Plantronics has earned a well-deserved reputation for sound quality with its Voyager series of Bluetooth headsets. While the latest addition to the line, the Voyager PRO, might come off second best in a beauty contest against trendier styled headsets such as the Aliph Jawbone PRIME, it could be hard to beat in the area that really matters – sound quality.
Wind noise has long been a problem for microphones, but Plantronics claim the Voyager PRO’s dual mic system is capable of canceling up to 80db of background noise through its three layers of WindSmart technology. This consists of the dual external stainless steel microphone screens coupled with GORE acoustic fabrics that surround the microphones to provide physical barriers to wind noise. Meanwhile, the PRO electronically filters the user’s voice from the wind using AudioIQ2 digital signal processing (DSP), the next generation of Plantronics’ AudioIQ DSP technology.
Voice quality is of course only half of the equation. The Voyager PRO’s adaptive 20-band equalizer is designed to deliver distortion-free audio and works with AudioIQ2 to automatically adjust sound levels based on the noise level around you. The headset comes with three different sized earpieces covered in soft rubber gel that slide into the ear canal, but not too deeply. A couple of foam ear bud covers are supplied as well.
The swiveling boom mic and rotating earpiece means the headset can be worn on either ear. Its construction from soft, lightweight, flexible materials and the over the ear design, which distributes the unit’s 0.6-ounces over the entire ear, ensures that it can be worn for long periods without discomfort.
The Voyager PRO has a range of 33-feet and features Multipoint technology, meaning it can support active connections with two Bluetooth devices. Controls on the headset include call reject, mute, last number redial, quick battery check and voice-activated dialing. The 3.5V Li-ion battery will reach full charge in 1.5 hours to provide up to six hours of talk time and up to five days standby.
So if sound quality is important to you and looking like a telemarketer isn’t, the Voyager PRO from Plantronics could be worth a listen. It is available now for USD$99.99.
