Headset Gazette

Plantronics Discovery 925

Plantronics always seems to be on the cutting edge and with its latest Bluetooth headset, the Discovery 925, they are right back at the forefront.

Sporting an interesting and unique VFrame design, which allows the headset’s microphone to extend closer to the user’s mouth, the new Discovery 925 ‘earpiece’ will definitely turn heads. From its sharp angles to its chrome aesthetics, the headset looks more like it belongs on the runway than in an ear. Its no coincidence that the 925 first showed up on Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria and ex-model Brooke Shields.

The headset is not small in size - measuring in at 68mm (2.7″) in length and 25mm (0.98″) wide - but is much lighter than expected at 8.4g (0.29oz) due to its hollow VFrame traingular boom. The overall design of the Discovery 925 is very simple, and uses only two buttons. The large diamond-shaped multi-function button is displayed prominently on its front and supports the headset’s main functions, such as power, pairing, call connectivity, and voice dialing. The other button, found on the device’s edge, adjusts volume by cycling through the various levels until you get to the preferred level. One noticeable difference for Plantronics is that they have finally converted and made way for universal connectivity with a micro-USB port on the device, which can be found on the back edge.

The Discovery 925 headset is for in-ear use and with the provided clear ear gels that come in the sales package (small, medium, large) I found a perfect and stable fit. Even with prolonged use, I experienced no ear fatigue and did not find the 925 to be bothersome in the least. Lending itself to the newly designed ear gels, when pressing on the multi-function button while in use, I never felt any additional pressure or ear pain, which is very rare to find on a Bluetooth headset, nor did the ear gel feel too obtrusive or block outside sound.

Our 925 was tested with multiple devices including a BlackBerry Curve, a Motorola Z9, and a ROKR E8 and had no trouble pairing to any device. Distance was not an issue but we did note a significant loss of audio quality once we approached the 10 meter (30ft) maximum mark. As for call quality, the Discovery 925 boasts Plantronics’ AudioIQ technology to help automatically reduce background noise for the end user as well as the caller. This feature worked very well and adapted no matter if music was playing loudly or if in a loud environment. We did hear a difference in voice quality when we moved the boom from our mouth up to our cheekbone, which resulted in a slight drop of audio quality making the headset wearer sound a bit more like he was using a speakerphone. Wind noise was handled as well as most other high end Bluetooth headsets on the market.

The Discovery 925 Bluetooth headset is rated for up to 5 hours of talk time, which we feel is quite accurate, and comes with an additional 5 hours worth of power in its soft leather bound carrying and storage case.

I must admit when this headset was first launched and even up till the day it arrived at our doorstep, I was a bit skeptical. I guess looks are not everything and after much use I definitely give this headset a Recommended rating for its lightweight design and decent audio quality. The headset’s hefty price tag and lack of mute button kept me from giving this a highly recommended rating. I do understand that the 925’s looks may be a turnoff to some but who would have ever have thought that Aliph’s Jawbone would have come so far.

The Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth headset is available now for US$149.99.

Jump below for a full gallery of the Discovery 925 headset.

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