Hands-free kits tested

We test the latest hands-free kit from Plantronics, against its rivals to find out which is best

Auto Express Car Reviews

January 2012

The Voyager PRO Bluetooth line-up has been incredibly successful for Plantronics since its launch in 2009, and the HD is its latest hands-free earpiece.

Our current favourite hands-free maker is Jabra, and the Supreme is its top device. We compared the rivals, as well as an original Voyager PRO.

We assessed ease of use, build quality and design in our lab, before heading out in the car. We made the same journey three times, using a different earpiece. At the same point in each trip, we phoned another tester and assessed call quality at both ends. Finally, we weighed up price.

The older Voyager shows its age – it’s well priced, but the newer units have more features. The Jabra Supreme impressed in the lab, but surprisingly it let us down on the road. In the car, the Voyager PRO HD delivered a better sound. The £10 price difference ensured it was our top choice.

The Newcomer: Voyager PRO HD

Price: £89.99

Contact: www.plantronics.com/uk

Rating: ★★★★

The clever Voyager PRO HD uses motion sensors to automatically route the call when the set is placed on your ear. The Vocalyst software reads aloud e-mails, your social networking updates and text messages, too. Our only concern is that to get the best sound quality, the 17g earpiece has to sit uncomfortably deep in your ear. Our caller reported the best audio here, and the lower price helps it come out on top.

The Original: Plantronics Voyager PRO

Price: £54.99

Contact: www.plantronics.com/uk

Rating: ★★

Visually, the only difference between Plantronics’ Voyager PRO and the company’s HD is the original model’s lighter edge strip. They weigh the same, the buttons are in the same place and any decrease in sound quality is minor. The original Voyager doesn’t have voice alerts, though, and can’t read your texts aloud, which hurts its performance. Only the low price helps strengthen its case – it’s had £20 knocked off since launch.

The main rival: Jabra Supreme

Price: £99.99

Contact: www.jabra.com

Rating: ★★★

The Jabra is the most comfortable earpiece of the trio on test, thanks to a large, padded cushion. Its trick is a folding boom microphone – this turns it on and off. The Supreme also has voice prompts to remind you of battery life, but unlike its rivals there are no manual volume controls. Sound quality is comparable, and you needn’t push it deep into your ear. But our caller mentioned wind noise – a concern if you often make phone calls with the windows down.