Plantronics .Audio 995 Wireless Stereo Headset
From Plantronics
The Plantronics .Audio 995 digital wireless PC headset combines the wireless technology with superb audio drivers to deliver exceptional performance up to 30 meters from your PC. All the controls are intuitively placed for quick and easy control: volume up and down are positioned on the ear pod and with the microphone mute activated when the boom is stowed you will always be in control. The 40mm speakers deliver studio-quality audio with maximum bass response perfect for music, multimedia, gaming and PC chat. The lightweight design ensures excellent comfort for hours of use.
Brand: Plantronics Model: Plantronics .Audio 995 Dimensions: 3.75" h x 10.50" w x 9.00" l, .30 pounds
Freely roam from away your desk while making Internet phone calls or listening to your favorite music with the Plantronics .Audio 995 Stereo Headset. This lightweight, ultra-comfortable headset delivers full-spectrum stereo with a 40-foot wireless range. The headset also features on-ear controls for iTunes and Windows Media Player, so you can control your music without being tethered to your desk. With a 40-foot range, you won't be tethered to your desk while making Internet calls or listening to music. View larger. Plug-and-Play Wireless Functionality Set up is as simple as can be: just plug the wireless USB adapter into your computer's USB port and you're good to go. There's no software to install, no configuration, no hassles. Once plugged in, you'll be able to roam up to 40 feet from your desk without interrupting your PC calls or music. And thanks to the convenient on-ear controls, the .Audio 995 lets you skip tracks and adjust volume on iTunes and Windows Media Player remotely. Outstanding, Full-Range Audio Quality The .Audio 995 features dual 40 mm speakers that deliver crisp, clean treble with deep, rich bass. The sound is so clean and rich that you won't believe it's wireless. Whether you're listening to music, playing a game, or watching your favorite DVD, you'll hear every detail. Make Crisp and Clear Internet Calls Experience exceptional call quality when you use the .Audio 995 to make Internet calls with Skype or other Internet phone services. The person you're talking to will also hear you with superior clarity thanks to the headset's noise-canceling microphone, which is designed to reduce background noise. And thanks to the Fast Mic Mute feature, you can quickly mute the microphone by simply raising the boom. Smart, Adjustable Design for All-Day Comfort The .Audio 995 sports a lightweight design that stays comfortable all day and all night, making it perfect for listening to music during all-night study or marathon gaming sessions. The adjustable headband lets you customize the fit, and the soft, swivel-mounted speakers cushion the ears comfortably. The Plantronics .Audio 995 Headset is backed by a one-year warranty. What's in the Box Wireless Stereo Headset, USB wireless receiver, USB charging cable Get up and away from your desk and roam around with the .Audio 995.
Best Wireless Headset at this time Lots of reviews out there, but mine is a bit more objective due to the testing I have done. Probably, like you, I was in the market for a headset to use with speech recognition, Skype, music playback from iTunes, etc. But I wanted to cut the cord on my Logitech USB headset. So a few months ago I went out and purchased the Logitech ClearChat Wireless headset. Between this latter headset and the Plantronics 995, there really is not much else on the market as far as non-bluetooth wireless headsets go. These headsets use a USB 2.4 GHz transceiver. This is much better than bluetooth, which constantly needs pairing and has sub-par performance when used with speech recognition, VOIP, etc. due to low bandwidth. Testing and using the Logitech ClearChat Wireless headset, I was pretty impressed. It worked with Dragon Naturally Speaking/MacSpeech Dictate, as well as with Skype. However, what I did not like about the Logitech ClearChat headset was that the ear muffs were too small (many complain about it) and there was constant static whilst speaking to someone on Skype (Skype to phone calls). Additionally, the more you move around with the ClearChat, the more static there is, and the range was acceptable but not great. To make my testing objective, I was switching, on the Skype call, between the USB headset and the wireless ClearChat one. The static was only present with the ClearChat headset and not with the USB headset. So, having read all the great reviews about the 995 Plantronics, I went down to the store, exchanged my ClearChat for a pair. I then phoned from Skype to a telephone (same person) and tested the reception again. This time, there was hardly any static at all (user feedback): their comment was that it was "much improved" from the previous wireless headset. I also got better range with the Plantronics as well. In addition, the speech recognition seems to work a bit better too, and is actually working amazingly. Seems even better than my USB headset. Furthermore, I tested some iTunes playback and no question the Plantronics has fuller, deeper, richer sound than the Logitech ClearChat headset. The only thing I like better about the ClearChat headset is that you can quickly switch the headset off when you don't want it to be connected to the receiver. With the Plantronics, you can quickly switch it on and off too, with auto-pairing (nice), but there is only one button, not a switch, which needs