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Plantronics Inc. has introduced a high-quality Bluetooth headset with its Discovery 975 by successfully rethinking earlier Discovery headsets that didn’t meet BlueTomorrow.com’s expectations from the company. Keeping with the innovative idea of a modular recharging case, the California-based headset maker has really hit a homerun with its latest version by giving Bluetooth users an easy way to talk all day without having to use a wall charger.
The last of the California-based company’s Bluetooth headsets BlueTomorrow.com reviewed ― the Discovery 655 ― had a similar modular desifgn to the current version, but the series of parts were cumbersome, gaudy and superfluous. The 47-year-old headset maker used the same modular concepts for its Discovery 975, but it has implemented those designs in an intuitive, stylish and practical Bluetooth headset system.
The Discovery 975 Bluetooth headset comes in a stylish box, and everything inside the box makes it worth opening. The sleek black and silver headset is lightweight at 8 grams (0.28 ounces) and fits comfortably in the ear with three sizes of gel tips. BlueTomorrow.com noted some consumer reviewers on Amazon.com say the headset is not comfortable, but this reviewer disagrees. The device fits well in the ear, it stays there and users should not feel any discomfort, even after extended use.
A black leather charging case gives users an additional three charges while they’re on the go and keeps the device safe when it is not in use. Because of the charging case, users can leave their charging cable at home and simply store the device in the case when it is not in use. Plantronics’s Discovery 975 will be charged and ready when it is needed next.
The headset gets a reasonable 5 hours of talk time and a week of standby time, but the charging case amazingly triples these numbers. When the headset and charging case ultimately run out of juice, both devices can be charged together in a brisk 1.5 hours, or the user may charge the headset by itself. Plantronics uses a micro-US
B charger-port design for both the headset and the carrying case. While this reviewer prefers the Mini-USB design because it makes the devices more universal, the Plantronics micro-USB design resembles the durable Mini-USB port; thus, it will likely outlast other forms.
The Discovery 975 Bluetooth headset’s sound quality is excellent for the user, with dual microphones to capture a user’s voice and cancel background noise, a 20-band equalizer and automatic volume adjustment to create a high-quality sound. The device has three-levels of wind protection to remove wind noise for the person at the other end of the phone. While the user’s voice comes through clear as day on the other end of the phone, the person the user is speaking with may hear an echo of his or her own voice that this reviewer found to be caused by the device. Read more about this issue below and the workaround this reviewer discovered.
The headset by itself works intuitively with one multi-function button and two volume buttons; however, it is unfortunate that Plantronics did not enable the multi-function button to make a voice-activated call. The only way to make a call with the device is to use the paired phone to dial. In addition, when the device is charging in the carrying case, this reviewer noted that the headset would sometimes automatically answer a phone call then hang up on the person who called. Read more about this issue below and the workaround this reviewer discovered.
The Discovery 975 does not get more than a 15-foot range from a mobile phone without major sound degradation, even though the company advertises a 33-foot (10-meter) range. While disappointing, it is not uncommon for sound quality to degrade considerably as distance increases between the headset and the phone it’s paired with.
Plantronics is asking $129.99 for its Discovery 975, a lot of money for a Bluetooth device, but BlueTomorrow.com contends the device is worth Amazon.com's price. The headset and the charging case truly work well together.
What's in the Box?
- Plantronics Discovery 975 Bluetooth headset
- Leather charging case with internal rechargeable battery
- Case strap
- AC charger 100-240v (uses micro-USB charging port)
- Three gel eartips (small, medium and large)
- Plantronics Discovery 975 Getting Started Guide
- Plantronics Discovery 975 Bluetooth Safety Guide
Keep reading for more detail about how Plantronics’ Discovery 975 Bluetooth headset performed during our reviewer’s tests.
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