Best high end around ear stereo bluetooth headset for iPhone 6 plus?

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Level 1

28 points

Best high end around ear stereo bluetooth headset for iPhone 6 plus?

So far I tried (best being 1 and worst being 3):

1) BackBeat PRO, BT 4.0 (95% good - sustained BT playback, best range ~60 feet around house including through walls;

2) Sennheiser MM 550-X, BT 2.? (Reasonably - 95% good - sustained BT playback, range 20 feet in line of sight, but not through walls;

3) Sennheiser Momentum 2.0, BT 4.0 (frequent stuttering - 50% good - BT playback, even worse stuttering with my older iPhone 5s.

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.2)

Posted on Mar 30, 2015 10:39 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

IdrisSeabright

Level 10

155,435 points

Mar 31, 2015 6:12 AM in response to evoolb

"Best" in something like this is going to be a matter of taste. Different peopel prefer different sound profiles. Some people like more bass, others less. And people's hearing also varies. What people are willing to spend is also an issue. I have a pair of Beats HD Studios that I like but, if I'd had to pay full price for them, I never would have bought. I'm not sure why how far through walls the headsets will work is a big issue as you can easily take the phone with you as you move about.

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Answer 2

evoolb Author

Level 1

28 points

Mar 31, 2015 10:04 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

My definition of “best headset” is how well can a headset maintain bluetooth connection during playback?

Unfortunately no bluetooth headset I tried fulfilled this advertised basic function even at 98%.

So defined the “best” is not a question of taste but test. Unfortunately there are no standardized tests about headset’s ability to sustain a BT connection.

The range is a second quality indicator after connection stability. IMO it’s convenient to run around house without the phone on me all the time.

Only AFTER such basic bluetooth functionality is guaranteed, it makes sense to me to talk about audio quality during calls, noise cancellation etc.

How well can your Beats HD Studios maintain bluetooth connection with iPhone 6 at home, in the gym, walking the street?

I agree that price is a subjective criteria and therefore would not like to factor it into this discussion.

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Answer 3

Mar 31, 2015 3:29 PM in response to evoolb

My Beats maintain a connection perfectly under my usage conditions. I never have an reason to to be using the headsets with the phone anywhere but in a belt clip or pocket. I don't tend to use the Studio HDs at the gym as they are huge. At the gym or running I either use Beats Powerbeats2 or lately I've been trying out a set of Jabra Pulse headsets. Both work well for me. I would say the Beats probably has the better sound.

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Answer 4

Mar 31, 2015 4:36 PM in response to evoolb

I have no complaints with my Parrot ZIK. Note that the BlueTooth standard specifies a maximum range of 10 meters, which is about 33 feet.

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Answer 5

evoolb Author

Level 1

28 points

Apr 1, 2015 11:22 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

Lawrence, please note that you're talking about Bluetooth class 2 range (up to 33 feet), while I was talking about Bluetooth class 1 range (up to 300 feet).

Plantronics BackBeat PRO and Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 are both Bluetooth 4.0 class 1 devices. iPhone 6 plus supports Bluetooth 4.0 but does not specify which class.

I have to re-fraze my question to "Which is the best high end Bluetooth 4.0 or higher headset for iPhone 6 plus?"

To my knowledge Parrot and Beats do not support Bluetooth 4.0 or 4.1 or 4.2 yet.

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