Voyager Pro Bluetooth Headset Getting Rave Reviews

The iconic over-the-ear looping Plantronics Voyager 510 Bluetooth headset is getting an upgrade with the newly released Voyager PRO, which aims to compete with other heavy-duty noise cancelers like the Jawbone. And with the release of its third-generation Jawbone Prime headset, it should be quite a retail cage match between Jawbone and Plantronics as both fully emerge in the marketplace in the next few months (currently both models have been launched in exclusive retail locations, but will expand over the summer).

CNet has tested both headsets, and both get four-star reviews but the Voyager PRO comes out on top with the Editors’ Choice award for the month–noting in particular the substance of the PRO (and its call quality) trumps the style of the Prime. Rob Enderle over at Digital Trends has also tested both out and provides a good comparison of the two. Here’s what he says about the Voyager PRO:

Unlike the Jawbone, the Voyager Pro uses a technology similar to what Bose uses in their stereo headsets to cancel noise. It places a microphone facing out, and uses it to sense what noise needs to be removed from the microphone in your face or the earpiece in your ear, cleaning up both inbound and outbound sound. While it doesn’t do as impressive a job with outbound as the Jawbone, it is vastly better on the inbound sound, making it easier to hear in a noisy environment. As a big downside, it doesn’t like high wind (convertible freeway speed) at all, because it seems to overwhelm the outward-facing microphone, rendering it useless. It does seem to work well in lower wind environments…

PC Magazine has also bestowed the the Voyager PRO with its Editors’ Choice seal of approval, and notes that it’s more comfortable for longer hauls:

Because the Voyager Pro’s 0.6-ounce weight is distributed over your entire ear, it’s more comfortable to wear for long periods of time than headsets that tuck into your ear canal…

Aside from the contrasting designs of the two headsets, the other big differentiator between the two is retail price, with the Prime going for $130 and the Voyager Pro coming in under a Benjamin. The Voyager 510 will be making its way to Amazon in early June, and we’ll update you when it lands.

–Agen G.N. Schmitz