Customer Ratings & Reviews

"This was my first headset from this company, and I have to say I’m very pleased with the audio quality and craftsmanship. Friends and family can hear me very clearly without any background noise. The battery lasts all day without needing to be charged. I would definitely recommend this headset."

This headset has been a solid add for my conversations while on the road. The main reason I enjoy this headset is due to the noise canceling and the comfort. While driving I have always had issues with background noise. This headset does a superb job with its noise cancelling ability. I tested this with a friend and he said it sounded as if i was sitting in a room vs in my car, this blew my mind. The navigation of this headset is a bit finnicky with its voice driven controls. The battery life of this headset is said to be up to 24 hours, which is significantly higher than other headsets. The build and design is cozy too, its large leather ear covering is just what I needed in order to not get chaffing to occur. I dont always use a headset but when I do I prefer a padded covering over the earphone. In terms of accessories that were provided, its comes with all needed plug-in to charge. In summary if you are looking for a long lasting voice controlled headset then this is a great option for you. Its noise cancelling capabilities are un-paralleled.

For the road warriors in need of a decent hands-free headset, this is an option to look into. I'm no road warrior, per se, however I do travel a bit for work so those times when I need to answer an important call, I usually have to pull over and answer the call then. I have bluetooth in my truck however it's an older truck so the connectivity is a bit spotty. I could use my earbuds but, at least near me, any sort of hearing device used while driving equals a tasty little ticket if you're caught. So I figured a headset like this would solve my issues while also keeping me from paying hefty fines while driving. I initial connected this to my trucks Bluetooth which is then paired with my phone. It worked OK, surprisingly, however there were some connectivity issues which I attribute to my older system. but once I connected it to my phones Bluetooth then it paired easily and no issues with connectivity. Controls are pretty simple and easy to access while driving. Simple On/Off button, Volume Up/Down and Mute. Again, easy to use/access without distracting you from driving. Included with this headset are some foam tips for the mic as well as for the earpad on the headset, charging cable as well as a charger for your cigarette lighter. Sound quality was good and voice seems to come through just fine. I had no issues with people on the other end of the line complaining they couldn't hear me so I think that's good in my book. Functions/operates just as any headset you would expect. Biggest issue I had with this was the fit. This headset in particular is marketed towards truckers. For something that's supposed to be used, long term, by drivers, this thing was SUPER tight on my head. I wear a 7 1/2 fitted cap and this just felt uncomfortable to wear, even for a few minutes. Even with the headset extended all the way, fit was very tight and awkward. The piece that fits to the side of your head is almost at the 10 o clock position on my head. That's without a hat. With a hat on, it just doesn't fit comfortably at all. If the side piece could also extend out then that would solve this problem easily but not sure why it's not setup that way. So if you have a small noggin then this would work just fine. For those with larger melons, the fit of this thing will probably be an issue.

This is a very good headset especially for use in a car or truck. Out of the box, it appeared to be pretty rugged and large compared to other boom style headsets. It was well packaged with 1/2 charge on the battery. The BlueParrott came with an extra microphone boom foam sound filter, an extra foam ear cushion, a 12 V charging adaptor and a cable for the Micro USB charging port. In my situation, I only charged it once during a 5 day span on a home charging brick and did not need to recharge it over 5 days and 4 hours of use so I did not need the adaptor. The charge was still rated as high at the end of the 5 days. The BlueParrott Headset worked great using Both Microsoft Teams© and Zoom(@) for several meetings. Most notably, in a 2 hour conference call while driving over the Holiday weekend the noise cancellation was very good without distracting from a large meeting discussion. Similarly, at home, synched to my office laptop subject to 'open-air' with normal household annoyances like a 'yelling spouse, it was effective in quieting the background noise on a 1 hour conference call. So, its noise cancellation features are quite good. This is no surprise as the company is part of the Jabra GN company known for making high quality communications devices. The microphone boom is very sturdy and effectively improved my speech recognition much better than my car's Bluetooth© audio system. The headset was very easy to set up with my phone initially, however, I tried to connect to 2 device with the app and had challenges setting the headset up both phone and laptop. After a quick call to customer support they guided me through the correct cycle of switching between each device. Once they walked me through the process it was simple and fast. Otherwise, I found synching Blue Parrott with my phone enabled me to bypass my phone/car Bluetooth connection and allowed me to have a high voice quality private conversation with my team without road noise. I am not a computer game player, but if you are, I imagine it would provide an excellent monaural audio feed. The instructions say you have to register the device with Siri© or Google Now© through the Blue Parrott App available on both Apple and Android stores. I don't use either, so I did not test that out. However, I did download the app and found that it will give you the ability to control various Third Party Push To Talk applications, which could be very useful for users of those technologies. The headset comes with a programable BlueParrott button that you can use to define the functionality of the button to manage voice controls, be the Mute button, Activate third party apps, check battery status or connect a second paired device. It was challenging to configure the BlueParrott device to manage voice functions on my phone. The BlueParrott B550 XT will connect directly to the voice control in my car to control navigation and select entertainment options, but I use Android Auto© connected to my phone for Navigation functions, so I felt I could bypass this option. The PROS: This headset provides great noise suppression for use in a mobile environment like a car or truck. Audio is clear and easy to control volume and mute. The Cons: Size and configuring it to do voice functions on your mobile phone.

