Customer Reviews

Plantronics CS55H Wireless Headset W Adapter for Cordless Telephones

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If Call Waiting matters to you...

I bought this and used it for a couple of hours before realizing that it did not support Call Waiting AT ALL (unless you consider hanging up on your current call acceptable). The omission of such a commonplace phone system feature should have been stated up front - it was not. The "workaround" suggested by the Plantronics support staff is simply absurd and involves a five step process to "flash" over to the incoming call. As conveyed by the Plantronics support personnel:

1. Pick up your phone / press Talk on your phone
Note: The step above may require a short sprint if you don't carry your phone around with you.
2. Hang up the headset (this is NOT OPTIONAL, see below)
3. Flash over to the incoming call using your phone's Flash/Talk button
You are now talking to your new party on your PHONE
4. Click the headset button to turn the headset back on
5. Hang up your phone.

You must repeat steps 1 - 5 to return to your original call. The Plantronics web site FAQ states the following:

=========================================
Can I switch between calls ("Flash" feature) using the headset?
If the user is on a call using the headset and receives another incoming all, pressing the headset button will simply hang up the current call but will not transfer to the new incoming call.
*Important note: The "Flash" feature is deactivated when the CS55H headset is turned on. In other words, if the user turns the phone back on during an incoming call in order to view incoming Caller ID, pressing the "Flash" button on the handset will not switch to the other call.
=========================================

That said, the call quality and range of the headset was excellent and if call waiting/switching between calls is not important to you then you'll probably be very happy with it.

This is one of a small number of wireless headsets that is self-contained, meaning that there's no belt pack with a wire to the headset, and among those the only one I know of that does not require a handset lifter. That makes it my first choice. However, it only works on standard phone lines, so it won't work in many offices.

Using a headset with a belt pack is a nuisance. For example, when answering you have two parts to pick up. Similarly, handset lifters should be avoided when possible, because they can move around and be unreliable, not to mention all the parts and wires on your desk. Avoiding these problems is a big advantage.

On the other hand, the CS55H could be easier to use. Answering is no problem, but dialing a call requires extra work, because a separate phone is required and you must handle both the headset and the phone. In particular, after dialing, you must hang up the separate phone. If you get a busy, you must remember to hang up both. These may seem minor, but I find them a bigger nuisance than I would have thought.

I don't know why Plantronics didn't add a dial pad. This would have made it easier to use and eliminated a bunch of wires and an extra phone on your desk. The separate phone should be optional.

I consider the CS55H to be essential for my home office. I work from home and between direct calls and conference calls, I am on the phone for at least 2-3 hours per day. The CS55H is very lightweight, and feels unobtrusive even when worn for hours at a time. (Other headsets I've used start to feel heavy, or hot, after several hours.)

The microphone is top-notch - others tell me I sound absolutely perfect, as if I were speaking into a high quality wired phone. I am used to having to mute my phone during conference calls, but the CS55H mic's noise cancelling abilities have basically removed any need for me to mute unless there is serious background noise (screaming kids, etc).

The sound quality is excellent too. I do hear a bit of a background buzz, but I strongly suspect it's because my headset is surrounded by a nest of home office hardware. I plan to experiment a bit to see if I can quiet the buzz by repositioning things. In any case, it's not enough to be a bother, or even very noticeable.

I love that the headset itself has volume controls and a mute button built in. When muted, the headset softly beeps 3 times every 15 seconds. It'd actually be easier if it were to beep at the time you mute or unmute it (it's kinda hard to tell if you've pressed in the button all the way, so you're not really sure you're muted/unmuted until you hear (or don't hear) the beeps 15 seconds later).

The CS55H is obviously expensive, but this is one of those things where you get what you pay for. If you are on the phone for hours a day as part of your livelihood, this is a no-brainer investment. This is a serious piece of equipment, not a $40 junky headset, and it's worth every penny.

When you mute this headset, it will send a series of 3 beeps every 10 seconds to indicate to you that it's muted. The beeps are fairly loud (enough to possibly miss something said in the conversation), and the pitch is extremely annoying.
Other then the mute, the headset was absolutely perfect.
So in my case, I work from home, and I'm on a ton of conference calls. I have it on mute unless I'm talking so other people don't hear my dog, street noise, etc. So, I had to return it after a week.
In summary, if you use mute, you won't be able to use this. If you don't need mute, I envy you, and you will have the perfect earpiece!

