Plantronics M214C Headset with Adjustable Volume

UPDATED - 1 day laterI had one of these same headsets for years and loved it. Used it for a Panasonic cordless phone system that uses 2.5mm jacks. Finally wore it out, and got a different brand for some dumb reason - and did not find the sound as loud or clear. Finally I found this, and ordered it despite the sometimes spotty reviews it's getting now.In my first review I said that the reviewers were right, and the headset has a hum. But it seems like I was wrong! I decided to do more analysis of my new portable phone system, and realized there was a hum in the phone itself. Oh no! Do I have to return the phone?No. I was able to figure out that the problem is in the house wiring not the phone OR the headset. Really did not expect that. SO I recommend to all customers that they check this. I was very surprised that the house wiring was able to feed that hum back into the portable phone base station. But that's what was happening.If your phone is fed by a VOIP source, you have the option of disconnecting from the house completely and perhaps that will fix your hum problem. If your phone signal is coming from older house wiring, well you might well suspect that wiring rather than the headset. Before all my experiments I would not have believed this result, but there it is.SO in my one actual phone call so far, the voices were clear despite the hum. Much clearer than the other brand I had used. I look forward to testing it more on more phone calls, and if there are any issues I'll update again. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the very limited tests so far. If it holds up for a year, it will have been worth the money easily. So, I do recommend it if you are confident about having a clean phone signal to feed it.SOME OF WHAT I WROTE AT FIRST ..Have tried it on one call, well the other person was clear and she could hear me. I'm in a quiet place and no idea how the noise cancellation might work... Also I think the fit is not as good as the older one, the headband really wants to curl up in a circle about the size of a grapefruit. Maybe that will relax over time. It is not a deal breaker in any case.

Reasons I bought this product:Plantronics is a good name brand, so I was expecting qualityTired of having to pair Bluetooth headsets and worry about their battery life and recharging nonsenseBluetooth ear pieces DO NOT fit my ear, they fall out or they just hurtI've lost a Bluetooth ear piece and it was very expensive, these headset are inexpensive and attached to my phone... perfect.Noise canceling microphone with simple Sound Volume, Microphone Volume and Microphone MuteI made 1 mistake:The headset comes with a 2.5mm plug and at the time I ordered this I did not realize that fact. Really not a big deal, so if you are ordering from amazon just make sure you order a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter for use with most cell phones.The Pros:-Item came in factory packaging, and I didn't have to cut the package open.. just open it without any tools which I really enjoy.-The construction is sturdy, but not stiff. When I put it on my head it is very light and it doesn't squeeze my head but it definitely does not fall off either. When i'm not on a call I have it around my neck.- I am using this product with my iPhone4s, and it really is a pleasure to have a good quality noise canceling microphone. It works with siri and also with the microphone button on the iphone keyboard, which basically records what you say and types it for you. So I can text/email while driving, just by speaking.- I can drive with my windows open and have a phone conversation, and people say I sound perfectly clear and they only hear me, no traffic noise or wind blowing noise- The sound out of the ear phone is crystal clear, I actually think it is clearer than my phone's built in speakerI would definitely recommend this product to everyone and anyone that has a cellphone and wants reliability and quality.Very small investment that packs a whole lot of benefits.I am actually ordering 2 more of these headsets, and I am going to leave 1 in each of my vehicles to make life even easier, and I can have 3 of these ($45) at half the cost of 1 Bluetooth earpieceIf you LOVE your Bluetooth earpiece, having this Plantronics M214c headset as a BACKUP device is also a great idea.

I like Plantronics headsets. I work most of the time on the phone or on Skype and I could not function without a headset for the computer and the cordless phone. So when my old Plantronics headset gave out, I purchased the M214C headset.Unfortunately, there are a few things that I do not like about this one. It was not very expensive so that should have alerted me that I was not going to get a high-end headset that would be comfortable for long periods of time and deliver high quality calls.The headset is very lightweight. I certainly do not want an extremely heavy headset, this one feels like it is made with cheap materials. The volume control is in the middle of the cord and on the back is the clip that allows it to attach to your shirt. For me the cord is too short – I like to rest the phone on my desk and have enough cord to move about without pulling the phone off the desk. I would prefer the clip to be separate so I can hold the volume control, mute button in my hand.My biggest complaint is the sound quality. My old headset had a nice rich tone. This one is shallow, tinny. I do not know how I sound but I am afraid that with the incoming audio being poor quality, the same is true of the outgoing.Recap. If you are looking for an inexpensive headset for an occasional call and are not concerned about the audio quality – in other words if you are looking for something inexpensive that will do for an occasional use, this might work for you. I should have opted for a more expensive headset that would give me the quality I am looking for.

Ease of Use: 4/5 - the headband is easily adjusted and the mic rotates to your mouth easily (right or left ear) without issue and stays put (isn't loose). The mute button on the wire functions, but it's a sliding button that clicks into place so it's not easily engaged/disengaged. But the mute button on your handset will work just as well.Weight: 5/5 - it's quite light and I have worn it easily for multiple hours at a time through the workday without issue. My ear is bigger than the foam around the speaker but it's light enough that it doesn't bother me while sitting on my ear, nor does it make my ear hot or cause any discomfort.Cord: 4/5 - the cord is long enough that I can place the handset to my side and work at my computer/books at the sametime and have enough to wrap the cord around my handset a couple times (I do this to protect the plug from unexpected pulls). The plug is snug and not loose. The wire is a little thin so I worry it might break if I pull too hard but it's by no means flimsy. Seems to hold up fine so far.Volume: 4/5 - It can be loud enough to hear quite easily and clearly. The others have no problem hearing when I speak quietly either. However, I don't think it's loud enough for the hearing impaired. But fine for any other normal use. Volume adjustment is average. There's a tiny dial on the module on the wire which can be changed one handed but it's not very precise and you have to look closely to see what volume you've turned it to. Not a big deal. Works fine.After using a few other headsets for the past few years, this is definitely a great buy and great value for the price. Recommended.

This headset is nothing fancy, but it does the job. I work from home every so often, and I spend quite a bit of time on conference calls. I use this headset with my Panasonic cordless phone. My phone also has a clip that allows me to hook the phone onto my jeans, which allows me to go completely hands free, and also get up and walk around during those long conference calls. At first I was a little skeptical when I received it, because it felt a little too plasticky. But I have used it for over a month now, a couple of days a week. And I have been told by colleagues that the sound quality is good. For the price I think the audio quality is quite good. I knocked off a star down because, although it works, the mute button is not as quick to slide on as some other headsets I have used (when you need to mute your line quickly, like when you cough, etc). But for me that's not a big deal because I have an easy to reach mute button on my cordless phone.

I use this in the office. I work order desk and customer service, so I spend a fair amount of time on the phone. The great thing is the hands free, so I can flip through my books or continue working while my customer hems and haws. The sound quality is good and the headset is really light weight. My only complaint is that the microphone doesn't extend down quite far enough, meaning I have to wear the headset at a slight angle or listen to myself breathe. All in all, a good stable headset.

I love this headset. I'm on several calls a day every day as I work from home. They last a couple years and then I buy a new one (wear and tear on the cord near the connector to the phone). I've had 4-5 of these over the years and I'll keep going back to them. They sit well on the head with just one ear being engaged and the microphone is excellent.

I've been using these headset for years. They are great value for the money. Unfortunately 1 of the 3, that I just purchased, doesn't work. I'm too busy to bother returning it.