For a couple years now my go-to Bluetooth headset has been the Voyager by Plantronics. I have used several versions of it since the first one (read one of my previous reviews here), so I was excited to do a review of the latest version, the Plantronics Voyager Pro HD. I have been extremely pleased with every Voyager that I have ever owned, so I was almost sure it couldn’t get any better. But boy, was I wrong.
Let me start out the review giving Plantronics some props. In the past when I had trouble with my headset I called Plantronics and they mailed me a replacement headset immediately, no questions asked. So even though I didn’t expect doing so again, I had to contact Plantronics because the initial review unit they sent me had some problems. Again, no questions asked, they sent me another one. I have come to expect excellent customer service from them, and again, they didn’t disappoint.
When I first looked at the Voyager Pro HD (herein after referred to as the HD) I was surprised because it was almost indistinguishable from my current one, the Voyager Pro UC. But upon closer inspection I saw that there were subtle touches that made it look slightly different. The Plantronics branding was darker in color. More business-like to me. There was also a little red stripe down the inside of the boom mic, which to me displayed a bit of playfulness. Hmm… very interesting combination indeed. The metal mesh surrounding the mic was also slightly different, and that was about it. In fact, to see these differences I had to hold the headsets beside each other, so long-time Voyager users will feel at home here.
The HD is no different than previous versions… the all-day comfort is wicked-good. Just excellent. It looks big, and bulky, and geekish for sure. But this thing is so comfortable you’ll forget it is there. Which I did one time in the car while spending 10 min. looking for it only to realize I was an idiot because it was still on my head. And I have accepted my ‘geekness’, so I don’t really care how it looks.
The micro-USB connection for the power adapter is on the bottom of the battery bump that sits behind your ear. The call answer/hangup button is on the outside of the headset at the base of the boom mic. The volume control buttons are located on the top of the bump. And the power on/off button is located just below the Plantronics branding on the outside of the bump. The boom arm swings up and can be turned to the opposite side, so it can be worn on either ear. The arm that extends from the bump behind the ear down to the boom mic is made of a flexible rubber material which has also been present on previous models as well, and I have found it to be very sturdy and rugged, withstanding dozens of placements on my head every day.
The features
The feature-set on the HD is great. As the name would suggest, it streams HD sound from your devices and from my testing with various music apps on my phones and tablets, it sounds great, albeit obviously in only 1 ear. It announces things in a pleasant female voice in your ear when various things happen. For example, when powering up the headset it tells you… ‘power on. Talk time # hours.’ When it connects to a device it says ‘connected to Phone 1 (etc)’. When automatically answering a phone call it says ‘answering’. I found it very useful, especially letting you know how much talk time you have left and when it is dying and needs to be recharged. When the headset is on your head and a call comes in you get the familiar ring tones in your ear to signal a call is coming in. But it would be nice if it would announce who was calling. Plantronics, are you reading this?
Speaking of automatically answering, that is probably the coolest feature of the HD. If the HD is sitting on the table and your phone rings, you can simply pick up the phone if you want and answer the call and then talk on your phone. The HD won’t activate at all. But if you pick the HD up and place it on your head, it will automatically answer the call. You don’t have to press the call button, or do anything on your phone. It just senses that it is on your head and answers the call. If the HD is on your head when a call comes in you will have to either press the call answer button or answer the call on the screen of your phone. But if you are in a call and want to switch to the phone you simply remove the HD from your head and place it on the table and it senses that it is no longer on your head and switches the call to the phone automatically. This feature alone is worth the price of this device in my opinion. If you have been a Bluetooth headset user for very long you can appreciate how valuable this feature is. Very, very cool.
