Plantronics Voyager 510 Bluetooth Headset [Retail Packaging] Customer Reviews
WORKS GREAT!!!, What a sigh of relief. After purchasing the Motorola HS850 and having a horrible experience (see my review), I thought Bluetooth technology was a lost cause. However, based on many reviews I saw right here about the Voyager 510, I decided to try it one more time and bingo, just what I was looking for. So first the negatives for the skeptics like myself:
1. The 510 is bulkier than the Motorola HS850 and does not fold up to easily fit in your pocket. I am afraid that I will brake it at times, but it has held up to mild abuse in my pocket.
2. It is difficult at times to get on your ear. It is very flexible, which makes for added comfort, but makes it difficult to position on your ear initially.
3. The power button is very difficult to use when the headset is on your ear. This is a huge drawback, especially since it is difficult to get on your ear. This is such a pain that I dropped my rating from a 5 star to 4 star. There has been a few times that I forgot to turn the device on before placing it on my ear and I have to take it off to turn it on because the power button is difficult to find and push.
4. The device is not too sexy, but I could care less because I was looking for utility not a piece of jewelry. For those of you who do care, it doesn't look as good as the HS850. However, a piece of advice, you don't need to put the sponge over the mic. It looks much better if you just install the ear piece but keep the mic bare.
As you can tell by my 4 stars, the positives far outweigh the negatives:
1. It works! I can hear everyone clearly and they can hear me, even if I am driving. I haven't tried it in the airport yet, but it has worked superbly in all the other environments in which I daily encounter noise including walking around in the city. This is totally opposite my experience with the HS850.
2. It was relatively easy to program to my phone.
3. Although heavier and bulkier than the HS850, it is much more comfortable on my ear and stays in place as I walk. The HS850 tended to dangle and not stay in place.
4. It is easy to answer and hang-up a call with just a press of the button on the side of the headset.
5. Great battery life that last longer than the talk time on my phone.
6. 3 different ear pieces that are each shaped differently are included, so you can get the right fit for you. I found one that fit my ear great and I can hear crystal clear with it.
7. And let me stress again that I have not had anyone complain that they could not hear me and I can hear others as if I have a wired headset. This headset is truly great if you are looking for a device that works with a Blackberry.
At last I have found a usable headset, the Voyager 510. The audio quality of this headset on the user end of things is absolutely phenomenal. It is several magnitudes louder than any other bluetooth headset I have tried. I have good hearing so I don't expect a headset to be super loud, but most bluetooth headsets are so low that conversation from a caller can almost be unintelligible. This Plantronics headset produces clear, loud, largely static free sound.
The headset also transmits audio extremely well. I spoke to several people on the streets of Manhattan and they couldn't tell I was even on a headset. I also left several voicemails for myself and the audio quality was quite good. Moderate wind is not a problem for this headset at all. However, I don't believe that this headset employs the same type of DSP as the the nXZEN or Jawbone, so if you are on a noisy street the person you are talking to may hear the background noise. However, even with back ground noise you will be reasonably easy to understand---the headset just doesn't actually block the noise as much as one that uses DSP as much as the nXZEN or Jawbone does.
There are a few small drawbacks. As others have noted, the headset is larger than many out there. But it is EXTREMELY light and VERY easy/comfortable to wear. It easily fits in my pocket. I certainly prefer a headset that works well to one that doesn't work but is smaller. One other minor drawback that not too many people have noted is that the headset does not support call waiting. I find that to be a strange omission from an otherwise excellent headset. You can still use call waiting while on the headset. But you must switch between calls by using the phone, not by using a button on the headset. The headset may not be so reliable either. My first one simply stopped working after a year and I had to purchase a second one.
The bottom line is that this is the best bluetooth headset I have ever used. It really works as advertised and provides a user with an easy way to make handsfree calls. Plantronics likes to advertise its long heritage of making quality headsets and frankly I am often put off by such marketing hype--but in this case, Plantronics wisely chose to release a headset that lives up to its history/marketing. I hope its next model is even better, but thank goodness Plantronics released a product that works in a crowded field full of largely half-baked products.I should note that I had to purchase a new Voyager 510 after about a year since the first one just stopped working for no apparent reason. The new one works just as well as the old one, but the Voyager 510 may not have the best long term reliability.