Three reasons to invest in a premium Bluetooth headset
Picture this. You're a professional truck driver in the market for a new trucking headset. You walk into a Love's Travel Stop, grab a coffee and make your way over to the headsets. You're immediately greeted with dozens of choices from different brands with prices ranging from $40 to $250, all with an array of features.
The first thing to pop into your mind might be, "Why do two headsets that look very similar have such a wide price gap, and why should I spend upward of $250 on a headset if I can get one that does the same thing for $50?"
The quick answer is this: Although the headsets may look similar on the outside, the components inside the device, and the software that runs them, vary greatly.
Let's look at a few of the differences in detail:
Better Components:
Bluetooth chips, microphones, speakers and even batteries are not all created equal. The quality of the Bluetooth chip in the headset has an enormous effect on the quality of the user experience. From things like strength of connection to effective range and even power consumption (i.e. battery life), choosing the right chip is important. As is the case with most things, the better the chip, the more expensive it is.
The same can be said about batteries, speakers and microphones. We've all put knockoff batteries in our TV remote, only to replace them a month later. The "powertrain" of your headset is where the proverbial rubber meets the road.
Better Software:
The second big difference between economy and premium headsets is the software: Things like how easy it is to connect your headset to your equipment, the number of devices you can connect to simultaneously and the convenience of having a smartphone app to customize device settings.These all make the user experience better, but generally come with a higher price tag.
Another important feature to pay attention to is noise cancellation. A quality headset should have up to 96% background noise cancellation, which ensures the person on the other end of your call can hear you clearly no matter how noisy the environment you're calling from is. Noise cancellation also enhances the "virtual assistant" experience. Siri and Google Assistant tend to work best in a quiet setting, but when that's not available, 96% noise cancellation is the next best thing! Click here to see some of the headsets available at Love's with the best noise cancellation.
Product Durability:
The final reason for the price difference is durability and support. Premium headsets come with an IP (Ingress Protection) 54 rating. The IP rating tells you how well your device is protected from elements like dust or water. Headsets with this type of rating are made of strong, rugged materials that you can rely on.
Like most things in life, you get what you pay for when it comes to Bluetooth headsets but it's worth it!
Written by the experts at BlueParrott