Technical Reviews and Geek Toys

I have been using the Plantronics Discovery 925 earpiece for a year and a half or so.  In fact we have sold quite a few with good results.  A friend just asked me to order her one and I discovered Plantronics has come out with a new model, the Discovery 975.  I just received it and with my friends permission have opened it up to see how it compares with the Discovery 925.

Physically, the two earpieces are pretty much identical in size.  The buttons are similar in function and are located in the same positions.  I think the buttons on the 975 are not as easy to use as those on the 925.  The volume control button on the 975 doesn't stick up as much so it is a little harder to feel. The call control button on the 975 is also not as big as the one on the 925.  This actually is probably a good thing as I have accidently hung up when putting the 925 in my ear and I can see that wouldn't be a problem with the 975.  The carrying case for the 975 appears to be slightly larger and feels a little lighter.  It also has a really cool charging indicator built into the side.  With the earpiece in the case I plugged the case into the wall charger and the charge indicator display turned on indicating that both the earpiece and the case was charging and both were 1/3 to 2/3 full.  After using the earpiece for awhile I plugged it into the case and could immediately see how much of a charge the earpiece had.  Sweet....

Follow up:

According to the manual that came with the 975, total charge time for the earpiece and the case is 1.5 hours.  As a comparison, the manual that came with the 925 says the charging time for the 925 earpiece and case is 3 hours.  The 975 case provides two full charges to the earpiece before the battery within the case reuires recharging.  In comparison, the 925 case provides one full charge.  Both earpieces have a Talk Time of up to 5 hours and a Standby Time of 175 hours (7 days) when paired to one device (multipoint feature turned off).

When the charge on the 925 is very low it will sound 3 high tones every 10 seconds during a call and flash the indicator light on the earpiece 3 red flashes every 10 seconds.  There is no automatic indication on the 925 other than if the charge is very low.  An improvement I think in the 975 is that when there is 30 minutes of talk time left there will be a double high tone every 15 minutes as well as a voice prompt saying "Battery Low" every 30 minutes.  Then when there is 10 minutes of talk time remaining there is a triple high tone every 30 seconds and a voice prompt saying "Recharge Battery" every 3 minutes.

Both earpieces are lightweight, .3oz, and are very comfortable to wear.  They both come with three gel eartips, small / medium / large that are shaped to provide a secure and stable fit in your ear without interfering with glasses, and their flexibility lets you easily take the earpiece on or off.

Functionally the Discovery 975 works pretty much the same as the Discovery 925 with some improvements in the 975 that better informs the user about what is going on with the earpiece.  Pairing the Discovery 975 works the same as the 925.  Press the Call Control Button on the side until the status indicator flashes red/white.  Then search for Bluetooth devices on the cell phone until it discovers 9xxPlantronics.  When prompted, enter 0000 for the passkey and it is done.

The Discover 975 is built on dual-mic, AudioIQ² technology. Two microphones simultaneously capture your voice and cancel unwanted background noise, and the earpiece's 20-band equalizer delivers rich, natural voice quality, so you can be heard clearly on the other end, the way you were meant to be heard. Meanwhile AudioIQ² automatically adjusts incoming calls to clear, comfortable levels, so you can easily hear your caller.  When I made my first call using the 975 I immediately noticed a difference in the audio quality compared to my 925.  Actually, my 925 sounded really bad in comparison.  I switched to my wife's 925 and decided my 925 is starting to show it's age.  So comparing the 975 to my wife's 925 there is still a difference in the audio quality.  The 975 is definately clearer and seems to handle low frequencies better.

Ok, my wife just came home and so we did a little test between her 925 paired to her cell phone and the 975 paired to my cell phone.  While on a call to each other we switched earpieces so we could both make a comparison.  She agreed with me in that the 925 sounds a little more hollow and higher sounding than the 975.

One of the things the 925 does not do well is function in breezy conditions.  The wind isn't blowing today so I can't see how the 975 functions. The documentation says that for less than perfect outside conditions, three layers of WindSmart protection keeps unwanted wind noise from interfering with your calls. Grooved vents in the earpiece's design deflect the wind, a layer of acoustic fabric blocks the wind, and electronic filters remove the wind noise, keeping your calls clear and wind-free.

The Discovery 925 comes in five colors: Black, Majestic Purple, Royal Blush, Gold, and Cerise.  It is a fashion accessory as well as a great Bluetooth earpiece.  The Discovery 975 so far only comes in Black.  One of the selling points for the Discovery 925 was the fact that it came in different colors.  My wife has a gold one and really likes it.  It will be interesting to see if they come out with more colors for the 975.

So it looks like I need to upgrade my earpiece.  I mean, what kind of testimony am I giving using a worn out 925?  I'll see how that excuse flys by my wife...

The Discovery 925 lists for $129.00 and I am sure my friend is going to enjoy her new earpiece.