After trying out the BackBeat GO 810, I’m unsure I really need to try out anymore more headphones from Plantronics but what if, what if they managed to produce an even better pair of headphones? Perhaps the answer is with the Voyager 8200 UC headset? Yes, headset. Plantronics are marketing the Voyager under their audio headset category, but is there a difference between a headset & headphones? Time till tell.

The Voyager 8200 UC are a pair of over the ear headset, featuring active noise cancelling, class 1 Bluetooth range and a 24hr battery life.

Look & Feel

Starting at the top, the headset includes an adjustable fabric head band, that is nicely cushioned and easy to adjust. It’s attached to both ear cups, both of which swivel 90degrees to allow for a flatter transportation. The ear cups have very thick, spongy surrounds and offer a little bit of colour to the headphones. The headset we got sent are black in colour, par a few hints of orange for the branding. The overall look of the headphones is subtle, nothing too outlandish but there is some questionable wood effect on each earcup, which I’m undecided on. There is ample flex & give from the headset, offering a very comfortable experience.

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Moving onto the ear cups themselves, both of them have a number of buttons to control the headset. The left ear cup includes a switch for the ANC, high, medium or off, as well as play/pause/forward/backward. Volume control is also available via a part rotating switch, that you push up or download to change the volume. On the right cup, we have the aux in, USB in, power on/off, Bluetooth toggle on and a mute microphone button. Using the various buttons is very easy, but there are a lot and I did get muddled up once or twice.

It’s worth noting the headset comes in a soft carry case, with a zipped section for the included aux and USB cable. It’s a nice case, it’s very soft inside and it’s practical.

Set up can be either via Bluetooth or hard wired into your smart device.

Performance

For me, these are more a pair of headphones than they are a headset, but both aspects have been tested during the review.

I actually had the opportunity to take these away with me on a trip to the US and were my only headphones for the trip. Total flight time took around 20 hours, which allowed me to really try these out.

As for headphone performance, they perform very well. The audio quality produced is crystal clear and well mixed, with a nice portion of bass. I listened to a variety of music and movies during the flight, not all of the highest of quality but it sounded good none the less.

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Noise cancelling worked very well, there is an obvious background sound dampening from off to mid setting, and then a very minor change from mid to high, mainly to do with the audio allowed through the headset. It made it far easier for me to get into a movie during the flight. Also walking around the house while on a call, I’m sure I saw my wife talking but I couldn’t hear a thing…

As for headset performance, it was the best I’ve ever experienced. The audio is crystal clear and with the class 1 Bluetooth, you really can walk around anywhere without losing signal. The headset includes many controls, which are customisable to suit how you work. There is also a sensor in the headset, so when you take the headset off, it play/pauses your music or mutes/unmutes your microphone. There is a seperate mic mute button but the headset can actually detect & warn you if you’re talking while muted. The headset can work across multiple devices and after the 20 hour of flight time, with the headset mostly on, there was still juice in the battery.

Verdict

If you use a headset a lot of work, then you will not be disappointed with the Voyager 8200. If calls are not your thing, I would not recommend the expense of these for music only. I would recommend you go for the BackBeat GO 810.

The headset is currently available with a RRP £370, it comes in a couple of colour & USB type options. For more info and to purchase, check out the official Voyager 8200 webpage.