Plantronics Voyager PRO Bluetooth Headset user reviews

Pros 1. Capability and excellence at it's purpose...hands free communication with good background noise cancellation.

2. Battery Life...it actually lasts for the length of time that you need it.

3. Clear and simple controls.

Cons It just flat out works...no negatives in that.

Summary Before I go into my opinion, I have to note that I've had all of the major, premium headsets. I've had the Jawbone headsets (Original, II, and Prime), BlueAnt V1 and Q1, Motorola Endeavor HX1, and now the Plantronics Voyager Pro.

The Jawbone original headset was very good. It was a little bulky, but the technology was good and it worked for me. The earloop was a little fussy and was prone to breaking, but after a few extra earloops via eBay, I was all set for a while. The Jawbone II and Jawbone Prime were not good for me. Both were prone to making me sound like a space alien speaking on a tin can, as well as the fit was bad. In Aliph's attempt to make the device have an improved and sexier design, they made it too small, too light, and with too little spring in the earloop. All of those changes added up to the little nub not touching my cheek when I talked, thus negating one of the main capabilities...noise cancellation. I know that the Prime was supposed to provide 'average' noise cancellation when the sensor nub wasn't touching my face...but that didn't work for me. I'm willing to say that these issues were just mine, but no matter what, it didn't work for me.

The BlueAnts were good...both of them. The voice control capabilities were nice. I have to say that the audio quality was also good. The noise cancellation was pretty good. I rarely had any complaints about audio quality. Additionally, with the Q1, the capability to do firmware upgrades was a great capability and kudos to BlueAnt for building in that capability. More BT headset makers should do that. Once again, the issue was the fit. I couldn't get a good seal of the earpiece in my ear generally because the earloop wasn't very effective in holding the earpiece in place. More importantly, I had 2 Q1s and with both, the part of the device that you put in your ear actually broke! It just separated from the body of the earpiece and was unusable. I did the return dance, and was really done with the Blueants...unless I couldn't find anything better.

I even purchased the Motorola Endeavor HX1. Being a tech nerd, I have had my eye on that bone conduction technology ever since Motorola bought it from Invisio about a year ago or so. About the Motorola, great new technology idea, great fit with the ear springs (they basically wedge the BT device in your ear). The ear springs + the very good earloop = fantastic fit. The on/off switch, the easy to reach/use volume buttons, easy/big multifunction button, etc...all top notch and well designed. The only problem...people could not hear me using the regular Crystal Talk noise cancellation technology, or the new bone conduction technology. Hmmm...great fit/finish, great fit (the deep earpiece didn't bother me at all, but some may not like it)...but missing one core capability...audio quality. To me...audio quality is important in a BT headset...maybe that's just me.

I had consistently read good things about the Voyager Pro (great audio quality, great fit, comfortable, long battery life, easy to use, etc), and had heard the same complaint (kinda big and not as fancy). I have had good experience with Plantronics headsets in the past (with work phones, albeit), and I was already comfortable in Plantronics' capability to make a good headset. For whatever reason, I was a little concerned about the size and expected frumpiness of the headset...then I took a 'grow up' pill and thought about my actual usage and need.

Hmmm...why do I want a BT headset again? Is it an accessory like an earring? Or, is it a mobile device that I use so that I can communicate in a hands-free mode, where I can hear my callers, and they can hear me while i'm on the move? Hmmm...the more I think about it, in a non marketing-polluted way, I realize that it's the latter. So, I took the plunge and purchased the Voyager Pro.

I was surprised that it wasn't actually as big as I thought it would be! Funny thing, the small belt-pouch that I've used for all of my other BT headsets works just fine to the Voyager Pro! Hmmm...nothing like a few 'facts' to confuse you if you've been just listening to the marketing hype.

I did some voicemail tests with me driving (the most common way that I'll use this tool), with music on in the vehicle, and with the headset on for a couple of hours at a time. Wow! As I heard for myself, the audio quality is fantastic. I was driving on the highway at 75mph...in my truck...and the voicemail test showed that none of that noise was audible. In my test, I then turned on the radio at a level that I would never use while on the phone, but I just wanted to see what would happen. Driving in my old truck, at a high rate of speed, on a loud highway, with the radio up loud...and on the voicemail test...good audio with just a few noise artifacts. Excellent work and kudos to Plantronics. Where have you been all my life??

