Review: Plantronics Voyager 520

If you haven’t heard of Plantronics, chances are you’ve been living under a rock somewhere. For the two of you that haven’t heard of them, Plantronics has been making quality headsets since long before Bluetooth. Their experience has carried over from call centers worldwide to the world of mobile phones.

The Plantronics Voyager 520 ($59.95 from the WMExperts store) is billed as Plantronics’ successor to the Voyager 510. Targeted at business users who tend to stay on the phone for a large portion of their day, the 520 is sleek and comfortable. If you’re in the market for a professional looking headset that features exceptional voice quality, stick around. The Voyager 520 could be just the headset for you.

Design

The Plantronics Voyager 520 is a sharp looking Bluetooth Headset that features a translucent ear hook that is both comfortable and discrete. This .56 ounce headset features a windscreen to cut down on the environmental noise that plagues users familiar with talking on the go.

The Voyager 520 has an elongated eargel that actually directs the sound from the speaker into your ear, achieving exceptional call quality. Unfortunately, the ear piece is not removable and is mostly rigid, which could cause problems for those with smaller ears.

One issue that I came across was that when using the multifunction button/switch it was easy to make a mistake. When attempting to adjust the volume I sometimes ended the call instead.

Pairing

Plantronics included their QuickPair technology, which is intended to simplify the pairing process the first time you use it. In short, QuickPair puts the headset into pairing mode for 10 minutes the first time you turn it on. If the pairing process is not complete after the 10 minute window has elapsed, the headset shuts itself off.

The Voyager 520 also supports Multipoint, allowing you to pair the headset with multiple Bluetooth enabled phones. To pair subsequent phones after the initial pairing process simply ensure that the headset is powered off and press and hold the call button until the LED indicator flashes red and blue.

Call Quality

The 520’s quality was phenomenal. The eargel shape funnels the audio down the ear canal offering an exceptionally clear sound. The windscreen on the microphone, coupled with noise cancelling microphones give equally good treatment to the outgoing portion of your call.

Conclusion

I rarely come across as complete a headset as the Plantronics Voyager 520. Sleek and professional looks, coupled with outstanding call quality and extreme comfort make this a great choice for working environments. If you’re looking for an attractive headset with similarly striking performance, take a closer look at the Voyager 520.