We like many of you have a whole drawer of dead Bluetooth headsets gathering dust never to see the light of day again. the reasons for each of their demise fall into a limited set of categories from fit, battery life through to the biggest failing, the ones that simply didn't work. Surprisingly a large number of headsets fail to work in a noisy environment as they cannot differentiate between background noise and your voice.

This is the main point  that Qstik claim to have solved using ex military technology and a system more likely to be seen adorning the ears of call centre workers than reps snaking their way up the M6. This technology is a combination of noise cancellation, management of echo and also volume levelling software.

In the flesh the EVOQ is a strange sight with a disk like shape exposed to anyone looking at the wearer and a more traditional earpiece and hanger arrangement to help you hear and stay comfortable. Comments in the office were not kind to the Qstik headset as a number of our colleagues were quick to point out that we looked like someone from a Sci Fi series none of us could remember the name to or possibly like those humans who got taken over in the last series of Dr Who.

In practice the rather large looking EVOQ headset is not that heavy or cumbersome, it sits nicely on the ear and survived a good shake of the head. LP set off up the M1 with the EVOQ attached to his bonce and we sat back in the comfort of the office ready for a typically unscientific test in car number one. This was a Nissan 350Z which by all accounts is a raucous car and this was apparent with the first call on a wired headset (no illegal hand held use for LP), there was road noise and background hum which made it tricky to hear him. Then call number 2 using the Qstik unit and although LP sounded a little more distant (the EVOQ does not have a boom mike) it was much clearer and a constant level minus the background rumble and whoosh sounds of traffic.

So a result for the Qstik over a wired headset, next a BMW Z4M and a Nokia headset. Again some motorway driving at around 70mph and the call came in from the Nokia headset, while we could hear LP everything was a bit garbled and as he passed heavy traffic the background noise rose and wiped him out. Swap to the EVOQ and again the overall level was down on the Nokia but voice quality was much clearer and even without the peaks and troughs of the Nokia headset which made it easier to listen to.

Qstik also supplied our review EVOQ with a Bluetooth dongle which enables the unit to work with a laptop running a VOIP client. While there was no software like Skype Headset to fully integrate the call functions it is possible to transfer the audio to the headset from the Skype client and get an effective 10 meter range. Again call quality was good and the echo we found during test calls was more to do with Skype than the headset itself.

Another feature we were able to test is the support for A2DP which is the Bluetooth music protocol capable to of transmitting stereo audio via BT. Given that there is only one EVOQ earphone the stereo aspect is a bit mute here but as with the other features of the unit it worked first time and provided a high quality sound for a Bluetooth link. Many mobile phones are being launched with this feature enabled so it is good to look for a headset that supports A2DP.

The Qstik package includes the headset, spare ear hangers and surrounds and also a rather solid charging stand which goes together using magnetic parts, this makes it very easy to slide in the headset for a quick charge. We found this was perfect to leave sat on your desk at work so that you always remember to top up the battery. Priced at £60 Qstik have managed to offer a great deal for your cash, all the talk of ex military technology and echo cancellation may sound good but what we care about is a reliable good quality headset. What our road tests proved is that the technology delivers a better quality of call and makes it much easier for you to be heard above engine noise and road rumble. Plus being A2DP ready and VOIP compatible gives you a few other uses.

Published - 19/03/2007

More Bluetooth headset Reviews

[ Up ] [ Bluetooth Headset Reviews ] [ Jabra BT300 ] [ Motorola HS850 ] [ Motorola H500 ] [ Bluespoon AX ] [ Jabra BT500 ] [ Nokia HS-4W Bluetooth Headset ] [ Bluetake BT400 G5 ] [ Belkin Bluetooth Headset ] [ Bluetrek G2 Headset ] [ Motorola HS820 ] [ Sony Ericsson HBH-300 ] [ Logitech Bluetooth Headset ] [ nXzen Gennum 5500 ] [ Sony Ericsson HBH-GV435 ] [ LG Prada Bluetooth Headset ] [ Motorola H9 Review ] [ Qstick EVOQ ] [ Jabra BT330 Review ] [ Nokia BH-800 Review ] [ Jabra SP100 Speakerphone ] [ Jabra BT250V ] [ Jabra Bluetooth Headset BT200 ] [ Plantronics Bluetooth Headset M3000 ] [ Nextlink BlueSpoon Bluetooth Headset ] [ Sony Ericsson HBH-200 ] [ Nokia HS-11W ] [ HBH-600 Bluetooth Headset ] [ Jabra BT800 ]