Plantronics/Poly Voyager 8200 UC B8200 Headset, Black

Plantronics/Poly Voyager 8200 UC B8200 Headset, Black

Thr B8200 is Plantronics' offering to allow you to tune out colleagues in a noisy office environment. It's Bluetooth so you can use it with a mobile phone or tablet and it comes with a USB dongle allowing you to also connect to a PC. If you're super-lucky it might work with your desk phone but please note your phone must either have Bluetooth OR a USB headset port to use this headset (these are few and far between so check your phone manual if you're not sure.)

What makes the 8200 UC good for noisy environments is their Active Noise Cancelling headphones. You may have seen this kind of thing for travel. The headset has external mics to sense and block out the noise around you. There are 2 settings of 'ANC' (we're not sure why but that seems to be the current trend). If you're listening to loud music on them you are just not going to hear that annoying bloke that seems incapable of a normal volume conversation. If JUST used with ANC (no music), then you'll still hear colleagues.

This is a headSET not just headPHONES - they have a mic for when you make calls on your mobile or PC. Now this isn't a boom mic (the stick thing that you speak into on a normal office headset) so you might think the mic is a bit rubbish but not so! We've checked out a few independent tests and it really seems excellent. have a look at the video review link below

Plantronics/Poly have put some nice touches in the 8200; NFC pairing, a dynamic mute alert that senses if you speak when the headset's on mute and alerts you via voice prompt and smart sensors that answer a call but by picking up the headset. Also there are nice big L & Rs inside earcups so you can easilt see which way round to put it on.

The controls are pretty very extensive and intuitive - a volume wheel on one ear with pause/play, previous / next track, call answer end, and a nice clear mute button.All this stuff on the earcups make it look a bit busy & arguably less classy looking than the Sennheiser MB 660 UC which has touchpad controls but that's just a personal preference thing. Using the headse4t controls you can put up to 2 calls on hold, switch between calls and redial the last number dialled. You can of course use the headset with Siri, Cortana or Google Now for more controls.

It comes with a soft carry pouch. For something of this calibre (and price point) we think a hard case is preferable but others may argue a soft pouch takes up less space. Also a 3.5mm cable so you can listen without using up battery life - although with up to 24 hours listen time, 20 hours talk and 1 month standby time, you may never need that! NB a full charge takes 3 hours. Range is up to 30m but note this is with a Class 1 BT device, so if your mobile doesn't have 'Class 1 BT', range will be 5-10m.

When used with the USB dongle the B8200 is certified for Skype for Business and optimised for Microsoft® Lync®. Built for UC applications and softphones from Avaya, Cisco, Skype and others.

The techy stuff - Dual-paired four mic DSP noise cancelling technology, dual-mode active noise cancelling (ANC) technology, mobile wideband compatibility, A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP. SoundGuard® DIGITAL: protects against sound levels above 118dBA; Anti-startle (during calls) detects and eliminates any large sudden increase in signal level; Time-Weighted Average prevents average daily noise exposure from exceeding 85dBA when used with Plantronics/Poly Hub via dongle

Wherever work takes you, the Plantronics/Poly Voyager 8200 UC Bluetooth headset is ready to block out background noise so you can focus on your work, calls or playlist. With its contemporary, four mic boomless design, multi-device connectivity and active noise canceling, you can easily leave distractions behind.

A newly added voice command menu lets you use your voice to answer calls, check battery level, redial, put headset in pairing mode and for a host of other headset commands. Caller Name Announcement (mobile only) tells you who is calling without needing to glance at your mobile phone while enhanced voice alerts announce remaining talk time, connection status, battery level and mute, enabling you to work smarter.

Plantronics’ leading-edge technology means precision tuned triple-mics with enhanced DSP for superior noise cancellation. PC Wideband delivers heightened speech clarity, providing the best possible audio quality, while advanced WindSmart® technology provides three layers of wind protection. Integrated A2DP lets you listen to streaming media from your mobile phone or tablet.

With just a headset (no dongle) the computer will recognise that you have a headset connected but even if you download the software it will not give you the full ability to set your preferences. There are some Windows systems that will allow this but it is not guaranteed on all Windows or Macs. We have also had some customers unable to use just a Bluetooth headset with programs such as Skype on a PC or laptop with Skype. Getting the UC version of the headset (ie with the dongle) ensures that you get the most functionality out of the headset with minimum faffing about.