Plantronics Mobile Headset Amplifier with 2.5mm Plug

by Plantronics

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.5 x 1 inches ; 5.1 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: B0001KBG5M
• Item model number: MHA100
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,645 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Accessories)

Product Description

The Plantronics MHA100 amplifies incoming sounds up to 24dB and makes words easier to understand with Clarity Power technology. Portable and convenient, the MHA100 can be used in loud environments and by those with mild to moderate hearing loss. The MHA100 is designed for mobile, cordless and cellular phones with a 2.5mm headset jack.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Plantronics outsourced a good idea into a bad product., July 21, 2007

By 

HMMWV "God, Country, Corps" (santa clara, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Plantronics Mobile Headset Amplifier with 2.5mm Plug (Wireless Phone Accessory)

Let me first say that before you buy one of these amps - try adapter cords from the plantronics quick disconnect to plugs first. Chances are you DONT need an amplifier - and this one is no fun. I managed to get my desk voice tube amp (M10 or M12 if I recall) to plug into my cellphone with just an adapter cord - MY speach volume was down a bit but nobody complained, and I used the cell phone's volume to increase the earpiece.

A well designed 2.5 mm amplifier is a great idea. It sure beats a half dozen adapters to hook up a bigger amplifier and expand/reduce the plug size. However the drawbacks outweigh the product design because new phones like the android based phones and the iphone are using 3.5mm 4 terminal plugs for their headsets, which don't work without kludgy adapters on this amp.

Also consider that the amp is powered by a Zinc/Air battery. They start dying the moment they are exposed to air (you pull off a tape seal over an air hole) - regardless if you use them or not. Zinc Air is NOT a problem for a hearing aid, which definitely is going to get its value out of the battery before it dies, but the amplifier should have used a good old standard lithium cell to run it.

As mentioned by others plantronics uses a cut in/ turn off design to save battery power (I have an amp on my desk phone and I can hear when it cuts out during quiet passages. This can create problems that are a royal pain. No signal for a few seconds and you lost your amp. That's not just annoying - its a bad design. A simple on/off switch would have done fine but people would need to remember to shut it off when not in use.

Better idea - go buy a real 3.5 mm amp and cut the 2.5 mm plugs off, solder the wires, and make a real amp work, preferably one not made by plantronics. This one won't work with modern smartphones which are the present workforce on the market with 44 android designs alone.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You will hear them loud and clear..., April 14, 2005

By 

lee280zx "lee280zx" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

I've had one of these headset amplifiers for over a year now.

I like to talk on my cell phone while driving, but only with a headset. I found a couple of different headsets that have earpieces that actually mount in your ear. They were great for blocking out ambient noise, but the people I called had a hard time hearing me.

So I tried a couple of over-the-head style "full headsets"--the bulkier type that have a band that goes over your head and a microphone on a long boom that can be adjusted so that it is directly in front of your mouth. People could hear me great on these headsets, but even on my cell phone's loudest setting I couldn't hear them well.

That's when I found this headset amplifier. When I use it with my bulkier headsets I can have a cell phone conversation in either of my cars and hear what is being said. The amplifier is adjustable and is quite loud at its loudest setting (it would be great for people with hearing problems).

This headset has a few drawbacks. First, it is voice activated to save batteries. So, if the person you are speaking to doesn't say anything for several seconds, it can sound like they hung up on you. You get used to this after a while.

It is only really a problem when I'm on hold and the hold music is not loud enough to keep the amplifier activated. When this happens, I press a status button on my cell phone periodically. The "beep" pressing the button makes activates the amplifier, thus letting me hear the hold music and know that I am still connected.

The amplifier takes three watch-size batteries that cost around a couple to a few bucks each. The batteries last a fair amount of time, but the cost adds up over time. I would give this headset an enthusiastic 5 stars if it had a cigarette lighter plug as an optional power source.

I should also mention that battery door isn't very secure. It has opened on me a few times.

Despite its limitations, I give this amplifier 4 stars because it has solved a problem for me. And as far as I can tell, it is the only such device made.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very displeased, January 3, 2007

By 

Kenneth J. Levinson (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Plantronics Mobile Headset Amplifier with 2.5mm Plug (Wireless Phone Accessory)

The battery saver which turns this off makes this very unacceptable. Other reviewers were 100% right.