Customer Reviews

Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Earpiece (Cerise) [Retail Packaging]

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I agonized over these two items before picking the Plantronics 925.

Why Jawbone is better (in my opinion):
(1) better noise canceling capability (if there is some turbulence in the air, you can hear it with the 925 but not Jawbone).
(2) more masculine design (though the 925 black version is slightly more masculine, the overall design looks like a hair pin. the gold & cerise designs gear toward the female fashionistas).
(3) cheaper (by a few bucks if you shop around).

Why Plantronics 925 is better (in my opinion):
(1) smaller, lighter, & fits nicely in your ear.
(2) gel ear tip works very well. doesn't feel insecure like the Jawbone. i have free range of movement without feeling like it's going to fall off.
(3) ambidextrous - can change from right to left ear without adjustment (unlike Jawbone).
(4) the charging case provides extra juice on the run (however, it looks girly (sincerest apology to the female readers). the micro-USB port is an inconvenience as you cannot use your standard USB charging cable and I have many of those around the house already).
(5) very fast syncing.
(6) audio quality of the 925 and Jawbone is superior compared to their peers.
(7) distinct design. some of my friends already have the Jawbone, but none has the Plantronics 925 yet.

0--0--0--0--0--0
after three months' use - - -
(+) very light-weight. comfortable. hardly feel in your ear(s) at all.
(+) good volume.
(+) there is a useful function where you can (re)establish BT connectivity after answering call by pressing talk button on the phone rather than the headset, allow easy (re)connection if you accidentally answer the call using the phone and not the headset, especially on the road.
(-) headset battery runs out after ~2 of non-use.
(-) the recharger holder is nice but i don't use EVER after 2 months. a hassle to carry / insert / remove. only useful if you go on a 2-3 day trip to the boondocks.
(-) i dropped it once from 3-ft height. got scratched. but still works.

I am a much heavier user of bluetooth headsets than most. My job requires me to spend long hours consulting on the phone, so a comfortable, reliable, BT headset that will last all day without a charge is a requirement for me. I typically buy a new cell phone every 6 months (Current is a Nokia E51, next will be a 3G iPhone :), and a new headset (I compared this one to a Jabra JX10 which I used previously) nearly as often. Some of my criteria may not be something you need, so keep that in mind as you read through,and as with any product, choose what features you will use, and which are "cool" but unnecessary.

What's in the Box:
-An extremely light headset (8 grams!)
-Three ear pieces (small, medium, large)
-Wall Charger
-USB Charger
-Nice looking Case that also charges the headset
-Short, Simple, Clear Instruction Manual

Pros:

Looks - The Plantronics 925 is a very attractive headset. It doesn't have the goofy, bulky, flashy "star trek" look that a lot of headsets do. The smooth, attractive lines, and the thin mouthpiece are very low key and elegant. The headset also comes in 3 colors: standard black, fashionable gold, and feminine cerise.

Charging - Plantronics included not 1, not 2, but 3 ways to charge this headset: through the wall, by usb, or with the extremely cool charging case. The case has it's own lithium ion battery, and it will actually hold a single charge for the headset without being plugged in. This means for an overnight trip all you have to bring with you is the headset and the case, and you'll still be able to recharge it once.

Pairing - The 925 connected quickly and easily to my phone, this shouldn't be a challenge for anyone to do after a few minutes skimming the manual.

Comfort and Fit - I prefer the "in ear" style of BT headsets to the "over the ear" style, so the 925's setup was great. The customizable earbuds should ensure a comfortable fit for most people, although there will be some who will experience irritation with all the sizes. The earbuds are a tad fragile, so be careful when handling them.

Stability - The plantronics feels really light and loose, but it also stays in place! Nothing is more annoying than a headset that falls out, but this one does a great job staying in place.

Range - The headset does well out to about 20 feet, any further and distortion begins to occur. Bluetooth is rated for 33 feet maximum, but in real life you will seldom get this far, and the 925 does excellent compared to other headsets.

Sound Quality - The 925 does very well in this area. No one could "tell" I was on a headset, and both incoming and ougoing sound were crisp and clear for me and the person on the other end. The one exception was in wind, which I will discuss later.

Battery Life - The 925 is rated for up to 5 hours of talk time and 7 days (!) of standby time, which is great for a BT headset. Although battery life does typically decline over time, in my experience it definitely lived up to the promise and I was very impressed by the amount of time I could go between charges.

Cons: (Keep in mind these may not be important to you!)

Controls - The 925 has 2 buttons: One large multi-purpose button on the side, and one smaller one on the top for volume. While the multi-purpose one is pretty standard (answering or placing calls, voice dialing, etc), the volume control is somewhat lacking. It only has 3 levels (high, medium, low) which it cycles through. This is in contrast to competing headsets (such as my Jabra) which have both "+" and "-" for volume, which can give more precise control over the volume.

Wind Noise - This is something that is a problem on most headsets, and while this one did better than most low end headsets, it didn't do as well as competitors at half its price (such as the Aliph Jawbone). Such a pricey headset should not experience such bad feedback and voice choppiness when outdoors or on the highway.

Price - The 925 is definitely on the higher end of the price range for BT headsets. The features for the price may or may not be worth it to you, and you could be just as happy with a much lower priced headset.

Overall:

Overall the 925 is a great looking premium headset which is packed with features. Comfort, ease of use, battery life, and sound quality were all excellent. The charging methods provided were exceptional, and the charging case is just plain cool. This headset is certainly better than most of the cheap headsets out there. Still, the price is high, and the controls and wind noise performance could be better. These aside, there is an excellent chance you will look great in and love this headset.