The final feature that I’ll tell you about is called Vocalyst. This is a service that comes with the HD and gives you access to the basic Vocalyst features free for 1 year. After that it costs $25 a year. What it allows you to do is press the call button 3 times and it automatically dials the Vocalyst service. You don’t have to put the Vocalyst number in your phone, it just dials. Once Vocalyst answers you can do numerous things with your voice, like ask what the weather is like, what the latest news is, send a text or email, post a Facebook or Twitter status update, and several other things. You have to follow the instructions in the box to set it up at the Vocalyst website first. I found that the voice recognition on Vocalyst to be ok, but not the best. I am going by anecdotal evidence here, but I am going to guess that 2/3 of the time it did a good job on my requests. I am not sure I will be paying for it once the free year runs out.
I should also mention that there is a Vocalyst app that is available for your iPhone or Android device that can be used to read your text messages to you when they arrive. This is very handy when driving, and you don’t need to be looking at your phone.
The bottom line
I love this headset even more than the last one. The call quality is excellent. All-day comfort is second-to-none. The noise-cancellation is just as good on the HD as in previous versions. I rarely find an instance where my call quality is hurt by surrounding noise except in direct heavy wind. Battery life is excellent, as you would expect with that mammoth battery bump behind the ear. And the automatic-ear-sensing thing is awesome. Yes, that’s the technical term for that.
I highly recommend this Bluetooth headset and it will remain my go-to headset.
Product Information
| Price: | $99.99 |
| Manufacturer: | Plantronics |
| Pros: |
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| Cons: |
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I have this headset for my smartphone and I love it. I tried to connect it to my Win7 PC and even though the drivers load and the device appears in the Devices and Printers listing, I cannot get a single bit of audio to come through. Sadly, the response from Plantronics was “call Redmond.” Yeah, like that has ever proven useful. I know there are bluetooth headsets that can work with both mobile and stationary devices but the Voyager Pro does not appear to be one of them.
Awesome Review!
thankyou for the clear feedback. I have always been fussy with my Bluetooth headsets. This one seems to be the one to match what i need.
Well that’s my Christmas present to me from Mum & Dad sorted!
@Mark I actually own the Plantronics Voyager Pro UC, which was designed specifically to work with pcs, and it does so very well. That headset comes with a USB dongle that can be used to make the Bluetooth connection if you pc doesn’t have Bluetooth.
@Steve Well, there you go! Merry Christmas!
I love their products. Been using them forever. Always have it in my ear. I walk into work, it pairs with my office phone system. Walk away, it’s paired to my cell phone. Hope in car, phone pairs to truck. Problem I’ve had with other BT headsets is the insist on staying paired/connected. to my phone, even if I disconnect them. Plantronics plays well, doesn’t keep knocking my truck off phone.
I bought a Voyager Pro Plus 8 mos ago for use with my I-Phone 3GS. After about 2 mos of use, the A2DP function stopped working, but the phone call functions worked. Returned to Best Buy and they replaced it with a new Voyager Pro Plus (I bought the extended warranty). After about another 2 mos, the same thing happened (A2DP function stopped working, i.e, listening to music thru the headset). Replaced it this time with the Voyager Pro HD as the Pro Plus was not available anymore. The first Pro HD, worked for about a week, until the outgoing call did not connect right away to the headset, the incoming calls were no problem. Called Tech support and went thru the troubleshooting tree (removed device from I phone, turned off I phone for 1 min, and re-paired Voyager Pro HD with phone). Pairing was successful, but had the same problem. Returned Pro HD to Best Buy and got a new one. New one worked perfectly day 1. Day 2 same problem occurred, outgoing call would not automatically connect with headset! I have follow-up if anyone is interested.
@Mike That is really odd. Could it be a problem with the iPhone? I have used all of those Voyager versions and not had this issue, but I have always used an Android phone. Not sure if that makes a difference. Sorry I can’t be of help.
I am planning on buying this headset but I need to be sure that that it’d work with a pc for making skype calls. Can anyone let me know if they were able to do it?
@steve whats the difference between the voice quality and other parameters of the voyager UC that you used before and the current voyager HD? should I go for UC instead of HD coz skype calls are my primary reason for buying this?
