Plantronics AUDIO 480 Headset
- Compatibility: Computers Mobile / Cellular
- Design: Ear Buds
- Usage: Consumer
- Connectivity: Cable
Available From
Why are these offers here?
Smart Buy!
Lowest price from a Trusted Store
Lowest Price!
Third Lowest Price
- Overview
-
Reviews
- Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
595
One of Few Earbuds-based Headsets.
Pros
Earbud style, lightweight, comfortable, good sound quality
Cons
Bass lacking for in-ear type, wire is not tangle-free, would like a better carry case
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
If you're a fan of earbud headphones, and have a hard time finding earbud headsets, the Plantronics AUDIO480 may be your bag.
A good headset is a personal thing. Some like it big and boomy, some like it behind the head, some like it over the head, and some earbuds. You see, I like the earbuds. Why? Because I wear glasses, and they are comfortable for me. Over the head ones clamp down and hurt my ears since they are pinched against the glasses. Behind the ears types rests on the lobes, but so does the glasses, adding more weight. This is why I like wearing earbuds for both my music listening pleasure (iPod, iPhone, etc), but haven't found anything for headsets - the kind you wear to chat on your PC.
Until now.
Plantronics AUDIO480 Headset
Plantronics is well known for their headsets, be it for office phones, cell phones, or the PC. Thus, I wasn't too surprised to that it was them who would make a headset using earbuds. This type of headset was hard to find, and I was happy to find one made by a well-known company. In fact, this is the 2nd one I bought from them. The first one was an AUDIO 450 I reviewed earlier this year. It's not an in-ear type, but a standard earbud type.
The headset comes in a faux leather case that holds both the set itself and a few silicon in-ear inserts. Yes, it's one of those kinds - the ones that goes into your ear canal.
The ear-canal types of earbuds can be a hate or love thing, but for me, it didn't matter. I like the fact that I can wear it all day without discomfort, unlike the other kinds of headsets. They usually produce a good amount of bass since they envelope your ears, and they are small and light. They do have an unfortunate side effect of making you hear everything that goes on your head - if you rub against the wire, you'll hear it. If you chew, you will hear it.
Plantronics did make a good set, however. The wire itself is about 6-7 feet long, which is long enough to reach the front of the computer, but not the back. The boom mic is about 3 inches long, which is quite long and gets pretty close to your mouth. It hangs onto the left earbud and does swivel.
Because of the added weight of the boom mic, the left ear bud have a small silicon anchor that uses your lower ear lobe to help prop the mic in the right position. I'm happy to report that it didn't pose me any discomfort.
There is a small wired remote in-line of the wire just before the wire splits in two for the ear buds. It allows you to control the volume and the muting of the mic. There is also a seperate small clip to let you clip the upper portion of the headset to your cloths or anywhere else to support the weight of the controls. The controller itself is thin enough to be masked by the wire if it wasn't for the contrasting silver color.
The whole thing have a very upsacle look an feel to it. The plugs are glossy, worthy of being compared to the details that Apple gives to their connectors. Unfortunately, the wires aren't the anti-tangling type like the Apple's or even the Skull Candy headphones I've used. I must say, the way they expect you to place the headset into the carry case, it's all too easy to get it tangled.
Sound Quality
For the in-ear type of buds, I was expecting a good representation of all the frequencies, but unfortunately not. Not it's all bad. In fact, it sounds quite nice. Mids and highs are reproduced very well - though not what I would call "faithfully". The bass, however, is what I was disapointed with.
For something that should seal your ears, I found the bass to be lacking compared to the Skull Candy headphones. It's there, but it doesn't "boom" as it should. Even still, for listening to music, it represented frequencies from high to low well enough to not have an empty feel.
Even without the boomy bass, I found the Plantronics quite pleasurable to listen to. If I must rate the sound, it would be between one of those open-earbuds like the Sony's or Apple's I've reviewed in the past and the Skull Candy in-ear sets. The bass is better than the open-ear, but not as good as the Skull Candy in-ear buds.
The mic also seem to pick up well, too. I heard no complaints from the recipients, and have recorded a few verse to make sure I wasn't sounding like Darth Vader. It's quite clear and crisp.
