Plantronics Audio 470 headphone

It’s Wednesday! Time for another installment of Palm Discovery’s wReview Wednesday! Today we’ll be reviewing Plantronics 470 headphone, a foldable headphone with noise canceling feature that may be an excellent travel headphone for placing VOIP or Skype calls.

Although most laptops come with a built-in microphone and a webcam nowadays, let’s face it, they aren’t of very good quality. When you’re chatting with your family or friends on any one of the instant messaging or video chat programs like MSN Messenger, Skype, Yahoo Messenger, etc, would you want the other party to hear all the noisy droning of your refrigerator or your kids screaming in the background or even just the laptop fan whirring when it’s on? I think not. Not only is it a distraction for the other party, they may have difficulty hearing you.

Sure, there are many inexpensive microphones ranging from those that have a desk stand to those mini right angled ones that plug into your microphone jack (like the USB Fever’s Right angled mini mic (my review here) and Hyundai High Powered mini mic (my review here) to other headsets with microphone you can buy at your local Radioshack or computer store, but their quality isn’t stellar. What would you say if I told you that you can get a relatively decent pair of headphones with noise canceling microphone that won’t break your bank? You’d probably say I’m lying. But I’m not and they are out there. Plus, they are easily foldable for use when traveling with your laptop Check out Plantronics’ Audio 470 headphone, perfect for travel and laptops with its foldable design that makes it easy to carry with you anywhere.

When I bought this a year or so ago, I wasn’t really looking for a foldable headphone but something that would be similar to my Logitech Stereo USB Headset 250 but with better, more comfortable ear cups. Yes, at the time when I purchased the Logitech 250 headset, they were considered pretty decent and I couldn’t afford the Logitech Premium USB Headset 350 as it was way beyond my budget. Although they were fine, I didn’t like the rigid headband and it becomes uncomfortable a while after wearing them. I wanted to look for something that hopefully won’t give me the same problem at a decent price.

Anyway, I was out looking for a pair of headphones when I came across the Plantronics name. At the time I was looking for a bluetooth headset and heard about the noise canceling quality of the Plantronics brand. So, I started looking at Plantronics bluetooth headsets but when I came across the foldable Plantronics 470, I knew that it was what I really wanted. Although a bluetooth headset would enable me to talk on Skype anywhere in the house, I realized that I would much rather have a stereo headset that I can enjoy music as well.

What first appealed to me was its foldable feature which would be great for travel (I love travel computer accessories) but it also offered a noise cancellation microphone. Plantronics is well known for its quality noise canceling technology and I knew I could trust it. And, the earphone seems to rest comfortable on my ears, unlike many others with the stiff headband which push way too hard inward and feels uncomfortable fairly quickly. And finally, I really loved how the headphone comes with a USB adapter so that I can plug the headphones either by itself via the audio headphone and microphone jacks or plug those into the supplied USB adapter and plug it into the computer’s USB port. That last feature sold me and I went ahead and purchased it. To this day, I am still in love with the headphone since it offers excellent noise canceling to cancel out background noise when I’m talking to others and the headphones not only sound clear but feel very comfortable even hours after I’ve had it on.

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For those who want to skip over all the detailed review and just want a summary, you can jump to the review summary

The headphone is designed for compact portability with folding parts. In its compact form, swing out and up the folded end nearest the foam earpieces so that the headphone will automatically unfold outwards. You should now be able to see the headphone looking like something you can recognize. Place the headband over the top of your head and swing out the microphone piece so that it will be at a position that is comfortable for you and won’t pick up too much noise or breathing sounds from you. You may need to experiment to determine the optimal location. Plug in the headphone either directly with the audio cables into the respective microphone and headphone audio ports or plug them into the supplied USB adapter with built-in sound card for quality sound. The choice is yours. There is a volume slider adjustment near the middle of the audio cable with a mute switch. There is a clip at the back so you can also clip it on your clothing.

