Customer Reviews

Plantronics Explorer 340 Bluetooth Headset

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Got this a week ago from my local cell store, and i have to say, i am thoroughly impressed. It was very easy to pair with my Nextel i580. I love the fact that, unlike most bluetooth headsets, i can still hear my custom ringtones. All features (ie: call, answer/end, re-dial, etc) are activated with the use of one, multifunction button. The headset rests very comfortably around and in the ear. i am an EMT in the Harrisburg Area, and am very active with my job, and it has not fallen off of my ear once. Battery life is pretty good - one charge will last me my full 16 hour shift. The only downsides to this headset is the range - more than 10 feet away from your phone, and it drops your call. Other than that, this is an ideal headset at a very good price - highly recommended!!!

Purchased the Plantronics Explorer 350, which is the same headset, but comes with different accessories. The 350 does not include a home charger. It instead includes a USB charger, for home charging, and a sleek car carrying case and car charger, which plugs into the carrying case. The case has a clip which attaches easily to your air conditioning vent, and the charger cord slips into the carrying case, allowing you to charge it in the case, while in your vehicle.

The headset is, for me, very comfortable to wear. Not the smallest bt headset, but not the largest either (I returned the Plantronics Voyager 510, which made me feel quite like a cyborg... no WAY I could leave the house with that attached to the side of my face. I returned it within two hours of taking it home!). I've worn it for several hours, and forget that I have it on.

This is the middle level Plantronics Bluetooth headset, but that being said, sound quality is about the best I've heard, and I've had three previous headsets (including the 510). Excellent sound quality, both for the owner and his/her callers.

Button has a very nice, tactile feel. I had recently purchased the Scala 700 headset. While the sound quality was very good, the buttons and entire device had a very cheap feel to it... it felt like if you pressed the volume rocker too hard, it'd break. It also didn't give very good tactile feedback when you tried to increase/decrease the sound! On the Plantronics 340/350, the one button you use to accept calls, terminate calls, increase/decrease volume has a great feel to it and is easy to use, even with the headset on.

Overall, if you don't mind the (slightly) larger size, I would highly recommend this device. Decide for yourself if you would prefer the home AC outlet charger (340 model) or the USB/Car charger and case combo (350 model)

Some positives - some important negatives:

I purchased this because I wanted to be able to hear callers clearly and loudly. This headset is both crystal clear and the volume is excellent. On past cell phones, I max out the volume and it is still not enough. With this headset I have never maxed out the volume. I drive a loud two seat car, and even in that environment, I hear callers fine - with room the increase the volume is required (which I have not required).

The unit fits comfortably in and on my ear.

Negatives:
EVERY caller complains about background noise - and I do not mean car/road noise. I can be sitting still at my desk and if I move around paper - people wonder what I am doing as the background noise it picks up is very annoying to them. As far as actually using in the car - any car - I can not. While I hear people well, they all get frustrated and say it is too hard to talk with me while driving due to background noise.

The unit fits comfy - but it is a pain to put on. Definitely requires two hands - and if you twist the piece that goes over your ear the wrong way - you have to look at it to correct it which is not great for a hands free item (or fiddle with it a few times, which causes your call to go to voice mail or your caller to wait.... wait...).

Don't bother using the button to connect/disconnect - the time required to press it is long. And if you hold it too long - you disconnect the bluetooth connection.

I would give this unit 5 stars for listening, 1 star for speaking capability, 2.5 stars for ease of use. I would look for a different unit.

I've had this product for a couple of months now and it works unbelievably well for the price.

At first I didn't like the way it fit inside your ear. It wrapped around the lobe and then had a part that went inside your ear to keep it in place and allow for better sound.

However, after a couple of uses it stopped being annoying and became unnoticeable. I use it on all my long drives.

The only minimal annoyance I have with it is that the volume control is also the "voice-call" button. When you are driving it is difficult to push it in and hold it without making the volume go up or down. If the volume goes up or down then it wont' recognize that you're trying to access the voice-command menu. After awhile I've gotten the hang of it.

I still gave it a five star because the price is unbeatable for the sound quality.

I've also walked about 10 feet away from my phone while on it and the static is minimal.

First, this is a great headset. Second, Bluetooth is horrible technology. The truth is that the headset is great but your experience depends on your phone. I have a HP IPAQ phone and it works great with all Plantronics products. With this headset, I hear no static, it answers the call instantly, and it has a range of 15 feet a without static. The sound is good and the volume is really loud.

Now that being said, if I use a headset made by Motorola with my phone I have lots of problem. I have tried 4 different headsets and I always have problem with static, etc.

In the end my experience is that it depends on your phone/headset combination. Trust me I have had many phones and headsets.

This is a good headset regardless of the cheap price. The best part is the plastic piece fits in my ear canal, which makes it a lot easier to hear the other person.

The only negative is this headset picks up a lot of extra noise. Its not bad but people will be able to tell if you are in the car or not. But you know, ALL headsets are like that.

This product generally performs as promised. Range seems to vary and might be related to battery strength of both phone and headset, perhaps. At times, I can use the headset from an adjacent room (to my phone) and at other times I get static when my phone is no more than three or four feet from the headset... Will get static, at times, even if on same side of the body, but the individuals to whom I am speaking do not seem to notice. Overall, its mild limitations are more than compensated for the ease and convenience of use.

Works great easy pairing fits tight in ear so wont fall out. Good Range although its half the range on the box but all bluetooth headsets are like that. Can wear for hours and not know its there. It works great with my Razr V3 Black. Although it does eat up the battery quicker with it then without it but all bluetooth headsets do that. Overall i would recommend it highly for basic users.

This is my first attempt at BlueTooth with my V600. When there was a promo for [...] I jumped at it since its a >>PLANTRONICS<< -- "The headset that went to the moon." as in their adverisement....

Needless to say this is a POOR QUALITY HEADSET.
1. The connection drops in less then 3meter (~10ft)
2. No auto Reconnect
3. No option to activate the VOICE DAIL from headset
4. Most people tell me that they hear me good, but I hear them like a Thomas Edison's Tin Can.
5. Static, Static! Mostly due to the extremely short range of headset.

Works only when phone is in my pocket.... otherwise quick rise in static and drops the connection. Once I get back close the connection is NOT reestablished.

Will try to see how it work with my PC BlueTooth (Class 1) adapter maybe it is going to bo okay for Skype. This headset is no good if you venture more then 5 ft from phone.

I will still try Plantronics but a higher "value" headset -- 340 is junk.
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FYI I tried it with my PC (Class-1 adapter).... Range is solid to about 10ft.
Good to listen to MP3 from PC... nonetheless I get only static when I try to record my voice from the Headset even thought I am next to the BT adapter.
With the Wireless Network set to OFF, slight improvement.

For Listening to MP3 from PC: range 4 stars, quality 2 stars
Microphone Headset: 1 star

I bought this item for my husband who is a truck driver. I did extensive research in the areas of quality and price. At first I expected to purchase a Motorola H500 on e-bay until I learned of the counterfeit scam. I'm glad I found Plantronics. I went to their website & was impressed with the product. Also, I read reviews & learned that most people who purchased this item were very satisfied. It's true. The product was simple to pair with his phone. The quality of the bluetooth reception is excellent. I highly recommend this product.

First and foremost, this is a very comfortable headset. It is also quite intuitive to use and the sound quality is good. Set-up was quick, and instructions are clear and straight-forward. My only complaint is that unlike my last Bluetooth headset, it does not pass voice-dial commands to the phone. (At least I haven't figured out how to do it!) It would be nice to be able to tap the button, speak a command, and have the phone dial. But in the grand scheme of things, not such a huge deal.