Customer Reviews
Great choice for Sprint Instinct 
2008-08-26
I searched high and low for a overhead headset for my new Sprint Instinct. Nothing was in the market except ear buds which I'm not comfortable wearing. I found this product and it's perfect. I can hear clearly, it's mobile, carries a long charge and folds up small (with case) for traveling. Actually the sounds so good that on my last overseas flight I left the BOSE home and used the included airplane mode and connector to listen to films, music and work on my computer. Granted, they aren't noise canceling like the BOSE, but it was great to just carry one small headset instead on two. I've had these about a month and haven't found any issues. Yes, the volume is clumsy and a little hard to use on the side of the air pieces, but I rarely need to make adjustments since the sound is clear.
It works on Intel MacBook Pro under OSX 10.5.x 2008-07-31
I love this headset...
Well, I have had my Plantronics Pulsar 590A for some years, but have just ordered another one! I think I paid the full price for my original one, but it has been worth every penny.
As I write this review, on my Intel MacBook Pro I am listening to some great music from iTunes. Fortunately, the new Intel Macs, with Leopard OSX 10.5.x have much better Bluetooth 2 support including "Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP): Controls stereo audio headphones" (which unfortunately, my iPhone 3G does not). So if you look at the Plantronics website and do a compatibility check for Apple, Leapard OSX 10.5.x it states that this headset is not compatible, which they are wrong about (and I have already told them that, some time ago). I a caveat to that statement though, which I will detail later.
Well what can I say about its use?
1. First of all, the sound quality is really excellent. You would be hard pressed to get a different wired headset that is better without paying a lot more money.
2. They are great to wear, being light and well fitting for your head. You also do not feel totally closed in like you do with some.
3. The Bluetooth implementation seems to be very good. I also have a set of Motorola "Bluetooth DJ Headphones", which fail on my first two points above and seem a bit "dicey" on their Bluetooth implementation. I have been amazed at the range I can get with the Plantronics - using the audio adapter with an older Mac at my old office, I could happily walk round most of the inside of the building, or outside, while streaming music from my Mac.
4. I can pair the Headset with two devices similtaneously. Previously, I used to do that with the adapter for music from my old Mac and my Treo 650 for taking phone calls, now I do it with my new Mac laptop and my iPhone 3G for phone calls. It switches between the two with no problem, when you take a phone call. I also use Skype on my new Mac, and when I make or answer a Skype voice call, it can automatically pause iTunes (or just mute it, depending on how you configure it).
5. You have full play and track control of iTunes on the Mac using it (but not the iPhone 3G, as you have to use the adapter for iTunes on that).
6. The quality construction is wonderful. Nothing is likely to break, and has not on mine, with a lot of use.
This leads to my caveat:
The headset supports both the Bluetooth "headphones" profile (for high quality audio) and "headset" profile for use with the mic for chatting on the phone or Skype. Well there seems to be a problem with the mic side of the Headset profile on my Mac - it gets garbled sound. Hopefully that is a OS problem that they will fix, but for the moment, I listen to Skype voice calls using the Headphones profile and the internal mic on the laptop for my voice (and this works quite well). This is not a problem when using it for phone calls with my iPhone 3G where the mic works well.
All in all, I still love this headset and highly recommend it for anyone who loves good sound with the freedom of no wires. I have even used it with Windoze and a Bluetooth dongle (but mostly use a DSP Plantronics USB headset for a PC, as I am generally using it for games then!).
At the discounted price it is a real bargain. Buy it, you will not be sorry!
Easy to good, good fidelity, great while exercising! 
2008-07-20
I've have this headset a month now for use with my Ipod, and it certainly is a keeper.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Amazing range, I've been out to 50ft.
- Good volume
Cons:
- Charging setup. While the headsets fit into a nice charging stand, the transmitter dangles at the end of the charger cord, not very elegant. I'm also questioning the longevity of the "snap plugs" that are used for the power connection.
- Volume is good, bass response is excellent and the headphones have crisp high-end response. I occasionally pick up some digital artifacts on extended high-frequency notes...a group of strings playing in the upper register, for example. With Bluetooth headsets in general, I have heard much worse. This is not a deal-breaker, and I am a bit of an audio snob.
While it does work quite well in mobile phone applications, It makes for a pretty geeky fashion statement. I have used it only occasionally as a communication device.
A nice, well engineered bluetooth headset.
Good Sound BAD Construction/Design/Material 
2008-07-16
GOOD:
The unit produces good (maybe even above average) sound for most lay people. Pairing with the analog adapter was easy; and, pairing with laptop, desktop, and cell phone were very straightforward.
BAD:
The design of the headset unit is rather small. The (muted silvery) parts of the headset that connect the top part to the ear "cups" (speakers) are very cheap. The top (black) part is rather stiff.