Specs and Details

Designed with the on-the-go professional in mind, the .Audio 470 is the ideal stereo headset for making Skype and other Internet calls, listening to music, and watching DVDs. Full, rich stereo sound, a precision microphone with a fully adjustable boom, and in-line volume and mute controls offer superior performance and convenience. Optimized for use with notebooks, the .Audio 470 features a lightweight, foldable design and the option of either USB or analog connection.

* Lightweight, foldable design for portability and easy storage
* Fully adjustable boom for easy microphone adjustments
* Inline volume and mute controls
* Analog or USB connection; USB sound card for enhanced digital audio quality during Internet calls
* Full, rich stereo sound with strong bass, ideal for music and DVDs
* One-year limited warranty

Description

Thanks to the included USB sound card, you can expect only the best performance when making Internet calls via Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, or any other VoIP service. The .Audio 470 is optimized to provide exceptional sound in full, rich stereo, and its noise-canceling microphone makes sure that callers on the other end can hear you loudly and clearly every time, regardless of where you’re calling from.

The fully-adjustable boom can be rotated or bent to position the microphone in the ideal location for the best performance possible, and the ultra-comfortable ear pieces fit snugly around your ears, effectively blocking out ambient noise and giving you stellar sound no matter how noisy the surroundings.
Superb Sound for Music and DVDs

Watching a movie or listening to music on your laptop doesn’t mean that you should compromise sound quality. The .Audio 470 headset makes watching DVDs or listening to your favorite tunes better than ever with its crystal-clear highs and strong, deep bass, bringing cinema-style sound to your laptop.
Dual-Connection Design and Convenient In-Line Controls

The .Audio 470 offers a dual-connection design that allows you to connect via analog or USB, with simple plug-and-play functionality that is compatible with any laptop. And controlling the sound volume has never been more convenient, thanks to the integrated in-line volume and mute controls with easy fingertip operation.
Smart, Comfortable Design for Convenient Mobility

The .Audio 470 headset is designed for comfortable wear and easy portability. It features an ergonomic design with an over-the-head, fully adjustable fit. And it folds down easily to stow in a laptop bag, briefcase, or even a jacket pocket — so you can be sure you have it when and where you need it, whether you’re in your office, at home, or on the road.
1-year warranty

The .Audio 470 USB Headset includes a USB sound card and is supported by a one-year warranty.

Click on the thumbnail images for a bigger picture

Slideshow of the above pictures

Product Video

Plantronics 470 Video review at YouTube

Test of noise canceling microphone of the Plantronics 470

(This test was taken from my Hyundai PC/Notebook microphone review)

To give you an idea of how this particular microphone compares in terms of quality, background noise, volume, etc, I’ve decided to create a few test recordings all within a span of a few minutes. These are all .wav files and unaltered. They will be a few megabytes in size. The browser may automatically load the audio player to play back the sound file or if it doesn’t simply save the file and listen.

Here is the list:

Hyundai mic	Notebook right angled mic
Vostro 1700 built-in mic	Plantronics 470 headphone mic

Here are my observations:

I Liked:

Noise canceling microphone

The main feature of the headphone is the noise cancelation feature. When making recordings with it or talking on Skype, the recording renders very well and very few if any background noise can be heard. Of course, if we have a vacuum cleaner right next to the microphone that it may not be able to cancel out the noise. But for home use, it’s likely you will be pleased with the result.

Travel, foldable headphones

Another appeal of this headphone is its portability. I like how the headphone can be folded into a compact form that takes very little space and yet keeps the earpiece protected. When you need to use it, it can be easily unfolded and fits very comfortably. Great design.

Comfortable headband design

The Plantronics 470 headphone unlike many other wired USB headphones offers a very comfortable feeling. The headband due to its folded design, doesn’t push the earpieces inwards like other headphones. This ensures that the earpieces rest very lightly on your ears and not pushing inwards. After wearing these headphones for several hours, it’s still very comfortable. I can’t say that for the Logitech ones or other rigid headband designed ones.

