Plantronics 645/640 Bluetooth Headset Review

Plantronics are one of the leading manufacturers of Bluetooth headsets worldwide, and have been producing devices for handsfree talking for the past decade. They have become one of the symbols for quality in headsets and are also known for embedding new technologies and original ideas into their products. What we are testing is the Plantronics 645 high-end headset with DSP technology, stylish design and box content showing this high class. The 640 model is absolutely identical to the 645 but lacks the DSP system. In small aluminum box, come a couple of extra ear-pieces for customizing, depending on the ear size, additional earhook, and special “pen” for charging the device.

The way the 645 is charged is very interesting: you put the headset in a charging cradle with the manufacturer’s name on it, which has a port for the charger on the bottom; but instead of the standard Plantronics charger, you have many other options: the box comes with four adaptor rings, which can be attached to the cradle in order to be used with a common phone- or miniUSB- charger. In addition, a bigger ring can also be attached. It houses a standard AAA battery, which will charge your headset when you put it in the cradle in your pocket, between the calls.
When it starts charging, the cradle will vibrate once and the headset will blink in red. When it is completely charged you won’t get any indicator about this – the LED will stop blinking. In our opinion this is not logical, and the LED should indicate it with constant red or blinking red-blue light.



The 645 is not part of the Ultra-Small class, but the dimensions are below the average and its narrow form makes it look stylish and small. It is very light, and shares the same weight as the small Nokia BH-800 which is even lighter than the Bluespoon AX2.
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A stylish accessory, it is made in a combination of two colors: silver and contrasting black. Every edge in the design is rounded and the headset looks like a little barrel, being about the size of a standard AAA battery. It uses typical combination of three keys to control the functionality: a call key and a couple of volume buttons. The volume buttons are in joint rocker key and are situated on the central part of the front side – they are slightly raised but very hard to press. The calling key is in the rear part and is big and rounded - it can be easily felt, but pressing it won’t return real tactile feedback. It is surrounded by a LED ring that can blink in blue or red color, depending on the status of the headset.



Due to the keys-design and location, the headset is suitable for either ear. Its form also allows for this as attaching it to the ear is done by the earpiece only – rotating it a little is very easy and will adjust it for the one or the other ear. You have “L” and “R” indicators written on it to point you how to orientate the earpiece. It is done entirely of soft half-lucent rubber with curve that is presumed to target your ear channel for better sound experience. It can also be replaced with any of the other two coming in the box for more precise adjustment on your ear.

Functionality:
Holding down the call key for eight seconds while the headset is off will put it in pairing mode, which is indicated by blue-red flashing of the LED. Searching through your phone, it will be indexed as 645Plantronics and for connecting to it a usual 0000 code should be entered.

Operating the headset is done by rather strange key combinations. In standby mode, single press of the call key won’t do anything but beep, while holding it for two seconds will bring the voice commands menu up. In order to activate last number redial, you should double click the call button.

Answering an incoming call is done by single press of the calling key, while rejecting it is done after holding the key for eight seconds, which is pretty sluggish method. If the headset is in the cradle, it will start vibrating on an incoming call. Getting the headset out of it will automatically answer the call, and getting it back will hang up.

*-In order to mute the microphone during a call, a simple pressing of the both volume keys at the same time should be performed. This is relatively easy operation. Be careful, as doing this in standby mode will enter in “power saving mode” which turns off the DSP system until you start it again. Unfortunately the latter doesn’t give any real indication, as just a simple beep is heard – the exactly same beep is heard when turning it back on, and by doing this you won’t be able to know if you power it on or off.

Performance:

During a call the performance of the 645 is above the average but it is not anything special. Relatively strong volume is obtained in both directions, and the voices sound realistic and clear, but a little muffled and monotone. The DSP system is not the best in windy environment, but handles well with music and other sounds around you so you can use the headset in noisy places. *The DSP is supported by Plantronics 645 only and not by 640.

Comfort:
The 645 can be attached directly by the rubber earpiece, or with additional earhook. We preferred the smaller in size option - without the earhook, but even than, attaching it to the ear is not the easiest operation; although there are three sizes of the earpiece, none of them fits 100% and we had to press it to put it correctly in the ear. The headset didn’t stay stability and often biased down.

Using the ear hook, the last problem is greatly reduced. This will also give you some additional security and it will be sure the headset won’t fall of your head accidentally if you are walking faster or even running.

The 645 is not the most comfortable headset for continues usage. We tested it with the earhook attached, and after 20 minutes we started feeling it on our ear, disturbing us. After an hour more, we felt it unpleasant and wanted to take it off.

We appreciate the stylish design of the Plantronics 645; you may not like that its sides’ length ratio makes it look as a long headset, but it actually isn’t. It is small and stylish, in silver and black, and is gently attached to your ear. The earhook is delicate and doesn’t have anything in common to the big rubber hooks some other manufacturers use.

Conclusion:

As always, the 645 has good and bad points, but unfortunately we’d like to see more pros, in a high-tech device, than cons. It comes with astonishing accessories in stylish box that matches its class, but the comfort and performance are not as good as we’d want to. Although it stays still with the optional earhook, it brings you slight discomfort, and if you are not using it, the headset falls down your ear. The construction looks stylish, but the keys are hard to press, which in combination to the rather strange key-functionality may confuse you.