to be held down for 2 seconds to turn the unit off or on. The only issue is, unless the unit is off your head, you won't be able to see the solid blue light turn to red then off. So if you want to shut it off and leave it on your head, it is not possible to get confirmation from the headset that it is off. However, you will see the blue light flash on the receiver, from solid blue, and that is confirmation you have turned off your headset. But it also indicates the headset is out of range, so the only way to really no for sure that your headset is turned off is to remove them from your head and look to see if the light is off on the side. Thus, the ClearChat's simple on/off switch is superior in this regard, where you can turn the unit off without the need to remove it from your head for confirmation. At any rate, this is sort of minor because most times you can be confident that a flashing blue light on the receiver indicates you have successfully turned off the headset, so you won't be needing to remove it. And I like to power down the unit frequently to save on battery life... As for battery life, I think the Plantronics is better than the ClearChat as well, and both demand roughly the same charging times. Of note, when you first get the unit, charging it may be a bit quirky. You should calibrate the battery (the ClearChat headset took 2 days before it was fully charged, for instance). Other than that, do yourself a favor and get the Plantronics wireless headset. It is truly liberating to have the cords cut, and it works extremely well with speech recognition. 4.5 out of 5 stars, because of the on/off procedure and paltry instructions that do not explain how to turn the unit on/off. In addition, nothing is perfect. But a 4.5 out of 5 star rating for me is a huge compliment to anyone. I am very critical of everything, and demand a lot from my computing products. Plantronics: well done. Remember, hold down the power button on the headset for 2 seconds ONLY to turn it on or off. The good news, and the bad news The good news first: I like this headset. The sound is good, a bit thin for music, but good for skype and gaming, which is what I use this for. It's comfortable, and I love being able to walk around my apartment while wearing the headset and talking to someone. The bad news, there's a couple little quirks: -If the battery dies in-use you have to stop using the headset, plug it in and charge it with a usb cable. While it's charging you can't use it (why?) -Nonreplacable battery, so you are basically paying to use it for a year and a half and throw it away after it stops holding a charge. The usb cable doesn't carry audio (again, why?) Love the headset, it works well, I just wish they: 1. made the battery replaceable and 2. would have the usb charging cable carry audio so you can use it when the battery is dead. If I had known all of this beforehand I might have specced out other headsets more before purchasing. Good sound super easy installation Plantronics .Audio 995 Let me start with something that amazed me. I plugged the USB dongle into the computer, started Itunes, hit play and music started coming from the headphones!!! I did not have to configure a single thing. The control panel in WinXP showed the Plantronics as a first device automatically. When unplugged, I had to restart Itunes, but that was it, the sound was once again coming from my main speakers. That level of ease of operation has to be commended. The sound quality and controls. The controls on the left earpad are volume up, down, pause, play and skip track. They all work as advertised. The volume of the headphones at maximum level is loud, but not very. I can easily tolerate maximum volume, which I could not do with my none too efficient Sony EX51 earbuds. If I had to estimate efficiency in standard terms I would guess ~97db. The sound is typical of larger and over the ear headphones. For me this sound is exemplified by good bass and slightly inadequate treble. 20-20khz advertised frequency response. For reference the 995 sound better than an old Consumer Reports best buy Sony MDR CD180, but not as good as renowned Koss clip on KSC75 (a true best buy). The 995's treble is actually pretty good, while the midrange has a slight listening thru a pillow quality. I had a chance to compare these to a Altec Backbeat Bluetooth wireless headphones, and find the Altec headphones slightly more accurate despite a slight hiss in the background. I tested the built in, fold away microphone with windows XP recorder, and once again the ease of setup (none) was amazing. The sound quality was excellent. If you ever consider these for use with Skype or other computer based internet VOIP (phone) applications you will be pleased. The range does appear to matchy the 40ft claim, but subtract 10 ft for each wall in the way. Battery life is claimed to be 8hrs (have not run them down the first time yet) and the recharge time is 2-4 hrs (headset only, the dongle is powered thru USB). I wish these and the Altec BackBeat's would also have a wired connection such that you can use them with a MP3 player directly. The Altec's dongle allows you to wirelessly transmit any audio source thru a mini stereo plug, but that forces you to give up the track skip function. The good sound quality makes me want to use them with a TV and a stereo, how about an optional audio in dongle as well? In summary, the incredible ease of use and very good sound quality will make me use these more often than I initially thought.