@Ashutosh I honestly can’t tell much difference in quality between the UC and the HD (The UC is now my backup headset when the HD is dead) because the quality is so good. I guess my ears aren’t good enough to hear the differences, because I am sure there are some. I have used both to make Skype calls and connect to my various devices to listen to music over bluetooth. If I were going to point to anything to help you make a choice, I would say that the HD connects to my devices faster and the voice prompts in my ear when things happen are really, really nice. I don’t think you can go wrong with either but since the HD is newer, with new features, and as long as you don’t need the bluetooth adapter that comes with the UC, I say go for the HD.
Just returned my 4th Voyager Pro HD for the same problem. A2DP function stopped working after only 1 week of use! Did all troubleshooting procedures and still did not work. Also, I have a Motorola SD-10HD bluetooth headset that I have paired with the same phone (I-phone 3 GS) and the A2DP function has continued to work fine. Receiving and making phone calls was never an issue with the Voyager Pro.
@Mike that is disappointing. It must have something to do with the combination of the headset at the iPhone 3 GS. Or maybe there is an app installed on the phone that also uses the AD2P functionality and it won’t let go of the use of that or something. I listen to stuff all the time on my phone and my laptop using that functionality, so it really is nice to have. Sorry I can’t be more help.
I just bought this to work on my pc with dragon dictate voice recognition. It pair5s with my pc bluetooth, but fails to load drivers and won’t work. Any suggestions would be very welcomed.
I have foudn that Plantronics sells their BT dongle for PC support for ~$75. That’s one expensive dongle just to get PC connectivity.
Hey guys, the Plantronics Voyager Pro UC comes with the dongle and was designed to work with a pc. I did a review of that one here. (http://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/02/23/this-aint-your-daddys-bluetooth-plantronics-voyager-pro-review/) Now, that doesn’t really help Paul since he already bought this one, but I must also say that my Plantronics Pro works great with my pc. I use it for all sorts of applications, although Dragon is not one that I have. Perhaps there is a known issue of this documented on either the Dragon website or Plantronics website??
There are various packages of the Voyager and some include the dongle for PC support and others do not. Whether buying the dongle would solve the problem, I do not know. I do know that other BT dongles do not help. Definately need to check the package fully before purchasing.
Pairing with Skype.
Do you know how to solve the issues with Skype? Can not pair the device with Skype.
@Oscar I wish I could give you more advice. I have used Skype on my PC with my Voyager Pro HD, and the Voyager Pro UC before that, but several folks have posted on this review that they are having issues with it. I would make sure that you have the latest version of the Skype software, and I would make sure that the bluetooth drivers on your computer are the latest version and are working as well. I don’t have advice about testing that bluetooth connection on your pc, but I do suggest making sure that bluetooth works for sure. Here is some advice from Plantronics’ website: http://www.plantronics.com/us/support/kb/detail.jsp?vfurl=/articles/en_US/Product_Information/RN7899&retURL=%2Fapex%2FknowledgeSearch®ion=us&p=&c=All&k=skype&t=All&lang=&popup=false&c=All
I have had my pro hd for about 3 weeks and have loved it until today. It just stopped working as I was driving home after a workout. The only thing I can think happened is that sweat dripped into it somehow and shorted something out. No LEDs light up and nothing happens if I try to power it on or charge it.
@Terry that’s a tough one. It could have been the sweat, but I have had sweat on mine without problems. Plantronics has wonderful customer service and considering it was purchased recently I recommend calling them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they just replace it.
I was very excited to get this at Christmas as I really prefer to be handfree when I’m diriving. But I have been frustrated since the first week I used this. I have the same problem many here have outlined. Every week, sometimes twice a week, I have to re-pair with my phone. I thought it was because I have am older Motorola 755 flip phone but it sounds like it doesn’t matter what you have.
I will now contact their customer service to see what they say.
@Linda I am sorry to hear that. I have had really good success with Plantronics support. In my experience, they are one of the best in that regard.
