Sennheiser MB Pro 2 UC (506045) - Dual-Sided, Dual-Connectivity, Wireless Bluetooth Headset | For Desk/Mobile Phone & Softphone/PC Connection| w/ HD Sound & Major UC Platform Compatibility (Black)

I purchased two competing Bluetooth headsets for my business, and this Sennheiser was one of them. I needed a primary unit, and a backup unit just in case (my consulting business demands very long telephone calls throughout the day). I chose Sennheiser being a long-time user of their products (forty years!) and a fan of their build and sound quality.The build quality of the MB Pro2 is excellent, just as you would expect from Sennheiser. Solidly constructed, yet light and easily worn, the MB Pro2 feels good on the head and comfortable on the ears. The headset just seems to fit naturally, a testament to Sennheisers design team. I REALLY appreciate the integrated charging stand, easily the best feature overall of this headset (keep reading). Pairing the MB Pro2 to both my Macs (running Yosemite) and my iPhone (iOS 8.1) was easy, and I was up and running in just a few minutes.In order to test the headset, I performed a Skype test call (you record for 10 seconds and Skype plays back your recording). I immediately noticed that the sound quality was good, but a little grainy (as is usual with Bluetooth headsets). Whether this is a result of the Bluetooth codec, the mic, or the earphones, I'm uncertain. But, strangely, the boom mic just didn't pick up my voice to the extent that I was expecting -- it sounded dim and slightly distant, even though the mic is literally 2 cm from my mouth. I adjusted the headset volume to its highest level, but no joy -- still the same dim and distant presence. I was able to compensate by talking a little louder, but my voice level is noticeably unnatural at that volume and it seems like I'm being verbally assertive. After about a half-hour of testing, including disconnecting and reconnecting via Bluetooth (to see how robust the connection capability is), I felt that I understood the headset and was ready to use it.To contrast, my other headset is a BlueParrott B350-XT in a very similar configuration, but with only one earpiece (and, sadly, no integrated charging stand). The BlueParrott is solidly constructed and feels good on the head, but -- in my limited subjective testing -- has better sound quality, and at a better recorded volume than the Sennheiser. I wasn't expecting this at all. I don't have to elevate my voice with the BlueParrott, and the sounds is slightly less grainy (more "fluid"?) than the Sennheiser.So, the bottom line is this: the Sennheiser MB Pro2 XL is a very good headset, with good quality sound and excellent design features (especially the integrated charging stand) and the welcome stereo ear cans; it is a core part of my daily work life and workflow. However, if I had to do it all over again, I'd probably elect to simply get a second BlueParrott B350-XL as a backup headset as the sound quality is subjectively better, even though it doesn't come with the nifty integrated charging stand and has only one earpiece.*** One-week Update ***Long story made short, I discovered that my headset was operating on a very old release of firmware (1.0.x). I was able to determine how to update the firmware from the Sennheiser site, and was able to get the firmware up to the current 1.1.x level. Both the questionable quality audio (slight raspiness) and the poor voice pickup on the mic are now history and calls are very clean in both directions. Now, the only complaint I have is that one of the headset ear cups rests on the base of the stand when the headset is mounted on its charging station. This may actually be an intentional design feature that stabilizes the headphones while being charged. My only concern is that the matte surface on the headphones may wear down over time by regularly scuffing the base of the stand. Not a big deal, but something to note.This is now my primary headset and it now works flawlessly. I've relegated the BlueParrott to my computer bag for travel. I'm raising my rating to a full five stars. I'm absolutely thrilled with this purchase.Note that the Sennheiser updater is a Windows-based program, so you'll need access to a Windows machine (such as a family member's or friend's system) or operating system instance (such as a Windows 7 virtual machine running on your Mac) in order to perform the update. Once the update procedure is complete, you'll be able to continue using your headset on your Mac, iPhone, etc. The updater is NOT required in order to use the headset on a Mac, iPhone, etc.*** Five-month Update ***This headset is absolutely rock-solid and performs flawlessly. I use this thing for 5-8 hours per day on a daily basis, and, frankly, couldn't imagine working without it. Absolutely no complaints at this point. It's comfortable and wears well. It is well designed and everything is "in its place". The boom is the perfect length and stays just out of the way. The headset has just the correct weight (not too heavy, not too light), and it has that intangible "feeling of quality". It behaves well via Bluetooth signaling (i.e. informs my iPhone that it has been picked up off the stand which then answers the call, etc.) Sound quality remains superb, and people tell me that my voice is crystal clear on the other end. The charging stand is a God-send and keeps the headset constantly charged without me having to think about it. This has been a fantastic purchase and one that I would do again in a heartbeat. I wish all products were as well developed and integrated as these 'phones. Reiterate: 5-stars. (P.S. And, no, I have no affiliation with Sennheiser whatsoever, other than the many decades that I've been a customer of theirs).

The input sound is great, people hear me very clearly in the other end, and the noise cancellation is great.For the output, the sound is OK and seems a little muffled and not too loud but it's clear though. If you are listening for a speech (e.g. a movie) the voice is very clear.The room experience feature is nice, it really makes hearing less stressful and the best of it is that it makes you listen to your own voice to some extent in a way that you are aware of your voice level.The headset is pretty light and it's very small that i forget i'm wearing it for hours, I was looking for something light and small as big earpads on other headphones cause me troubles and uncomfortable.When wearing them i can hear voices around me but when listening to music it blocks sounds nicely.The build quality is premium and very elegant.The battery life is as advertised and the bluetooth range works great, connection works seamlessly and very stable, it automatically reconnects when in range.The dongle does not seem to work on linux (Fedora 28), I'm using an external dongle on my PC (Plugable Bluetooth Adapter) and it works fine. Works well with MacBook Pro 2017 too.If you are using this in PC and on a voice call it will automatically switch from A2DP High Fidelity Playback Profile to Headset Profile and degrade the output sound, but this is expected and that is a limitation of the bluetooth standard at the moment and not an issue with the headset itself. If you are on a voice call you shouldn't be listening to music anyways. The voice will still be clear as if you are on the phone.If you are buying this for gaming with voice i recommend you either get a separate microphone or look for a wireless (not bluetooth) headset or get a wired one.Overall, i'm very pleased with the headset and would certainly recommend.UPDATE: I tried the BTD 800 dongle again, it turns out that it works on linux just fine, it's detectable as an audio device.