Blueparrott is really the gold standard of trucking bluetooth headsets. I can't tell you how many times that II've pulled up to a truck stop or freight yard and come across a driver in the middle of a conversation while standing right next to their running diesel engine. Heck, I've done it enough times. Now that Ive got these B550-XT bluetooth, it just makes so much sense as to why they tuck drivers love this brand so much. Out of the box, these B550-XT bluetooth come with the ear piece, a long charging cable( That thing will need to be replaced a few time over the headset's lifetime.), but what you don't see, is the added automotive charging adapter. Yes. this thing cames with a charging brick in the box. And it comes with an extra mic sleeve(Spit guard) and an optional foam ear cushion, if you're not feeling the leatherette cushion that is pre-installed. The sound quality for a single ear bluetooth, is very impressive. I mean, i not goig to be listening to my favorite music through them, but listening to audio books isn't out of the question. Again, the noise cancelation is crazy that I can be talking right next to my running truck engine and my friends and customers can hear me, not the truck. That's great. I'm a stereo sound kinda guy, but this makes sense, just to know I can stay aware of my surroundings while on an active call. Then there's the fact that I almost left my phone at a stop because the range is so darned good. 300 feet/100 meters. I drove off and reached to set my next coordinates and didn't have my phone. Be aware people. It's comfortable but I recommend wearing hats while using this. It's for comfort and fashion, in my opinion. Really good headset, right here, y'all.

My job has daily conference calls. Whenever I work from home, I participate sitting in my backyard. I’m also on the road a lot and I take those calls from my cell phone. The BlueParrott B550-XT has quickly become my favorite headset while working at home or on the road. Set-up was quick and easy; download the app and connect it via Bluetooth. The connection was established with no hassles and, over time, has proven to be reliable which is a plus since I use it exclusively for work. First thing you notice is its lightweight which at first made me think it was a flimsy and fragile headset, but a couple falls later made me appreciate its toughness. It is well built and sturdy. The headband is lightly padded and adjustable to accommodate many different head sizes; adjusting to a comfortable fit to my head took practically no time or effort. It is also comfortable to wear for long periods of time. It can be worn on either ear as the microphone rotates in either direction. The cushioned ear cup rests lightly on your ear so as to avoid ear fatigue. The flexible microphone boom feels solid and once ideally positioned it won’t move a single millimeter. Overall, this BlueParrott Headset performed real well. The feature that impressed me the most was the noise cancellation and its ability to filter the outside noise. While on the road or working from home in my backyard, the noise can get a bit loud, and activating the noise cancellation feature with my voice made a world of difference. And at the end of the line, those listening had positive feedback about the clarity of my voice and the background noise. This headset comes with a BlueParrott button that is customizable from the app. My favorite function for this button is voice command. Although limited, those commands are responsive and work after the first prompt. The app is simple and easy to use with a logical user interface. The only issue I encountered but not related specifically to the app was the impossibility to open the user manual option. The battery life has been great. I’ve used it for four consecutive days for 40 to 50 minutes a day and the charge is barely under 50%. I also like the fact that I’m able to connect it to my phone and tablet at the same time and switch in between. Overall, the BlueParrott B550-XT headset is comfortable, tough and reliable with great connectivity. Look wise, it is simple and a bit underwhelming but it delivers great performance where it counts. It has become my go-to headset for work. Two thumbs up.

