Diving deep with the new Poly Voyager Free 60+
Yes, we all can swing by any convenience store and pick up a pair of “faux-pods” for a dollar. But, do you really want to listen to them? Probably not. They are fine for your Tween who can’t keep track of the expensive earbuds and won’t appreciate the audio quality anyway. Or, maybe they’ll appreciate it, but they’ll still get lost in a pile of socks or the dog will chew them up. So when I got this nice fancy case in the mail I was already geared up to take a swing at Poly’s newest entry into personal UC devices.
Designed for Personal Media
The first thing you notice about the Poly Voyager Free 60+ earbuds is the case. Not kidding. This is quite simply put the most functional earbud case I’ve ever seen. The design is sleek and speaks to the technology inside the case. You are able to play, pause, and skip tracks. From the case. Other options, from the case, include connecting to Bluetooth and setting up ambient audio. Then you open the case.
The earbuds are comfortable, with a great design. They fit snugly without having to be forced. Poly includes three sizes of earbud attachments in case the ones that come pre-installed don’t quite fit your ears.
One new feature I wasn’t quite what to do with was a 3.5mm cable. After doing some research, this is a new idea in wireless earbuds. You take the cable, connect it to your case, and the other end goes into the personal entertainment center on an airplane or other device. You can make any source into a wireless earbud source. Even if it doesn’t have built-in Bluetooth.
Audio quality and mic pickup
The sound quality is on par with other high-end earbuds. These are not several thousand-dollar closed-back headphones. They are earbuds. That being said, they come with 5.8mm drivers that deliver quite the punch. I listened to everything from classical orchestral music to hip-hop. The bass delivered was adequate for earbuds but not the intensity of having an 18-inch sub under my feet.
There were two tests for the microphone, both phone calls. The first was in the office, a controlled environment. The far end indicated good call clarity and frequency response. Where the Poly Voyager Free 60+ really excelled was ambient noise rejection. I took a ride with the top down in a convertible. Now, I didn’t go down the highway at 70 miles per hour, but it was down a city street. The noise and ambient rejection was spot on. The caller only heard the call going quiet occasionally.
Stepping up your earbud game
The Poly Voyager Free 60+ is a good option for those looking for a good personal UC experience. The addition of technology in the case is a nice feature and I look for others in the space adding this to their feature set. At a $330 list price, it is certainly set up as a premium experience. I get sent a fair amount of gear from time to time. However, my wife has only taken two things from me, both of them Poly products. The first was my Poly Voyager headset. The second thing was these Poly Voyager Free 60+ earbuds. They are a good pair of buds and worth your look and listen.