Hi Steve,
It was great reviews such as yours that led me to purchase the Pro HD. However, despite the fact that it IS so comfortable and I can hear all of my phone calls crystal clear (and I have LOVED having a bluetooth – hands free living!), I can’t deny the fact that person after person with whom I am talking complains of: 1) sounding like we’re in a wind tunnel, 2) hearing their own voice echoing, and even 3) gurgling sounds! I can’t hear any of this – everything on my end is perfect. These complaints have also come at various times – when I’m driving on the interstate, when I’m driving in town, even when I’m at home.
I don’t want to return the headset – can you help?! I haven’t tried to call customer service yet – you seem very knowledgeable so I thought I’d ask you first!
Thanks!
Hmm… that is strange. Let me start by saying that even the best of headsets occasionally has issues. You are dealing with smartphone operating systems (which often are the root cause of issues like this) and many other variables that might cause issues. I have issues if my cellphone is in the wrong (opposite) pocket of my pants from where my headset is on my head. If I am talking around a device that emits radio waves, I have issues. And despite what these headset manufacturers say, I haven’t found one yet that is totally noise-free in a strong wind.
It sounds to me like the headset has a problem. If you can’t hear any problems but others can, then that leads me to believe there is a problem with the head on the end of the boom mic. However, I don’t totally rule out your phone being the problem. I don’t know enough about all the different phones that are out there to help you with that, but here is my suggestion:
1. turn off and turn on both your phone and your bluetooth. Rebooting the phone has the same effect as rebooting a pc… it solves many problems.
2. Unpair the headset from the phone… just delete the profile from your bluetooth settings, and then pair the headset again.
If those things don’t solve this, then contact Plantronics. My experience with them has been excellent, and my guess is that they will replace the headset for free as long as it is still under warranty.
Good luck!
Wondering why I don’t hear any sounds when I recieve email/text messages? Seems odd that not only doesn’t the headset give me an alert but it also seems to mute my phone. I don’t get any audible alerts from my phone when it’s connected to my BT. I have a 4s, do you Android users have the same problems or is this an Apple thing?
@Craig I have an Android phone and I hear notifications in my ear when I get a text message or any other sound that the phone makes. I can’t speak to whether or not it is an iPhone thing. And the Vocalyst app that I mentioned in the review I still use. It reads my text messages to me when they arrive so I don’t have to monkey with the phone if I don’t want to.
I have found the BT adapter that talks to my Voyager HD and allows me to connect to both my Android phone and my PC. AZiO BTD-V201 Micro Bluetooth Adapter USB 2.0 is the adapter and it supports all the BT modes needed. It also includes the Toshiba BT driver Win7 needs to support BT as a hands-free device.
Highly recommend this BT adapter. So much nicer to have a wireless headset for use with my PC.
As a side note, I am now using a Motorola Vehicle Power Adapter micro-USB Rapid Rate Charger that I ordered from Amazon. It is the only car adapter I have found that can keep my phone charged while running the phone, Bluetooth and GPS/mapping application at the same time. Other adapters could not recharge fast enough and a 5 hour drive always meant my Android phone was going to die along the way somewhere. Not any more. Very happy with both products.
@Mark There is actually a version of the Voyager called the Voyager Pro UC, which comes with the bluetooth dongle. You can find it online for around $120 now. I reviewed this headset on the Gadgeteer back in 2010 and they are still selling it.
Steve my laptop Thinkpad T420 already came with an internal BT adaptor. Does that mean I don’t need the BT dongle from UC and may just go with the HD now? Thanks!
@Nick The bluetooth dongle that comes with the UC is useful for those folks who have a laptop that doesn’t have bluetooth. Plus, it can help if your built-in bluetooth has issues pairing.
Hi Steve,
I have the voyager pro + and my problem is i can hear the person that i am talking to clearly through my headset, yet they can not hear me at all. I was not always having this problem with the headset.
