For a number of years now it has been possible to use a Bluetooth Headset with your phone and more recently we’ve seen the introduction of Bluetooth Headphones and Stereo Bluetooth headsets that allow us to listen to music and make calls on our phone without the need for wires, but what if we want the same amount of freedom when using other devices such as PC’s Stereos and TV’s?
The way that Bluetooth has been advertised is that it’s only for mobile phones – but this really isn’t the case. With more and more of us making calls using VOIP services such as Skype, the need for a wireless headets that you can use with your PC is just as strong as it is to have one for your phone. What you may not realise, is that the equipment you need for your PC, is in most cases, exactly the same as you need for your phone.
Will My Headset Work?
Apologies if this gets a bit technical, but there are a couple of things that you will need to check before you buy a new headset. All Bluetooth devices use ‘Bluetooth Profiles’ to talk to each other and it is important that both devices support the same profiles in order for them to work. The profiles supported by a particular headset will normally be listed in the product description and in the user manual.
For making standard voice calls, you will need a mono headset. These use the HSP (Headset Profile) and/or HFP (Hands Free Profile) in order to communicate.
- HSP is the most commonly used profile and provides support for voice and mono music on Mobile Phones. Headsets that only support HSP are basic and are less likely to work with a computer.
- HFP is a more advanced version of the Headset Profile, and can communicate with a greater range of Bluetooth Devices. Headsets with the HFP profile will support Voice Dialing, Last Number Redial, Call Transfer and Answer/End.
If you also want to listen to your music in stereo you will need to purchase a headset that supports A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile). If you want to be able to control your music playback, your headset will also need to support AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile). You will need to make sure the device you’re connecting to also supports the A2DP and ARVCP, if it doesn’t you’ll only be able to make standard voice calls and listen to music in mono.
- A2DP allows the headset to receive an audio stream from devices such as PC’s, MP3 players, TV’s & mobile phones.
- AVRCP allows the headset to control the source of any audio/video playback. The headsets normally have Play/Pause, Fast Forward & Rewind buttons. This profile is normally only present on A2DP supported devices.
If you want to find out more about Bluetooth, we have put together a guide that explains more about Bluetooth and the different Bluetooth Profiles
Bluetooth Headsets & Computers
As long as your PC is Bluetooth enabled, all you need to do is pair your headset to your PC, and then tell your PC to use this headset as the microphone and speakers. If your PC isn’t Bluetooth enabled, then all you need to do is buy yourself a Bluetooth Dongle (these normally cost between £7 – £15). Once installed, this Bluetooth Dongle will allow your PC to communicate with other Bluetooth devices.
The settings for this do vary slightly depending on the configuration of your PC and the program that you’re using. If you’re setting your headset up to work with Skype, I’ve put a guide together on How to use your Bluetooth Headset with Skype.
Bluetooth Headsets with TV’s and Stereos
Currently there aren’t that many Bluetooth enabled TV’s and Stereos, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use a Bluetooth headset with them. You can make any TV or Stereo work with Bluetooth Headsets bu purchasing a Bluetooth Adapter that will plug into the headphone socket on your TV or Stereo and then stream the audio to a Bluetooth Headset. For the best sound quality I’d recommend using Bluetooth Headphones or a Stereo Bluetooth Headset rather than a mono headset.
Bluetooth Headsets with Multiple Devices
If you’re anything like me, you’re not going to want to have a different headset for each device in your home, so it’s worth looking for one that is Multipoint. As well as being able to pair with multiple devices, Multipoint headsets can be connected to 2 devices at the same time – great if you want to listen to the music off your PC and be able to answer calls on your mobile without having to change headset.
Choosing a Headset
To help you decide on a headset that works with your PC, I’ve put together a Top Ten headsets list. Five are standard Bluetooth Headsets for calling, and five are Stereo Headsets/Bluetooth Headphones that you can use for calling and listening to music.
thanx….
nice expaination…..
It will work, but only if the relevant drivers are installed – there are a couple of different sets available, some support a2dp, some don’t.
you may also need to change the sound settings in the control panel to tell your pc to use bluetooth audio as the default output..
sorry, my mistake.. is HBH-DS220. Hope this page still works..
I got HBD-DS220 headset. Now i wanna stream music from my pc with window xp to my headset. I have just bought a bluetooth donggle which support A2DP, but somehow i dunno how to make it work even i have the headset paired with my pc.. it’s on my device list.. how to make them work? Please help~~~
A2DP is a software feature for dongles, which is why it won’t be listed. Once you’ve installed the drivers, you’ll be able to connect a2dp devices. from what you’ve told me, you don’t need a2dp anyway as your headset supports HSP and HFS.
If you want a dongle that will work, go for the nano dongle.
Thanks for helping me with the version part and my another doubt is do all normal bluetooth dongles support A2DP coz i read somewhere that they don’t and that there are specific dongles which support A2DP…i am not able to find any dongle which specifies a2dp support
You’re getting Bluetooth Profiles and Bluetooth versions mixed up. To avoid any confusion – ignore the V2.0 for now – it doesn’t really make much of a difference, its the profiles that do.
Pretty much all Dongles will do the job that you need and support the HSP, HSF, A2DP and AVRCP profiles. (See above for what each one does)
Andy
I already have a headset SE HBH-DS220 in which I can plug in any headphone and it supports A2DP…. my PC doesn’t have bluetooth so i have to buy a bluetooth Dongle…but i am able to find only dongles which say they are bluetooth version-2,none of them specifies about A2DP suppport…So if i use these ver.2 dongles will i be getting the audio in only one earpiece???
Thank You in adavance
Hi,
A2DP doesn’t refer to the microphone. If you only want to talk and hear in one ear then a standard mono bluetooth headset will be fine. You will only need A2DP if you want to stream music in stereo from your PC to the headset.
thx for the reply…i am going to be using with a PC and will only be using it for skype,Gtalk etc..so is it necessary to have a dongle which supports A2DP for using the mic in the device
If your PC has bluetooth already, then you shouldn’t need a bluetooth dongle. You’ll need to make sure your bluetooth on the PC can support A2DP only if you want to stream music from your PC to your DS220.
i plan to use my Sony ericsson Ds220 with my desktop…is it required that i should also have a bluetooth dongle which supports A2DP for using the headset for voice chat???