Customer Reviews

Plantronics MX500i 3-in-1 Headset

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

Plantronics Mx500i 3 in 1 headset.

I purchased this headset to be used on my computer with Skype and have had it about three days now, making a few calls with it. I'm not an expert in how headsets should `sound', all I know is that I can hear people well and they can hear me. Everyone I've talked to hasn't realized that I'm calling from a computer or using a headset.

The headset itself is pretty light and sits on my ear well. The back of my ear did get a little sore after an hour the first time using it but I adjusted the position and the soreness went away. Even though the piece hangs off the ear I don't feel any real weight and it's incredibly comfortable to the point where I forget I'm wearing it. It also fits very snugly against my ear and there's no wobbling of any kind when I move my head. I actually leave in on when I'm working and not making calls because it's more bothersome to take it on and off then leave it in.

From the picture you can see that the back of the piece is grey which is a soft, flexible rubber. This is the part that sits behind the ear and holds the piece in place. The earbud swivels left or right allowing you to put it in either ear and has a bit of soft rubber on it although it seems to be more for design then function. The swivel is downward with a 180 degrees range from the horizontal position. The tube coming out of the piece which carries your voice to the receiver is set in a ball that can pivot depending on where you want the microphone to sit. It can also be turned to accommodate whichever ear you want to use. The head of the tube or `the microphone' is covered in a hard, porous, foam. When placed in the ear the tube comes down to about the corner of my mouth.

The cord that comes out of the headset has various attachments on it to adjust volume and the like. The cord can be broken up into two pieces. Part One extends from the headset and runs about four feet to the 2.5mm phone plug. This is the plug that can be put into a normal, cordless household telephone. This plug also plugs into Part Two of the cord which seems to be pretty long (five feet or longer?) and transforms into the USB portion that plugs into your computer.

On Part One of the cord is a clip to attach to your shirt to create stability. The clip can slide up and down on the cord between the headset and the volume control switch. Below the clip, about sixteen inches from the headset, is a volume control switch which is about an inch and three quarters long. The switch has a volume control wheel in the side, a mute button and a tiny, recessed, microphone boost switch in which you'd need a paperclip or pen tip to switch.

On Part Two of the cord is the 2.5mm phone plug receiver. A few feet away from that is a black plastic `something' about three and a half inches long and an inch wide. I'm guessing this is what digitizes you voice. From there, the cord extends about a foot until it turns into the USB plug.

Also to note, Part One of the cord is very similar to the thin headphone style cords with the double wire coating. Beginning on Part Two, the cord becomes thicker into a single coated cord and the last foot, after the plastic `something' it becomes even thicker before turning into the USB plug.

So far I like this headset a lot. I've read complaints as to its size and, when comparing it to a Bluetooth headset, they'd be right but I'm coming from an over the head style headset which means it's smaller then what I'm used to. It's incredibly light and comfortable. There's was some soreness at the back of the ear initially but maybe it was because I wasn't use to it. I like that I can unplug the 2.3mm plug and walk around the house while leaving the piece in my ear. I also like that I can put it in either ear in case one gets tired.

I haven't found a quick way to put it in my ear yet, wrestling with the soft rubber and the cartilage in my ear but once it's in it's fine and I usually just leave it in.

Something to note: I purchased my headset from Circuit City, a major electronic retail store. The first one I purchased had a manufacturing defect, one of the wires was exposed through the rubber. Luckily they had another one I could exchange it for. This might be something you want to keep in mind in case you're purchasing online.

The product is perfect for what I need. The only improvement I'd request is 1. A case, because I like to go to the café and work and I'd be worried about throwing it in my bag without some type of protective covering, and 2. a shorter Part Two cord. Again, going to the café to work and make calls, pulling out a 6+ foot cord is a little unwieldy. I'd even opt for purchasing a shorter version of Part Two.

So, all in all, it's great for use at home but too much cord for using anywhere else. I really like the product. Works well for me, light, and not as `huge' an earpiece as other reviewers led me to believe.

