Plantronics S12 Review

Plantronics S12: Talk Ain't Cheap but It's Comfortable

I attend a couple long telephone meetings every week and holding a handset to my ear for an hour at a time is not an option. Fortunately, I have a Plantronics S12 Telephone Headset System.

Bottom line: If you spend lots of time on the phone, you need a Plantronics S12.

What It Is

The $130 Plantronics S12 is a lightweight headset that clamps gently onto your head, with an earphone and microphone that let you talk on the phone. It connects only to a standard desk phone - it does not work with a cellphone. The beauty of using a headset like the S12 is that it keeps my hands free to write, use a computer or do anything else I need to do. Another huge benefit of a headset is that I can hold my head in a normal position, which eliminated the neck pain I used to get after a day of phone meetings.

The S12 has two main components: a lightweight headset and a small control box. The headset consists of an earphone and boom microphone, both attached to a springy band that holds the assembly to your head. The boom microphone just reaches the mouth, and it has a blinking red light at the end to let people know you're on the phone.

The control box has a stand that holds the headset. It also has a pushbutton that toggles between the headset and the standard telephone handset, as well as a button that mutes the S12's microphone. There are a couple of additional controls and switches to balance the volume of the earphone and microphone. The unit's back panel has connectors to attach the S12 to your desk phone, as well as a power connector that is fed from the S12's "wall-wart" power supply. I found the Plantronics easy to set up and get balanced for good sound.

How It Works

The earphone pad sits lightly on the ear and I can wear the S12 for hours without discomfort. The received sound quality is excellent, crisp and clear. There is a very faint buzz in the background, right at my hearing limit. This is too faint to impact intelligibility. The volume level of the microphone sounds just right in my ear and no one has complained about my voice's sound quality at the other end.

Having a mute button is great, as it lets me cough, clear my throat or have a side conversation without distracting the phone meeting. All the buttons and controls work perfectly after two years of daily use, and the headset shows no sign of wear.

My wife doesn't like using a headset because it musses her hair. However, I'm hooked on headsets and can't imagine doing business without one.

Summary