VXi BlueParrott B450-XT Bluetooth Headset Review

If you are like me and have spent years testing various Bluetooth headsets only to find either issues with the sound quality, mic quality or simply the battery life, then I have a good news.  The VXi BlueParrott B450-XT is by far the best Bluetooth headset for mobile devices that I have ever used.  It blew away everything I had used previously and I am going to list you the pros and cons while showcasing the product so that you can decide if it is the right decision for you.

First, let’s start with the Unboxing of the VXi BlueParrott B450-XT

What’s in the Box

• VXi Bluetooth Headset
• User manual
• Bonus Microphone Foam Cushions
• Micro-USB charging cable Compatible Devices

Mechanical Specifications

Headset Weight
5.22 oz.
Wearing Style
Over-the-head
Mic Boom
Flexible boom

Electrical Specifications

Bluetooth Core Specifications
Class 1, Version 4.0
HFP 1.6, HSP 1.2, A2DP
Range
Up to 300 feet*
NFC Pairing
Internal NFC (Near Field Communications)
Talk Time
24+ hours
Standby Time
500 hours (20 days)
Charging Interface
Micro-USB

Receiver Specifications

Speaker
36 mm receiver
SPL
123 dB ± 3 dB at 1 mW
Impedance
32 Ω ± 15% @ 1 kHz
Frequency Response
20 Hz to 20 kHz

Microphone Specifications

Microphone
6 mm bi-directional noise canceling
Ambient Noise Suppression
96%
Frequency Response
100 Hz to 10 kHz

Packaging Dimensions

Dimensions
9″ H x 6.875″ W x 2.625″ D
(22.86 cm H x 17.46 cm W x 6.68 cm D)
Weight
12.13 oz. (343.88 g)

You will notice that this headset has a very large ear cup that is almost as large as a headphone ear cup.  This serves to completely cover your ear and provides excellent noise dampening as well as provides excellent clarity with the volume control being very adjustable and having the ability to reach a louder volume than any other Bluetooth headset.  This is the only Bluetooth headset that I have used where it physically hurt my ear to listen to conference calls if I had both the VXi BlueParrott B450-XT and the iPhone volume set to max, I had to have one or the other reduce some volume to avoid it being too loud and I can’t say that about any other headset.

What you want to do right away after getting your VXi BlueParrott headset is to install the mobile app BlueParrott Push to Talk because this app allows you to do a variety of things like take voice memos, configure the multi-function button on the headset (a must), and put your headset into walkie talkie mode.

For me the most valuable function to set the round MFC button to was to make it act as the mute button, this way a quick tab of that large circle button and I can mute or unmute during calls on the road. The mute function is fast, and you get a series of intermittent beeps to let you know when you are on mute and unlike other Bluetooth headsets I have reviewed the beeps themselves don’t cut out the speaking callers which is fantastic.

I have used this headset for hours multiple days in a row and it can do at least 10 hours of talk time between charges, it charges fast and you can even have it charging while in use which makes it even more of an asset to have in your car and have it plugged into a portable car charger.  It charges via standard Micro-USB and any charging station will do, see my cluttered charging station below for an example.

BlueParrott VXi B450-XT charging on my shelf

 

Here is my final video review of the VXi BlueParrott B450-XT

Now in the video reviews you don’t hear the mic from the BlueParrott itself, so I used Skype to call myself and record my own conversation so that you can hear the actual mic test, though I am using Skype on the PC with normal phone call receiving and Camtasia Studio to record the mic audio from screen recording.  So the clarity isn’t as good as it really sounds on conference calls but you can tell how loud the volume of the mic on the VXi BlueParrott B450-XT is and there was 0 boost to mic at all or manipulation of the audio file except to convert it from wav to mp3.

The Normal Voice Recorder App on the iPhone for some reason doesn’t work as well with the VXi BlueParrott microphone sound much less clear and more muddled.

Below is now an audio recording with the BlueParrott Voice Memo App which is much clearer than the default iOS Voice Memo app, the only annoying thing about the BlueParrott Voice Memo app is you have to hold the recording button down while recording, the moment you let it go it finishes the recording and finalizes it.  So this doesn’t work if you want to just leave it running and have both hands free.

So my callers say that I am crystal clear and that this headset sounds better than every other headset I have used on my iPhone plus better than the Plantronics CS55 which I use as my primary desk phone as well.  I was very impressed and the audio quality and sound were excellent, but the noise cancellation was also great.  I could ride in my car for hours or go for a walk with traffic in the street around me and the headset with the wind sock on the mic does a good job of filtering background noise and wind to keep your voice clear even when it is a little windy and there is background sound.

So in short, here is the breakdown:

VXi BlueParrott B450-XT Pros

• Long Battery Life 10+ hours of live call time
• Re-charging while talking on phone
• Customizable Function Button
• Comfortable Ear Cup
• Great Mic and Noise Cancellation
• Can pair with 2 devices at same time and it auto answers whichever device rings first.

VXi BlueParrott B450-XT Cons

• Large headset and headband for those who don’t like large earcup and headband (Bulky)
• Voice Memo app not great
• Expensive

I would tell you that if you have the budget at $149 dollars on Amazon the VXi BlueParrott B450-XT is well worth it, it was better than the nearest $90 Bluetooth headset I tried by far.  But it is quite expensive, and if you don’t need to use a mobile headset many hours a day while driving you may not thing the expense is worth it. This is a road warrior’s headset or for those who don’t want to use a landline headset and want to do all of their conference calls and phone calls from their mobile phone all day.  I literally used this VXi BlueParrott Headset for an entire work day with 14 calls lasting a total of 9 1/2 hours total talk time and loved it.  This is the best bluetooth headset for truckers, drivers and those who need to talk for long periods of time on calls.