Background: I am an IT Manager and spend 6-12 hours a day on my headset. I have previously had three bluetooth headsets. Jabra Evolve 75, Plantronics Focus UC B825 and a generic $25 Betronics. This headset is far superior. The Jabra and the Plantronics were great headsets, the features were very good, but they were lacking on a couple points, the main one being the limitations of Bluetooth.
First, Mute. The Jabra raise-mic-boom-to-mute feature didn't work 100% with Skype. Had a very embarassing incident where I was yelling at my dogs and having private conversations with my wife and was not on mute. Until someone told me what was happening I had no idea. Neither it nor the Plantronics had any visual mute indicator on the headset, you had to have faith what state you are in based on the last button press or the position of the boom mic (but that feature I found to be unreliable.) The H820e has a very visible LED on the mic boom, tells you if you are muted or not, Great feature! I can be nowhere near my laptop and know at a glance if I am live or not.
Second, range: All the bluetooth headsets start breaking up at ~10 feet away from the laptop, and are completely disconnected by 20ft. I would go across the room, line of sight, 15 feet to the coffeepot, and if I tried to talk no-one could tell what I was saying. I was basically tied to my laptop with an invisible 10 foot cord. The H820e has AMAZING range, I can go anywhere in my house and the audio is perfect. I even went out to my driveway and it worked until I got too far from the house. My house was built in 1935 and has two foot thick masonry walls, this is quite a feat. If you have a more normal house you may get coverage even further outside. Basically, I am no longer locked down to my laptop when I am on a call. This is a huge deal when something major is broken and you end up on a 12+ hour call. This one feature has changed my life for the better. The H820e is NOT bluetooth, I guess it is a proprietary wireless system, you must have their base station for it to work, you cannot connect it to a cell phone. I see not being bluetooth as a feature rather than a limitation as it allows such amazing range.
Conclusion: Sound quality is good for calls, but Mono. If you want to listen to music buy a cheap bluetooth stereo headset to complement this, the H820e isn't good for music in the least. Base station is big and unwieldy, not a dongle, making this setup not so great for a road warrior. I have a home office so it is perfect, I will use my Plantronics Bluetooth for travel and live with the limitations. This thing, due to the range and visible mute, is by far the best headset I have found for telework. Don't consider anything else if the listed limitations don't bother you.
EDIT: I was on a 12 hour call this week and the battery died at 11 hours, and there is no way to have it plugged in and on your head at the same time, so I had to switch to a backup headset. My other headsets could do closer to 14 hours before dying, so this is definitely a point to consider. I like this headset so much I don't mind having a spare to switch to, but for others this may be a deal breaker.
| Wireless Communication Technology | Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Special Feature | Fast Charging |
| Included Components | Headset - wireless - DECT, Charging stand |
| Age Range (Description) | 18 years and older |
| Material | Unspecified |
| Specific Uses For Product | business |
| Headphones Jack | usb |
| Noise Control | Active Noise Cancellation |
| Ear Placement | On Ear |
| Control Type | Volume Control |
| Cable Feature | Without Cable |
| Item Weight | 0.28 Pounds |
| Package Type | Standard Packaging |
| Unit Count | 1.0 Count |
| Style | Dual |
| Control Method | Touch |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Has Active Noise Cancellation | Yes |
| Has Self Adjusting Headband | Yes |
| Has Call Answer End | Yes |
| Has Voice Prompt | Yes |
| Has Adjustable Earcups | Yes |
| Has Adjustable Headband | Yes |
| Wireless Type | DECT |