The under the ear feature works very well. The headset is very stable.

The swing arm on the mike provides excellent audio quality. The swing feature is really useful in adjusting the mike closer or away from your mouth.

I have used it in my car on my cell phone, on my desk with my landline and with Skype (the USB adapter is real handy). Great results everywhere. No one says it sounds like I am using a headset, I am cutting out etc. The incoming sound quality has also been fantastic. Really beats the quality on my expensive blue tooth headset.

The cord has a microphone volume adjustment, a mute feature and a volume control. All work well and are very handy.

Great product, highly recommend it.

I prefer a wired headest to wireless. Have never had good results with wireless headsets. I also wanted a product that I could use on my home phone and with the computer for web cam. Most headsets either have the 2.5mm connector for phone or 3.5mm for computer. The Plantronics MX500i has a 2.5mm and adapts to USB for the computer.

Best of all, the sound quality is very good. People that I have called say it sounds excellent with little echo or background noise.

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I have a home office and sometimes spend 2-3 hours a day on the telephone. I have a Uniden cordless phone and have been using Uniden HS-915 headsets because I really like having the audio on both ears. Unfortunately, both of the Uniden headsets that I have suddenly stopped working--the microphone no longer worked. So I am searching for a decent replacement.

Based on the positive reviews and low price of the MX500i, I gave it a try. First the fit. At first, it seemed like it was awkward to put on and loose on my ear, with the microphone moving away from my face. It seemed like it would fall off at any time it was so loose (but it didn't). After some fiddling, I finally figured out an adjustment that keeps it snug to my ear so that it does not flop around. (see video) This works for me, but may not work for other ear 'types'. After putting the headset on, and directing the speaker directly into the center of your ear, gently push the back of the speaker towards the back of your head to rotate it, angling the font of the speaker in your ear canal so that it is pointing forward--basically pointing the speaker into your ear canal. This small adjustment holds the headset against my head much better, keeping the headset from moving away from my cheek. It still seems comfortable and the sound quality still seems fine. Once I found this adjustment technique, the fit improved dramatically and I was much happier with the headset.

The 'speaker' sound quality seems to be very good. Very clear, plenty loud enough at standard volume. With my Uniden cordless phone, I do notice some hissing when the Plantronics volume adjustment is near its highest setting. It is also there with my other headsets, but the Platronics seems to have more treble and better highs, making it a little more apparent.

At first, I thought that the microphone volume was not loud enough. During tests, the microphone produced sound that could be heard, but it sounded like it needed to be a little louder on the other end of the call. I tried moving the microphone tube, but couldn't get it to stay close enough to my mouth to make the sound louder. And then I noticed the tiny microphone volume switch on the volume control. I didn't notice it previously on the instruction sheet (it is there), but there is a tiny switch on the side of the volume control that lets you switch between two microphone volume settings. Once I switched it to high, the microphone was plenty loud, and I could move the microphone tube comfortably away from my mouth without worrying about the volume being too low.

As others have noted, the headset is very light, and I'm sure I will forget that I'm even wearing it, which is great.

The cord is a small, soft wire, so it is not stiff or cumbersome to deal with. Another reviewer noted that his cord was 6 feet long, but mine is around 4 feet, which seems very reasonable and works fine for me.

So far I'm pretty happy with it, and for the very reasonable price, would definitely recommend it over the cheap over-the-head headsets.

I've had a horrible time finding a good multi-purpose headset. My situation is that I work from home part of the time as well as commute into the city, so I need a headset that will work with:

- Home Phone on Ooma(2.5MM headset)
- Laptop (Skype using USB)
- Blackberry (2.5MM headset)

I've gone through a variety of headsets from the Jawbone2 (both laptop and BB have Bluetooth) and found the sound quality was good, but fit was off, and battery life prevented long use of the device. I've tried the Plantronic MC200C as well as the Plantronics Skype headset--both claiming to have noise cancellation, but both picking up all the ambient noise of the room (my home office is an open setting with the kitchen and living room next to me).