The Plantronics wireless headset with adapter for cordless telephones works exactly as advertised. Hook up was a breeze and the convenience of not having any cord attached to the headset is just great. The only disappointment is with the range of the headset. It states it has a 300 foot range but in actual practice we got an out of range indication at less than 75 feet from the base unit. All in all we are pleased with the unit.

I need a wireless headset that would work with a standard phone, but not take up my entire desktop and not interfere with my wireless network. This phone is the answer. It operates on 1.9 GHz so there is NO network interference and it has a very small footprint on my desktop.

The sound quality is outstanding and the comfort good enough to wear all day (which I do). You have to dial from your phone or PC (as I do) then pick up the phone with the button on the headset (works very smooth). The mic and ear phone volume are adjustable, but the standard setting work very well.

I have been using it everyday (workday) for about 3 months and have not seen any drop off in the quality. If I have any knock on the product, it is range. My home office is at one end of my home and I can't walk throughout my entire house. I would say it is very effective up about 35-40 feet. After that, I can still hear fine, but people complain that my voice is breaking up. I probably could place the base a little higher and improve the range a bit. It's a minor annoyance.

Love the product and would highly recommend to the home office user.

I have had this headset for about 3 months now. I initially went with the BlueParrot bluetooth headset to save some money but was unsatisfied and returned it.
This unit is not cheap but it works perfectly for me. I have DSL on the same line this headset is on, and even with a DSL filter I have had sound quality issues with various cordless phones I have used. This headset is essentially a phone with no dial pad. Sound quality and range are excellent. The volume can be controlled well and it gets loud enough, an issue I have had with other headsets. No interference with my wireless internet set up.
Other folks have commented on the "beeps" when the phone is muted. I personally consider this a very good feature. Because the headset is wireless there is no easy way to tell if you are muted when away from the base. (You can't look for a blinking light.)The beeps are very faint and I personally do not find them distracting at all, although others have commented that they do.
The unit comes with multiple options to attach to your ear or with a headband. I had to experiment with these for a few days before I found one that worked. After the first day my ear was a little sore but after I used it for several days it felt like a perfect fit.
All in all I am very happy with this unit.

I rated this a 4 out of 5 because it is not the perfect, close but no cigar.

The Good:
- Excellent call quality
- More than loud enough
- Can control incoming and outgoing volume
- Easy to hook up (providing you follow the directions)

The Bad:
- Hiss in the headset - played around with the different setting but to no avail. Still has the hiss. You get used to it after a while but it is there.

Even with the gripe about the hiss, it is much much better than the corded headsets!! I used to get the cords tangled in everything and then when a call came in I would yank everything off my desk trying to get the headset on my ear. No longer!! If you are looking for a good headset this one will definitely work.

Gave it to my mom for Xmas and she loves it. She can go anywhere in the house or yard and have her hands free. It also keeps her ears from getting sore when a long winded friend calls.

At work, we have the Avaya VOIP phone system and this headset is the exact same headset (under the Avaya name) as our company hands out. Well, my wife works tech support for our company and works at least 1 day at home every week. So when I was looking for a "practical" Christmas gift for her, I bought her this. It works just like the work system, which we already knew she liked and works with the home phone. Here are some pros and cons:

Pros:
- Comfortable. So comfortable in fact that I have to remind my wife sometimes that the day's over and she can take off the headset - she's just walking around after work with it on.

- Long battery life. They're not joking when they say 10 hours on the box. It'll easily last you all day - especially if you drop it back on its cradle during lunch.

- Good sound quality. Aim the boom at your mouth and it's as good as a corded phone.

- Easy to use. Simple single clicks on the buttons pick up, hang up, and mute - about the flattest learning curve there is.

- No mucking about with mechanical handset lifters or other 20th century Rube Goldberg solutions they used to use - this is a simple, clean way to do a headset.

Cons:
- The instructions could be a little clearer. While they have pictures for everything, it's not always clear what wire they're talking about when you go to plug them into the base. Not horrible, but the drawings could be a tad clearer (after all, you're trying to find a black hole on black plastic to plug a black wire into, so clarity is a plus here).

- Not really a con, but it's odd that the manufacturer says it's for use with "cordless phones". Well, this thing works with any phone since it doesn't even plug into the phone at all! It simply has a "Y" adapter that you plug into the wall, IP phone jack, or whatever and then you plug this system into one of the jacks of the "Y" and your phone into the other. Just think of this device as an additional phone that can't dial (you use your regular phone for that) and you'll have it.

- Again, not a con, but something to be aware of - this does not allow you to dial out; for that, you need a regular phone. The process is simple: pick up your other phone, dial the number you want to call, then push the pick up button on the headset and hang up your regular phone and you're good to go.