I've been extra pleased with two things concerning this product lately. For one, it is in the November 2008 issue of Consumer Products as having made the "Top Products" list.
Then last weekend I saw it in the Sunday ad's at Best Buy on sale for $115. I paid under $80 for mine here, and it qualified for free shipping to boot!

The Consumer Reports says,
"This mono Bluetooth costs more than most, but it's among the lightest and smallest and earned very good scores for talking and listening. Noise-canceling technology reduces background noise to facilitate the conversation. It supports multi-point pairing - the easiest way to pair your headset to a phone." (BTW - they have the list price at $135)

Now for my opinion.
I have very small ears and have had a hard time finding a bluetooth that would stay on so I wanted to give this 'in ear' design a try. It fits great with a nice secure feel and more importantly it sounds great and (I'm told) sounds great to the caller too. No one has asked me yet if I'm on speaker or bluetooth. So far, no complaints from anyone. I'm very happy with all of it's features as well.

At the suggested retail price, I would never have made this purchase, but because it was a reasonable Gold Box offer, I leapt toward my first bluetooth earpiece. The pink was not a selling point, but I preferred that to a more common black contraption, and I'm not at all disappointed. It's more of a mauve than pink which was more pleasing to me. It synched up immediately with my cell phone and I suspect it will do the same when this phone is replaced in 2009. The manual was easy to read and understand and I had no difficulty placing the earpiece into the lovely leather carrying case/charger or removing it to use. Although some have complained about short battery time, I have not experienced that and have not have the battery die at any time. It is easy to check the battery level by depressing the two buttons on the device and observing the number of red flashes for remaining power. The small size might be easy to lose for some, but I'm aware of that possibility and exercise caution when I put it in my bag or pocket. Because of that small size, it takes only a second to plug the earpiece into the ear and I do not wear it unless I am on a call. Realizing that it's lightweight, I am also cautious in more windy situations. I had only one experience with a less than perfect call and was a bit disturbed until I realized the static was generated from the other end of the call. In general, I like the fit, clarity, ease of use, and don't feel like I have a growth erupting from my ear. I'd buy this again.

Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Earpiece (Cerise) is a competent little Bluetooth headset. It is small, lightweight, and easy to use. The volume button is not a rocker button, requiring one to cycle through the volume levels; however, the sound is so clear I rarely need to adjust the volume.

I have a small ear opening and the smallest ear piece fits nicely and keeps the headset firmly in place (unless I physically knock it out by firmly brushing my hair back or wisking my sunglasses off). The ear piece does make my ear itch after extended wear; otherwise, no issues.

There are a number of advanced functions for which, I must confess, I don't rembmer the correct button sequences. However, for basic call answering, etc. this device is a breeze.

The attractive, petite charging/protection case is easy to keep on my desk as well as tuck into my smallest handbag. I've never run out of battery time.

I would definitely recommend this product, as well as buy it again myself.

I bought this because of the positive reviews on this site, and they were spot on! I have small ears and have a very hard time finding a good bluetooth headset that fits. This one just sits in your ear and it stays! I shook my head around and it never moved. I've now worn it all day without a problem. One small problem is that the rubber thing on it (which comes in 3 different sizes) is irritating my ear a little bit. But, it's worse in one ear than the other and so far I've been able to be ok. Another reviewer said she got foam pieces for it instead, and I might try that.

The sound on this bluetooth is great. I just bought a new blackberry curve and my friends say I sound better on the bluetooth than my actual phone (not that the phone sounds bad at all). It's easy to use and I love the charger case that it comes in. It was definitely a great buy and it looks really great on my ear! I also love the multipoint feature as I can also use it with my separate work cell phone. I very highly recommend this product.

I have had a difficult time finding a bluetooth headset due to a hearing loss that I have in both ears. Any that I had tried I couldn't hear the callers on any setting. There was NO problem hearing people on my end on this phone. I was in heaven.

However, I have to scream into the headset in order for other people to hear me! It's ok if I'm in the car, but a bit unruly if I am in public.

The charger is a wonderful idea as I always forget to charge things. It is much smaller than it looks in the pictures, and the color choice is quite nice.

I was a bit disappointed that the charging mechanism isn't stardard mini-usb, as I did not need another chord to have to find a plug to. Standard mini was very doable on this headset and would have made it even better.

It's a good headset for hearing, but the reception on the other end makes this one that you might want to pass on.

I had a Motorola H700, it kept disconnected from my phone. I was tired of constantly re-connecting the device to my phone. The Plantronics is far superior. The sound is crisp and clear. Connecting to my phone was simple, I am very glad I made the purchase.

Purchased this for my wife for her birthday. She didn't think she needed a higher-priced BT headset, but she has been pleasantly surprised. It takes a bit of getting used to, but she much prefers it over her older, over-the-ear headset. Call quality is excellent with her BB 8830, and I love the carrying case with the full charge battery to use on trips.
Highly recommended!

I have tried about 20 different bluetooth headsets and this one out performs all the others. I kept buying different ones hoping to have one that was loud enough and clear enough to be worthwhile. They all had some kind of problem that made me hate them within days of buying.

Plantronics has the answer in the Discovery 925. I bought this one for my wife because I was so pleased with the black one that I bought prior. She has now grown to love it just as much as me.

The charging case is a pain to master but worth the time. It is a pain to get the headset plugged into it. The freedom and extended use that this case offers is worth the learning curve.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good bluetooth headset. Don't bother wasting your money anywhere else.