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Hands-On with the Plantronics Voyager Pro

Gordon Mah Ung — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:26:51 -0500

Geeks have to be suckers for Bluetooth headsets. Don’t believe me? I have purchased no fewer than five Bluetooth headsets ranging from Plantronics, to Cardo and Motorola in the last two years.

Among the most disappointing was the Voyager 855. Although it fit my tiny ear canals well, the reliability of it was, well, everything you’ve come to expect of a Bluetooth headset. Sometimes it would connect with my admittedly mediocre Windows Mobile phone and sometimes it wouldn’t.

It didn’t help that the audio levels were just too low. At least the noise cancellation was top notch. Still, I had to chuck it for two Cardo units: The S-640 and the S-800. I had the highest hopes for the S-640 clip-on unit and carded ear piece. Unfortunately, incoming sound quality was dismal and the lack of noise cancellation made conversations in my beater with original struts impossible. Did I mention that it too was quite flakey with the Bluetooth connection. The S-800, however, was quite reliable. It locked onto my phone and worked fine. The volume was also almost painfully loud when set to max. The UI was good and the quick dial feature that let you access the first few slots in your speed dial was awesome.

It’s too bad it didn’t fit very well. It felt like someone had wedged a pinkie into my ear canal. Noise cancellation was also just average. I used it for many months until I decided to buy yet another Bluetooth unit: Motorola’s H680. Its rock solid connections to my phone and its dual-microphone noise cancellation made it my favorite Bluetooth headset – for about four months. Sore after four months of jamming the H680 into my ear, I decided to again upgrade on a shopping trip to Fry’s with the guys and bought a Motorola H710. This headset didn’t have the dual-mic cancellation of the H680 (which is why I picked the H680 over it) but it was the most comfortable Bluetooth unit I had used because it sat on the outside of my ear. The volume was very good, the noise cancellation OK, and it always connected to my phone. What was wrong? Battery life. After five months of use, the battery life became dismal.

I only use my headset in my car and turn it off when not in use. Initially I could get a week or two without having to recharge it. That turned into a week and now it seems like it needs to visit the charger every three days.

That’s when Plantronic’s Voyager Pro showed up. Not exactly pleased with the performance of the Voyager 855, I didn’t expect much. The units bulky look and mic boom didn’t exactly win me over either. It’s hard not to say: “Operator, what number please.”

But, at least it’s not as garish as a Jawbone. Wearing the Voyager Pro is actually a delight. It’s comfortable and you could, if you were so inclined, keep it over your ear for hours without it bugging you. Even though it made me feel like an ass, I did just that at the office.

Audio performance is quite good. Plantronics said the design lets it use a very large 13mm speaker as opposed to the 9mm or 10mm speakers that other designs use. This lets it pump the volume and gives it a fuller range.

The larger body also aids in fairly good battery life claims (I haven’t had it long enough to run down the battery) and, according to Plantronics, longer range because it features much larger antenna. In the few days I’ve played with it, connectivity issues – something that pissed me off to no end with the Voyager 855 – was not an issue. Plantronics said the 855’s problems likely came from the immature A2DP profile implementation.

The key selling point of the Voyager Pro is the noise cancellation. No longer do people just want to talk on their phones in quiet environments or the slightly louder car environment – they also want to do the Bluetooth thing while walking down the street on a windy day.

To that point, I can say the Voyager Pro lives up to its name. I simulated a windy environment with a fan our lab and my previous fave, the Motorola H710, was useless in the wind, the Voyager Pro magically made the wind noise disappear.

So it’s comfortable on my ear and in my ear, reasonably loud, reliably connects to my phone and effectively erases background noise without making me sound too much like a robot from a 1950s movie which heavy noise cancellation can do. To me, that’s a win. Even better, at $99, it’s a pretty good deal in this class of headset even if your co-workers may kid you about heading off to your job at the McDonald’s drive-thru window (not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

High-End Gaming Headset Roundup -- Check Out These Sweet Cans!

Reed Porter — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:55:42 -0500

You’d never credit your headset after winning a Team Fortress 2 match, nor would you ever brag about your soundcard after just acing a round in Call of Duty 4, but any gaming veteran knows that having a sweet set of cans is a must for even the casual gamer’s setup. This is especially true today with the vast majority of professional gamers using headsets instead speaker systems.

Unfortunately, deciding which audio hardware is right for you can become aggravating very quickly with USB headsets, 5.1 headphones, onboard mixing, analog inputs, and incompatible interfaces confusing the market. With this roundup, we’re going to scrutinize six gaming headset options, and examine the largely unspoken differences between analog and USB audio technology.