@Pam. Here is what I suggest:
1. Unpair the headset.
2. Restart your phone.
3. Pair the headset again.
If that doesn’t fix it then I would call Plantronics. I have had great success with their customer service.
Using my first voyager pro hd when making a call would start in the headset then disconnect back to the handset out of the box so I took it back. My second one worked for a 3 weeks fine then started to behave the same. Unpairing and restarting does fix it but this it not an acceptable solution to have to do more than once a week. My phone is a Samsung Galaxy Nexus which seems to be irrelevant.
@Brett That wouldn’t seem like an acceptable solution to me either. There are numerous variables to consider here. Perhaps the version of Android you have is causing an issue, the version of bluetooth, or the firmware in the headset. Plantronics has a website that allows you to update your headset to the latest firmware. Try doing that as your next step to figure this out: http://www.plantronics.com/us/support/myheadset/myheadset-updater.jsp
Steve,
I bought my first HD on July 16TH from a local Verizon store. On August 1ST, it just decided to not turn on anymore so I took it back and Verizon replaced it with a brand new one. Today, after getting hot and sweating quite a bit, it starts randomly telling me how much time is left on the charge, then dies, and I haven’t been able to revive this one either. I don’t recall getting that sweaty with the first one, but maybe just a little extra moisture is enough to kill these units. It’s a shame too, because the call quality, connectivity, and call quality to the people on the other end of the phone has been excellent. Best I’ve had in quite a while, but now I have to sign up, provide proof of my original purchase, make a warranty claim, and wait a week for a replacement. Not a good scenario for someone who uses it everyday for their business. Connected to a Droid Razr Maxx. Had problems with both Jawbone’s and Blue Ant’s staying connected to my phone, but 0 connectivity issues with the HD.
@David I would indeed peg the moisture as the culprit on that headset. But I suppose I could be wrong. When I get real hot and sweaty I take mine off and only put it on when I get a call, just to be safe. It’s a hassle putting it on and off, but with the auto-answer feature it’s not too bad. I think waiting a week, while annoying, would be worth the wait to me for this headset. I actually have a back up headset (Voyager Pro UC) that I use when mine dies, so maybe you have a backup headset you can use while you wait??
Can you guestimate what mph would be Pro HD be “acceptable” in? I am really looking for a headset for my long rides on the bike, which I usually cruise at ~23mph. Any recommendations?
@David Ok, you win the prize for the ‘best question that’s never been asked’ contest. I wouldn’t have any clue! Maybe you need the http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/11/08/arriva-leo-stereo-wireless-bluetooth-headset-review/ ??
@Steve Holt. I will give Plantronics many Kudos for shipping me out a replacement on the day I filed my claim, and it arriving the next day. I had fired up my Jawbone Icon and was already getting complaints about people not being able to hear/understand me, and it randomly disconnecting from my phone. I’m still not sold on the overall build quality of these Plantronics units. Two units dead in a month and a half. Fantastic units when they work, but who wants the hassle of replacing them as often as I’ve had to? Almost bought a second one to have while I waited on my replacement to show up, but just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Hands down the best performing unit I’ve used, but I need one to last longer than a month before I’m totally sold on their products.
Hey bro, i just has a pro HD, everything with is good, but i don’t know why the sound of notification when i have an incomming is too low, can you help me to handel that, because i always use it in noise inviroment, so i can miss a lot of incomming call..hix…
oh i forgot, i use plantronic HD pro with samsung galaxy Note2
@Gabrial You can turn up your volume on your phone and you can turn up the volume on the headset using the buttons on top of the headset. You could also check out the MyHeadset Updater from Plantronics. With this you can update your headset firmware to the latest version: http://www.plantronics.com/us/support/myheadset/myheadset-updater.jsp
Sorry, @Gabriel typed too fast and misspelled your name!
