At this time, the most common is to see users use stereo in-ear headphones when traveling, either to listen to music, or to take a call or keep in touch with their family.
However, there are a large number of professionals in which another set of aspects prevail that goes beyond the quality with which you listen to music, see the delivery guy who needs to be in constant communication during his working day. job.
Thinking about this large sector, we received to test the M300-XT headphones recently presented by BlueParrott (a company belonging to the GN Audio group) which includes other very prestigious brands such as Jabra.
Quality design and construction
The design of the headset maintains the traditional hands-free line that has performed so well for years, with a rear section where the battery and the main control button reside, in addition to the adjustable arm where the microphones reside.
The unit is extremely light, barely 20 grams, considering that you can wear it during a working day without being uncomfortable to use. The package includes three rubber tips in size S, M and L to better fit your ear.
The M300-XT rests on the ear to provide some fixation against unforeseen movements. From the factory it comes to be used in the right ear, but thanks to the elastic material with which it is made, a simple turn of the microphone allows us to use it with the left ear.
The strategic location of the Parrott button stands out, with which we can initially mute the microphone during conversations. However, as we will see later, it is possible to customize its function through the mobile application.
In the lower part of the base we have the USB type C connector with which we can charge the battery of the M300-XT. A flat cable compatible with USB A to USB C connectors is included with purchase, but no AC adapter.
The packaging of the M300-XT is done with the environment in mind, so start-up instructions are silk-screened on the carton itself constructed from durable materials. There is also a quick guide in several languages, including Spanish.
To finish off with the design, let’s say the M300-XT is IP64 rated, which means it’s waterproof if you’re exposed to rain while traveling, or are in construction or construction areas with heavy exposure to dust.
The location of the USB C connector is also strategic in case you are exposed to heavy rain. Being at the bottom of the helmet, this will prevent the passage of water. The keyboards have rubber finishes to ensure durability and waterproofness.
Synchronization and commissioning
The synchronization process is simple, since you only need to press the power button for 2 seconds to put it in synchronization mode and select it on the screen of your mobile, tablet or computer. If your devices support Bluetooth 5.0, you can pair the M300-XT with two devices at the same time.
This is particularly interesting if it turns out that you usually work with a personal mobile and one associated with your work. You will be able to answer calls from both sides indistinctly, as the BlueParrott headset supports this option.
When it comes to the parcel and delivery sector, the technical sheet of the headset guarantees a wireless range of up to 100 meters, which gives some freedom when delivering packages and not worrying about leaving your phone laptop in the vehicle. You will continue to have coverage.
In our typical tests, moving on a 90m2 floor, we found that where other headsets start to fail or slightly lose communication due to the presence of partitions or walls, the M300-XT remains firm without losing signal.
BlueParrott has equipped the M300-XT with a dual microphone to improve voice quality in calls, canceling up to 80% ambient noise in noisy situations to ensure the best quality of phonemes between 4000 and 4000.8000 Hz .
Ease of use and sound quality
The operation of the headset is the most intuitive. The three buttons on the back are responsible for addressing priority functions such as increasing and decreasing the volume or switching on the headset.
Their particular design allows us to recognize them by touch, so that the one associated with on / off differs from the others to avoid confusion. It is also the button with which we accept the entry of a call, end it or access the mobile voice assistant.
Many actions are associated with a voice message, which greatly facilitates the handling of the headset, knowing whether when you turn it on it has been connected to your mobile or not. Visually, you can also see missed calls or low battery.
In addition, the customizable Parrot button, on which the brand’s bird appears silkscreened, not only allows you to mute the microphone, but it is also possible to configure speed dialing or push-to-talk as a walkie-talkie. with MS Teams.
The BlueParrott mobile app, available for both ios What Android, allows us to achieve some customization in the function of the button of the headset, but it must be said that it can be improved.
From there we can perform the firmware update or consult the instruction manual if we forget any aspect of its use, but it has menus with words mixed in English and Spanish, which gives us a idea of room for improvement.
Autonomy
The M300-XT guarantees up to 14 hours of talk time under normal conditions before needing to recharge its battery. Translated into real life, it ensures that you can tackle a full day’s work without the need to recharge.
This includes using it to answer a multitude of calls, listen to music or a podcast on time while driving, or even receive directions from your GPS while you follow the route and delivery map.
The headset’s charging times are within the average of these products, processing values according to our tests of 2 hours and 20 minutes to reach one hundred percent charge of its lithium-ion battery.
As it seems logical, these times depend to a large extent on the type of AC adapter you are using for charging. Since the headset rarely fully discharges, it’s likely that with an hour of daily charging you will end up in a 90-100% daily charge range.
Pricing and availability
the BlueParrott M300-XT It is already on sale at the suggested price of 99 $. We see that there are many solutions of this type on the market, some much cheaper, but without guaranteeing such extended autonomy, or protection with an IP54 index.
Verdict
The profile of the new BlueParrott M300-XT helmet is very much geared towards specific industries such as drivers, couriers, delivery people and carriers, with people constantly on the move and exposed to adverse weather conditions.
You will likely find other solutions with noise cancellation or other additional features on the market, but these on-ear headphones do their job very well in the environments for which they were designed.
We miss the option of attaching a carrying case or bag, a USB dongle that can be connected to an old PC without Bluetooth, or even the AC adapter to charge it.
These are minor woes for the M300-XT, however, in a world where everyone has such a charger and most devices already support even the latest Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity mode.
specifications
- 10.3mm speaker size
- Maximum power of 5 mW
- Frequency range from 20 Hz to 20 KHz
- 80% noise cancellation
- 2 MEMS type microphones
- Ambidextrous design
- 4 control buttons. A customizable
- Up to 14 hours of talk time
- USB-C connector for charging
- Wireless range up to 100 m
- IP54 rated protection against dust and water
- 20 gram weight
.
Table of Contents