If you like your existing soundcard, you won’t need a USB headset. This is because the only way for audio to be produced through the USB headset is by bypassing the soundcard entirely. A USB headset is recognized by your operating system as a completely separate audio device. While this is convenient for laptops and desktops with cheap onboard soundcards, it creates a headache for anyone looking to play music or film audio through their speakers; you'll have to change the default Windows audio device, swapping between the headset and whatever sound card your speakers are plugged into. A USB headset will usually require software installation to function with your OS and to allow customization and mixing control. This brings us to the very reason companies are making USB headsets in the first place, to allow for inline hardware acceleration which remixes the audio before sending it to the speakers. Essentially you have a mini soundcard embedded in the headset.

This is both a good and a bad thing. For gamers without soundcards (or have soundcard driver problems in Vista), USB headsets are an unbeatable value. You get hardware acceleration and a physical headset in one package. If you already have an expensive and fully-functioning soundcard, however, buying a USB headset can be pointless – the audio quality won’t necessarily be better with USB. The only option for you is using analog jacks, or if you have a newer soundcard, optical cables (although it would be amazing, we have yet to see a high end optical headset).

That said, deciding upon a testing method was difficult. We eventually settled on testing the analog headsets with a PCI-Express X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty soundcard and the USB headsets on their own.

With that important difference explained, we take a look a few of the latest headsets to see which pair is truly king of the cans.

Creative HS-1200

We’re typically wary of wireless gaming products due to their spotty battery life and ironically more inconvenient set up process. We were pleasantly surprised, then, when Creative proved us wrong with this wireless offering. The HS-1200 mixes audio onboard like other USB headsets, but unlike its competitors it makes use of Creative's X-FI Crystalizer and CMSS-3D technologies. This portable X-Fi implementation comes pretty close to the surround directional accuracy and audio quality of an actual X-Fi soundcard. Despite this, games would only allow us to enable older version of EAX. OpenAL does not work with this headset and Battlefield 2 wouldn't let us set the audio quality to "Ultra." Another drawback is the lack of underwhelming bass; although punchy, there was no real boom.

The wireless functionality impressed us as it worked within 40 feet of the transmitter, through walls and electronics, before fading out. Also, the headset comes with volume control buttons on the earpads themselves, which is a necessity when going wireless. The earpads felt comfortable enough, but they sit on top of your ears, making you sweat a little. And although the microphone performed well in Skype and games, we would have liked to see it retract or detach.

All in all, the audio fidelity of the HS-1200 is excellent and the wireless functionality is near-perfect, but the poor EAX support and small earpads force our smiles to wane.

Verdict: 7

Creative Fatal1ty HS-1000

While this headset carries the official seal of approval from the Championship Gaming Series (CGS) and uber-gamer Fatal1ty, these endorsements are obviously more of a marketing gimmick than a certification of quality, since we don’t think any professional gamer would ever use a budget headset like this one. The HS-1000 contains the same inline acceleration as the HS-1200, and the CMSS-3D and Crystalizer are a welcome inclusion. Despite this, the EAX support remains just as spotty as it was on the HS-1200 and OpenAL support is nowhere to be found. Even with the far more comfortable earpads, this headset’s speakers aren't as accurate as the HS-1200's, producing little if any bass.

Fortunately the mids and highs were a bit more up to par. One thing this headset is good at is maintaining audio clarity at extremely high volumes; there was little distortion when pushing levels to the limit. The Fatal1ty's had the worst microphone among the sets we tested; it would pick up background noise with every bit of fidelity as it did our voice. In addition the recording quality was only mediocre.

For its relatively low price, the Fatal1ty HS-1000 is good, but it simply can't compare to what real professional gamers use in competitive gaming leagues such as the CGS.

Note: In a smart move, Creative is producing analog and USB versions of this headset. Both are identical except for the inclusion of an inline mixer with the USB version and the analog set will cost you much less.

Verdict: 6

Sennheiser PC350

As a company renowned for producing some of the best headphones on the market, Sennheiser recently released their first high-end headset designed specifically for gamers. With this in mind, we were incredibly eager to get our hands on the new PC350's. Out of the box, we noticed the earpads on the headset can fold inwards for portable storage as well as twist 90 degrees to the side allowing you to comfortably lay them flush against your shoulders.

