These are the 3 headsets I have tried:
Bluetooth Headsets ? Jabra WAVE
Jawbone ERA Bluetooth Headset | NoiseAssassin, HD Audio, Motion, Apps
Plantronics | Voyager PRO HD
Fit and comfort are the most subjective aspect. I found the Jabra Wave the most comfortable of all, and the one with the easiest controls: the on/off switch and the volume are very easily accessible, even when you're wearing the headset. The quality is ok: if you're speaking indoors with no background noise it's great, but if you're speaking in noisy environments then the noise reduction cannot compare with the other two headsets.
I made several tests, recording my voice on my smartphone, recording a message to my other voicemail, and recording on the pc, in different environments: on a balcony overlooking a road with a noisy traffic jam, walking on a bridge, walking near construction works and even speaking next to a radio playing music at very high volume. The Jabra Wave was ok outdoors but I could definitively hear the background noise; the other two were simply amazing: they managed to block out the noise from the construction work and from the radio almost flawlessly! I was really impressed as I would have never imagined noise reduction to be so effective.
I find the Plantronics more comfortable to wear, but the protruding microphone makes me look like a Star Trek cyborg; it's ok if I'm home, in a car or in an office, but I wouldn't want to be seen outdoors with this thing on. I also don't like the fact that there isn't an on-off switch but a button, so it's hard to tell if the thing is on or off. What is very useful, though, is the sensor which understands if you're wearing it: if it's connected to your phone but you're not wearing it when you answer the phone, the call is routed to your phone, and if you wear it while speaking, the audio then gets diverted to the Plantronics. Similarly, if you wear it while the phone rings, it answers the call automatically, and if you remove it while playing music it pauses it. This is extremely useful for all those situations where I can't find the headset straight away, e.g. i can't find it in a pocket, left it in another room, etc. Although, to be honest, in these cases Android phones (and probably other OSes, too) show a screen which lets you temporarily disable the bluetooth, so it's not the end of the world.
The Jawbone era has an excellent noise reduction, to the point that I couldn't distinguish if this feature was better in the Jawbone or the Plantronics. This is consistent with most reviews I have seen: the Era and the Plantronics are constantly reported as the top 2 headsets ever, with some reviewers preferring one over the other, but with no one mentioning either as a clear winner.
The Era is more stylish; probably not as stylish as the Jabra Stone
Bluetooth Headsets ? Jabra STONE2
but certainly more effective and convenient: the Stone is one of the few headsets which doesn't charge via micro-usb but requires its own charger dock, and I am told the call quality is poor also because the microphone is far from the mouth. I didn't find it uncomfortable to wear the Plantronics or the Wave with glasses but some people will probably find the Jawbone better in this regard as you can simply place it in, rather than around, your ear. The fit is much better than I thought: more comfy and stable than I would have imagined, even though I still find the other two more comfortable (but, again, that's very subjective). The accelerometer in the Era seems quite pointless to me. I don't like the fact that there are no volume buttons, but you cycle volume from low to high pressing a button; however, it wasn't a huge deal as the headset automatically adjusted the volume fairly well most of the times.
My ideal headset would be shaped like the Wave, with the Plantronics sensor and the noise reduction of either the Plantronics or the Era. I think that those who need to wear a headset for prolonged periods of time and don't mind looking like a cyborg would find the Plantronics almost perfect, whereas those who care more about style would buy the Jawbone.
Bluetooth Headsets ? Jabra WAVE
Jawbone ERA Bluetooth Headset | NoiseAssassin, HD Audio, Motion, Apps
Plantronics | Voyager PRO HD
Fit and comfort are the most subjective aspect. I found the Jabra Wave the most comfortable of all, and the one with the easiest controls: the on/off switch and the volume are very easily accessible, even when you're wearing the headset. The quality is ok: if you're speaking indoors with no background noise it's great, but if you're speaking in noisy environments then the noise reduction cannot compare with the other two headsets.
I made several tests, recording my voice on my smartphone, recording a message to my other voicemail, and recording on the pc, in different environments: on a balcony overlooking a road with a noisy traffic jam, walking on a bridge, walking near construction works and even speaking next to a radio playing music at very high volume. The Jabra Wave was ok outdoors but I could definitively hear the background noise; the other two were simply amazing: they managed to block out the noise from the construction work and from the radio almost flawlessly! I was really impressed as I would have never imagined noise reduction to be so effective.
I find the Plantronics more comfortable to wear, but the protruding microphone makes me look like a Star Trek cyborg; it's ok if I'm home, in a car or in an office, but I wouldn't want to be seen outdoors with this thing on. I also don't like the fact that there isn't an on-off switch but a button, so it's hard to tell if the thing is on or off. What is very useful, though, is the sensor which understands if you're wearing it: if it's connected to your phone but you're not wearing it when you answer the phone, the call is routed to your phone, and if you wear it while speaking, the audio then gets diverted to the Plantronics. Similarly, if you wear it while the phone rings, it answers the call automatically, and if you remove it while playing music it pauses it. This is extremely useful for all those situations where I can't find the headset straight away, e.g. i can't find it in a pocket, left it in another room, etc. Although, to be honest, in these cases Android phones (and probably other OSes, too) show a screen which lets you temporarily disable the bluetooth, so it's not the end of the world.
The Jawbone era has an excellent noise reduction, to the point that I couldn't distinguish if this feature was better in the Jawbone or the Plantronics. This is consistent with most reviews I have seen: the Era and the Plantronics are constantly reported as the top 2 headsets ever, with some reviewers preferring one over the other, but with no one mentioning either as a clear winner.
The Era is more stylish; probably not as stylish as the Jabra Stone
Bluetooth Headsets ? Jabra STONE2
but certainly more effective and convenient: the Stone is one of the few headsets which doesn't charge via micro-usb but requires its own charger dock, and I am told the call quality is poor also because the microphone is far from the mouth. I didn't find it uncomfortable to wear the Plantronics or the Wave with glasses but some people will probably find the Jawbone better in this regard as you can simply place it in, rather than around, your ear. The fit is much better than I thought: more comfy and stable than I would have imagined, even though I still find the other two more comfortable (but, again, that's very subjective). The accelerometer in the Era seems quite pointless to me. I don't like the fact that there are no volume buttons, but you cycle volume from low to high pressing a button; however, it wasn't a huge deal as the headset automatically adjusted the volume fairly well most of the times.
My ideal headset would be shaped like the Wave, with the Plantronics sensor and the noise reduction of either the Plantronics or the Era. I think that those who need to wear a headset for prolonged periods of time and don't mind looking like a cyborg would find the Plantronics almost perfect, whereas those who care more about style would buy the Jawbone.
... Can you help me and tell me your opinion?