Looking for just a headset for cellphone use? Look no further. Other in ear earbuds cause cartilage pain. These over the ear single sided set alleviates that issue. Note. It does run a little small so it might be a good idea to go to best buy and try them on first. Setup was super easy... Charged up the headset. Decided to either use the foam pad or not. Downloaded the app. Followed the on screen step by step setup process. Customized to my liking and I was in. I tried to use the Push To Talk (PTT) feature but I don't have those type of service. That would be more in line with commercial use. The button was reprogrammed to my Google Gemini function and it worked fine. Ability to switch between left and right ear use Overall. Long use was good. The noise cancelling was good. The seal on the ear was pretty good as well. It kept a lot of the outside noise out while driving and general use. Battery life was really good and long on 1 charge. Call and conversation clarity was good. No complaints on either end. Range for connection was good too. I was able to walk away from my cell and have wall in between and it did not cut me off. So if you are a truck driver or don't have a car that has a Bluetooth connection or just want this headset you can't go wrong with this. Minus the tight fit.

Real nice headset. I was used to use earbuds, but they are always flimsily, falling off, losing them everywhere. These have solved all of the above. I needed something more sturdy, but still comfy and easy to use these are the ones! They come with cigarrete power adaptor, a micros usb cable (this is my only con, USB type C is the norm now) an extra mic foam and a earpad made of foam too. At first, looking at the pictures I was worried thinking you could only use with the mic and earpad on the right side, however I was pleasantly surprised you can flip the mic all around and you can also wear the headset with the earpad on your left ear by doing so, this is my preferred way. After fully charging it, it was very easy to pair with my Android phone via Bluetooth. Once connected you can give it some permissions (like accessing contacts, SMS, this is important so it can access your info and you can use most of the hands free operations) then I downloaded and installed their Blue parrot headset app. With it you can further customize it. The app will let you update the firmware, have ANC (active noise cancelation for the mic), program the blue parrot button (this is is like do it all button, you can basically program it to do whatever you want, like a mic mute button, a speed dial to an specific number etc., I have it as a mute button). Call and sound quality is perfect and I love that you only have on one ear, leaving your other ear free to hear whatever is around you. Fit and comfort over my ear was fine, however I found the clamping force over my head was a little too much, came to find out you can tune that too with the screws on the headband, great!! I've been using it during the day while I work and the battery has lasted me for 3 days now, only needing a full charge after that. It has many hands free commands you can tell it to free yourself, however I just use my phone assistant as I'm more used to it and it has worked great. People hearing me on the other side of calls have told me I sounded clear and they never new I was using a headset. If you want a sturdy headset instead of earbuds for work while on the go, this is the one for you!

First, one may ask who Blue Parrot is. For those who are not familiar Blue Parrot, the brand is made by GN Audio which is also the manufacturer of the more famous Jabra audio which has the line of fine earbuds and headphones. Blue Parrot is more for GN Audio’s communication devices. That aside it’s time to review Blue Parrot’s B550-XT bluettoth headset. Th B550-XT is pretty much your monoaural Bluetooth headset. It is not a slim type of headset but rather a can type single headset. Inside the box are the headset itself, two ear cushions – one foam and the other faux leather, a charging cable, and your usual quick start guides and warranty info. Controls are very basic but then again your really don’t need fancy controls for this type of headset. You’ve got your power button, BT button and volume buttons. So what else do you need? But one thing that sets this apart is its noise cancelling feature. But then again one would ask why? And this is a single headset wherein your left ear can here everything around you. Well, the noise cancelling feature can come in handy. And since I live beside the freeway and there are lots of noises around, I’ve tested this in my backyard and made a few calls. While the normal audio is generally, the noise cancelling feature is a boost for sound clarity. It then dawned upon me that the most ideal use case for this headset would be for someone working in a busy office such as a call center where this could be very effective. To add more functionality for the headset, it has companion app both for iOS and Android. It offers features such as ANC controls, battery checks, and even support for Push-to-Talk apps for Verizon and AT&T. I’m with T-Mobile so there’s no way for me to test that feature. It does work for Siri though so that’s good enough for me. Lastly, the B550-XT boasts of a 24 run-time and range is 3X the normal BT range at 100 ft. So this overall is a simple yet powerful device. I would definitely recommend this headset.

