Plantronics MX500C Under The Ear Headset For Headset Ready Cordless Phones

by Plantronics

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4 x 1.8 x 0.7 inches ; 4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0007NWLXO
• Item model number: MX500C
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #16 in Electronics > Accessories & Supplies > Telephone Accessories > Headsets
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 16, 2005

Product Description

Cable Connectivity - Under-the-ear

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good sound, great windscreen. Attention sports users!, March 3, 2010

By 

Phil (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plantronics MX500C Under The Ear Headset For Headset Ready Cordless Phones (Electronics)

I've bought almost a dozen of these for personal use and for friends. Don't worry about the odd (non-over-the-ear) design, it's very comfortable, especially if you wear glasses. The sound quality is good, in fact better than any cordless (i.e., Bluetooth) headset I've used -- and I've used many.

However, what keeps me coming back is the incredible windscreen this unit has! I'm a cyclist and I can use this headset while riding! Other than breathing harder, no one can tell I'm zipping along with a 20 mph wind in my face. This is the ONLY headset I've ever set that works in full wind. I'm sure runners and other outdoor sports users would enjoy it just as much. Since it works so well with glasses, you can wear the MX-500 and MX-510 with your sunglasses, too.

The only downside is build quality is just so-so. Specifically, three problems:
1.) the ear piece swivel can snap. This can be fixed with glue, but the unit can then only be used in one ear.
2.) the two-piece housing for the ear piece can split, rendering the unit useless.
3.) the rubber facing that goes in the ear can separate from the earpiece by peeling back, which can be trimmed.
Be aware that the above quality issues came up during heavy use while cycling, so more gentle and occasional use may never see this issues.

Other than some build issues, this is likely the best non-professional corded headset ever made (the stalwart Plantronics "StarSet" holds that title in the professional category).

I don't work for Plantronics or anything (my review would be better if I did!) but I used to sell telecom equipment about a decade ago, so I'm picky on my components' performance and quality.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Looks cool, sound is good, but cheaply made, August 13, 2010

By 

Christopher Demars (Saint Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Plantronics MX500C Under The Ear Headset For Headset Ready Cordless Phones (Electronics)

I looked at more than a dozen different headsets, and read hundreds of reviews. In the end I was convinced that there were not any spectacular headsets on the market. I operate under the idea that I typically get what I pay for, and the reviews seemed to follow that trend as well. I was disappointed when reading reviews that every headset was plaugued with either poor construction or poor sound quality.

My criteria were:
1) Good sound quality and volume
2) good construction (something that would last more than a year)
3) a reasonable price for the above criteria

I choose the Plantronics MX500C because I have had a good experience with their other products.

The Good:
There is a volume control, mute switch, and microphone sensitivity switch on the headset cord.
+ The volume control is fairly useless to me, but can be handy.
+ The mute switch is invaluable! I am on a lot of conference calls and having a mute switch is a blessing (my phone has no mute function).
+ The microphone sensitivity switch is the best part of this headset. It is important that the person on the other end of the phone call can hear me clearly. I use the headset with both a cell phone and a cordless phone. With all other headsets, the microphone volume and clarity sounded great with one phone, but horrible on the other phone. The MX500C is the only headset that sounded great with both, because I can flip the little microphone sensitivity switch.
+ It looks cool.

The Bad:
- After a few weeks of use, the little microphone sensitivity switch broke off. I guess Plantronics expects people to use it once during setup, and then never switch it again. My mutiple-times-per-day use of the switch was more than it could handle and it broke. Since I need to use the switch between phones, I have started using a safety pin to switch the setting now. Very inconvenience. Very cheaply made. I would be willing to pay a little more for a better switch.
- The earbud is extremely uncomfortable for me. I know that everyone's ears are shaped differently, so it is nearly impossible to design an earbud that is universally comfortbale. However, I cannot wear this thing for more than 5 minutes without experiencing great ear discomfort. It's not the volume or sound, it's that the shape and material of the earbud puts a lot pressure on one spot of my outer ear. It's oblong in shape and made out of hard plastic and rubber - it's not flexible at all. Sometimes I can move it around until I find a more comfortable spot, but not always.

Overall:
5 stars for sound quality and features
2 stars for construction quality
1 star for comfort

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally -- a good, comfortable, clear headset!, July 2, 2007

By 

James D. Chaffin (Coppell, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plantronics MX500C Under The Ear Headset For Headset Ready Cordless Phones (Electronics)

We bought and returned 4 different phone headsets before we finally found the MX500C. We started with one of those bluetooth earpieces with the microphone right next to your ear. The problem with those is that the microphone is too far from the mouth to pick up your voice without also picking up all the annoying background noise. It also cuts in and out all the time. Most people only care what their earpiece sounds in their own ear, but nobody tells them that they sound terrible on the other end. The MX500C is great because the microphone comes down right by your mouth. It has a wind screen to cut down on wind or A/C noise in your car. It fits on different sized ears and is very comfortable to wear. The only drawback is that it's not wireless, we can sacrifice having a wire for comfort and sound quality.