Are you looking for the best bluetooth headsets? Remember when everybody was wearing Bluetooth headsets? I do, and believe me it made it easy to hear an incoming call when walking through a crowded convention hall full of noisy exhibitors or out on a New York street where everybody’s chattering. Then for some reason, these headsets lost their appeal; they no longer were chic. The results might have made it easier to see people’s ears, but being able to hear your phone in a noisy environment? Not so much. So with a month of trade shows and conventions and even a loud party or two ahead of me, I was glad to have Jabra’s Stealth screwed into one ear. Because it works simple.
Looks Simple
It’s got that candy bar look but tiny going for it, and the earpiece goes into the ear canal smooth and easy. Lightweight, sure, enough so that you know it’s there but don’t mind that it’s there. Especially after an hour or two has gone by. But I will admit that I tried all of the included ear tips and ear hooks until I found the combination that felt the best when the Stealth was seated in my right ear (works on either ear so no bias). You may also want to check out the Jabra Evolve2 65 review, which comes with a triple microphone. Powered up by a USB connection, the Jabra can also activate a “Powernap” mode to “sleep” when not needed, saving on power. It also pairs up to 2 phones, fyi, and can use NFC (not me though, as I’ve an iPhone). I charged the battery each morning for a little over 2 hours and it lasted me all day. That’s all I asked and it delivered.
Works Simple
Sound quality is what it’s all about. That and volume, which is more than sufficient for cutting through the audio haze I was being submerged in. It uses A2DP for streaming the audio, which makes music sound good if you’re into the one-ear listening thing, but more so for improving voice clarity. And the “Noise Blackout” external sound suppression tech seems to be onboard. It also has HD Voice to really pump up the talk, but the carrier has to provide that for it to work. Don’t care, I could hear whoever on the other end of any phone conversation just fine. And they could hear me. And because the Stealth doesn’t stand out, I didn’t stand out either. If you are tech savvy then you may want to read our Jawbone Era review for a headset that uses an accelerometer to make your work much easier.
Keeps Working Simple
Part of being made smaller also means working simpler. So don’t be looking for lots of buttons; Stealth has ONE multipurpose button to tap and by doing so activates varied features — the best being to connect with Siri (Apple) or Google Now (Android). Then just ask for what you want it do (make a call, play music, etc.). Meanwhile the smartphone stays in the pocket, out of sight and out of trouble.
So enough with complicated tech that makes using it more trouble than not — I’m sticking with the Jabra Stealth Blluetooth Headset. If being able to hear your phone go off is more valuable than listening to voice messages hours later, spend the $99.99 already!
