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Review: Plantronics Voyager UC Focus headset

Admire Moyo
By Admire Moyo, ITWeb's news editor.
Johannesburg, 21 Sept 2015
The Plantronics Voyager UC Focus comes with a charging stand.
The Plantronics Voyager UC Focus comes with a charging stand.

Although I make use of earphones from time to time, be it for listening to music or transcribing voice notes, I had never given particular attention to the quality of the sound and usability, among other things. Upon reviewing the Plantronics Voyager UC Focus headset, I realised there's more to headphones than I previously thought.

The Plantronics Voyager UC Focus is a Bluetooth stereo headset which comes with active noise cancelling speakers.

It comes with a charging stand, BT600 USB dongle, micro USB charging cable, travel case, quick start guide, as well as other documentation.

In a world where the lines between work and play are increasingly blurred, the Plantronics Voyager UC Focus is a cool gadget that I am sure was made with the office worker in mind. However, it is not limited to productivity alone as users can enjoy any audio output they desire.

The headset is mostly useful for those who work in open offices and their primary means of communications is via a PC or mobile phone. Wearing the headset blocks all noise from the outside, ensuring the user remains focused on whatever they are listening to. This is made possible by the noise cancelling technology embedded in the headset.

Connectivity

In my opinion, the coolest aspect about this device is being able to connect it wirelessly and effortlessly. Users can also connect to multiple devices all in one go. For example, I could connect to my smartphone, PC and colleague's phone simultaneously. When I switched off my phone, it connected to the PC, and when the PC was off, it picked up the colleague's phone.

To connect the headset to the PC is pretty simple: you just plug in the USB dongle and as soon as the dongle flashes blue, you are connected.

The Plantronics Voyager UC Focus headset is a cool device made with the contact centre agent in mind.
The Plantronics Voyager UC Focus headset is a cool device made with the contact centre agent in mind.

However, connecting to my smartphone frustrated me on the first attempt. Merely turning on the headset's Bluetooth switch does not mean the Plantronics Voyager UC Focus is discoverable on the smartphone.

Plantronics says many users are not familiar that devices need to go into pairing mode to be paired with other devices. They told me to keep on holding the Bluetooth button for a few seconds until a light on the side of the headset started flashing red and blue. As soon as this happens, the headset will be picked up instantly and connected.

Soft vs hard phones

The other worry I had was I could not connect the device to my landline phone. If you need to do so, you need to invest in a soft client and connect via the Bluetooth dongle that comes with the headset.

Nonetheless, the Bluetooth is so powerful while connected that a user can walk up and down. Plantronics says the user can walk up to 45 metres. However, when reviewing the device it was evident that the range is drastically reduced when there are walls in between. I managed to walk from one office to the other, about 15 metres, and I could still listen to my music. But as you go further, the sound starts breaking, like when a radio is not receiving signal well.

Intelligence

One thing I found remarkable is that the Plantronics Voyager UC Focus is intelligent. When a user is listening to a song and decides to take off the headset - the music will automatically pause. Upon wearing the device again, the music will resume from the exact position it left off.

I noticed if you pause for a long time, this will not happen and you will have to start again.

The device has some useful voice notifications that warn the user about critical information like battery life and incoming calls. The talk time for the device is up to 12 hours which is more than enough for a normal eight-hour working day.

The "answer/hang up" button is on the mic side of headset where the online indicator lights are located as well. This feature is handy when streaming audio from a mobile device if you get a softphone or mobile call.

When the user hangs up the call, it starts the music from where it paused. If you are using a music streaming program like Windows Media Player and answer a call, it pauses the music, which resumes when you hang up. The caller can't hear the video that is playing.

Colleague input

In summary:
Pros: Comfort headband, active noise cancelling, multi-device connectivity
Cons: Not compatible with hard phones
Features
Immersive experience
Dynamic Mute Alert
Desktop charging stand
Outstanding audio quality
Adaptive controls
Smart sensor technology
Class 1 Bluetooth with adaptive power
Bluetooth USB mini-adapter
OpenMic/Mute
Online indicator lights
Price: R3999
Rating: 9/10

I gave my colleague Thulani - who is so passionate about headsets - the Plantronics Voyager UC Focus to try out to give his opinion. We both agreed that in regards to connectivity, the device comes out tops. We also agreed that in regards to sound quality, the Plantronics Voyager UC Focus is superb.

He was particularly impressed by the comfort the headset cushions offer. Another selling point, according to Thulani, was he could easily adjust the headset to fit his son's head. The numbering on the adjustment slide ensured his young son could easily remember which size he is. "It will even fit those ladies with long Afro hairstyles," said Thulani.

The other feature that impressed him was the mic which, he said, picks up crisp sound. Another plus is that it folds up easily when not in use. The headset also sits perfectly on the user's neck when not being used without causing any discomfort, he added.

The only complaint that Thulani had was that a hot day may cause the user to sweat as the earpieces are made from leather.

Verdict

The Plantronics Voyager UC Focus headset is a cool device that I think was made with the contact centre agent in mind. It is also a stylish product for those who need that extra crispiness when listening to sound. The device was unveiled to the South African market this month and retails for R3999.

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