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Your phone. Your equipment. Nothing more. We don’t sell hardware. And, we get it! You also need equipment for the right job, and we can help!

Because we are not a hardware company and don’t sell directly, we give you the option to choose the hardware that makes sense for you and your team. Hardware technology is advancing at lightspeed and we want to embrace that, not compete with it. There are dozens of good hardware options at your fingertips that can deliver a great experience for your team and many of them have great support, warranty and replacement policies, so keep an eye out.

Below are some of the best hardware options we’ve utilized with our users based on the team. Check them out. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask us!

Disclaimer: The Headset App recommends a variety of products for informational purposes only. We recommend high-quality products, but we cannot guarantee their suitability or safety for your specific needs. It is always important to carefully read the instructions and warnings provided by the manufacturer and your league before using any product. The Headset App assumes no responsibility for any injury or damage caused by the use of a recommended product.

Football Headsets & Gear

Football teams are utilizing The Headset App in new, unique and innovative ways. Coaches are putting earbuds in QBs ears to provide instant feedback during drills, connecting to Bluetooth speakers to communicate with entire position groups and more. Gameday headset needs can differ drastically from practice-use needs. We’ve compiled our coaches’ favorite gameday and practice hardware below.

Product

Use

Brand

Description

Our Rating

Purchase

Coach

Sideline | Booth

BlueParrott

Series: 650-XT

The BlueParrott 650 XTs are by far the best double-ear option for gametime noise and tough weather conditions. These are the highest quality commercial headsets available. Learn more about BlueParrott’s whole line of products with pricing options that fit most budgets.

Coach

Sideline | Booth

BlueParrott

Series: 450-XT

The BlueParrott 450 XTs are the single-ear-only option to the 650 XT, but are the same product (and priced a little better). Perfect for coaches who only use a single-ear headset. Learn more about BlueParrott’s whole line of products with pricing options that fit most budgets.

Coach

Booth | Practice

AirPods Pro

Gen: 2nd – 3rd

Apple Airpods Pro 2nd Gen and later are equipped with a “voice isolation” feature that dampens background noise better than any other earbud on the market right now. You must have an Apple Phone to access this feature. Learn more

Coach

Booth | Practice

Shokz

OpenComm 2

Shokz OpenComm 2 headset uses bone-conduction to allow ear canals to stay clear. The mic has a 60% noise reduction rate to help with environmental noise. They are weatherproof and a durable product for all situations.

Player

Players at Practice

Beats

Powerbeats Pro

Powerbeats Pro are our favorite QB/player earbuds. They have great range away from a phone with Class 1 Bluetooth range, they’re sweat/water resistant, and the earhook helps keep the earbud in place.

Player

Players at Practice

Shokz

OpenRun

These are a great, reliable option for QBs and Linebackers. They’ll stay secure under a helmet, plus they keep your ear canals open, for best game awareness. They’re sweat/water resistant, and the earhook helps keep the earbud in place.

Extended list: Earbuds with extra Voice Isolation (VI) Technology

For larger crowds (4k+), a traditional headset with a boom mic is highly recommended for an optimal headset experience. For many programs with mid-size and smaller crowds, earbuds can be a great option. More and more coaches are asking for earbud recommendations. While The Headset App has built-in voice-isolation technology, doubling up with with a good pair of VI earbuds can really create the best experience for a coaching staff. Here is a list of our favorite earbuds with additional built-in VI technology.

Coach

Sideline | Booth

Airpods Pro

Gen: 2 (or later)

Already recommended above, the 2nd Gen and above have the best VI technology available for earbuds. (Reminder: only for apple phone users) Listen Here

Coach

Sideline | Booth

Sony

WF-1000XM5

Our priciest recommendation. The WF-1000XM5s have the best non-apple VI and surround cancelling capabilities. Listen Here

Coach

Sideline | Booth

Anker Soundcore

Liberty 4

Another great option, and a little more price-friendly. The Liberty 4s are our highest-rated mid-price range option. Listen Here

Coach

Sideline | Booth

Samsung

Galaxy Buds

Another great mid-range VI and noise cancelling technology. Listen Here

Coach

Sideline | Booth

Jabra

Elite 10

Another great option. Good ANC score. VI seems to be evolving yet, but better than most on the market. Listen Here

Gameday Headsets

A detailed look

BlueParrott 650-XT and 450-XT

What we love: We love that this headset can be single-muff or double-muff. It’s your choice and you can change your mind based on your environment. Best part? It's the best water-resistant option on the market. Also, Active Noise Cancelling and a windscreen mic offers both physical and technical advances in keeping your staff in, and your environment out. The adaptable button works as a mute button. This version also comes with single-only or double-only muff options.