I have been using the Platronics Pro (not HD) for years. Amazing device. My favorite feature is paring of TWO phones at the same time, which comes in handy with my personal and work phones. Just push a button to answer EITHER of them. Well, my current one is failing so I was looking to get a new one. By why switch to HD instead? Sound quality is the same, from what I read here. And I don’t listen to MP3’s or music – ever. It would be nice to get notification of a text through the headset, weather it be just a sound or anything. Sometimes I don’t hear important texts come through on my phone, so does this HD headset do that? And what other incentive is there to go “HD”? Thanks for the informative article, glad I found it!
@Bryan The biggest incentives to upgrade in my opinion are the auto-answering feature where it sense that it is on your head or off and answers accordingly. Also, the various voice prompts that announce text messages in your ear, announcing how much battery life is left, etc, are very valuable. There is a new Plantronics headset that I am trying to review called the Plantronics Voyager Legend that looks to improve on the HD. Check it out online.
But my existing Platronics Voyager Pro does the announcing how much battery life is left and all those special messages. And since mine is always in my ear, the auto-answer feature really doesn’t matter to me. Does the new one play the text tones when a text comes in? Or an email tone?
Thanks for responding so quickly. I am off to look up Voyager Legend while I wait for a response.
oooh! I see Platronics saw your article and did what you said! The Plantronics Voyager Legend announces WHO is calling in your headset! I think I am off to buy this one. 🙂 But please, still answer the other question. thanks!
@Bryan Well, basically any sound that happens on your phone…. text/email notifications, music playing, etc… all the sound plays in your headset unless you turn the notification sounds off on the phone. Plus, don’t forget the cool red racing stripe on the inside of the boom mic! Ha!
I didn’t know that. 🙂 My existing Platronics Voyager Pro never played the alerts through the headset, so now I have to find the feature in the phone to turn them “on”.
Looks like I am getting the Voyager Legend.
http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-Voyager-Legend-Bluetooth-Headset/dp/tech-data/B0092KJ9BU/ref=de_a_smtd
Sweet! It announces who is calling, which is the reason for the immediate decision to get this one. Thank you thank you!!
@Bryan Well of course Plantronics took my advice!! I am a big fan of them, so I am glad to hear they took my sage advice.
Just received a Legend UC pack and have been playing with for the past week. It’s being used at work to map to both my Lync system on my notebook and my mobile phone. So far it’s looking pretty good. The voice stuff is limited but pretty nice and I can’t get my mobile to work with Google Now, but it’s still early days yet……..Voice dial does work pretty well once I rebooted my headset and got rid of Beezlebub talking to me from Hell ( the voice was down right spooky). Hopefully a full review to follow 🙂
Why can not play my ring tone in my plantronis bluetooth headset
I’ve got two Voyeger Pro HD’s that have died on me all within a month. This last one lasted a week. I’m using the correct charging cable on a surge protector. First time I was outside sweating and surprised when it wouldn’t turn on. Put it on the charger and the red light is not solid. It’s blinking. Discovered it wouldn’t turn on. Day before yesterday I was driving my clients and I hear a beep. Look at my iPhone and discover the battery on the HD says low and I hadn’t even used it since taking it off the charger. I simply turn it off and when I get home I put it on the charger and surprised when the red light is blinking on the new one. So I go to turn it on the next morning and NOTHING! I’ve used bluetooths for about 13 years and never had more issues. What is the problem??
@Doug. I’ve still got one of the Voyager Pro HD’s, but I only keep it as a backup to my Voyager Legend. Sweat will kill the Pro HD’s in a heartbeat. Did it twice to me. Just guessing at the time of year that we’re in, that this is the reason for the failure. The Legend has a nano coating or something that seemingly has corrected the moisture problem that has plagued the Pro HD’s. I had to turn off the sensors on my Legend, because it started disconnecting from the phone on its own, but has been great other than the auto connect sensor issue. Basically the sensors that “know” when you’ve put the device on your ear, or taken it off, start to glitch, and your device will start randomly disconnecting with your phone. Plantronics had me go in through the updater and turn off those sensors. Didn’t make it work right, but it doesn’t disconnect anymore until I turn it off.