The B550-XT comes well packaged, you get a usb to cigarette lighter adapter for the car, leatherette and felt ear cushions, 2 foam mic protectors, USB A to USB micro (should be USB C) yes the headset uses USB micro. What is dislike is the tightness on my head, I would hope I could bend the top arch slightly to fit less tight on my head, but no matter how much I try to bend the arch it just snaps back. I think it's a tad to tight on my head. What I love is everything else..... Noise canceling on the B550-XT is just as good as it gets, outstaanding, the person on the other end can hear me nice and clear with wind noise and I can hear them. Volume levels that you can adjust on the headset with the volume up + and volume down - buttons are great and plentiful. Audio is clear Range is outstanding, they claim 100ft and I would say it's close to that, it's certainly the greatest distance I have seen. Battery life, well it's stunning, i get days before a recharge, and a lot of use. The app, just average, all I can do is change what the parrot button does on the headset. This B550-XT does everything it says it does and it does it perfectly. I would hope over time and constantly bending the band on the headset, the headset will loosen up, otherwise it's a very top notch headset.

– OVERVIEW– The BlueParrot B550-XT is an over-the-ear noise-cancelling headset offered by BlueParrot. It provides a fully hands-free experience (with BlueParrot app) and, according to BlueParrot, blocks out 96% of background noise. It is IPS4-rated for dust and moisture protection. It comes with a 12V car charger adapter, a micro-USB cable and extra foam-type ear cup if you want to switch out the pre-installed leather ear cup. – LOOK/FEEL – The B550-XT looks official as far as work and productivity is concerned. It is a headset, afterall with a boom-mic. Clearly something to use in the office or while you’re driving in your car. There are only 4 buttons on the headset: On/Off, volume up, volume down and the customizable BlueParrot button. The headband is adjustable in one section of the headband if you need more headband. The mic boom is also adjustable….AND you can completely rotate the boom to change the orientation of your B550-XT; in other words, you can use the ear cup on your right or left ear, and the mic boom can be easily moved to orient itself in front of your face. “blueparrot” is clearly seen on the main unit, letting folks know you’re packing one the industries-leading noise cancelling products out there – SETUP – Setting up the B550-XT is very, very easy. Upon turning it on, the unit will already be in pairing mode. Simply navigate to your bluetooth settings on your phone and you’ll see it as a device ready for pairing. This should feel familiar as most bluetooth devices are paired this way. Once paired, you’re ready to use the headset. Setup can be further done using the BlueParrot app, where you can pretty much customize the use of the BlueParrot button. By default, it is used as a mute/unmute button, which I feel a vast majority of folks who work in industry and join conference calls will love using. – USAGE – If you decide to omit the use of the BlueParrot app right off the bat, I’d like to explain how simple it is to use. To answer or end a call, simply press the power button once; press again once to hang up. If you don’t want to take a call, press and hold the power button and you’ll hear two beeps acknowledging the rejection of the call. Then there’s volume up and down; volume up has a “+” nub so you can feel for it when you reach to change the volume, and you’ll immediately know volume down is right below it. Like mentioned above, the BlueParrot button defaults as a mute/unmute button, and will remain as this function during any call. But through the BlueParrot app, you can do the following customization the BlueParrot button when not currently in a call: Speed dial a specific number Launch a PTT app Launch a voice command Announce battery status, and Multifunction Button (MFB) for second paired device I found that choosing Voice Command or MFB were the only options that allowed me to answer phone calls with my voice. I am able to say “answer” or “ignore” to accept or reject a call. This is possibly most useful while operating a motor vehicle. In the office setting, a simple reach for the power button will work just fine. – PERFORMANCE – Sound quality is both great for both myself and those that are on the line. The B550-XT is very good at removing ambient noise; think about that drive to work and the road noise it comes with. My colleagues could not really tell I was on the road. Wearing the headset for long periods of time did not bother me either. It does fit comfortably snug around your head, which is a good thing because you don’t want this thing slipping off from the slightest of movements. Overall, I’m very impressed with the headset. – GOTCHAS – As I mentioned a couple of times above, many of us love to have a dedicated mute/unmute button during calls with work. What I don’t like about the mute button here is that it only provides a beep acknowledging that the mute button has been pressed; press it again and it plays the exact same beep. So really, you don’t know if you’re muted until you hear the subsequent beeps that only come when truly muted. But before you know it, you might have said something inadvertently. Nothing worse than a hot mic at the worst of times. So I wish it would verbally acknowledge that I am either muted or unmuted. That would make this headset close to perfect. But alas, a star comes off for this. – CONCLUSION – Again, a great headset from BlueParrot that I will use during my calls that I have to take while I'm on the road. That is my use-case for this headset. And rightfully so; it comes with a 12V car socket adapter to provide power when needed. It doesn’t come with a storage case as I intend to leave it in my car. Overall, I recommend it.

