Review: BlueTrek METAL Bluetooth Headset 4

Few headsets feature the allure of quality materials, but the BlueTrek METAL bluetooth headset is such a device. A metal headset is a rarity, and even then you’d expect such a headset to come with bulk or mass. The BlueTrek METAL is indeed a metal bluetooth headset, with a matte finish metal casing. However, this headset is also very much very thin, about two inches long, half an inch tall, and a touch over an eighth of an inch thick. The BlueTrek METAL is small, but is it any good? In short, yes and no.

Voice Quality

As I’ve said time and time again in my bluetooth headset reviews, the most important measure of any headset is its voice quality. While some headsets attempt to deliver fancy noise isolation techniques, the BlueTrek METAL dispenses with such fanciful notions and delivers your voice unaltered to the other end of the conversation. The result is that it lacks the subtle digitization that other headsets can impart of your voice, but at the same time does nothing to cut out background noise (and as such does not perform well in noisy environments like sidewalks or factories).

Incoming voices were clear enough, though tended to waiver in an out of a muddied state. Outgoing voice quality is acceptable, though not quite as good as that straight through the Pre. The most obvious reason is that the microphone is further away from your mouth. But there’s another problem, and that’s one of the headset’s physical design. As you can see in the picture below, the earbud stem is angled toward the front end of the headset. The microphone is located on the inner face, and when inserted how it naturally fits, it gets pushed up against your face. BlueTrek apparently realized this problem too late and included a small sheet instructing you to put the headset it such that it hovers off of your cheek. This produces a slightly clearer sound, but unfortunately is neither a comfortable nor stable positioning.

Controls

The BlueTrek METAL has three unmarked buttons on the back edge. Arranged top to bottom, they are volume up, power/call, and volume down. That’s if you’re wearing it on the right side of your head, the volume buttons are reversed if worn on the left. This wouldn’t be a huge problem if there were any sort of tactile markings on either button, or at least different audible tones for volume up or down, but that is not the case. Once you figure out which buttons are which they work exactly as you would expect; there’s nothing special in this department. Disappointingly, the plastic buttons wiggle and creak with barely a touch, this is especially evident when you try to push a button and the headset creaks into your ear.

Comfort

If you put on the BlueTrek METAL without referencing the instructions it may fit just fine. I had to swap out the flat-sigh looped ear gel for a more bulbous version for more extended comfort, but once I got that done, the headset fit fine. And then I pulled out the manual to see just how long I would have hold down the power button to get into pair mode (seven seconds, by the way). That’s when this little sheet fell out with a diagram telling me that for good voice quality I’d have to make sure the headset was angled off of my cheek. So I dutifully complied with the instructions and five seconds later the headset fell out. I rolled my eyes, put it back in, and a few seconds later I could see it starting to droop again.

Thankfully, BlueTrek included two ear hooks with the METAL, so I pulled one out, popped it onto the stem, and slipped the headset back on. Unfortunately, it hurt; the plastic ear loops are mere slivers of plastic with hard, almost sharp narrow edges that will dig into the back of your ear. In the end I had to drop the ear hook and wear the headset improperly for a comfortable fit, though I had to sacrifice voice quality to do so.

Style

The whole allure of the BlueTrek METAL headset is, well, the metal and the thinness that comes with it. On this front, the headset succeeds. The headset is almost entirely wrapped in subdued matte black aluminum. The ends are capped with shiny black plastic for the buttons and the USB-based charging interface.

Unlike many headsets, the BlueTrek METAL’s LED lights (red and blue) are positioned on the inner face and will flash against your cheek. While this means they aren’t as bright as many other headsets, they instead have a much larger surface to illuminate. Thankfully, they only blink when in use, but it can be a touch annoying if like me you wear glasses.

Included with the BlueTrek METAL is a belt clip. Yes, a belt clip. The single-piece plastic clip easy slips onto most belts and provides a place to stow your headset. Oddly, it doesn’t fit the METAL straight out of the box - you have to insert the rubber USB charging adapter into the clip before the headset will fit. Though with this arrangement you do get to carry around your charger should you use the headset for several hours a day (in which case you would want a better headset anyway, holster or not).

In the Box

Included with the BlueTrek METAL you’ll find the quick start guide, 12 volt to USB car charger, six-inch USB extension cable, belt clip, USB charging adapter, two round ear cushions, three extra ear gels with loops, and two plastic ear hooks.

Conclusion

The BlueTrek METAL is an exercise in compromises. While it provides decent audio quality and an attractively thin design, the ergonomics come close to being a complete failure. It doesn’t come laden with special features, but that seems to be a good thing given the problems this headset faces as is.

The BlueTrek METAL bluetooth headset is available in the PreCentral store for $59.95.

Pros

Super thin design

Cons

Poor ergonomics