Plantronics M2500

Once you slip on this top-performing and comfortable headset, the thick working section gets hidden behind the ear. The result is you look less like a cyborg while seemingly chatting to yourself.

Best of all, this lightweight (.8-ounce) and flexible Bluetooth 1.2-compatible headset delivers consistently clear sound, the best we've heard. Voices sound clean and natural with plenty of volume, with only intermittent distortion or static.

The earpiece sits at the tip of the ear canal instead of painfully inside, and the mic stem stretches halfway down the cheek to ensure your subtlest utterances are heard. Double-clicking the call button initiates last-number redialing, a useful convenience. We got just about the rated 5 hours talk time and 5 days of standby from a single charge.

Operation of the control buttons is somewhat awkward. The call answer/end button on the tip of the mic gives little tactile feedback, and the multifunction volume/power toggle at the top of the earpiece requires firm, often uncomfortable, pressure to activate.