Adjustable, foam covered microphone

The noise canceling microphone, aside from its noise canceling feature, is also adjustable. The arm of the microphone can be adjusted and bent in the direction you desire. By default, it sticks straight out, but you can bend it so that it’s curved towards you. That’s very nice. Also, its foam covered design which also helps block out background noise but allows for optimal recording makes it look less cheap than others.

USB adapter with sound card for quality sound included

As mentioned before, you can choose from plugging in the headphone via the audio plugs or plug them into the supplied USB Adapter with sound card and then plug it into the USB port. This enables you to use the headphone with older computers that don’t have a USB port. So, it’s a one headphone fits all. Plus, the USB Adapter comes with a built-in sound card that will enhance the quality of the audio for optimal voice rendering. Love it.

Stereo headphone

Considering that Plantronics has a lot of monaural headphones, it’s nice that they offer a stereo headphone for computer users. You may want to check out other stereo headphones available: Plantronics .Audio 995 Wireless Stereo Headset, Plantronics DSP400 Foldable Multimedia Headset (identical to the 470), Plantronics .Audio 655 USB Multimedia Headset, Plantronics GameCom Open-Ear Gaming Headset with Full Range Stereo.

Volume adjustment and mute switch with clip

Down about a fifth of the way of the cable from the headphones is a rectangular shaped control which offers volume adjustment and mute switch. At one side is a dial-like volume adjustment. On the other side is the microphone mute switch. Push it down to MUTE the microphone and push it back up to bring it back on. At the back is a clip that you can slide on your shirt pocket or elsewhere for easy access to the control.

Lengthy audio cable

One nice thing about this headphone is its lengthy audio cable. Measuring roughly 115 inches (9.58 ft) or 292.1 cm 2.92 m, you can move quite a ways away from your computer and still be able to talk on Skype or listen to music. This is the next best thing to having a wireless stereo headphone so I guess I’m not really complaining.

I Didn’t Like:

Not wireless headphone

As mentioned previously, I was originally looking for a bluetooth headset that will allow me to talk on Skype without being physically connected to the computer. At the time, the Plantronics .Audio 995 Wireless Stereo Headset (which would have been what I was looking for) wasn’t available or I wasn’t able to locate one near me. So I ended up with this headphone because it was portable, comfortable and offered noise canceling. I would be very interested in a wireless bluetooth version of this headphone if available.

No carrying case included

Although the headphone is foldable and that’s great, there is no special carrying case for it. The headphone portion folds very well, but what about all that wire/cable? I ended up wrapping it in a bundle and using elastic bands to wrap it all together. I think it would have been much better if the packing or bundling of the headphone was provided with a solution rather than forcing us to think of how to pack and bundle it up.

Inner rod inside foldable headphone may fall out over time

I have been using this headphone for a few years already and here is something I’ve noticed (which seems to happen to many products that are designed similarly) that may pose problems over time. Similar to what I’ve mentioned with the Innopocket Metal Deluxe case for the Treo 650 where in the hinge of the case the inner rod could come out over time, this happens with the Plantronics headphone as well. So, take a notice of the moving hinge areas of your items. If there is an inner rod, it may start to come out over time. Once it starts poking out, make sure to hammer or push it back in. Once the rod comes out completely, the hinge will collapse and you may find that it’s nearly impossible to put it back in. So, check on the hinge from time to time to ensure it stays in.

Review Summary

Plantronics 470 USB stereo headphone is a great stereo USB headphone that not only offers great noise canceling recording through its adjustable foam covered microphone but also portable as it can easily be folded up in a compact form and fit into a pocket or bag. What I like most about the headphone is that it rests comfortably on my ears and not pushing on it like many other headphones do. I can use it for hours without feeling any discomfort. I have placed many SkypeOut calls to friends and family overseas and they have no idea I’m calling from a computer and not a landline. I’ve had this headphone for years and have recommended it to many friends who also find it a great pair of headphones for what it offers.

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