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Product:The overall functionality of the headset was good.- Easy to setup.- Clear sound at both ends.- Easy controls.- Formidable sound while playing Music.Down side :Not so great ear holders but works.Now for the Vendor:Prompt delivery.Good customer service.Had to get a replacement of one as one of the volume switch was defect and the replacement was done promptly and was working fine.
Otherwise the pause/stop/volume controls communicate properly. Light weight3. Can start my iPhone tracks from the headset even if the iPod isn't turned on on my iPhone. Second ear bud for stereo sound5.
I use my Oakley O ROKR to bluetooth music to listen to, and it is neat to be able to receive a bluetooth phone call through them as well. Probably an iPhone thing, rather than a Plantronics thing, so I'm not concerned about this.SUMMARYAll in all, this is a great product that meets my needs (wireless listening of music from my iPhone & being able to carry clear phone conversations, in an active environment) and does what it says it's supposed to do. this rocks.Perfect way to stream music in a meeting or anywhere else (looks like you just have your standard bluetooth in case a call comes in for you)CONS for me:My iPhone 3G on firmware 3.0 -- the next/previous track on the Voyager 855 doesn't communicate that command to my iPhone. However, as much I love my O ROKR, in certain settings (especially indoors) I can't keep wearing my Oakleys for this dual purpose.The Voyager 855 fulfills my need to stream my music from my iPhone and have the phone call capabilities, while blending in the indoor environment.PROS for me:1.
Sleek design6. The sound quality works well for me as well.Great job on the Voyager 855, Plantronics.OakleyOC on Twitter[.].Orange County, CA Long battery life2. Assortment of ear buds to find "the right fit"4.
This device on the whole is excellent with one glaring issue.Pros:- It comes out of the box with 3 ear pieces and 2 ear hooks allowing you to fit the device to your ear. The microphone picks up my voice quite nice as well.- Battery life is impressive, I can use it intermittently throughout the work day and then for an hour in the gym with no unexpected powering off yet.Cons:- The only con I have is that sometimes my sweat will mix with the gold connector transmitting to the ear bud and I will lose sound in that bud.
So if you intend to buy it for a non-active experience you can't go wrong. This means I have to stop, dry it off on both ends, and reconnect.If it wasn't for that one issue I think I would of given this thing five stars.
I originally bought this as my G1 received a update that allowed stereo bluetooth and I figured it would be nice to listen to my music and keep the phone charged without needing a split adapter. Your won't get much bass but the clarity is great.
Otherwise look at something more engineered for the gym. (For those curious a G1 doesn't have a 3.5mm jack and you have to use the charger port to listen)After much searching I settled on this device as I had originally used Plantronics headsets and found them comfortable.
I experimented with it a bit and went with the smallest piece for the main set and the middle for the small ear bud to keep it from slipping out.- The sound quality is quite nice.
The ear loop should also bend into more comfortable curves and hold the ear better. I do have some gripes though, main one was the very poorly designed main bluetooth ear piece to go in the ear and hold itself there. First and most surprising was when listening to music the quality of sound that these produce was very close to my wired headset V-moda BassFreq, that are rated 20kHz to 8Hz. The earboom should have better wind protection and slide out further. I'd say they easily surpass the 7 hours they're rated and would last me around 10 hours. It's amazing that it does so much and works like it should.
This device does it and extremely well. It should have a less curved or more flexible piece to slide in the ear like the stereo extension. I have a HTC Touch Pro and was using a wired headset because the battery would drain too fast with bluetooth on. I also like the earboom that slides out about an inch to answer calls and slides in to end the call. It should also have a better battery capacity indicator. Once I found a solution for the battery I wanted a bluetooth headset that would let me listen to my books and streaming music and let me talk on the phone all day.
The next surprising thing was how long they last.
All the a2dp controls work properly with the Samsung, not so with the iPod (presumably an Apple issue, not Plantronics). Perhaps someone with a different shape of the head/ears will have a different take. The sliding extension allows the mic to come closer to your mouth, but I stopped extending it after too many instances where it would accidentally slide back up, which disconnects the call. Woo hoo. After the first 6 months the audio level in the main headset (both speaking and listening) became gradually lower, even after boosting the phone and device volumes to their highest settings. I have owned my Plantronics Voyager 855 (a.k.a. the 815 sans the second earbud) for about 11 months. I've already tested the phone with other headsets to verify that the audio issue is in fact from the 855.The feature set is nice, but without quality sound, it's just about useless.
The device paired up to my Samsung mp3 player and my iPod without issue, but the low level audio problem persists. Only two ear hook sizes are included, so it's a roll of the dice as to whether either will fit properly, but when using the detachable earbud, you can only use the large ear hook that is wired to it.While writing a draft of this review, I found my old receipt and learned that I have about a month left on my warranty. When in the ear, the device appears akwardly designed - it's not snug near the face like the discovery models, instead it protrudes quite far from the head like a misplaced implant. I'll provide an update on what happens.Conclusion: If you breeze through bluetooth headsets like candy, then most of my gripes won't affect you, but if you purchase electronics with the intent to take care of them and use them for a while, you'll be disappointed after the first 6 to 9 months.Advice to Plantronics: Release an upgrade with more sturdy ear hooks (like those on Discovery 655/650), louder volume (speaking and listening), and a slider that doesn't accidentally disconnect calls, and you'll have yourself a winner. Sliding out the extension makes the 855 look even more odd in the ear. Bear in mind that this review comes from someone who has kept the headset in pristine condition, so imagine the performance for a customer who may not be as kind to their gadgetry. I wear mine under my hair, so it's not as noticeable. Months 1-6 were fine, with the exception of the ear hook becoming less and less secure, as the material began to lose the bend in its construction - not enough to completely fly from my ear, but enough for me to have to hold it against my ear when bending over or running (even just dashing up the steps).
The charging jack is for a usb micro B cable, which is fairly common, but not as universal as the usb mini plug.Aesthetically, the device itself looks quite sleek, but don't expect it to stay securely in your ear without an ear hook attached. Another star quality is the connection distance, much farther than my Discovery 650e or 655, but it's worth noting that both of my discovery models, which I've had longer than the Voyager 855, provide louder volumes (speaking and listening). I now can only get a reasonable volume by listening to my calls and music through the secondary detachable earbud. On the bright side, the battery life is impeccable, not as superb though with the second earbud attached.
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