So far so good with the Plantronics.

Pros Comfortable and stable on ear. Buttons are convenient. Micro USB charger which makes it more compatible with other like devices for charging.

Cons Bulky, but not as bad as people make it out to be. Noise cancellation is not what I had hoped.

Summary I went to Best Buy today and bought both the Jawbone Prime and the Plantronics Voyager Pro. Based on other reviews I've read, I expected the Voyager Pro to far exceed the Jawbone from a technical stand point, but I still wanted to compare. I have been wearing both (one on each ear) for about 3 hours now. I haven't felt the urge to take either one out yet, but I do notice the jawbone more than the Plantronics and obviously the Plantronics is more stable since it wraps around the ear. I was very surprised to find the Plantronics really sucked at eliminating the particular background noise I tested it with, which was music. I called my voice mail and talked with a quiet room, then music at a moderate level, then at a high level with both headsets. When the music was at moderate level, the Plantronics didn't seem to dampen it AT ALL until I started speaking, and then it did reduce it a bit. It did much better reducing the volume when I was playing it loudly, but it would still get louder if i wasn't talking. The jawbone almost completely eliminated the sound all together at both volume levels. Granted I haven't had the chance to test battery life, or wind noise, but I think as far as "ambient" noise goes, the jawbone wins hands down. I also listened to a few saved voice mails I had, one of which was from my grandfather who is a bit quiet since he is getting on in years. I had a bit of a hard time hearing him with the Voyager, but the jawbone had the extra volume needed to make him loud enough. In my opinion, the Voyager just doesn't cut it. Then again, the voyager pro is only $100 and the jawbone is $130 (retail). I know people say you pay for a name, but sometimes, you get what you pay for. This is one of those times. Having said that, I still think it's a good headset, just not as good as the jawbone. That's what I gave the voyager 3.5 stars and the jawbone 4.

Pros 1. Great in and out sound quality
2. Extremely comfortable, Usually wear it all day with no discomfort
3.Battery life great,Charge about every three days
4.Pairs fast with three other phones that I have

Cons 1.On and Off button should have been raise up so that you can turn off and on without trying to locate it without taking the piece off your ear.The button is surface level. No big deal though.

Summary I have tried just about every high dollar Blue tooth head set out there, from both Jaw bone and 3 different Blue Ants and all the other ones in between.Have been using blue tooth head sets ever since they came out on the market and I've always came back to Plantronic's. Have had 4 Voyager 510 and ALL have worked great. Not sure why allot of users complain about the new Voyager Pro concerning the bulkiness and how large it is,but if you want good sound quality I'm pretty sure you can't get any smaller, besides its not a piece of jewelry its a piece of equipment that doe's just what it was designed to do. And I have never had anyone walk up to me and say,"gee that's a good looking blue tooth and I like how it matches your eyes" Take it from a truck driver that's in noisy environments all the time , this is the blue tooth to buy. Not only is it comfortable to wear all day but the sound quality is superb .

Pros 1.) Very durable
2.) Outstanding incoming and outgoing call quality
3.) Blocks out background noise and wind pretty well
4.) Really comfortable and pretty light considering its size.
5.) Battery life is superb

Cons 1.) Not the sexiest headset. Plantronics could've easily made it a bit smaller.

Summary After my previous jawbone 2 had all the earloops break, I decided to look for a newer headset that was durable. I mean, why spend $100+ on a headset that breaks everytime I drop it. After purchasing the Voyager Pro i'm very happy. The headset itself is not made of cheap plastic like the jawbone so it's very hard to break. It's lightweight for its size and fits very comfortably on the ear. The ear-gel is very soft and doesnt go too far into your ear canal. After sending myself voicemails and talking to my girlfriend the call quality was actually better on the Voyager Pro than talking into my phone. The battery life for me usually lasts 6-7 hrs when talking and about 3 or 4 days on standby which is unbelievable. It does a pretty good job of blocking out noise and ambient wind.

It isn't the most discrete and sexy headset out there but it does its job to give you a great phone conversation while you have your hands free to drive, cook, do chores, etc. After having this headset for almost 2 weeks now, I give it a very high recommendation.