Poly Voyager Focus 2 Wireless Headset

If you spend a lot of time behind a headset at work or home, you are going to want something that is going to take care of you. Something that is comfortable, even during long hours of use. And something that is going to sound good to everyone (you and the person you are talking to). There are affordable options out there that lack in the comfort and quality department, and then there are options like the Poly Voyager Focus 2 Wireless Headset. A headset that offers a premium experience.

This is a wireless headset that offers a long list of features to make your day easier and more comfortable. It is also Poly’s latest, and we happened to get our hands on one so that we can bring you the experience we discovered.

The build quality of this headset is pretty good for something you plan to be using daily. Great for those working in customer service, financial acquisition-type, support, and other positions where one might plan to spend a lot of time on the phone.

Everything from the various plastics to the aluminum headband, it all feels as though it was designed with the average workday in mind (when it comes to wear and tear).

It comes in various options, but the most common option includes a well-built charging base that offers just the right amount of weight to it. Allowing you to easily lift it on and off without dragging the base around your desk or picking it up.

The headset is light, weighing only 175g (about 0.38lbs), and doesn’t cause any uncomfortable compression to your ears. The foam is soft, and the headband stretches to comply with the shape of your head as you put it on.

Controls

There are a number of controls on the headset, all of which are available on the muff that contains the boom mic. You have two switches, one of which turns it on and can trigger Bluetooth pairing with an extended push, and the other triggers three modes of ANC (active noise cancelation). Those three modes include off, low, and high noise cancelation.

On the face of the muff, there are three pressable buttons. These buttons include a volume up and down, and a center button. The center button is a multi-functioning button that allows you to play/pause music, answer a call (if the headset it already on your head), and skip or go back (music tracks).

The boom microphone contains two options for muting it. There is a small red button at the base you can press. However, the user can simply swivel the mic upward until it clicks. This will trigger it to mute as well, while bringing it out of the way when not in use.

That mic can also continue rotating to swing the other way, allowing the user to wear the headset so the mic is on either side of the user.

Setup

There is a lot of compatibility between using it with your computer and with your phone.

When using it with your phone, you get the ultimate Bluetooth solution thanks to the noise-canceling and the auto pickup features that come with it. No more having to find out where the phone is or having to get to it in time before it stops ringing. If the headset is near, simply place it on your head and when the headband gets tugged (showing it has been placed on your head), it will automatically answer the call (and announce that it is doing so).

When using it with your computer, it works with all of your favorite conferencing options as a normal headset. Then dialing in some of these features like answering as you place it on your head or virtual dial-tone, can be fine-tuned using the software by selecting your target software of choice (ie, MS Lync, Skype for Business, MS Teams, Zoom). It will, of course, work with anything else as well, including Google Meet, normal Skype, GoToMeeting, and more, simply by manually setting it like any other headset (within that app’s settings).

The accompanying software you’d install on a computer can be used to modify all of the native settings for the headset. There are plenty to pick from, strengthening the quality of this headset and setting it apart from most of the others we have come across. You can select from all sorts of things like the language of the voice prompts, tone/vocal alerts, auto-answer (sensors), mute options, sidetone, ringtone, audio quality, and more.

Connectivity

Poly has all of the common angles covered. You can connect wirelessly to a PC/Mac or a smartphone/tablet, or take the headset wired by connecting a micro-USB cable directly to it. This, of course, is limited to computers.

For the PC, you have an included USB adapter to take it wirelessly with. They also include the micro-USB cable for going directly to the headset for wired configurations I just mentioned. There is a USB cable coming from the base as well, but this is strictly for bringing power to it (charging). For mobile devices (ie, smartphones), you have Bluetooth connectivity. You could technically (also) connect it to a PC via Bluetooth as well if the PC supports it. So they have you covered when it comes to connectivity.

Battery Life

This headset is quite successful when it comes to battery life, making sure it will last with someone through that average workday or longer. You can get 16 or more hours of use when talking on the phone (cellphone, VoIP, etc), and up to 24 hours when just listening to music. What determines the absolute number depends on how often you make use of the active noise canceling feature.

So you have more battery life than you can shake a stick at–and then some since you may be placing it on and off the charging base throughout the day.

The headset slides right onto the base where the contacts meet and begin charging. No need to plug anything in. Then you have the option of plugging directly into the headset as well (if you are traveling and don’t have access to the base).

