BlueAnt Q2 Headset Provides Middling Audio Quality

As Bluetooth headsets go, the BlueAnt Q2 fulfills its job as a communication aid well. But it works best when you use your voice as much as possible (instead of its buttons) to interact with it. For a hook-oriented headset, the fit feels comfortable, sturdy, and lightweight to boot. (We tested the silver-hued Q2 Platinum version, priced at $130 as of March 1, 2011.)

Hook-based headsets almost always require two hands and a certain amount of adjusting to insert, so I was pleasantly surprised at being able to place the Q2 in my ear single-handedly. You can push the hook itself in towards the headset base unit (as well as farther out); thanks to that flexibility, I arrived at a nice, tight fit. You can also pull out the hook entirely, swap the earbud cover for the stabilizing one, and wear the Q2 hook-free. The fit this way also felt comfortable and snug, even while I walked around.

The Q2 responds to the same set of commands you utter with the company’s BlueAnt S4 portable in-car speakerphone. Tap the Q2’s multifunction button at the side of the headset, and you can say “Call back” or “Redial,” for example, or “Phone commands, dial Mariana mobile 1.” When a call comes in, Q2 kindly identifies the caller, and you can say “Answer” or “Ignore.”

The volume-up and volume-down buttons deliver excellent feedback, and even though the volume-down button is minuscule–smaller than a single grain of rice–it was easy to locate and tap with the tip of my chubby finger midcall.

Generally, call quality was about average with the Q2: Callers could tell that I was on a headset. My voice often sounded muffled, but people could understand what I was saying, and they reported no distorted words. When I was standing outside in breezy conditions, the other parties could hear a bit of the wind whipping in the background. The consensus: The Q2 would be acceptable for business calls. On my end, voices sounded splotchy here and there, but that was about it.

If you like the idea of using your voice to operate your Bluetooth headset some of the time, consider spending a bit extra to buy the BlueAnt Q2.