During testing, the PC350's produced the best sound out of the roundup so far; we were able to discern sounds previously unheard when testing other sets. The highs were very crisp while the bass reproduction was accurate down to very low frequencies. We were actually able to make the headphones vibrate with no distortion. The microphone performance was great, although we would have liked to see it tuck away into the headset as it did on the Plantronics GameComm. The set was comfortable to wear for prolonged periods, more or less due to the headset resting on your head rather than your earlobes.

Our only gripe about this headset is that it's a closed-ear design. The unit’s earcups rarely sat identically over each ear; occasionally one earcup would leak in sound while the other wouldn't. We could blame it on our tester’s misshapen head, but it took a good deal of shifting around before the unit completely engulfed our ears letting no sound in from either side. Overall, we think the closed ear design is more annoying than it’s worth.

Even so, the PC350's were the best sounding headset we tested, producing exceptional sound.

Verdict: 9

Medusa 5.1 ProGamer Edition V2

While we had high hopes for these luxurious-looking pair of cans, we were slightly crestfallen after running the Medusa through testing. This is the only headset we tested with 4 speakers per earpad, producing true 5.1 surround sound with simulation. In this regard, it succeeds: the aural positioning was the best we've heard, beating out any other set in the roundup.

Unfortunately this is the only merit the ProGamer's can claim. The 5.1 audio comes at the price of severely reduced audio fidelity. Bass reproduction was almost non-existent and only audible at ear piercing levels while the highs and mids sounded rather drained. The unit’s physical design is misleading as well: soft cushy earpads and headstraps at first looked very inviting, but during actual testing they felt much more rigid and cheap.

If Medusa didn't sacrifice fidelity in place of directional sound and the unit was as comfortable as it looked, this headset would easily have been our favorite in the roundup. Unfortunately, superior directional sound results in downgraded audio quality and the headset is only faux luxury.

Verdict: 5

Razer Piranha

In searching for the ‘king of the cans’, we were bound to find a lemon scraping the bottom of the barrel. The Razer Piranha unfortunately fills that role. Unlike all of the other headsets we tested, the audio sounded completely flat and static.

After wearing them for hours our ears began to hurt as they sat right on top of our ears. Many sounds that we could hear clearly in other headsets were indiscernible on the Piranhas, while the highs and mids were very drained.

Oddly enough however, the headset had punchy bass that held clear even at high volumes. In addition, the microphone quality was respectable. The Piranhas perform great in those areas, but in every other respect they were sub-par.

Verdict: 4

Plantronics GameCom 777

These GameComs shocked us in nearly every area of testing. The 777's come with a detachable "5.1 Dolby Headphone USB soundcard" that allow for either analog or USB input, making it perfect for the LAN party gamer. In addition, the inline mixer is a plug-and-play device, so it requires no software installation.

When testing the USB card we found its directional mixing was surprisingly accurate and close that of an X-Fi soundcard. The headset was also very comfortable to wear with velour padding on both the earcups and the headband. The microphone also folds up into the headset itself, flush with headband – something we’ve never seen before. We wonder why it took so long for companies to implement this seemingly obvious idea, and hopefully we'll see more headsets following suit in the future.

Thankfully, Plantronics decided to build the headset with an open-ear design which results in increased fidelity as well as a more natural listening experience. The highs and mids were crisp and clear while the bass was wholesome and thunderous. Only at VERY high volumes would the bass cut out.

The GameCom’s sexy and comfortable aesthetics, mixed with superb audio make it our favorite headset in the roundup.

Verdict: 9

Hands-On Reviews of 12 Hands-Free Bluetooth Devices

Steve Klett — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:21:28 -0500

Do yourself a favor: make sure your car is up to code by this July—no broken headlamps or taillights, up-to-date registration, etc. – and, oh yeah, make sure you pick up a hands-free Bluetooth device for your cell phone.

On July 1st a new law will go into effect in California making it illegal to talk on a wireless phone while operating a motor vehicle. If you are 18 or older, and you want to use your phone while driving, you will need to use a hands-free device – no “ifs”, “ands”, or “buts” about it—and there will be no grace period either. If you are under 18, you can’t use your phone while driving, period. The fines are small ($20 first offense, and $50 thereafter—but amounts can triple with penalty assessments) but convictions will appear on your driving record, potentially ballooning insurance fees. Find out all about the law here: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/cellularphonelaws/index.htm.

