A finely functional Bluetooth Headset

The Good + Smart sensor technology works wonders + Supports A2DP wireless audio streaming + Noise cancellation and wind reduction technology ensures that calls remain clear + Compatible with a variety of complementary apps + Long battery life

The Bad - Retro design not for everyone - Vocalyst text and voice service isn’t free - Costly

The quintessential Bluetooth headset, the Plantronics Voyager Pro HD fetches a premium price which affords it the carte blanche to wheel some of the smartest features into its compact frame. The minimalist, if a little austere architecture may suggest otherwise but an intuitive user experience awaits under the hood. If you are looking for a finely functional Bluetooth headset and willing to overlook the less than edgy design, the Voyager Pro HD is a fantastic offer.

This latest iteration of the Voyager line of Bluetooth headsets is nearly indistinguishable from its antecedents. A small metallic strip with the Plantronics label and power button lends a dash of shine to an otherwise retro design dominated by a questionable plasticky feel and rubberised curves that feel a little too economical. A big swivelling boom mic which extends outwards improves call quality but compromises discreetness. For most parts, the period aesthetics do well to introduce an ineluctable sense of nostalgia yet they could quite possibly endanger the headset with those who prefer a more contemporary vibe.

The debate of whether the headset design speaks significance is quickly put to rest when you uncover the multiple clever sensibilities the device offers. Equipped with what Plantronics calls the smart sensor technology, the Voyager Pro HD allows you to automatically answer a call when you put it on. Take it off and it switches your active call back to the phone. The headset also locks its call button when it’s not worn so you wouldn’t accidentally dial someone. Unfortunately, if a call comes in while the headset is hooked onto your ear, you will still have to take the call the traditional way by hitting the call button on the headset. Like many of the Bluetooth headsets today, the Voyager Pro HD comes with support for A2DP which means you can stream audio wirelessly from your phone to the headset. The proximity sensor on the Voyager Pro HD helpfully works for audio the same way it works for calls – take the headset off while streaming audio and it will pause the track until you put it back on.

Plantronics claims that the Voyager Pro HD includes noise cancellation and wind reduction technology to ensure that calls remain clear even in the most testing plight. I paired the headset with both an iPhone 4 and Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S and tested it in a variety of environments, including a quiet room, a moving bus and on a pedestrian walkway beside a busy road during peak hour. In the quiet room, voices emitted and received were loud, crisp and natural. With aural interference increased a notch in the moving bus and on the pedestrian walkway, there were a few reasonable echoes and hisses but voices stayed perfectly audible and relatively clear.

To verify the coveted wind reduction capabilities, I placed my calls in front of a fan rotating on high speed. The circumstance drew breezes rather than tempestuous sandstorms into the calls but there is little need to raise your voice as calls stayed coherent throughout. Despite the general effectiveness of these much heralded features, the mileage you may get from them may depend on whether the ear buds fit nicely into your anti-tragus. Plantronics provides 3 varying sizes and optional felt covers and although I found one which fitted me, it wasn’t really comfortable.

The Voyager Pro HD also functions with Plantronics software like the InstantMeeting app and the Vocalyst text and voice service to make the headset work even more wonders. InstantMeeting is a free app that scans your calendar and automatically inserts the dial-in numbers and passcodes so that you can be connected to conference calls with just one touch. On the other hand, the Vocalyst service reads you your messages and allows you to input messages and update your Facebook statues via the headset with only vocal commands. The only catch is that this is a paid service that requires US$2.49 per month or US$24.99 per year to activate. Plantronics claims a one year free trial but users outside the US are out of luck. It’s also unfortunate that the Vocalyst service is only currently available for Android users although the free InstantMeeting app has been made available for iOS, Android and Blackberry users.

Battery life is suspiciously omitted from official records but the Voyager Pro HD lasted for up to 7 days on standby mode during my tests while sources rate talk time at 5.5 hours. On a sidenote, users of iPhones and the tablet-only Android 3.0 Honeycomb can enjoy a handy battery meter on-screen – we aren’t so sure why this feature hasn’t arrived on other operating systems. According to Plantronics, the Voyager Pro HD also interacts with you by announcing remaining talk time, connection status and battery level but the only voice I have heard from the headset so far is that of a female warmly telling me that I was answering a call when I put the headset on to receive an incoming call.

The Plantronics Voyager Pro HD is now available for $169 at all authorised resellers, including EpiCentre (various outlets).

Review by Loh Yong Jian