Performance

The active noise canceling and sound quality is absolutely fantastic. The ANC is very similar to a pair of Bose QC headphones, only on-ear vs over. So the effect isn’t as awesome as something like the Bose QC headphones, but for an on-ear headset, it is beyond noticeable. Perfect for those working in noisy environments. We really did appreciate the attention to detail that the company placed into this. On top of everything, you get a great range in sound for an on-ear headset that is mostly focused on working individuals. Allowing it to be great for both work and play.

As mentioned, you have two modes of ANC to switch between (three, if you include the off position). The low mode offers a decent drop in background noise for environments that aren’t too crazy. This also means less of that pressure you get from using ANC. Switching it to high is perfect for busy call centers and other environments that can quickly become distracting. With that comes a little more pressure (again, similar to a pair of Bose QC headphones, if you’ve ever had the opportunity to listen to a pair).

You also get a noticeable upgrade in bass when ANC is enabled. Something worth pointing out.

The microphone also has some environmental cancelation as well, preventing the person you are talking to from hearing a lot of the noise around you. In some cases, most or all of the noise around you. We created different noise scenarios with fans blowing at the person to a radio playing about 20ft away, to everyone having a full-out conversation near the person. What the other person hears might include a little chatter here and then, but mostly silence. Just your voice. with the exception of the fans, as wind noise did make it through to the mic. Thankfully, you likely won’t be using this outside in the wind, so you should be covered.

They even give you a nice travel case for those that take their work on the road. You can even use it on the road (ie, truckers), as long as you don’t use the noise-cancellation while driving (obviously). The headphones do flatten out (muffs spin inward) so they fit into the case while taking up minimal space in your travel bag(s).

Our Conclusion

Honestly, our only complaint was a small one involving the dock. The dock is great, in general. It looks good, it is built very well, and charges fast enough to keep up with an overly busy individual. The complaint focuses on the success of fully making contact with the charger, as sometimes you have to place it onto it a few times before it will start charging. A minor complaint, but still worth mentioning.

The software is fantastic, although it does leave room for improvement. At times, it doesn’t open when you ask it to (from the system tray). This seems to mostly happen when you try to open close to the moment you just turn it on to connect. If this happens, wait a few moments and then open it and it should work just fine. Judging by the effort the company has placed into everything, I’m sure this wouldn’t be an issue for long.

The price is also a little much. This may ward some consumers away, but then again, you are getting a premium headset. If you want that level of quality, you’re going to have to pay for it. That, and Poly can sometimes run a little pricey, to begin with (also similar to brands like Bose). On a positive note, however, it does seem to be on a noticble sale right now via multiple retailers. So check out some of the buttons below as you might just find the best price that works for you between the options.

Ultimately, if we found ourselves absolutely needing a headset for long hours in front of the phone, this would be one of our top choices.

Specifications:

• Connectivity: Wireless to PC via included BT700 Bluetooth adapter or wired via USB cable (to headset); smartphone via Bluetooth, also Bluetooth to PC
• Bluetooth: 5.1
  • Profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP
  • Range: Up to 164ft
• Battery
  • Battery capacity: 560mAh
  • Battery type: lithium-ion
  • Talk time: Up to 19 hours (ANC off)
    • Up to 16 hours (ANC On)
  • Listening time: Up to 40 hours (ANC Off)
    • Up to 24 hours (ANC On)
  • Charge time: Full charge 2 hours
  • Standby time: Up to 30 days
• Response: PC wideband voice telephony up to 7 kHz or for multimedia 20 Hz to 20 kHz
• ANC: Digital Hybrid ANC using two digital MEMS microphones and 2 analog ECM microphones with three user settings (Off/mid/high)
• Sensors: Answer calls by simply putting on the headset, mute by taking the headset off, and pause/resume music
• Hearing Protection: SoundGuard DIGITAL – G616 support limits the level to 102 dBSPL; Time-weighted average prevents average daily noise exposure from exceeding 85dBA (Requires Poly Len desktop app to enable SoundGuard DIGITAL feature)
• Microphone
  • Discrete noise-canceling boom with Acoustic Fence technology to Microsoft Teams Open Office Premium microphone level
  • Smart discrete microphone boom: wear on either side and maintain the location of R/L stereo. Rotate boom up to mute and down to unmute
• Headset Controls
  • Call answer/end, mute, volume +/-, power ON/OFF/PAIRING, ANC OFF/1/2
  • Online Indicator – Two LED indicators on speaker housing show in-call status
• Weight: 175 g
• Box Contents: Carry Case, USB adapter, charging cable, and charging base

Are you a manufacturer or distributor that would like us to test something out for review? Contact us and we can let you know where to send the product and we will try it out.

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