Small in size, big on sound quality

SINGAPORE — Plantronics started by creating a headset fit for an astronaut. Its noise-cancelling technology made its unostentatious claim to fame when Neil Armstrong used it to communicate with Earth when he became the first man to walk on the moon in 1969. Space, you see, can be a noisy place.

Given the history, how does Plantronics’ consumer headset, the Explorer 500 Bluetooth — launched more than 50 years later on May 4, 2015 — measure up?

On a noisy street, hearing (and being heard) is not an issue. This 7.5g nugget of a gadget has dual microphones that reduce background noise and offer call quality that is clear and unstilted — as if the person I was speaking to was right there next to me. Even when it got windy, my caller could still hear me crisply.

For those who maintain multiple mobile phones, a useful feature of the Explorer 500 is its ability to connect to two devices at the same time; users can take calls from either device. Running on Bluetooth 4.1, a button on the device allows you to answer calls, and a slightly longer push on said button can also activate voice assistants such as Siri on the iPhone, Google Now on Android phones, and Cortana on the Windows phone.

Listening to music and GPS directions on the device is also a smooth experience with the Bluetooth audio streaming (A2DP) feature; not something to be taken for granted as some competing devices we tested fell far short in this regard.

The lightweight Explorer 500 offers up to seven hours of talk-time when fully charged. Even when I forgot to turn it off for a night, the battery did not drain. This is because the device goes into sleep mode when the headset is left out of range of the paired phone for more than two hours.

Turning on the gadget immediately hooks it up to the phone again, with a whispered voice notification: “Power on. Talk time four hours. Phone One connected.”

Users can also customise the language setting, but there are just three available — English, Mandarin, or Cantonese.

This bluetooth headset is designed to comfortably and firmly fit into either ear. To adjust the fit, rotate the eartip on the headset, or add the optional clip-on earloop.

One interesting innovation is its flat USB charging strap, which has a magnetic closure that allows it to be fastened onto a bag or belt. Putting it away is as easy as attaching it onto the tip of the strap, where it will hang securely.

The Plantronics Explorer 500 pulls its weight with its solid microphone audio quality. It is available in two colours: White and gold, as well as grey and silver, and costs S$129.