WFH headphones that do not pass the comfort test

The Tribit CallElite 81 is a Bluetooth headset made just for receiving calls. It provides good sound quality and excellent microphone performance, but it can be uncomfortable to wear and can lead to unstable connections. Therefore, it is not immediately recommended.

Preface

If Covid’s pandemic has made a positive difference across its tremendous course, it’s a gradual surge in telecommuting (WFH) as an option for thousands of workers around the world.

It used to be certain for most people to be tied to an open-plan office desk, but now many have the option to quit commuting altogether. This has changed the way we work. Video calls are more important than ever as the workforce is becoming more and more geographically separated.

Tribit CallElite 81 is a direct solution to this need. If a dedicated Bluetooth calling accessory was once a comfortable addition, it’s now an indispensable purchase for many. Of course, Tribit wasn’t the only one to answer. Others have challenged the creation of Bluetooth callpieces and have had reasonable success.

So the question is not whether CallElite is worth it, but whether it is better than its rivals at a price of around £ 55. Is there anything I need to get a place in my workflow?

design

• Consists of metal and soft touch plastic
• Single ear cup to ride on your ears
• Charge via base or included USB-C port

What is generally considered the proper shape for a Bluetooth call accessory has not yet been clarified. We’ve seen a variety of styles come and go, from cheap headsets in the mid-2000s to modern earphones and closed headphones.

However, the main factors for success are the same. Comfort, microphone quality, sound quality, Bluetooth stability.

Therefore, from a design standpoint, CallElite does not try anything particularly interesting or memorable. Beyond some red accents, it is completely constructed of matt black plastic and exemplifies a kind of call center chic.

Aside from the appearance, it is as light as 70g, so you can wear it comfortably at first. However, with a single cup design, you may feel out of balance. I found that the stabilizer arm on the left side could become uncomfortable behind my ears if I continued to use it. This is a shame. I also found that using the headband for a long time could pinch my head.

Speaking of a mic arm, it’s easy to move, but it provides enough resistance to stay in place without getting in the way. The headset itself provides connection control, volume rocker, and power button.

Headphone jack is not included. This is unfortunate in certain situations. For example, if the unit’s battery is dead and there is no easy way to charge it.

For charging, CallElite is installed in the included cradle that connects to the charging point via USB-C. If the base isn’t available, the device also has a USB-C charging port.

Overall, the CallElite is a practical yet functional design that requires a bit of extra padding for increased comfort and adjustability.

feature

• SBC and AAC codecs only
• Includes USB dongle
• Bluetooth 5.2

Even if CallElite doesn’t plan to win a design award, it certainly has a lot of features at that price.

Starting with the connection, the device comes with a USB dongle in addition to providing Bluetooth support. The headset was particularly easy to connect to a smartphone or tablet, but there were some issues with Windows computers. However, this may be due, at least in part, to the computer in question and the boodu required for Windows 10 to work properly with Bluetooth.

This issue was solved by using a USB dongle, but it’s nice to see this fit for USB-C, as laptops lose their USB-A port year after year. is. Using a dongle as a means of connection usually makes a stable connection unreliable.

CallElite probably provides a multipoint connection, allowing you to pair with multiple different devices at the same time. However, it turns out that it is almost impossible to activate this feature.

Fortunately, the quality of the mic was good overall. The microphone sits on an adjustable arm and comes with a convenient mute button. It can also bend in the opposite direction, allowing you to place the headset on both sides of your head.

The listener on the other side reported that we could hear our voice clearly and there was no interference. Interestingly, CallElite claims to support ANC and theoretically offer three variable levels of intensity. This feature could not be activated manually (not mentioned in the manual). Therefore, there was no way to judge its effectiveness.

Sound quality

• Almost balanced performance
• Enough volume

Unusual for audio device brackets, sound quality is not the most important factor in success when it comes to Bluetooth headsets. It’s a fun bonus, but these are devices for one particular use case (receive a call), so you only need clarity and focus on the treble.

And with this metric, CallElite is almost successful. It provides a 30mm speaker under a single earcup resting on the ear, which provides a signal range of 2402-2480mHz. What this means is that you should be able to hear the caller’s voice clearly and without problems, and we generally thought this was the case.

Moving to other uses, such as music, reveals the problems found in the form factor. With a single earcup, it’s impossible to get something similar to isolation or stereo separation, but as before, this isn’t the focus of the device. Due to flaws in this area, audio playback still has some energy, especially bass is generally warm.

If you have a call-centric workflow and want to listen to music between calls, Call Elite is sufficient. However, if you’re looking for a more music-centric device, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

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sustainability

Trusted Reviews’ keeps the fact that global warming is not a myth as a core value and will continue to strive to protect the planet from harm in business practices.

As part of this mission, every time we review a product, we send a series of questions to the company to measure and make the device’s environmental impact transparent.

There are currently no answers to questions about this product, but we will update this page at that time. You can find a detailed breakdown of the questions we ask and why, on the Sustainability Information page.