Plantronics Audio 995 Digital Wireless Stereo Headset Review

A little while ago we took at two Xbox 360 headsets from Plantronics and were very impressed with what they offered for the money. We did however comment that the Wireless X95 headset would be a much better product if it featured an integrated rechargeable battery, as buying replacement batteries could incur a significant cost for the owner. Today we are going to look at one of Plantronics' wireless PC headsets, the Audio 995, which boasts an impressive feature set that includes an integrated rechargeable battery. We look forward to seeing if it reflects the high standard of the two Plantronics Xbox 360 headsets we looked at previously. Unlike some other wireless headsets that we've looked at in the past, the Audio 995 doesn't connect via Bluetooth. It connects via a small dongle which must be plugged into one of the USB ports on your computer. Due to this method of connectivity, the headset is only compatible with PC and can't be used with most mobile devices or game consoles. Specification Wireless Frequency: 2.4 GHz Wireless Range: 12 m Battery life: Up to 8 hours Driver Diameter: 40 mm Frequency Response (headphone): 20 - 20 000 Hz Frequency Response (microphone): 100 - 10 000 Hz Compatibility: Windows and OS X 2-year warranty Plantronics supply the Audio 995 within a substantial clear plastic packet which gives you a great view of the headset within. We have no doubt that this will make the headset stand out on the shelves in a retail store. Turning the box over reveals a concise breakdown of the key features of the headset in a variety of different languages. The drawback of using plastic packaging is that it is much more difficult to open up than a cardboard box. It also gets damaged when opening the packet, which is a little annoying. The included bundle comprises of a quick start guide, a short USB charging cable and the wireless dongle. We have often found it to be the case that wireless headsets are a little more bulky than their wired counterparts as a result of the extra internal components required to provide wireless connectivity. Probably the most significant in terms of weight is the battery. Plantronics seem to have bucked this trend, though, as the Audio 995 is relatively compact and lightweight. Like the two Plantronics Xbox 360 headsets that we recently reviewed, the Audio 995 features understated aesthetics. It's clear that Plantronics are targeting the mass market with this headset rather than the gaming market, where users tend to prefer bold colours and dramatic designs. The bulk of the headset is constructed from matte-black plastic with some silver and gloss-black additions to infuse some life into the design. While we wouldn't say that the Audio 995 excels in terms of build quality, we don't have any complaints when we consider the price of the headset. The plastics used in construction seem to be reasonably solid so we would expect a good few years use. On the left earcup we find a selection of buttons which control the basic functions of the headset. The power button is located on the edge of the earcup while the volume and media control buttons are located on the back. In the centre of the media control buttons there is a small light which indicates whether the headset is powered on or not. Wireless connectivity is provided by a small dongle which is about the same size as a large-ish memory stick. There is a small blue indicator light on the top side of the dongle alongside a tiny button labelled 'connect'. We didn't have to use this, though, as the headset connected itself automatically to the dongle when we first powered it on. Before using the headset, it must be charged for a few hours using the supplied USB cable. This plugs into the bottom of the left hand earcup. The cable is a little short for our liking as it may not be long enough for some desktop PCs. As we mentioned earlier in the review, the Audio 995 features a lightweight design which is something that makes a big difference to the comfort level of the headset. Plantronics have chosen to cover the earpads in a perforated leatherette material which gives the headset a quality feel. It can become ever so slightly uncomfortable if you wear the headset for an extended period of time, though. The headset is adjustable on either side which lets you achieve the most comfortable possible fit. Thanks to the light weight of the headset, it only applies a small amount of pressure to your ears and manages to stay very securely in place. Moving on to the performance, we encountered a few issues with the wireless connection between the headset and our PC. When testing the headset using a desktop PC below the desk with the dongle connected to the front panel USB connector, we noticed a couple of drops in connection despite the headset being less than a metre from the dongle. When using the headset with a laptop on our desk there were fewer drops. Between the lapses in connection the audio quality of the headset was actually quite good. When playing music the sound was clear and well balanced. There was some occasional distortion in the lower registers but this seemed to be a result of the wireless connection. Unlike some wireless headsets, the Audio 995 is capable of reaching very loud volumes. We didn't find ourselves having to exceed 50% volume at all and setting the volume to the maximum level would assuredly cause damage to ears. The headset also seemed to be well suited to movie playback but the lack of any virtual or dedicated surround sound is noticeable. The inbuilt boom microphone folds down from the left earcup and remains nicely out of the way when it's not needed. The quality of the sound recorded by the microphone is perfectly good for chatting on Skype although it also seemed to suffer from issues with the wireless connection. The Plantronics Audio 995 digital wireless stereo headset leaves us with some positive feelings. The silver and black colour scheme is sure to appeal to a broad range of consumers and the good build quality helps to sweeten the deal. Even though there are a few media control buttons on the left earcup, we would have liked to see a few more, such as a skip backwards button. Even though the quality of sound produced by the headset is very good, we had some trouble with wireless signal dropout. This was more apparent when the wireless dongle was plugged into a desktop system which was located underneath a desk. This is a little annoying after a while, especially when watching a movie. There are a few other issues, such as the extremely short USB charging cable and the very poor battery life. While we dont usually have time to test the battery life of a wireless headset, the Audio 995 ran out of battery in less than two hours even though we had charged the headset for more than the recommended amount of time prior to testing. This isn't even long enough to watch a long movie. You also can't use the headset while charging, which makes the situation even worse. The Plantronics Audio 995 can be yours for a shade over £45 at Amazon.co.uk. But, unfortunately, the wireless issues we encountered and the limited battery life of the headset make it impossible to recommend, especially when we consider that there are many better headsets available. We would advise you to look at the Arctic Sound P311 which is much cheaper and features exceptional battery life and support for all Bluetooth enabled devices. Pros Attractive Design. Good Build Quality. Rechargeable battery. Good sound quality. Cons Poor wireless signal. Limited battery life. Short charging cable. Can only be used with PC. KitGuru says: There are better headsets available for less money.

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Plantronics Audio 995 Digital Wireless Stereo Headset Review

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