Plantronics Voyager 855 Review

Jul 6, 2010 by Shivendu Madhava

The best Bluetooth headset we have come across

While Sennheiser’s hands-free headsets offer the best audio quality we have seen for that price, the cords are still a bit The MM60 is a superb piece of sound hardware restricting, if you ask us. We live in a world of wireless cellular technology, high-speed wireless broadband Internet; in fact, even monitor-to-PC connections are now going wireless. Car drivers, especially, will know the tangle that hands-free corded headsets can get you into.

Bluetooth headsets have been around for quite some time now, providing immense usability while making people look at you funny as you walk down the road seemingly talking to yourself. The sheer convenience they offer is unparalleled.

There are quite a few headsets around, from companies such as Jabra, Aliph, etc, with new ones launching every other day. But the one we have found to be simply unbeatable has been around for over a year now.

The Plantronics Voyager stereo Bluetooth headset is a remarkable piece of machinery. So much so that at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group conferred it the title of ‘Best of CES’. So what makes this headset so special?

For starters, the design itself is quite unique. We are used to Bluetooth headsets being a bit bulky, but the Voyager manages to keep a light weight regardless of its size, clocking in 15 grams on the scale. Fitted with an in-ear sleeve, the device is quite comfortable to wear.

Switch it on and your cell phone will immediately locate the gadget. Connect with the default ‘0000’ password and you are ready to go.

The Voyager offers decent sound quality and picks up your voice pretty well with its built-in microphone. The Bluetooth connection holds true for over a distance of 30 feet — probably further than you will ever be from your mobile phone.

However, one of our complaints with most Bluetooth headsets has been that since the mike is usually omnidirectional, a lot of ambient noise is picked up. Those who have travelled in a crowded train or bus will know that while the headset offers a lot of convenience to the user, the person on the other end of the line often complains about the noise surrounding the user’s voice.

That’s where the Voyager shines. The microphone, located at the bottom of the earpiece, can be extended out. The sliding boom mike increases call quality exponentially, and this is one of the best features of the device.

What’s more, Plantronics has thrown in some coding to detect this extension as an input for the phone. So just like a slider cell phone would answer a call and hang up when you slide the keypad out, the Voyager uses a similar mechanism with its sliding mike.

But wait, we have not come to the best part yet! You probably have been wondering why a Bluetooth headset needs stereo audio.

Well, the Voyager doubles up as a full-fledged Bluetooth headphone to listen to your music on the go.

A small earclip can be attached to the earpiece. At the other end of this clip is a cord with a second earphone, which is also fitted with an in-ear sleeve. Wear the earclip over the ear your earpiece is in, and take the cord around to fit the other earphone. Voila! Full stereo audio, and it’s completely wireless! The sound quality isn’t the greatest and definitely doesn’t hold a candle to the Sennheisers; still, if calling is your priority and music is just a luxury, then it more than suffices.

Apart from a call and mute button, the main earpiece sports two small keys to increase or decrease the volume. While in music player mode, the latter double up as playback controls to skip to the next or previous track.

Plantronics claims a battery life of up to seven hours, which is enough for the average user. Recharging, though, could be a pain as it reportedly takes up to two hours to get the battery juiced up.

Still, as far as quality and features are concerned, the Voyager 855 is the complete package.

Product: Plantronics Voyager 855

Price: Rs 6,799

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