My source was right! As I wrote in a post April 14, Plantronics’ much-teased coming new Bluetooth headset was to be a successor to the popular Voyager 510 and it is.
The Voyager PRO, released April 23, is designed and priced ($99, list) for the mobile professional who needs to be able to conduct a phone call wherever and whenever, be it in a cab, at a construction site or standing by an idling jet airliner. Well, maybe that last one would be tough to pull off.
Plantronics, of Santa Cruz, emphasizes its noise cancellation technology in this new model, claiming success on relieving three pain points for Bluetooth headset users: The quality of the outbound voice (yours), the inbound voice (of the person you’re trying to hear) and the wind.
“If you’re in your car with the air conditioner going, you’ve got wind,” said Vanessa Fiske, director of marketing for Plantronics.
Silencing wind noise starts with the design of the boom microphone’s wind screen, and here the PRO uses the same technology that broadcasters have for decades – tiny holes drilled into a stainless steel face. No doubt you’ve seen mics on TV shows that look like a giant metal cold capsule with holes in it. Same concept.
Beneath the stainless steel face is an acoustic layer of Gore-Tex, a breathable fabric. Beneath that are electronic filters in the mic wiring. And this is all before the Plantronics digital signal processing (DSP) performs its magic.
The headset comes, as do other models, with two mics, one to pick up your voice and the other to pick up all the outside noise of traffic, honking cars, cheering throngs at a ball game, etc. The DSP -- Plantronics calls theirs “AudioIQ2” – cancels out the extraneous noise to make your outbound voice clear to the person to whom you’re talking. It quiets noise up to 80 decibels (db). BTW, a jet engine is 130db even when you’re 100 feet away.
To improve inbound audio, the PRO features a 13.66mm speaker in the earpiece, larger than most, and a 20-band equalizer, which Fiske referred to as a “sound board,” like the huge consoles you see at rock concerts – all in service of clearer inbound audio.
Despite the recession, the market for “premium” Bluetooth headsets (those priced north of $90) is growing, Fiske said. As evidence of that, competitor Aliph stole some of Plantronics’ limelight April 23 by also announcing a new model, the Jawbone PRIME, which lists for $130.
The Jawbone has a popular following among those wowed by its styling, "Noise Assassin" branded DSP and unique sound technology that picks up the caller’s voice by detecting vibrations in their face, hence the name “Jawbone.”
The timing of the dual announcements resulted in some reviewers, such as PCMag.com, comparing the Jawbone PRIME to the Voyager PRO. Plantronics’ Fiske offers some admiration for its rival.
“Jawbone did a really interesting job of bringing noise cancellation to the forefront and we looked to Jawbone as a standard,” she said, adding, “I’m happy to say that now we have very equivalent noise cancellation.”
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One drawback I found in the Voyager Pro was its behind-the-earpiece design. I found it a little awkward trying to place it on my ear. Truth be told, however, I’m new to Bluetooth headsets – I’ve long found them to be pretentious -- and the one I’ve worn most so far is the Plantronics 925, which does not have an ear loop.
Fiske says the behind-the-ear design, where a lot of the electronics reside, is intended to balance the headset, making it more comfortable to wear for long periods, which is likely for a mobile professional. It is also less likely to fall out of the user’s ear.
“This has a fit where somebody knows it’s just not going anywhere,” said Fiske.
Headset manufacturers tout the research they do to design the most comfortable headset, but I wonder if they can make them too comfortable. I was working at my computer the other day and began searching for my headset to make a call. After several moments scrounging around and looking in my briefcase, pockets, etc., I realized I had it in my ear.
It makes me wonder if people get so used to wearing a Bluetooth headset that they forget they have it on and, say, jump into a swimming pool! Better check that warranty.
UPDATE: Today (May 4) I gave the Plantronics Voyager Pro the ultimate field test. I took my dog to the Discovery Dog Park in downtown San Jose at Delmas and San Carlos. While there I took a call from a friend of mine. Mind you, the dog park is on a tiny sliver of land between Hwy 87 (Guadalupe Parkway) and the VTA light rail line, so I've got the noise of the freeway and the trains on either side of me. On top of all that, it's also right beneath the flight path for airliners making their final approach to Mineta San Jose International Airport.
Sure enough, my friend said she could hear me just fine.
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