I was hoping for headphones I could use with my phone to be able to communicate while still being able to hear. Unfortunately, the blue parrot fell really short of being anything useful. The setup wasn’t hard to do, just connect like any Bluetooth headset and then open to app to customize. That’s where the problem starts, on iOS the parrot button cannot start Siri so it’s pretty useless. And it’s also not listening so saying hey siri doesn’t turn it on either. Which means you need to have your phone to use everything. On top of the poor integration, the audio quality isn’t great, at least for music. You only get one ear covered but it doesn’t sound good. And I had the volume all the way up on my house and still didn’t hear well, so cannot imagine if you’re out trying to use this. Comparing to even one ear pod, the quality of the blue parrot is worse. Overall the experience was disappointing and I’d just recommend getting either full headphones or just earbuds and using one. I just don’t see a good way to use this.

The BlueParrot B550-XT is a mono-aural wireless bluetooth headset with a noise cancelling boom mic. The device seems minimalistic. A single, large ear cushion, not quite over the ear but cushy enough to almost feel that way with a removable and washable cover. The boom mic also has a removable wind sock and can be bent to further tune position besides being able to rotate the boom. Because the boom can do a full 180 degree rotation, you can actually wear the headset on either ear. I found it to be pretty comfortable to wear for hours at a time. The B550-XT is designed for full day wear with battery life to back it up. On the headset, you have a few buttons. Dedicated volume buttons, a power / call answer button, and a BlueParrot multi-function button. This button requires use of the BlueParrot app to assign a particular function to it. You can set it to a favorite number or to do redial. Otherwise, this behaves as a typical bluetooth headset in terms of pairing, taking calls, and having conversation. My general use of wireless earbuds falls into listening to music/GPS navigation or taking calls on my ride to work, taking video calls, and listening to music while working out at the gym. For the first, I like active noise canceling to remove wind noise but also adaptive volume to reduce the earbud audio if listening to music and I start talking to someone. For video calls, my primary need aside from good mic pickup is that the earbuds seamlessly switch from my phone to computer. Gym workouts mostly need comfort and that the earbuds don’t fall out of my ears. For this review, I won’t be doing some things that I’d normally do when testing a bluetooth headset. For example, I’ll be skipping using it at the gym or in my commute since this wouldn’t fit under my helmet. Instead, I opted to make some calls while going on a walk outside. Not quite as much wind noise as riding at 40mph, but still some ambient noise and some noise when I wandered through a construction area. On the noise clarity front, the mic did amazing. People generally reported my voice being crisp and clear through most situations where I used it. They did pick up some extra noise with jackhammers around me, but could still hear and understand everything I was saying. I did struggle with hearing audio when things around me got to be too noisy however. Even though you just have one speaker, it did a decent job where one could still enjoy playing music through it. It does seem optimized for voice calls, music playback had a noticeable effect on battery percentage across the days I tried things out. The B550-XT supports multipoint with two devices, so it can be paired to your phone and computer simultaneously and automatically switch sources between them. This is a plus for me who spends most of his workday at a desk. My computer is my primary but it’s nice to be able to take calls pretty much hands free. Speaking of hands free, one feature which feels a bit premium with the B550-XT are its voice commands. The headset doesn’t just pipe stuff to your phone’s assistant, though it can do that, but it instead supports a set of commands that you can either issue directly based on the context or prefix with “Hello BlueParrot”. So like “answer” or “ignore” or “Blue parrot end call” for example. I found it to be much more reliable than when I attempt to have my phone assistant pick up on things. That said, you are just limited to the small set of commands that the headset supports. Pretty much a handful of call related ones and headset status. There’s also “phone command” to activate your smart assistant though the headset isn’t smart enough to switch to your phone if you’re connected to your PC when you issue that command. The BlueParrot button itself can also be used as the trigger to issue commands. For what it does, I was pretty happy with the functionality and performance. Yes, for me it’s mostly a desk jockey though I could see if someone mostly worked outdoors but needing to be often on the phone or wanted a more comfortable headset while driving while leaving an ear free to fully hear ambient sound and not rely on pass-thru mode, this can be good. There is one pain point that I ran into which is with plugging in the USB cable while the headset is in use. With my normal desk headset, I usually charge it once or twice a week. Sometimes, this occurs during my workday when I notice that I may not have charged it since the last week and the battery is getting low during a call. In that case, I’d plug it in while I’m still wearing it if I happen to be on an important call and don’t want to risk it dying before the call ended. Well, I tried that a few times with the BlueParrot and got the same unusual result. The first time, the headset essentially reset, and needed to reconnect. So, it dropped connection to my laptop (and phone), I lost audio to my call, and I needed to wait for it to reconnect. I then tried a few more times to check if that behavior was a fluke. It wasn’t. Every single time, the headset resets. So, it really doesn’t want you to charge it unless it’s not in use. For many, this is likely ok. Heck, it is okay for me most of the time. Still, it’s a weird quirk that most will not expect and will likely bite you at a very inconvenient moment the first couple times that it happens.

