Jabra BT3030 Bluetooth Stereo Headset

Pros: Good to great stereo sound. Good battery life. Use with any headphones!!! Very affordable.

Cons: Volume about 2 clicks from perfect. Otherwise perfect.

Summary: I currently own many stereo bluetooth headsets and have reviewed most of them here on CNET. The Jabra BT3030 is my favorite all-around to date. So much so that I've purchased a total of 3 BT3030's! (That's saying alot as I own some of the best--Altec Lansing Backbeat 906, Jaybird JB200, Plantronics 855.) What makes BT3030 so good?
- Price: $30-$40 new online.
- Sound Quality: Good to very good.
- Battery Life: 7-12 hrs of music.
- Functionality: Super functional.

The only negative is a minor one, and that is some of my lower volume mp3's aren't as loud as I'd like. So, occasionally, I wish I could bump up the volume 1 to 2 notches... not a big deal.

To keep this review short, let me just say that overall the BT3030 beats the competition hands down. I still own but no longer use my other more expensive stereo bluetooth headsets.

I've paired my BT3030 with Shure SE210 headphones and together they sound fantastic! They appear as if they were made for each other as the Shure's cable length is short (all Shure headphones come with super short cables, and include longer cable extensions that are unnecessary with the BT3030) and similar in length to to Jabra headphones that come with the device. Functionality is second to none. The unit clips on my t-shirt collar under any dress shirt, hidden from view but where the mic works perfectly. During business use I put in only 1 earbud which makes it less noticeable than any standard bluetooth headset. After work at the gym I pop in the other earbud and I've got fantastic stereo sound!

At $40 bucks each, I've got several and I NEVER EVER run out of battery! So small extras are easy to carry in a pocket.

Some of the negative comments about the microphone are lost on me. I'm very picky about performance and I've yet to have anything but compliments on the call quality from the listeners on the other end of a call.

All things considered, pair the BT3030 with quality earbuds and there is no competition for the money in stereo bluetooth headsets. Not only that but the geek factor is nonexistent as these look like a standard earbud(s) vs. others that look like Frankenstien bolts or worse, ear muffs! Most of the time people don't know I've got a bluetooth phone connection, let alone a stereo music connection! There are many stereo bluetooth devices but none surpass the value, functionality and performance of the Jabra BT3030.