Our Ratings:
ANC Capability: YES
Noise Cancelling Mic Rating: 96% mic
Weatherability Rating: IP54-rated durability against dust and water
Comfort Rating: 10/10
Battery Life: Up to 36 hours of talk time
Mute Button: Yes

Price: $$$
Manufacturer Webpage / Amazon

Airpods Pro with "Voice Isolation" feature

What we love: Apple has by far the best earbud option available to maximize noise cancelling features for you AND minimize the noisy environment around you to help others hear you clearly with its new "voice isolation" feature. Learn more (***must have an iphone to use this feature***). This feature is available in the Airpods Pro Gen 2 version or later. They are not a perfect solution for extremely noisy environments, but if you're looking for an earbud solution, these are definitely the best option to help minimize a noisy surrounding environment.

Our Ratings:
ANC capability: YES
Noise Cancelling Mic Rating: Up to 75%
Weatherability Rating: IP54
Comfort Rating: 8/10
Battery life: Up to 6 hours
Mute Button: No

Price: $$$
Manufacturer Webpage / Amazon

SHOKZ OpenComm2 Bone Conduction Headphones

What we love: Bone conductors are a great (and comfortable) way for coaches to communicate. The bone conducting technology allows you to hear your environment around you and you are able to hear communications clearly in all environments. The noise cancelling mic allows others to hear you well but you will notice some more background noises coming through if you're in a loud environment.

Our Ratings:
ANC capability: Yes
Noise Cancelling Mic Rating: Up to 60%
Weatherability Rating: Sweat resistant
Comfort Rating: 10/10
Battery life: Up to 16 hours
Mute Button: Yes

Price: $$
Manufacturer Webpage / Amazon

Practice & Player Earbuds

A detailed look

What to Consider:

When over-ear headsets with a "mic boom" make sense

If you are working in loud environments with a lot of noise around you, such as a sports stadium, concert venue or public arena, investing in a headset with a good mic boom is as important as the headset itself. An over-ear headset with a boom, is designed to to provide you the highest quality audio while minimizing others hearing the noise & bustle around you. You may also consider in-ear with mic boom options depending on your preference.

Noise cancellation? Tell me more...

Without a doubt in our testing, the ability to minimize the noise around you is The number one thing to consider when using a headset as a coach on the sidelines of a loud environment.

There are two (2) ways to cancel nose, 1: reducing unwanted noise around you that you hear, which is called ANC (or active noise cancelling) feature, which suppresses noise around you to allow you to hear the person on the other side of the channel. If you want to nerd out on this, check out this website. and 2: reducing the unwanted noise around you that others hear on the call, what we'll call a "noise cancellation microphone."

ANC technology has been showing up on the scene in the last year in almost every new earbud or headset. Your Apple Airpods or your Samsung Earbuds most likely have ANC at this point. There are a multitude of ANC options online and with a quick google search, you can find plenty to choose from.

Noise cancelling microphones are a little bit of a different story. This technology continues to get better over the years and there are many different variations and qualities of noise cancelling microphone options. It's important you find a noise cancelling microphone that fits your needs. If you're in a loud stadium, this feature is easily the most important thing to consider for the sake of all the other coaches in your channel. Through our research & testing, the below list is a cumulative ranking taking into account our top 3 things to consider.

Weatherability ratings

The second most important thing to consider is weatherability. If you're playing in the elements, you want a headset that can withstand poor weather, rain, etc.

There is a rating system on electronic headset systems called an "IPX Rating." At the end of the day, these are sort of like SPF ratings for sunscreen, anyone can rate their product however they like, no real rules... Perhaps the easiest way to explain this is: IPX:0 = bad, IPX: 8 Great.

Comfort & preference

It's important to consider the environment you are using The Headset App. For example, if you are a football coach and you are using The Headset App for practices & games, it's important to consider what you might need from a hardware perspective. While a football coach will most likely be able to use earbuds for practice, it's important to consider the game-day environment and prepare accordingly. High-noise situations call for different hardware, and anyone in a high-noise environment will want to consider a headset with a mic boom.

Baseball Smartwatches & Earbuds

For coaches, catchers and players

Coach-to-catcher communications is brand new. Coaches and players are trying to understand what options are available to them. The Headset App is a coach to catcher communication system that doesn’t require making special single-use hardware purchases. Coaches and catchers download the app and they get to choose the hardware that best fits them. We have done extensive testing to understand how this works best on the field and we wanted to share our favorite earbuds for coaches and catchers below.