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Plantronics Voyager 855 Stereo BT Headset
It’s been a while since a Plantronics Bluetooth headset made its way to our test tables. Plantronics Voyager 855, their Stereo Bluetooth headset that won Bluetooth SIG’s (Special Interest Group) Best of CES last year, is what I tested recently and here’s my opinion on whether or not it’s worth its hefty price tag of Rs. 6, 799.
Form Factor
The 855 is very unlike most A2DP headsets that I’ve tested so far at least when it comes to its design. It can be used as just a singular, regular Bluetooth handsfree by simply replacing the over-the-ear earpiece connector with a regular loop. The loop connector connect to the secondary earpiece via a thin cable that’s encased in a fine cord for protection and durability thereby providing a stereo effect.
On the main earpiece is a micro USB port for charging (can be charged via PC as well). A small Mute button, volume keys and of course, the main Answer key that doubles up as the power/pairing button are present. The earpiece itself is sleek and slim with a smooth slide out feature that extends the mic and can also be used to answer and end calls.
I’m not at all a fan of the in-ear earphones. They make me disoriented and frankly, as Gagan put it and I agreed, are like a ‘violation’ of my ears, if you get my meaning. The design is however very innovative and will be perfect for those users who don’t mind the vacuum and are used to the in-ear styling.
Performance
The Voyager is extremely easy to pair with Plantronics QuickPair technology. Then again I haven’t found a headset that was a problem when it came to pairing with any supported device. Once it’s paired with a mobile handset or a player that supports a Stereo Bluetooth profile you’re ready to get started.
Calls
Like I said, I’m not personally a fan of the in-ear design but I had a few friends who wore it to give me some feedback. The consensus was that the loop was a minor issue with most of them who had smaller ears as compared to those with average or larger ears. You can’t win ‘em all. On an average the headset was fairly comfortable to use and since it weighs in at just 15 grams, it’s not a weight you can’t bear even for long durations.
The sliding Boom mic really did have a difference when it came to call quality, not that the call quality was too bad without the extension. Outgoing audio was pretty good as well. The amount of noise that you’d usually hear while traveling or otherwise while you’re listening to someone who’s using a BT headset was remarkably low.
Incoming call quality was a bit muffled, but still quite clear nonetheless. I was able to distinguish all callers’ tones quite clearly and thanks to the vacuum created with the in-ear styling the level of disturbance at my end was minimized. It also filters out quite a high level of disturbances that would come in from the callers end as well. This is all thanks to Plantronics’ proprietary AudioIQ technology. What it does is digitally enhance sound quality on both sides of a call.
Media Audio
I was not too thrilled with the sound quality when it came to music playback via A2DP enabled devices - media players and handsets. The audio had a tendency to jar the speakers a bit when the volume was raised to peak level. The quality was not bad with a rather true full-spectrum of stereo sound.
Even with the jarring, the bass line could have had a little more thump. Once you’ve managed to find that volume ‘sweet-spot’ that keeps the speaker vibrations at bay and is still loud enough to satisfy your audio requirement, you’ll find the overall tone quite pleasant. Finding this spot will take a little practice, but I assure you, it won’t take you more than a couple of tries. The switching between music and a call is clean with no hiccup in the line. The connection was seamless.
Battery
The company claimed that the Plantronics Voyager 855 would provide users up to 7 hours of usage and the device managed to clock in at 6 hours and 40 minutes of non-stop usage. Which is not too bad at all and falls short by just a few minutes. I honestly did expect a little more though considering the price once again.
The Bottom Line
The Voyager 855 comes with a rather heavy price tag of Rs. 6, 799 that makes it a rather premium product that’s not for the average users. It does manage to provide really good sound quality at a high price. There are alternatives from i.Tech but you will have to sacrifice on style. So if you do have the money, it’s something you can consider if you’re looking at almost crystal clear sound quality for calls and music. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – if you've got it flaunt it even if it burns a hole in your wallet.
Form Factor
The 855 is very unlike most A2DP headsets that I’ve tested so far at least when it comes to its design. It can be used as just a singular, regular Bluetooth handsfree by simply replacing the over-the-ear earpiece connector with a regular loop. The loop connector connect to the secondary earpiece via a thin cable that’s encased in a fine cord for protection and durability thereby providing a stereo effect.
On the main earpiece is a micro USB port for charging (can be charged via PC as well). A small Mute button, volume keys and of course, the main Answer key that doubles up as the power/pairing button are present. The earpiece itself is sleek and slim with a smooth slide out feature that extends the mic and can also be used to answer and end calls.
I’m not at all a fan of the in-ear earphones. They make me disoriented and frankly, as Gagan put it and I agreed, are like a ‘violation’ of my ears, if you get my meaning. The design is however very innovative and will be perfect for those users who don’t mind the vacuum and are used to the in-ear styling.
The Voyager is extremely easy to pair with Plantronics QuickPair technology. Then again I haven’t found a headset that was a problem when it came to pairing with any supported device. Once it’s paired with a mobile handset or a player that supports a Stereo Bluetooth profile you’re ready to get started.
Calls
Like I said, I’m not personally a fan of the in-ear design but I had a few friends who wore it to give me some feedback. The consensus was that the loop was a minor issue with most of them who had smaller ears as compared to those with average or larger ears. You can’t win ‘em all. On an average the headset was fairly comfortable to use and since it weighs in at just 15 grams, it’s not a weight you can’t bear even for long durations.
The sliding Boom mic really did have a difference when it came to call quality, not that the call quality was too bad without the extension. Outgoing audio was pretty good as well. The amount of noise that you’d usually hear while traveling or otherwise while you’re listening to someone who’s using a BT headset was remarkably low.
Incoming call quality was a bit muffled, but still quite clear nonetheless. I was able to distinguish all callers’ tones quite clearly and thanks to the vacuum created with the in-ear styling the level of disturbance at my end was minimized. It also filters out quite a high level of disturbances that would come in from the callers end as well. This is all thanks to Plantronics’ proprietary AudioIQ technology. What it does is digitally enhance sound quality on both sides of a call.
Media Audio
I was not too thrilled with the sound quality when it came to music playback via A2DP enabled devices - media players and handsets. The audio had a tendency to jar the speakers a bit when the volume was raised to peak level. The quality was not bad with a rather true full-spectrum of stereo sound.
Even with the jarring, the bass line could have had a little more thump. Once you’ve managed to find that volume ‘sweet-spot’ that keeps the speaker vibrations at bay and is still loud enough to satisfy your audio requirement, you’ll find the overall tone quite pleasant. Finding this spot will take a little practice, but I assure you, it won’t take you more than a couple of tries. The switching between music and a call is clean with no hiccup in the line. The connection was seamless.
Battery
The company claimed that the Plantronics Voyager 855 would provide users up to 7 hours of usage and the device managed to clock in at 6 hours and 40 minutes of non-stop usage. Which is not too bad at all and falls short by just a few minutes. I honestly did expect a little more though considering the price once again.
The Bottom Line
The Voyager 855 comes with a rather heavy price tag of Rs. 6, 799 that makes it a rather premium product that’s not for the average users. It does manage to provide really good sound quality at a high price. There are alternatives from i.Tech but you will have to sacrifice on style. So if you do have the money, it’s something you can consider if you’re looking at almost crystal clear sound quality for calls and music. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – if you've got it flaunt it even if it burns a hole in your wallet.