Great headphones sound great work great easy to use I would recommend them to anyone

Im loving my bluetooth n having great time taking calls .. Alot good features on this thing n still learn more ...

Convinient hands free driving, and good sound quality

The blue parrot 550xt is a real headset this is my third one in over 10 years.

Blue Parrot has a reputation for knowing what it's doing when designing this style headset. My husband is a trucker and has used many of these types of headsets, and prefers Blue Parrot. I, myself, have tried a variety of different brands of headsets over the years, including Blue Parrot. My previous experience with the brand was somewhat lackluster. They just didn't impress me much. But I was willing to give the brand another try with regards to this particular model. Yes, there is a Blue Parrot app which assists with pairing/connecting the headset to your mobile phone. With the app you can check the headset's battery level, configure the 'Blue Parrot Button', register your headset, update the device's firmware, and even perform a sound check to hear how the headset's audio sounds. You can program the 'Blue Parrot Button' to listen for voice commands, so in effect, you'll be able to use the headset "hands free." It can also be set to mute/unmute the microphone, place a call to a specific phone number, or tell you the headset's battery status. I will say that while on a phone call, the audio quality of how the person I was talking to sounded, was not what I would have expected. While certainly able to hear the other person just fine, the audio sounded "muted" with no real depth or crisp clarity. But after trying a sample sound test, my own voice (how it would sound to someone else) was vastly different, and sounded much better, much more like I would expect. The "always on" noise cancellation worked pretty good. No complaints there. Battery life was also great. I've not had to charge the headset again, as of yet, after several days of wearing it a few hours at a time. A big plus, for me, is being able to pair the headset to 2 different devices. As for how far away from my mobile phone the Bluetooth connection would reach, well ... I'm still not quite able to walk all the way from my house to the community mailboxes; but almost. The range is, however, good enough for roaming about my front and back yards while talking to my husband during our daily phone calls. Unfortunately, I'm really 'not a fan' of the side buttons. I mean, they do the job and are right there, easily accessible. But I found the actual button press to be underwhelming. It was somewhat difficult for me to know if I'd pressed the +/- in adequately. I just think this feature could be better. I really prefer the faux leather cushioned earcups over the foam replacement earcups they include in the box; along with an extra mic foam cover. The earcup is meant to rest upon the outside of your ear and not "cradle" your ear as some other headsets do. The adjustable headband has a small amount of cushioning, good enough to help make the headset more comfortable for wearing during longer periods of use. There's a cigarette lighter plug-in included (along with a USB charging cable). The shape is thin, rather unusual looking, at least to me, but it does what it's meant to if you need to charge your headset 'on-the-go' and don't have a car that has built-in USB charging plugs. Overall, this Blue Parrot B550-XT Headset is designed really really well. It's constructed exceptionally well, too. Even with my minor criticisms, I can wholeheartedly recommend.

