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(More customer reviews)I talk on a landline or on a Treo 650 all day from my home office. I've been using a Palm Treo headset for Treo calls, and my Treo wired headset for landline calls on a 5.8 Ghz Panasonic cordless phone, surrounded by 2.4 Ghz wireless internet signals. While this setup works, issues are (a) I am tethered to the desk (and often tangled and dropping the cordless handset), (b) switching headsets is a hassle (I did not try wearing both headsets on separate ears--too confusing and I want one ear available for the local environment), (c) landline callers often complain that they hear an "echo" of their voice on the Treo wired headset, (d) and the extra step of having to plug my Palm headset into its charger (and its lack of a low battery indicator) results in having to recharge it when I need to be using it.
My ideal solution would enable me to answer calls on either phone with a single headset, keeping my hands free for working on my computer, un-tether/untangle me so I can move around my office and home, and provide a convenient recharging stand for the headset (like the Jabra JX10). My functional priorities: (1) 2-way voice clarity, (2) wearing comfort and stability to stay on my ear, (3) range. Cool style/design is not a significant factor.
I stumbled on the Plantronics 510 headset, which has a seemingly unique "multi-point" technology enabling it to pair to two phones at the same time. On-line research revealed a seemingly well-designed desk phone adapter with an integrated a headset holder/charger. The value of the optional "handset lifter" was hard to assess without seeing it working. But the entire system is expensive ($399 list on the Plantronics site, $300 at other retailers), and it requires a wired desk phone--it's not compatible with a cordless, due to the way it connects to a wired handset. However, I know Plantronics is a manufacturer of serious office headset solutions, so I figure you get what you pay for. I read some reviews (few available, not even listed on the Treonauts site), found it on the web for $210, and ordered it to test it out.
Well, I've only been using it 3 days, but it is superb! I dusted off an old wired desk phone (keeping the cordless with programmed numbers to place calls), plugged everything together, paired to my Treo easily, kept all the default hear/talk volume settings, charged the headset - and started placing/answering calls -- flawlessly!
On talk quality, even my critical, hard-of-hearing friend had no complaints. On listen quality, I raised the hear volume switch on the base one notch, and now it's perfect. And the handset lifter is awesome! I dial the call on the cordless, then press the call button on the headset; the handset lifts and you hear the call going through; I hang up the cordless. Range-wise, I can walk upstairs to the kitchen to refill my coffee, step outside to greet the fedex man, and *almost* get the mail - which is about 70 feet from the base station! Conservatively it looks like I will get a good solid 30 feet, through walls, with no quality loss (though still only about 10 feet if I'm talking on the Treo). And a nice feature: if I *do* go out of range, a low tone indicates this--without dropping the call--and a high tone let's me know I am back in range and resumes the call!
To receive a call on either the Treo of the landline, I just touch the call button on the headset, which is conveniently centered on my ear. Once you set the listen volume to a good level, this is the only button you really need to touch, and it is easy to "find". And comfort-wise: VERY comfortable! The over-the-ear design keeps the headset feeling solidly in place; the smallest earpiece fits snugly in my ear, but absent is the pressure of other earpieces I've used (gels & 'hard' earbuds) . I can hardly feel its weight on my ear, and there is *no* pressure inside my ear; I can easily wear it all day. When I take it off, I stick it right into its holder/charge - so it's always charged up!
The packaging could use one very small improvement: the headset eartip guide could use some verbal description, to complement the diagrams, for selecting/fitting the right eartips, and for removing them from the headset as you try on the 3 different sizes.
I am a careful, discerning technology consumer, and am aware that the real proof of satisfaction comes after weeks of use--not hours or even days. I save all packaging to return a product that does not perform to expectations. I can tell you that I am already confident that the 510SL is a keeper! I will post updates to this initial review in a couple of weeks.
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