Contrary to the rumor mill you can and will be pulled over just for using your phone—no other infractions are needed. (However, running around with a headlight out and gabbing with your wireless glued to your ear will only increase your odds of getting nailed.) With the hassles and fees that come with ignoring the law, and the relatively low cost of Bluetooth hands-free devices these days, it just makes sense to cover your ass—dontcha think?

We put 12 of the newest Bluetooth devices through the wringer to help you find the right one for your car-talking habits. All of the devices were tested with one phone along the same stretch of highway at the same time of day, and call clarity was compared via voicemail recordings. Read on to find out which ones made the grade. (Prices listed are MSRP—street prices may be much lower.)

BlueAnt Z9

Website: www.myblueant.com
Battery: 5.5 hours talk time, 200 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $79.99

One of the smallest and least expensive devices in our roundup, the Z9 sports two levels of noise reduction, which BlueAnt terms Voice Isolation Technology. The first level is for standard use in normal everyday environments, the second level is for use in “extreme noise” environments, such as a car. We found both levels worked fairly well, though our voice did sound muted at times when using the maximum setting. Also, we did experience some intermittent and random “crackle” interference. Overall the Z9 delivers solid performance while also being both easy and comfortable to use.

Verdict: 7

Jabra SP5050

Website: www.jabra.com
Battery: 6 hours talk time, 150 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $98.78

Okay, so you don’t like sticking anything other than your finger into your ears. No problem—check out the sleek and stylish Jabra SP5050 speakerphone. This device clips onto your sun visor and is remarkable easy to set up and use. There’s even a night driving mode that turns off the LEDs so they won’t distract you. We also like that the device shut off automatically after losing connection with your phone for more than 15 minutes, which saves battery life.

Too bad the included car-charger cord is only three feet long, as it can interfere with driving controls if you have to use the charger while on the road. Also, while the call quality was great on surface streets, there was a definite downgrade when we hit the highway (due to escalated cabin noise) – something we experienced with all the speakerphones we tested.

Verdict: 7

Cardo S-640

Website: www.cardowireless.com
Battery: 8 hours talk time, 250 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $59.99

The S-640 is a sleek, miniscule device that clips to your shirt or pocket and strings along a tethered earbud on an 18-inch cord. In addition to the fashion benefits, this also makes the S-640 very comfortable to use during long drives. Unfortunately, the device lacks noise-cancellation technology, and our voice tended to sound more muffled on calls when compared to standard headsets. Voice clarity during non-highway use—both in the car and out—was excellent, however.

Verdict: 6

Cardo S-800

Website: www.cardowireless.com
Battery: 8 hours talk time, 168 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $79.99

The S-800 is one of the most feature-packed headsets we tested. Just about all the latest buzzwords are here: favorite numbers hot button, call back, location buzzer (love it!), auto answer, missed call indicator, conference call, voice dial—the list goes on. It also looks exceptionally cool it its silver shell (we like shiny things). Plus, embedded audio balancing, noise reduction, and speaker boost combine to deliver voice quality that is among the best we have tested.

Unfortunately, the button layout and overall design make the S-800 difficult to use, and the large earbud made for an uncomfortable fit—which definitely isn’t ideal in the car. An optional ear loop improves fit slightly, and a lanyard is included to wear the device around your neck while not in use.

Verdict: 7

Venturi Mini

Website: www.myventuri.com
Battery: DNA
Price (MSRP): $129.99

This Bluetooth speakerphone plugs into a cigarette lighter and can be used to stream music and phone calls through an available FM frequency on your car’s stereo. It also packs in a mess of useful high-end features (if your phone is compatible, that is). For example, you can import your phonebook into the device—eliminating the need to use your phone to make calls. If your car radio supports RDBS, your radio will even display phone book contacts. The Mini’s bright OLED display also shows caller ID information, and a USB port is provided so you can use the Mini to charge your phone or other USB devices.

Call clarity was acceptable, but not as good as the SP5050 or Supertooth Light speakerphones. (This may be because of the recessed location of lighter plugs, which can make it hard to speak directly into the device.)

Verdict: 6

Plantronics Explorer 370

Website: www.plantronics.com
Battery: 7 hours talk time, 200 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $79.99

This headset looks and feels like it was built like a tank—and for good reason. It was designed to meet military specifications for dust, water, and shock resistance. Indeed, we let a couple of 5-year-old rug rats play with it for an afternoon and it still worked fine—plus we soaked it in the sink and tossed it around a bit ourselves.

It’s basic as far as features go, but the controls are simple, and the set delivered good sound quality that put it squarely in the middle of the pack. Also, the 370 may be a big bulky for some ears—and aesthetic tastes. It comes with a lanyard so you can wear the device around your neck while not in use.

