Whether you are currently working from home or office, online meetings and video conferences have become an integral function of every organization. And while there are many headphones in the market that offers stellar audio quality, the Poly Voyager Focus 2 is fine-tuned to handle professional environments. Here are our thoughts about the new headset.
Design
While most audio brands offer stylish-looking headsets, the Poly Voyager Focus 2 features a simplistic design that is comfortable to wear. And unlike many headphones that come with a bulky design, the minimalistic and lightweight design of the Voyager Focus 2 also suits office professionals. The device weighs only 175g
All of the buttons reside on the side where the mic is located. The outer side of the earcup features the plus and minus controls for volume, along with the call button to interact with Microsoft Teams. Of course, you would require Microsoft Teams to be installed on your PC. The call button also doubles as a play/pause button while watching videos via a video player or while streaming through services such as YouTube.
There is a micro USB port for charging and establishing a wired connection with your PC. On the left side of the port is a switch for power and Bluetooth pairing. There is a red button on the mic boom that is used to mute or unmute the receiving audio. The button is easy to reach and is located in a convenient position so users can quickly mute it during a video conference meeting. The headset comes with a comfortable headband, and around it is a stainless steel rim that helps to keep the headset firm while wearing it. The plush ear cushions also add up to the wearing comfort of the headset. The ear cushions come with red-colored ear holes.
There is also a dedicated switch for Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) with three different levels of noise cancellation. The pro-grade microphones feature a mesh design and use Poly Acoustic Fence technology. Another amazing feature is that users will be able to rotate the microphone boom to the opposite side so they will be able to wear the headset in whichever position they want.
The packaging includes a soft pouch, a 1.5m USB cable, the Poly Voyager Focus 2 headset, BT700 Bluetooth module, and manuals.
Features
The Poly Voyager Focus 2 features several functions that are fine-tuned for online meetings. The noise-canceling functionality comes in three different levels, one of which suits office environments and the other for loud places. The headset uses Digital Hybrid ANC that features two digital MEMS microphones and two analog ECM microphones. The microphone boom features discrete noise cancellation with Acoustic Fence technology that is fine-tuned for Microsoft Teams.
The noise-cancellation of the microphone boom is very important since there are always situations where chatters within the office premises can disturb ongoing online meetings. The ANC functionality also is capable of blocking out most of the noise from outside while you hear a conversation during a video conference or while hearing your favorite music tracks.
To protect your hearing, the earcups feature SoundGuard DIGITAL: G616 that ensures that the sound is limited up to 102 dBSPL. However, this feature can only be enabled using the Poly Lens desktop application. With the inbuilt sensors, you will be able to answer calls by simply wearing the headset and also mute the microphone or pause music playback by taking off the device.
You will also be able to perform firmware updates for the headset via the Poly Lens application. The Voyager Focus 2 also has support for popular smart assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant, and Cortana. Simply press and hold the call button to activate the default voice assistant from your smartphone or PC. For wireless connectivity, the headset features Bluetooth v5.1 that offers coverage up to 50m of distance.
The device also features LED online indicators that illuminate in red when there is an ongoing call. The headset comes with a 560mAh lithium-ion battery that offers up to 25 hours of talk time with ANC turned off, up to 20 hours with ANC on, and up to 16 hours of usage with ANC and online indicator turned on. Poly mentions that the battery can last for almost a month in standby mode and takes only two hours to fill from zero to 100 percent.
Verdict
With most companies now relying on online meetings and video conferences, users would require a headset that can block out noise from outside and is optimized for popular apps such as Microsoft Teams. The Poly Voyager Focus 2 fits the bill in this regard and offers three different levels of noise cancellation, whether you are inside an office or in an area where it is loud. The headset also has an advanced microphone boom that also has its own noise-cancellation to eliminate unwanted noise while you speak during an online session, so the recipient will only hear your voice.
The headphone works with both wired and wireless modes and the device features Bluetooth 5.1 that offers up to 50m of distance. The battery life of the device is also impressive and can last up to 20 hours with the noise-canceling function turned on. The device also has smart sensors that accept a call when you simply wear the headset, and mute or pause when you take off the headset. The device features a lightweight design with a comfortable headband and ear cushions. The Poly Voyager Focus 2 also comes with two years of warranty.
