Finding a good Bluetooth headset these days is hard to do, and finding a great one seems all but impossible. There are countless Bluetooth headsets on the market, each promising to sound the best, have a comfortable feel, and most of all is reliable and easy to use.

I decided to try the Plantronics Discovery 665 Bluetooth Headset with AudioIQ Digitally Enhanced Sound (it’s supposed to make you and the person you’re speaking to sound great). I have heard nothing but great things about Plantronic’s Bluetooth headsets, so I decided to take the 665 out for a spin on both my Treo 755p and Treo 700wx. Let’s see how it fared.

In the box:

• Plantronics 665 Bluetooth Headset
• Headset Charging Pocket
• 12V Vehicle Power Charger
• USB Headset Charger
• Soft Gel Ear Tips (small, medium, and large size)
• Earloop
• User guide

Hardware Specs

• Talk Time: Battery supports up to 3.5 hours continuous talk tome
• Standby Time: Up to 80 hours
• Charge Time: 3 hours
• Headset Weight: 9 grams
• Battery Type: Lithium Ion Polymer rechargeable battery
• Version: Bluetooth 2.0 technology
• Charging Options: USB Adapter, Vehicle Power Charger

I was pleasantly surprised to see Plantronics provided two ways to charge the headset right out of the box. You can either charge the headset with the included Headset Charger Pocket via the USB headset cable, or use the vehicle power charger. Almost every Bluetooth headset I have seen has only come with one way to charge the headset out of the box, so when I saw that the Plantonics 665 came with a USB charger and a vehicle charger, I was very impressed. My only gripe is that I’m not always near a computer or my car, so an AC adapter would be a more useful substitute for one of the two. Plantronics does offer an AC adapter as an accessory, and can be purchased from them directly for $12.00.

With that said, I’m glad that I don’t have to buy a separate vehicle charger to keep my Bluetooth headset charged. Since I mostly use my Bluetooth headset in my car, I never have to fear running out of juice. Plantronics has me covered. While at home or work, I can keep the headset charged via the USB cable. Plantronics also includes three different sized soft gel ear tips so you can pick the appropriate size that feels most comfortable to you. They’ve also included an ear loop which I found to work great at keeping the headset securely attached to my ear. Most Bluetooth headsets are made in one design, either an ear bud, or an over the ear design. It’s great that Plantronics gives you the option of using the soft gel ear tip or popping on the ear loop as well. I found I really preferred using the ear loop attached to the headset as it made the headset feel more secure.

Design

The Plantronics Discovery 665 Bluetooth Headset is small and sleek, weighing in at only 9 grams. The headset has three buttons on the front; volume up, volume down, and the power/call pickup/end button. The Power button is surrounded by an LED which blinks blue when powered on and red and blue when you initially pair the headset with your phone. On the back of the headset is the removable gel ear tip which snaps in and out very easily. You can also add the ear loop to the headset by snapping the soft gel ear tip through the ear loop to fasten it securely to the headset. The soft gel ear tips come in three sizes for optimal fit and comfort. They’re so soft and comfortable, I found wearing the headset for an extended period of time did not cause any discomfort.

The Plantronics Discovery 665 Bluetooth Headset also comes with a Charging Pocket. The Charging Pocket does what its name implies; it charges the headset while in its pocket. What makes this Charging Pocket so cool is that it connects to the vehicle charger and the USB charger to charge your headset, and it also allows a convenient and secure way to carry your Bluetooth headset. There’s even a pen style clip on it allowing you to clip it to a pocket. When the Headset is charging, the Charging Pocket has a cool purplish glow to it letting you know that the headset is in fact charging.

Functionality

The Plantronics Discovery 665 Bluetooth Headset is very easy to pair. I paired it with both my Treo 755p and Treo 700wx in a matter of seconds. To pair the headset with your phone you just hold down the power button, wait until you see the LED blink blue and red, enter the easy to remember “0000” code into your phone and you’re ready to go. I also found that the Bluetooth headset stayed connected to either Treo it was paired with, whereas my previous headset would occasionally need to be re-paired with my Treo.

The Plantronics Discovery 665 Bluetooth Headset comes with a technology called AudioIQ sound technology. Plantronics describes AudioIQ sound technology as digitally enhancing the sound on both ends of the call. Once I started using the Plantronics Discovery 665 Bluetooth Headset and retired my cheap Motorola headset, I immediately heard the difference and quality of sound that the Plantronics 665 delivers. The Plantronics Discovery 665 Bluetooth Headset delivers sounds that are so much clearer than my previous Bluetooth headset. People I spoke with actually asked me if I had gotten a new Bluetooth headset because I sounded better to them (I didn’t realize that I must have sounded so bad). Thanks to Plantronics, people sound better to me, and I sound better to them, so I guess that AudioIQ technology really works;-). I also noticed that the headset didn’t distort sound, or produce static if I wasn’t immediately near my Treo.

One of the best things about the Plantronics Discovery 665 Bluetooth Headset is its size, or lack thereof. It’s pretty small, and extremely light weight; it’s also extremely comfortable to wear due to the soft gel ear tips and the ear loop. My previous Bluetooth headset had a loop but I always felt at any moment it would fall off of my ear because it never felt secure or stayed in place. Thankfully that is a thing of the past. The Plantronics Discovery 665 Bluetooth Headset feels secure and does not move at all while it’s on my ear.

My favorite feature of the headset is probably the simplest. It’s the soft gel ear tips that Plantronics includes with the headset. These little things make all the difference for me. The soft gel ear tips are made from a silicon gel which fits snugly and comfortably in your ear. If a headset isn’t comfortable, I dread using it. I never use the stock headphones that come with an iPod as they seem to hurt my ears after continuous use. I can tell you that once you get used to these soft gel ear tips, there’s no going back, and your ears just won’t let you abuse them like that anymore.

Conclusion

I didn’t realize how good a Bluetooth headset could be or sound until I got my hands on the Plantronics Discovery 665 Bluetooth Headset. The headset not only looks and feels great; it accomplishes what it sets out to do, and it provides clear conversation on both ends. I would highly recommend the Plantronics Discovery 665 Bluetooth Headset to anyone looking for an excellent sounding and comfortable Bluetooth headset. You can purchase the Plantronics Discovery 665 Bluetooth Headset at the TreoCentral store for $94.95.

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Criteria  Rating Design 5 Usability 5 Sound Quality 5 Cost/Benefit 5 Overall (not an average)	Pros Extremely comfortable due to the soft gel ear tips Lightweight AudioIQ technology provides excellent sound
	Cons I wish Plantronics would include an AC adapter with this headset