Do you want the best headset? 
Most of us at one time or another, have personally known, or at least indirectly known a couple of twins. And though twins are a bit uncommon, they’re far from rare.
Redirecting this thought into the tech space, and in particular, to the headset space, is there such a thing as a headset twin? Up until now, I would have said no, but as I compare the two headsets in this blog, I have to say that we’re getting a lot closer.
Jabra Talk vs M300-XT Comparison Video
Design & Appearance
When you place both of these headsets on a desk side by side, it’s hard to tell the difference between them. Clearly, they’re both crafted from the
same basic mold and their color, button locations and overall look are all the same. But you know, their similarities go far beyond their near identical appearance because many, if not most, of the specifications track the same as well, which I’ll be getting into.
Weight
The weight of an on-ear headset is always an important factor simply due to the fact that the device is worn on the ear. And because of that, the lighter the headset is, the better.
In another example of how these two headsets share things in common, both of these headsets weigh exactly the same at 0.7 ounces. By headset standards, this is regarded as light, so you can expect both of these headsets to be comfortable when wearing them, even for long periods of time.
How much wireless range do these headsets offer?
Here’s one of the many features that are the same between these two headsets.
The Jabra Talk 65 is rated to give you up to 300 feet of wireless range. Likewise, the BlueParrott M300 XT is designed to give you this same wireless range.
Most Bluetooth headsets give you wireless range of up to 100 feet (or 30 meters). That’s typical. But, with both of these models, you get three times that range which honestly makes them comparable in wireless range to many DECT headsets. That’s pretty impressive considering that these are Bluetooth headsets. And anyone who uses a wireless headset will typically say that more is better. After all, having more wireless range gives you a larger footprint to move wirelessly within.
Ok, the wireless range is the same, but what about battery life?
I’m sticking with my identical twins theme by saying that both of these headsets pump out up to 14 hours of battery life.
You really need to keep in mind how small both of these headsets are to appreciate squeezing a battery stout enough to deliver 14 hours of talk time, into such a small space. Bluetooth earpiece headsets seldom, if ever, offer this much talk time.
Take the Poly Voyager 5200 for example. The battery in that headset pushes out 7 hours of talk time, which is about what you’d expect to get out of an on-ear Bluetooth headset.
Then again, the Voyager 5200 is a bit dated compared to the models being discussed in this blog. Still, you’ve got to give credit where credit is due, and these two headsets deserve the recognition, and applause.
What kind of microphone does the Talk 65 and BlueParrott M300-XT have?
The headset twins are still dancing together. Both of them use two noise canceling microphones, and both of them state noise reduction at 80%. It seems I’m hearing this recurring echo.
The type and quality of the microphone used in any headset determines the degree of voice audio quality, and background noise reduction you’ll get. Some headsets sound great, while others, well, not so great. Some do a good job at removing noise, and when doing so, keeps you sounding loud and clear. The same can’t be said for all headsets across the headset spectrum.
So how did the Jabra Talk 65, and the BlueParrott M300-XT do in our rigorous microphone sound tests? Before I answer that question, I think it’s important for you to know what we do to test sound quality and noise reduction.
- We talk through the microphone in a quiet room, and record it. This allows us to evaluate the tonal quality of the headset, the volume and the clarity of speech.
- We then repeat the test only this time, we introduce loud background noises that include; Office noise, dogs barking, and of course, our signature Vitamix blender test.
This allows us to evaluate two things;
- How much background noise it reduces
- And secondly, how well the voice audio quality is maintained when the microphone is working to reduce that noise.
After putting both of these headsets through the series of tests, they both performed quite well. Both removed a high amount of background noise, but to me, the Jabra Talk 65 maintained the voice quality better when the
noise was present. It also sounded a little better in terms of voice audio quality as well. I can’t go so far as to say that it sounded significantly better, better, but to my ears, the Talk 65 performed better overall.
Keep in mind that sound quality is a very subjective thing, because what sounds good to me, might not sound good to you. So, decide for yourself when it comes to determining which has the better sound quality, if in fact, either one does have a sound advantage over the other.
Buttons
Even the buttons on these headsets are the same, with the exception of the M300-XT having a customizable BlueParrott button to program your most used functions. Otherwise they’re the same with these buttons:
- On/off
- Volume up
- Volume down
- Mute on/ mut off
- Answer/End
These buttons are easily accessible, and easy to locate, which is convenient for everyday use.
One thing that the BlueParrott M300-XT has that you won’t find on the Jabra Talk 65, is a PTT, or push to talk feature. Press a button and you can speak directly with colleagues without the need to access them manually through your phone.
Software downloads
Unlike many Bluetooth headsets that can operate with downloadable software, the Jabra Talk 65 isn’t currently compatible with the Jabra Sound+ software. The BlueParrott M300-XT, on the other hand, can be used with the BlueParrott App.
Typically software like this allows you to update the headset firmware, make adjustments to audio settings, and many other customization features. So at this time it would seem that the BlueParrott has the advantage over the Jabra Talk 65 in software compatibility.
Connectivity, Price & Warranty
Both of these Bluetooth headsets have the ability to connect to 8 devices, and to 2 simultaneously.
The Talk 65, and BlueParrott M300-XT both connect to computers and mobile devices in the same way; via wireless Bluetooth connectivity. Neither of these headsets come with a USB Adapter, which isn’t ideal, but you don’t pay a lot for either of them, so it does make sense that a USB Adapter isn’t part of what you get.
And speaking of how much they cost, the twins cost the same at $99.99, and both carry the same warranty too at 1-year. Although I have also seen a 2-year warranty stated in some Jabra material in addition to the 1-year. So, I’m not 100% sure which is accurate, but if the Talk 65 is like most Bluetooth headsets, it likely comes with a 1-year warranty.
One additional thing that these two headsets share in common includes their IP54 dust and water resistance rating. No waterproof rating here, but for how most of us would use a Bluetooth headset, the rating that both of these headsets come with should be very adequate.
So which one gets the nod?
Well, given that both of these headsets are practically mirror images of one another, it’s really hard to pick one. With the BlueParrott M300-XT having
the customizable BlueParrott button, Push To Talk (PTT), and interoperability with downloadable software, the choice could easily be swayed in that direction. However, if you’re picky about sound quality, and noise reduction, you might end up leaning towards the Jabra Talk 65 because in my view, it was a tad better in both categories over the BlueParrott.
Clearly, either one you might decide on would be a good, and safe bet. Both of these headsets are high quality, sound good, reduce unwanted noise well, have lots of talk time, and a ton of wireless range. From there, you’ll need to start splitting hairs because overall, these are twin headsets that are hard to differentiate.
Discount anyone?
Most people I know really like getting discounts, and if you’re like them, then you probably do too.
Well, here’s a nice discount for you if you purchase one of these Bluetooth headsets on Headset Advisor.
Just mention coupon code BLOG when checking out to score a tasty discount on your order. So when you get to the checkout point in your ordering, make sure you mention coupon code BLOG.
