Plantronics Voyager Pro HD Review
My previous headset was a cheap, $30 Plantronics Explorer 240. It was horrible. Nobody could understand what I was saying and it picked up every ambient noise from paper-shuffling to ants walking on the sidewalk. In the car it was hopeless.
Lesson learned: It pays to buy a more expensive BlueTooth headset and the Plantronics Voyager Pro HD has been a great -- with just a few problems.
In summary:
- Clear, flawless voice calls. Everyone understands me.
- I can hear them
- Noise cancellation is good; wind and road noise works well
- Boom mike "feels" right
- Comfortable on left or right ear
- Looks bulky but is not noticeable while wearing
- Easy-to-use volume and call-answer controls
- Actual 6 hour talk time
- Standard Micro-USB charger
- It can "detect" when you are wearing it and route the call
- Costs: $70
Size and Fit:Many have complained the headset is bulky and it admittedly looks formidable. But, despite the size, I found the headset is light-weight, balances well on the ear, and the back-side has been unnoticeable. Many have reported problems with eye glasses. I wear glasses both thick and thin frames and have been reasonably happy with the headset.
The vertical post, illustrated below, is a flexible (almost floppy) tube and the plastic along the top arch and back is a soft, rubberized plastic. This means it slips on and off easily because it flexes around the ear, but it also means it applies no pressure against the ear, making the fit seem loose; more on this later. The overall construction is solid, with quality-feeling materials.
Hurray for the Dorky Boom Mic:The boom-mic is the original reason I bought this headset. I know a lot of you think this is dorky but I prefer thinking it looks futuristic -- like an airline pilot.
Besides, anyone who thinks they can wear a BlueTooth headset and not look a little weird, is only fooling themselves. With the mic, there is nothing to hide and the device's intent is obvious. Like flip-phones of yesteryear, the boom-mic seems "right" and you won't subconsciously yell into it.
The boom-mic is one of the main reasons this headset works so well. Technically, it houses two separate microphones. One picks up your voice while the other listens for outside, ambient sounds. It compares the two and uses this for background noise cancellation. In practice, this works fairly well, especially with white-noise. On a windy day, this mic performs far-better than a normal phone would.
Problems: Loose FitThe ear-piece does not fit in the ear-canal; it was designed to be on the outside -- which I confirmed with tech support. Because of this, it always feels "loose" on the ear. Many, including me, have complained about this. The center-post, being "floppy" does not help. While wearing, you will have the distinct feeling it does not feel "snug" against the ear. This is probably the only thing really wrong with the headset. This doesn't mean it will fall off, but it never feels right.
The ear-piece comes in three separate sizes and with the smallest, I can sometimes and unreliably wedge it into the ear-canal, where it feels natural and comfortable. While "in" the ear, the sound and volume is spectacular but this is not where it wants to be and it will always "pop" out into the position it was designed for. Many other reviewers have commented the headset volume is too weak, but I have not noticed this -- but I would agree I like it better when it is "in" the ear. In any case, after three months, I have resigned myself to wearing it on the outside. My brother comments with hearing-aides, this is the only way he can wear a headset.
Problem: On-Ear SensorThe headset has a sensor that can detect you are wearing it. On a new, incoming call, it routes the call to the headset. If not on your ear, the call routes to the phone. This works on a new, un-accepted calls; you cannot switch in mid-conversation.
But the ear-sensor is unreliable and I suppose this is another problem. The key to answering the phone is to press the "accept-call" button on the headset's boom-mic-pivot if you want to use the headset, or press "accept" on the phone to use the phone's speaker. In practice, I am always fumbling with this. If the headset is not on the ear, one would think the sensor would go the other way, but often, the headset still gets the call. Callers can hear me yelling into the phone "Hello!" while they are talking on the headset. I have found it more reliable to simply disable BlueTooth on the phone if I am not going to use the headset for a while. I clearly need to learn more about this feature; this could be operator error.
The other possibility is the on-ear-sensor gets confused -- espeically if the headset is in your pocket. Plantronics has
Plantronics Re-calibration Instructions here. It seems to be confused a lot.
Optional but-needed Accessory: the Carry-CaseWhen buying the headset, I recommend buying the optional carrying case ($8), especially if you travel for a living because this headset is valuable enough to protect.
Also, because this uses a standard micro-USB to charge, you can throw an old cell-phone charger in your suitcase and leave the original at home.
Twists and Turn Observations:
The headset fits on the left or right ear. To make this work, the ear-piece swivels 180-degrees about the vertical post, and the boom mic rotates up and over (see top banner graphic). In practice, you will pick one ear and will never vary. But unfolding it is a little mind-bending and I laugh every-time I have to do this. It is a marvelous, but confounding design, especially when the phone is ringing. The case should make this easier.
Day-to-Day UseI have used this for three months and most of the time, the people at the other end do not know I am on a headset. This is a testament to this headset's quality and the sound-quality is the primary concern.
I have successfully paired with my cell phone, Android tablet and laptop and use it for calls, Skype sessions, and even while playing games. The headset also can work with two devices simultaneously. For example, often the phone and the tablet are competing for the same channel -- basically, the last-on device wins. While active on the phone, I can turn on the tablet's Bluetooth and the headset immediately switches (you will hear "connected to device 2"). When I turn off the tablet's bluetooth, it automatically flips back to the phone ("connected to device 1").
The range is about 10 meters (30 feet) and works across several rooms in the house. I'm sure some of this has to do with the transmitter, but the distance has been surprisingly good. When you walk in and out of range, a voice says "device disconnected / connected". Each time you power it on, a voice tells you the battery status, such as "talk time 6 hours" or "talk time less than 2 hours."
Of all the headsets I have tried, this has been the best and I would buy it again.