The BlueParrot B550-XT (awkward name) is a mono noise cancelling headset, best suited to those working in transport, warehouse, delivery, or similar environments where you need one ear free, great noise cancelation, and excellent range from your phone. The long battery life and talk time make the B550-XT even better. -= In the Box =- - BlueParrot B550-XT - USB a to Micro USB flat ribbon charging cable - Foam Ear Cup/Piece - Spare Foam Microphone Cover - 12V car charger (nice touch) -= First Impressions =- Out of the box, the B550-XT looks exactly as pictured. There's very good padding on the headband. The boom mic can rotate fully, so you can wear this with the ear piece on the left or right hand side. The buttons are a bit spongy, but this is typical for BlueParrot products. The device charges using microUSB which is a bit of a surprise, I think the B550-XT is the first thing I have got in a long time that is microUSB. FYI, the B550-XT is IP54 rated (wish the IP was higher, but you're unlikely to have this fall into water). -= Setup and Use =- Setup is easy, turn on, go to your phone, and pair. It shows up in my iPhone as B550-XT v1.35. There's a free BlueParrot App (search on BlueParrot, or you won't find it in your App Store). I had a small issue with the app not detecting the headset, but turning the headset off/on again fixed that. You can customize noise cancellation and the BlueParrot button in the app (by default it's mute, which works for me). I have been testing the BlueParrot for a few days now. I work in an office/warehouse environment and as luck would have it, we're also mid construction of new storage space. So I really got to put the B550-XT through its paces. This includes leaving my phone on the desk to walk to a loading dock while on a call, and generally walking and talking around the warehouse and building. I can say that the the B550 lives up to the promised long range (I probably got close to 150-200 feet away) without audio loss. The noise cancellation is also good and in my tests, the microphone was also good at suppressing background noise so people I called or were talking to had no issues. The comfort is good, although I would like a little more padding on the non earpiece side that rests on your head. Worth noting that the ear cup almost enclosed my entire ear. There's an included foam earpiece (the default is a leatherette type). So you can swap, but I prefer the noise isolation of the leatherette headpiece. -= What's Good =- The Noise Cancellation and Range is VERY good for this style of headset. I would go so far as to say I LOVE the range. It's really going to be a life saver over the holidays, as I tend to be the only office person actually in office over the holiday break - finding myself needing to go accept reception deliveries and go to the warehouse. Now I can stay on calls and hear what's going on! If I was one of our delivery drivers, I could see me loving the BlueParrot B550-XT even more. Untested is how comfortable and usable this is if you're in a warehouse that requires hardhats. My current job doesn't require them in the warehouse, but my previous one did - sharing in case this is helpful for others. -= What's Not So Good =- Micro USB charging, seriously... time to ditch the microUSB parrot! Also, as mentioned before, would love if the non-ear piece side had a little more padding. -= Final Thoughts =- If you work in a warehouse, as a driver, or in a delivery role - the BlueParrot B550-XT is an excellent headset. The battery life (I managed to get a whole day's use on a busy pre-Black Friday Saturday) and range make this a winner. If you're after an excellent voice headset, the B550-XT is definitely a good choice.

This is the kind of headset I need when I’m driving and also when I’m at my desk at home which sits next to a loud air conditioner just 2 feet away outside a window. I can say with certainty that the noise cancelling in loud environments works great and could be a must have for others who have my situations. Just to be sure, this headset is not for listening to music if you want a perfect sound. It is intended for helping you be hands free especially in louder environments and also where you want one ear free to be aware of your surroundings which could be traffic or a baby crying. The unit is a very well-designed device with padding just where you need it. The headband even has very thick pads to make my half-bald head feel comfy too – perfect; and a tip of the cap to the BlueParrott engineers for that extra soft padding. The cushioned earcup is soft and breathes – no sweat. There is a foam earcup included if you want to switch to that. I tried both but the leatherette cushion hit the sweet spot for me. The design allows use on either ear, you just swing the mic around 180 degrees to switch ears. You also get a very handy 'cigarette lighter plug with a USB port' for charging. The mic has a very smoothly adjusting boom to get your best performance. There is a mic mute button (very important) which utilizes the Parrott button which is a multi-functional button. You will want to download the BlueParrott app for various settings. The voice commands also check things like battery level and pairing so you can ensure you know your headset status. It does have 24 hours talk-time and 400 hours standby. The app also gives you links to Youtube tips, the BlueParrott site and more. The app also has a customer support phone number if you need help – nicely done by the BlueParrot people on the support side. The hands-free ability of the headset is extremely important in Arizona where I live. The troopers are keen to catch you if they spot you using your fingers on a cell phone screen. Can’t argue with that law, it keeps everyone safer; so just get this device to steer clear of the smokies (pun intended). You can set the unit up the way you need. You can use third party apps for push to talk, there are lots of them. But the key is this unit allows you to set the Parrott button to interact with whichever app you installed – wow. The controls on the side of the earpad are simple by design. I think this headset is designed to definitely make your environment safer when using it on the road. I highly recommend this headset for travelers of all sorts.