Verdict: 7

Plantronics Voyager 855

Website: www.plantronics.com
Battery: 7 hours talk time, 200 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $149.99

The 855 weighs in as the most spendy option in our roundup, but the extra clams are worth it if you use your phone for music playback, too. An extra, detachable earbud is included so you can listen to music in stereo, and the device’s intuitive control layout makes handling calls and music a breeze. The 855 uses Plantronic’s proprietary AudioIQ nose-reduction technology, and it works: voice clarity was excellent on both sides of the conversation. The set has a sliding boom mic that we found improved our voice quality slightly in the car. An optional ear loop is included, which is a good idea if you plan to extend the mic, as are three different sizes of gel earbud covers that help achieve the perfect fit.

Verdict: 8

Aliph’s New Jawbone

Website: www.aliph.com
Battery: 4 hours talk time, 200 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $129.99

We were a fan of the last Jawbone headset simply because calls sounded clear on both ends. However, last year’s device was a bit bulky and heavy, and the controls took some getting used to. Enter the New Jawbone, a slimmer version of its predecessor that sounds just as good, and is much more comfortable (and less embarrassing) to wear.

Cutting the Jawbone to half the size comes at a cost of 1/3 of the talk time when compared to last year’s model—but the sleeker, beveled design does not sacrifice any style points. Unfortunately, it may be too “cool” for its own good: the invisible button design still takes some getting used to, making the manual a must-read (which you really should do anyway, with any headset.) What matters, though, is that voice quality is king and the New Jawbone was neck-and-neck with the Plantronics Voyager 855 at the top of the heap. It’s not cheap, but Aliph caters to the mobile elite by throwing in four leather earloops and three sets of cushy earbuds.

Verdict: 9

BlueAnt SuperTooth Light

Website: www.myblueant.com
Battery: 15 hours talk time, 800 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $99.99

This visor-mount speakerphone uses voice-isolation and echo- and noise-suppression technology to achieve the best voice quality of the speakerphones in this roundup, delivering the clearest-sounding voice recording results. We could hear callers loud and clear while driving up the highway at 65 mph (not a smidge faster, of course). And other than our voice sounding a little muted (again, common with all speakerphones we tested), callers on the other end reported no issues with hearing us. The simple setup, intuitive controls, and excellent battery life makes this one a winner.

Verdict: 9

Jabra BT8040

Website: www.jabra.com
Battery: 15 hours talk time, 800 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $99.99

The BT8040 bests the Z9 for the smallest headset award in this roundup, and it also shaves a bit of weight and “klunkyness” by eschewing the earloop in favor of just a gel earbud for a solid fit. Three sizes of gels (six total) are provided, and we were able to achieve a comfortable, secure fit with little difficulty – your ears may differ. Some may find the lack of an earloop unsettling, but the BT8040 is ideal to use if you wear glasses. The onboard DSP combats background noise, putting the BT8040’s voice quality square in the middle of the pack. We found inbound quality to be noticeably better than outbound quality. The set also supports A2DP for music playback.

Verdict: 7

Garmin Nuvi 760

Website: www.garmin.com
Battery: DNA
Price (MSRP): $642.84

With the popularity of Garmin’s Nuvi 760 for GPS navigation the verdict we’ve rendered here is akin to heresy. However, we are looking at the device mainly for its hands-free phone feature, not its GPS functionality (which we admit is superb). As a speakerphone, the 760 just doesn’t cut it, despite handy features like the ability to upload your phonebook and view call histories, etc. The voice quality is simply marginal, on both sides of the call, and the 760 was at the bottom of the list in our roundup in this all-important category. It would be a good backup option, but we’d only recommend it for primary use if you have the quietest vehicle cabin on Earth.

Verdict: 4

Anycom Solar Car-kit

Website: www.anycom.com
Battery: 15 hours talk time, 600 hours standby
Price (MSRP): $59.99

Going green is all the rage and this speakerphone attempts to cash in on the growing desire to be eco-friendly. The device is designed to attach to your windshield, and a solar panel on the back converts three hours of sunlight into 30 minutes of talk time—should you get caught with your battery power down. The solar feature works, but is really of questionable value. And, since you have to mount the device on your windshield, it is more susceptible to road noise, which likely contributed to the lackluster call quality. Plus, right now, it is illegal in California to attach anything to your windshield. (A law allowing GPS units to be attached has been passed, but has not been enacted.)