calls with? No problem! This one comes with a built-in microphone that has some good noise-canceling effects of its own. The calls are, of course, hands-free, and there are a couple of ways to control this headset by voice here.
Battery life is what impressed us most of all. With up to 30 hours playtime per charge, we really have nothing to complain about in this department; what’s more, we’re quite sure that you won’t either.
This is simply a solid headset for all of us that are more conscious of their budget.
Pros
- Great cost-to-performance ratio
- Comfortable swiveling earcups
- Durable build
- Comes in many gorgeous colors
- Long battery life
- Built-in hidden microphone
- Good sound reproduction
Cons
- Audiophiles may find it inadequate
4: Logitech H800
Best General Use Pick
If you’re not willing to pigeon hole yourself into one user category, finding a headset might be harder. Do you like gaming, do you work wearing headphones, do you love music? This headset has a bit of everything to please the inner jack of all trades in you.
Type: Over-the-head
Battery life: 6 hours
Microphone: Flip-up
This is a versatile headset that works with PCs, mobile phones, and tablets. Pairing it up is easy, as is switching between devices as needed.
With an over-the-head model, the ear cushions will not fully cover your ears. The upside is that your ears will not get hot — an unfortunate side-effect of many over-the-ear headphones. With Logitech, you should be able to use your headset right away and keep it on for hours at a time.
The stereo sound in this headset is rather rich and immersive, adequate for most gamers, and more than good enough for general users that don’t specifically want something to be different. The speakers are laser-tuned and have a built-in equalizer.
There’s a long-range of 40 ft. for wireless connections, allowing you to get up from your chair without dropping out of the call. The battery holds up for up to 6 hours, which is not outstanding, but still more than enough for most people.
Pros
- Compatible with multiple devices
- Long cord
- Excellent response times
- Suitable for all types of tasks
- Noise-canceling in both microphone and headphones
Cons
- The battery life could be longer
5: SteelSeries Arctis 3
Best Gaming Pick
Are you a full-blown gamer in need of a headset that will keep up with you? Look no further — it’s hard to find a better option than SteelSeries.
Type: Over-the-ear
Battery life: Over two days
Microphone: Retractable
As this is a gaming headset, you can expect a set of features that are tailored to what you need as a player. The first of which is the multiple platform compatibility. This will work with your Xbox One, PS4, PS4 Pro, PC, mobile, and Nintendo Switch. Keep in mind that for the Switch, you’ll need an additional cable.
Large, comfortable ear cups allow for many easy gaming sessions. They block out a whole lot of the noise coming in from the outside. While listening to music, this is a nice addition, but if you’re mid-battle in your favorite game, of course, this is proportionally more important.
The sound is also clear and has quite a bit of bass. Explosions sound as if they’re right next to you, while footsteps of the enemy require a bit of time to pinpoint exactly.
The microphone here is more than good enough for any gamer’s needs. As the whole setup process is quick, you may have it up and running very soon!
Pros
- Multi-platform compatibility
- Very comfortable, breathable ear cushions
- True-to-life sound quality in the microphone
- Allows you to also take calls and stream music
- Great sound precision
- Also, works with VR
Cons
- Produces a bit of static while charging
- Only remembers the last device it’s been connected to, probably for privacy
Wrapping Up
This is it! We’ve now talked at length about our favorite Bluetooth headsets that you can pick up right now. We’ve done our best to cover a wide range of headsets so as to give you a solid overview of the market.
A bit too much information all at once? Don’t worry — we’re here to help you make up your mind. Read on for a short, condensed version of each review.
- Plantronics Voyager Focus: This headset combines everything we might have asked for, from a decent price range to great battery life and good noise cancelation.
- Plantronics Voyager Wireless Bluetooth Headset: Yet another option from Plantronics, this one is a single-headphone earbud that allows you to take calls. You can control it with Amazon Alexa.
- COWIN E7 Active Noise Canceling Headphones: This is our budget pick that comes with a variety of features that do not warrant such a low price tag. It’s very cost-effective.
- Logitech H800: For general use, ranging from office work, jogging, gaming, and other various activities, we recommend Logitech. It combines everything you may need into a neat, small package.
- SteelSeries Arctis 3: For the gamers among us, we recommend SteelSeries. You must have heard about them before; it’s possible you may even own some peripherals of theirs. Precision, comfort, and noise cancelation are the defining points of this headset.
We hope that our guide helps you in getting a Bluetooth headset that you will love. Use the comment section to let us know if you have any questions, and we will get back to you as soon as we can!