UGLY:
If you have a wide or big head, you will need to spread the headset a lot everytime you put it on. When you do that, the muted silvery part will break sooner than later. It will break either around the area where it connects to the top (black) part or the other side where it connects to the ear "cup" units.
BOTTOM LINE:
If you have small head, this is most likely be a very good bluetooth stereo headsets for you. Otherwise, be very careful when putting them on your head and expect them to break.
Pleasantly surprised. 2008-06-02
After reading the other reviews on this product I was REALLY apprehensive about purchasing it. About a month later I can report I'm glad I bought these. Let's set some perspective here. This is a Bluetooth wireless headset, your fidelity will NEVER be as good as a wired headset and you will always be subject to some interference from other wireless devices. This is the nature of the technology and is unavoidable. You have to decide whether or not the compromises are worth the benefit of wireless.
I've used several Bluetooth headsets and handsfree units and this one stays connected better with fewer problems than my previous two. The switching between the stereo music and phone headset works really well. The multipoint feature works really well whether it is paired with the included analog adapter or a Bluetooth dongle. Again, a call comes in, it switches over to the call, and then switches back on call termination.
Like some others have mentioned, this headset is pretty high on the geek scale, so if you're worried about looking like a geek, look elsewhere for one of those slick in-the-ear models. The geek factor is amplified by the large blue blinking circle on the right ear. I took a silver sharpie and colored carefully around the ring which tones it down considerably.
The charging is a little wonky, you have to get them aligned just right in the stand.
A really nice thing is that the phone calls are played binaurally which helps to isolate outside noise.
The only thing that's been tough to deal with on this headset is the absence of sidetone in the headset. Most phones and headsets leak a little of your voice into the earpiece so you can hear yourself talking. This headset does not do that which because it covers both ears has taken some getting used to. You just have to take it on faith that people on the other end can hear you since you can't hear yourself. This is the one thing I'd change about it.
For me the wireless compromises were worth the benefit of a good general purpose headset with stereo music capability. Thankfully I haven't seen any of the durability issues that were mentioned in other reviews after a month of heavy use. If it starts to fall apart, I'll leave a follow-up review but after a month of use I would still recommend it.
Good headphone 2008-05-02
The Pulsar 590A is a Bluetooth stereo headset that lets users listen wirelessly to music and movies with excellent audioquality and switch seamlessly to mobile phone calls with the single touch of a button.
Very good sound, Easy connection. 2008-04-12
I have a large amount of music on my Voyager phone and I wanted to hear it in stereo. I tried a standard headset, but it didn't tell me when a call came in, and the wire was awkward. I bought this unit with some trepidation as I've had poor results with previous Bluetooth connections.
This one is perfect. It paired on the first try. Sounds good, lets me know about an incoming call. The microphone part doesn't sound great according to people I tried it with but it worked well enough.
Most awesome product .... 2008-03-04
Seems like a simple goal - to make a product that works well for all conceivable purposes. This one is the first thing I have owned in my entire life that gets pretty close. I expect from my head set that I can
- listen to music at home (from the stereo set in the living room)
- listen to music at work (Bluetooth from the laptop)
- listen to music on the train, in the mall, ... (from my T-Mobile Shadow)
- use it on airplanes (wired)
- take phone calls while listening to music
- have a clear phone conversation even when in a noisy environment
- be wire-free while doing all this
- do not have to recharge the device for days despite heavy use
- use it in wired mode when out of battery, or to conserve battery
- have acceptable sound quality and decent volume even when on battery
You do not need another headset period. This thing does it all, and it does it well. I am very happy with it.
Toy misses the mark 
2008-02-13
I didn't look carefully at the picture - the extendable boom mic only extends an inch or so - this means it's not directly in front of the mouth and the result is that I had to speak too loudly to be heard. The audio for music worked as advertised, but the maximum volume was too low as sent through my Verizon XV 6800 Pocket PC Phone.
I ended up returning the item and getting a Blue Parrot Trucker's Headset which has a true boom mic and audio volume sufficient to be heard in any conditions. It doesn't have the stereo music capability, but I'm very happy with it's functionality as a phone headset
One question! 2008-02-10
This item leaves me wondering... HOW did i exist before i had it!
No more getting up from the computer to nearly kill myself because i'm still attached. I can wander around my house doing assorted things while maintaining a conversation with my friends. I can listen to my work related phone messages in privacy, and without interruption.
I like the flexibility these headphones give me and while I was skeptical of the voice tube, I gave it a shot because I have been a user for years of Plantronics call center headsets and they are top notch.
I have since bought one for a friend and recommended it to many others and we all love them.
My only disappointment is that the the post on one side is starting to crack a little bit, but that is with exceptionally heavy use -- probably 18 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Wouldn't hesitate to buy another.