After I received the MX500i I proceeded to make calls on both my BB and home phone (connected to Ooma), and switched between both the MC200C and MX500i and the people on the other end stated there was a night and day difference with the MX500i being superior both in terms of both sound quality, and cancellation of background noise

In terms of ease of putting the device on, this can be a bit tricky, but once you get the hang of it, putting the device on isn't as bad as you think it will be. Comfort is second to none. I have Oakley glasses and as such headsets that go over the ear, or have loops that go over the ear are very uncomfortable. This headset is VERY friendly for folks who wear glasses and I have been wearing it most of the afternoon without discomfort.

The only drawback was the packaging, the plastic that it came in was glued together and sort of difficult to open, but all things considering with that being the only drawback I'm more than pleased with the actual product!

Not bad, not bad....
As with everything strange that doesn't belong in your body. Long or extended use at first can start to have an uncomfortable feel. Once I keep using it I'm sure I'll get used to it.

Cable is a little extra long, which is fine since I can always wrap a little bit near my PC. The microphone swivels a little so you can either use it on your left or right ear and still have the mic pointing to your mouf to blabber into it. (I just hope it never gets too loose with extended use, but hey things break anyway right?)

Overall I'd recommend it... although somehow I wish I could've gotten a wireless device... I'll keep this one and not have to hassle with batteries and the like. It does a good job and sound is good anyway.

I was shopping for an earpiece headset that I can use for SKYPE, voice recognition in Microsoft Vista, my home phone and my cell phone [a Samsung Blackjack, for which I did have to buy a small adapter]. It was difficult to find one that would work really well in all of these situations. This Plantronics is perfect! I liked it so much I bought a second one to keep in my car just to use with my Blackjack. I would highly recommend this product.

I purchased the version bundled with a USB adapter for computer use but it is also sold as just a 2.5 mm headset. The headset can be used with any mono phone and the USB adapter works with with any mono headset. In spite of the strange appearance, it is the most comfortable single ear headset I have used. It is also as stable on the ear as over the ear headsets. With practice, it can be popped onto the ear more quickly than most over the ear headsets.
I use it primarily for PC based VOIP telephony on long conference calls, hence the USB adapter. Sound quality is better than most over the counter headsets in both directions coming close to professional grade desk phone headsets in the $200-300 price range.
A couple of notes on the controls. Volume control is very handy to quickly raise volume to hear people sitting on the other side of the room from the speaker phone then drop the level quickly when the main speaker resumes. The mute switch is only 90-95% mute, if you need 100% mute use the phone, conference service, or PC controls. This unit has a microphone level adjustment that works very well but be sure to test with someone for the right mic adjustment in your application before using for an important call.

This is my second headphone, and my first behind the ear unit. I like the light weight, but placing the unit on/in one's ear takes a bit to get the hang of. Once I got the hang of it, I prefer the behind the ear unit - I forget I even have it on as it is light weight and comfortable (when properly adjusted)

Sound quality is excellent. Mic performance must be good as nobody suspects I am on a headset. The best part is the long cord (to allow movement while on the phone) and the ability to adjust ear piece volume or mute using the inline switch.

Has an adapter to plug into airline jacks or into a USB port. Versatile.

Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that a behind the ear unit takes a bit of getting used to - not all may like it - women with long/big -Midwest/Bible belt hair might find it annoying.

For those that just want a headset to communicate with others while either playing games or using VOIP programs this is the best headset. I'm not a fan of using stereo headsets to play games because I want to hear the game as it is intended on full surround sound. So instead of getting one of those bulky ones that cover up your ears I decided to try this one out. It is by far the most comfortable little headset. I can hear and be heard very clear.

There are no cons with this headset that I have ran across. Installation was very easy and 3rd party software programs like TeamSpeak and Ventrillo work with it perfectly.

-divad