Review: Plantronics .Audio 920 Bluetooth Headset

Get one whilst stocks last

With the new driving law now in full effect and with Christmas just around the corner, bluetooth headsets can make a great gift. Over the weekend we were told about a great deal on at MagnumMac for the  Plantronics .Audio 920 bluetooth headset. Normally retailing at $260.00 MagnumMac have a Christmas special and have dropped the price down to $149.00 (whilst promotional stocks last). So with a massive $111 discount we thought we’d get one and check it out…

To start with the headset itself looks great. The packaging on the other hand really lets it down, this may cause you to think twice about looking at this, but remember beauty is on what’s on the inside.

Beauty is what's on the inside

The headset itself has a glossy black and silver ‘metallic look’ finish. On the fascia there is one button that doubles as an Answer/End button and as the volume control. It’s not the smallest headset on the block but weighing in at just 16 grams and only 2.6 inches long, it won’t weigh down your ear, and the soft rubber in-ear piece and swiveling silicon ear loop are comfortable as well.

Looking good

So it looks good but how does it perform. Well I have to say I am quite impressed. One of my favourite features is the fact that I can pair it with both my iPhone and my Macbook at the same time. This is great for multi-tasking when sitting at my desk connected to Skype with my iPhone connected at the same time.

According to the specs it has a range of up to 33 feet (10 metres), however in reality with all the interference in the home/office you are unlikely to want to use it over about 15 feet. This is still plenty of room for movement though and for the purpose of a headset for the car it is more than enough. Plantronics say it also boasts a massive 180 hours Standby Time (7 1/2 days) and up to 8 hours Talk Time. It also has ‘last-number redial’ and ‘voice-activated dialing’ and whilst the redial worked without any problems the voice activated dialling did not, this was however most likely due to the fact the iPhone doesn’t recognise my accent as opposed to the headset not working correctly.

Pairing is straight forward, just hold the button down for a few seconds until the light on the side flashes blue and red. Enter the pin on your iPhone and you’re done. As a heads up though it’s description says “520Plantronics” not 920. I definitely recommend having a look through the user guide on the included disk, otherwise you could be a while figuring out how to use it. It’s not that complicated but if you don’t know you have to hold a button for 2 seconds then it takes you a lot longer than that to figure it out.

Once I had a quick look through the user guide, using the headset was quite straight forward. To answer a call you can simply press the button down. To change the volume, simply push the button up or down depending if you want to make it louder or quieter. If you have it connected to more than one device, for example your iPhone and your Macbook, you can easily switch between the two by pressing the button down briefly.

To connect to the PC or Mac I recommend you use the included software “PerSonoCall” and the USB dongle. This ensures all the features of the headset work with your VOIP application. To find out if your application is supported you can go to www.plantronics.com/personocall. If your application is not currently supported by PerSonoCall, remote detection and answer/end via the headset does not function. Pressing the call control button on the headset will only open and close the radio link providing audio; you must answer the call from the application on your computer.

As for the sound coming through…. I am no audiophile however I would say the sound was passable. Despite the noise-canceling microphone, most people I spoke with said I sounded a bit tinny and some complained there was some distortion. From my perspective, everyone sounded crisp and clear. There was also a little bit of static when making a call through Skype but nothing to worry me.

Overall I would say this is a well designed headset, that fits well in my ear. It has some great functionality for multi-tasking but on occasion the sound quality can let it down.

At $260 this is a pricey headset and there are certainly others out there with a lower price tag. But with a discount of $111, and now only $149 I would certainly recommend this headset.

Head down to your local MagnumMac to pick up one up for your loved one for Christmas. You can also enter our competition where we will be giving one away in week three.