Do you want the best headset? 
Most people who are in the trucking industry know the Blueparrott brand of headsets. Blueparrott headsets have been a favorite among those in the trucking industry for many years.
Lesser known are Blueparrott headsets used in an office or casual setting. And that’s the subject of my blog today.
Blueparrott headsets are universally appreciated for their robust batteries, excellent microphone sound quality, and equally important, their noise reducing capabilities.
When on a long haul, having a long life headset battery is important for those wanting to stay connected. A headset isn’t all that useful if it always needs to be charged.
Likewise, being able to be heard clearly along with removing unwanted background noise goes a long way towards giving those you’re talking to a good audio experience.
In this blog I’ll introduce you to a Blueparrott wireless headset that’s perfectly suited for use in today’s office, or for all your entertainment needs. Specifically, the Blueparrott model S450 XT.
But, before I get into the details, I need to let you know that I recorded a Youtube video on this. Given a choice, a lot of people prefer to consume their content via video rather than doing a lot of reading.
And, this is one of those cases where you do have a choice. You can continue reading this blog, or, you can opt to watch the video below instead.
If you’re still reading, great! Join me as I dig into the Blueparrott S450-XT wireless headset.
Wearing style
The Blueparrott S450 XT is an over the head wireless headset that covers both ears. Because both ears are covered, it can’t be used in vehicles as one ear needs to be uncovered in order to hear traffic, and emergency vehicles. Though it’s not the go to solution for long haul truckers, it does have its place in a home or office.
Having both ears covered helps to reduce unwanted background noise. This is referred to as passive noise cancellation. Studies have shown that interruptions in concentration leads to significant reductions in worker productivity.
Interruptions can come in the form of a coworker walking up to you for a quick conversation, or it could be the annoying sound going on around you. In either case, getting that reduced is a step in the right direction towards keeping your focus and maintaining productivity.
Bluetooth version
The Blueparrott S450 XT utilizes Bluetooth 4.0. By today’s standards, this is a click down from the latest Bluetooth found on headsets currently being released which are typically using Bluetooth 5.0.
You might be wondering what the key differences are between BT 54.0 and BT 5.0. Here’s an article by Dignited.com that provides 7 key differences.
Though there’s a newer version of Bluetooth available, and isn’t present in the Blueparrott S450 XT, that’s not to say that this headset isn’t adequate. In my tests, I found it to be every bit as good, if not better, than some models tested that use BT 5.0.
Weight
Weight matters when it comes to a headset. After all, this is something that’s worn for extended periods of time. The last thing you want or need is a headset that’s uncomfortable and causing pain throughout the day.
The Blueparrott S450 XT weighs 5.22 ounces. In order to put this weight into perspective, here are a couple of other double ear wireless headset weights.
Apple Airpods Max - 13.6 ounces
Orosound Tilde Pro - 9.2 ounces
As you can see, the Blueparrott S450 XT, at 5.22 ounces is on the light side. And, as noted earlier, weight does matter, so you’ll be able to wear this headset for long periods of time.
Connectivity
The Blueparrott S450 XT can connect to:
- 2 mobile phones at once
- 1 mobile phone, and one Bluetooth enabled computer
It’s nice having the ability to connect to more than one device at a time. This connectivity removes the need for unpairing, and repairing processes which can be tedious if not annoying.
While on the subject of connectivity, the Blueparrott S450 XT comes with a Micro USB cable for charging, and it also comes with a 3.5mm cable for listening to other audio sources that use a 3.5mm connection. One thing to note here is the 3.5mm connection doesn’t allow for a live microphone, just incoming audio only.
Noise Cancellation
Any headset that would be used on a business call needs to have decent sound quality, and for sure, the ability to remove unwanted background noise.
The Blueparrott S450 XT is stated to reduce background noise by up to 82% based on an analysis by an independent source.
In my video, I put the S450 XT up against some challenging noises that included dogs barking, babies crying, wind and of course our signature blender test where we place a Vitamix blender on high a mere 3 feet away.
Needless to say, that's a challenging noise to eliminate. If you’d like to hear for yourself how this headset performed during those tests, make sure to watch our video on YouTube here.
