After 2 months of naked irradiating talk without a wire or Bluetooth, I went seeking the ultimate Bluetooth solution. (I detest wires, anyway)

And having spontaneously purchased a Jabra 125 for hands-free use, a static prone starter set, I decided it was time to go exchange it.

This time, I went for a relatively expensive Plantronics Voyager 855 stereo Bluetooth headset. (I’ll refer to any stereo Bluetooth headset simply as “BT”)

The word was, as I read BT reviews online, that BTs cannot touch the sound quality you get with a wire.  That would probably explain why Apple is so anti-Bluetooth regarding their mobile products.  Fair enough.

The problem with a wire is that I have never used one that didn’t break after 1 year of normal use. That fact may be OK for a mono headset that you can replace for 20 bucks, but for $120+ BT headset, which my Nokia HS-12W was, that ain’t cool.

It seems that if a product is for wireless use, by decree it must break within a year or two of purchase.  As we all know, this is unacceptable.  But we all buy anyway because we have no real quality choice.

As I scanned the options at Best Buy, I recalled the excellent Mobile Burn roundup that concluded that none of their contestants had acceptable sound quality AND compatibility.  So they were all off my list.  The Plantronics had not been considered, so what did I have to lose?  If it sucked, I would return it.

The Plantronics Voyager 855 has a classic Bluetooth main piece, and an add-on  plastic ear loop attached to a wire, which leads to another ear plug (called a “stereo plug-in cable”).
At least if this wire broke, I would be left with a decent monaural Bluetooth earpiece, assuming that the performance was decent.

But there was another nice surprise about this design.  The wire actually has a cloth shell.  This should keep it flexible in the cold, and, hell, maybe it will actually last for a while.  Time will tell.
(I also later noticed that you can order a replacement stereo plug-in cable.  If I kept the BT, I would order a spare straight-away)

After the charge (and dinner), I jammed the main piece into my ear and was surprised at how well it a) insulated sound and b) seemed set to actually stay in!  But I have to say, you have to be used to using ear plugs; some can’t do it.

I was amused to read instructions about how to screw the main piece into my ear.  These guys had obviously thought of everything, because it actually worked to snug the thing in comfortably, though I had the odd sensation that I was preparing to sleep in a cheap hotel in Madrid.  After snugging the sidecar piece into my other ear and walking a bit, I could only hear the thump thump of my steps.  This is what I call isolation!  I later discovered how to back them off a bit to allow the real world into the background.

I checked out the action on the telescoping boom.  Now, I don’t know about you, but I prefer to talk into a microphone (mic), not into the air and hope the mic picks up my voice.  Sure, the marketing guys will tell you about how these BT devices are designed with directional mics, but that doesn’t help trying to be discrete in your conversation.  I appreciated the boom gig, which at least got the mic closer to my mouth.  Also, the 855 boasted “Audio IQ”, perhaps a technology that would actually make me better understood. (this is the weakest point about any hands-free device.  (The ultimate test is calling your father, or a friend’s father)

My first test was a walk around the neighborhood and a chat with dad.  He actually didn’t remark about the connection, meaning it was excellent.  But when I put my phone into my jacket pocket, the static came.  In fact the static seemed to image my stride, as if there was some secondary pickup from my phone, even though the BT was paired with my phone.  Weird.

So, static disappointed me once again.  My Nokia HS-12W and the Jabra both had static in this situation, hence my assertion:

Bluetooth headsets in general only work static free in open free-space. 

That means if you clip your phone to your left hip and BT into your right ear, you will have static.  I dare anyone to prove me wrong with any BT which is on the market today!

So, I finished my conversation holding my phone in my hand in front of me; ridiculous considering the whole point of a wireless link between my ear and my phone.

Does this nix the 855? 

No, because they all do this.

Later, in my office I had 2 impeccable conversations with the phone sitting on the desk.