banditosway's Full Review: Plantronics Discovery™ 665 Bluetooth Headset
I'm all for keeping your hands free when driving. In Southern California I see too many people barely paying attention to the road while yapping away on their cell phones. That being said, I've never owned a bluetooth headset for my cell phone. Ok, I don't drive very much. Being a telecommuter I don't have to drive to work and most of my driving is just short runs around town. With my Apple iPhone though I've taken to using the headset it comes with in one ear so I can hear incoming calls and use the mic built into the earphone cable to talk hands free. While its not the most convenient way to go, it keeps my hands (and attention) on the road.
I figured that with the new California laws approaching (thankfully) where all drivers must use a hands free device if they want to talk on their mobile phone while driving, that it would be a good time to pick one up.
Since I have an Apple iPhone I figured the first place to start looking was on Apple's website to at least see which ones they recommend and read reviews. While I had wanted to pick up the Aliph Jawbone Headset, I didn't feel like spending $120 on one. Nor did I want to put it on my holiday wish list. I settled on the Plantronics Discovery 665 bluetooth headset due to its fairly good reviews and Plantronic's good track record. I know they've made some very good audio products for computers and was willing to give them a try.
In The Box
Included in the box along with the headset was:
- an earloop
- 3 different sized soft gel ear tips (S, M, L)
- a charging pocket
- a USB charger
- a Vehicle power charger
Oddly it didn't come with an AC adapter. I found it weird to have omitted an AC adapter, but then realized that while at home I can easily just plug the charger into my USB port to charge. Having the car charger will save my having to purchase one for when I do travel by car.
I figure that the next time I'm in an Apple Store I'll try plugging the headset into the Apple iPhone dock w/ headset charger and see how it fits. If it does fit, I'll likely pick one up so I can charge/sync my iPhone while keeping the headset charged.
First Impressions
Getting the Plantronics 665 setup was a pretty straight forward process. Once out of the box, I plugged it in to charge for the recommended time. It suggested a minimum of 1 hour for minimal charge and 3 hours for a full charge. Ok, so I met it half way. After a couple of hours I wanted to play around with it and see how it paired.
The pairing process was quite easy. Truth be told I didn't have anything to compare it to so I can't say whether this adapter was easier than any other adapter or if the iPhone made it so. But one thing I can say for certain is that once paired, the iPhone makes it a much better experience.
Why? Simple, the iPhone not only recognizes when the paired headset is available, but gives you the option to select it or choose another source (built-in receiver/mic, speakerphone or Plantronics 665). Very nice touch.
The reason I bring this up is that I bought my wife a Motorola H350 to go with her RAZR. She's always driving around and often calls me from the road. She's also far from technical and doesn't like to mess around with settings so I had hoped that this would pair well. Well the H350 did pair easily with her RAZR, however everytime she gets a call it immediately expects her to use the headset... which she doesn't want to do. She finds this frustrating. As do I. I can easily go in and turn off bluetooth on her phone to return it to a normal state and instruct her to only turn it on when she's getting in the car, but she finds this too inconvenient. That along with the fact that it doesn't always connect right away w/ her bluetooth headset makes it frustrating for her to use.
Upon my usage of the Plantronics Discovery 665, I noticed that the call quality on my end seemed to be good. The first couple of calls I made I could hear crystal clear. Granted I was sitting in my living room, but even with the TV on and the kids running around I had no trouble hearing. I've tried the call in other environments including driving and while at a park (it was windy) and it held up well there too.
On the other end of the phone I've routinely asked the person I was talking with about the sound quality and only once did someone say I sounded far away. Adjusting the volume of my voice appeared to help, but in all other instances I've been told it sounds just fine.
What I like
I had mentioned that the Plantronics 665 came with an earloop and 3 different sized soft gel ear tips. This is very convenient and makes it quite comfortable. I had second thoughts about the headset that just stuck in your ear without having any further support, but was quickly put at ease when I saw the earloop. It gives me the added comfort of knowing that the headset is going to stay put. Also the soft gel ear tips come in 3 sizes: Small, Medium and Large so that they fit your ear better. A much nicer approach that most companies (Apple included) who assume that "one size fits all ears".
While I've read some complaints about the layout of the controls, I find them to be just fine. Not difficult at all to answer a call or adjust the volume.
Its also quite comfortable to wear. There are times that I'm out and about wearing it and forget its there until either I come home and someone points it out or a call comes in. It is quite light.
Complaints
What I don't like about this headset is that I've almost lost the ear tips a number of times already. The earloop connects behind the gel ear tip insert and upon removing the headset from my pocket, it has popped the ear tip off. I find that the ear tip just doesn't snap in secure enough. As long as you're careful then its not a problem (as I've been more careful recently) but certainly annoying at first.
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