Overall, the S450 XT did a good job to remove all the noises I threw at it. I should add that not all headsets we’ve tested performed this well. As a result, I can safely say that this headset should do a good job in your environment with just about any noise you might have going on in the background.
Battery
Being that this is a wireless headset, the subject of battery life certainly is a key factor when evaluating a new headset to purchase.
In years past, batteries were only able to provide you with a talk time typically under 10 hours, with many only providing 7 or less. However, with technological advancements in battery technology, we’ve seen these numbers steadily rise over the years.
The Blueparrott S450 XT provides up to 24 hours of talk time, 500 hours (13 days) of standy, and 3 hours to recharge. Comparing these stats to other headsets in the market, shows the S450 XT to be among the models with higher lengths of talk time.
For many who use a wireless headset, forgetting to recharge the headset daily is a common thing. However, when the battery has 24 hours of talk time on a single charge, it makes forgetting to recharge a headset on a daily basis unnecessary.
Wireless Range
In most cases, people who use a wireless headset want as much wireless range as possible. There will be exceptions such as those who spend their day at their desk, but don’t want a cord to get in the way, for example. For everyone else, more is better.
The Blueparrott S450 XT delivers an impressive 300 feet of wireless range. Knowing this is a Bluetooth headset only makes that statistic all the more impressive. Bluetooth headsets, compared to DECT models, are known to provide less wireless talk range.
DECT headsets will typically provide up to 300 feet of range, plus or minus. To have a Bluetooth headset with this same rating is unusual and worth a certain amount of praise.
Though I didn’t do a wireless range test in my video, that would be something worthwhile to do in a future video. I’m always interested to see how well wireless headsets perform in comparison to the range figure found in the product data.
That said, I’m pretty confident that the S450 XT wireless range exceeds that of most other wireless headsets in this space. This means that you’ll be able to walk and talk greater distances when using the S450 XT. So, getting to the warehouse, coffee machine, or even, dare I say, the bathroom with greater ease.
Buttons
There are a few buttons found on the Blueparrott S450 XT.
- Volume up
- Volume down
- MFB - multi-function button
- Blueparrott button
- Track forward
- Track back
- Power
When you power up the headset, it not only powers up the headset, but it defaults it into pairing mode which makes it easy to be discovered by different Bluetooth devices. No complicated pairing process to follow.
The Volume buttons regulate your hearing volume, not speaking volumes.
The MFB button controls things such as answer / end calls
Blueparrott button, once Blueparrott app is downloaded, can allow for customized functions such as speed dial and walkie talkie modes.
The track buttons are located on the front, and rear of the ear speaker housing. To track forward in your music, press the forward button. To track back, press the track back button.
Warranty & price
Warranty: 2 years
Price: $179.99
The warranty at two years puts the Blueparrott S450 XT in line with other similar Bluetooth wireless headsets. Some models offer a one year warranty, while others, like the S450 XT offer two. Warranties beyond two years is uncommon, and includes models such as the Orosound Tilde Pro.
As for the $179.99 price, that too is in line with the headset, and its features. You don’t have to look far to find models that cost much more, but you will have more of a challenge to find a Bluetooth headset like this for the price. To me, this headset represents a very good value based on the price, features and warranty.
Overall impression
Overall, I’d say that the Blueparrott S450 XT is a good value for the money spent. It has longer than normal wireless range, and a more robust battery compared to a number of other wireless headsets.
The S450 XT is light enough to wear for long periods of time, and it does a very respectable job at removing unwanted background noise.
The ear cushions could be thicker and more comfortable, but the light weight helps to offset that a bit. Plus, the headband adjusts, and the ear speakers swivel to help you find the fit that’s right for you.
Being able to connect to two devices simultaneously is a plus as well. This allows you to seamlessly migrate from one device to another without the need to pair and unpair from devices. Pretty convenient really.
If you’re in the market for a reasonably priced double ear wireless headset for phone calls, podcasts, movies, music, zoom calls and more, the Blueparrott S450 XT is a model worth your time to consider.
Added bonus