The Upshot
NewEgg had one of those "Shell Shocker" deals with the Plantronics AUDIO480 headset, which is how I happened to get mine. For $8.99, it didn't matter to me how it sounded just as long as it works. Not only did it do it's job, it exceeded my somewhat low expectations. I mean, it only cost me under $10, so expectations were low to begin with.
It still sounds better than most open-ear buds, so that's a good sign. And the mic pick-up is good as well. Couple in the fact that it's one of few earbud-based headsets you get buy for Skype, Ventrillo, or Google Talk, and it's hard not to like them.
Until now.
Plantronics AUDIO480 Headset
Plantronics is well known for their headsets, be it for office phones, cell phones, or the PC. Thus, I wasn't too surprised to that it was them who would make a headset using earbuds. This type of headset was hard to find, and I was happy to find one made by a well-known company. In fact, this is the 2nd one I bought from them. The first one was an AUDIO 450 I reviewed earlier this year. It's not an in-ear type, but a standard earbud type.
The headset comes in a faux leather case that holds both the set itself and a few silicon in-ear inserts. Yes, it's one of those kinds - the ones that goes into your ear canal.
The ear-canal types of earbuds can be a hate or love thing, but for me, it didn't matter. I like the fact that I can wear it all day without discomfort, unlike the other kinds of headsets. They usually produce a good amount of bass since they envelope your ears, and they are small and light. They do have an unfortunate side effect of making you hear everything that goes on your head - if you rub against the wire, you'll hear it. If you chew, you will hear it.
Plantronics did make a good set, however. The wire itself is about 6-7 feet long, which is long enough to reach the front of the computer, but not the back. The boom mic is about 3 inches long, which is quite long and gets pretty close to your mouth. It hangs onto the left earbud and does swivel.
Because of the added weight of the boom mic, the left ear bud have a small silicon anchor that uses your lower ear lobe to help prop the mic in the right position. I'm happy to report that it didn't pose me any discomfort.
There is a small wired remote in-line of the wire just before the wire splits in two for the ear buds. It allows you to control the volume and the muting of the mic. There is also a seperate small clip to let you clip the upper portion of the headset to your cloths or anywhere else to support the weight of the controls. The controller itself is thin enough to be masked by the wire if it wasn't for the contrasting silver color.
The whole thing have a very upsacle look an feel to it. The plugs are glossy, worthy of being compared to the details that Apple gives to their connectors. Unfortunately, the wires aren't the anti-tangling type like the Apple's or even the Skull Candy headphones I've used. I must say, the way they expect you to place the headset into the carry case, it's all too easy to get it tangled.
Sound Quality
For the in-ear type of buds, I was expecting a good representation of all the frequencies, but unfortunately not. Not it's all bad. In fact, it sounds quite nice. Mids and highs are reproduced very well - though not what I would call "faithfully". The bass, however, is what I was disapointed with.
For something that should seal your ears, I found the bass to be lacking compared to the Skull Candy headphones. It's there, but it doesn't "boom" as it should. Even still, for listening to music, it represented frequencies from high to low well enough to not have an empty feel.
Even without the boomy bass, I found the Plantronics quite pleasurable to listen to. If I must rate the sound, it would be between one of those open-earbuds like the Sony's or Apple's I've reviewed in the past and the Skull Candy in-ear sets. The bass is better than the open-ear, but not as good as the Skull Candy in-ear buds.
The mic also seem to pick up well, too. I heard no complaints from the recipients, and have recorded a few verse to make sure I wasn't sounding like Darth Vader. It's quite clear and crisp.
The Upshot
NewEgg had one of those "Shell Shocker" deals with the Plantronics AUDIO480 headset, which is how I happened to get mine. For $8.99, it didn't matter to me how it sounded just as long as it works. Not only did it do it's job, it exceeded my somewhat low expectations. I mean, it only cost me under $10, so expectations were low to begin with.
It still sounds better than most open-ear buds, so that's a good sign. And the mic pick-up is good as well. Couple in the fact that it's one of few earbud-based headsets you get buy for Skype, Ventrillo, or Google Talk, and it's hard not to like them.
