Plantronics 8200 uc vs Sennheiser MB 660 uc MS

After spending six months with the Plantronics 8200 uc then switching to a Sennheiser MB 660 uc MS and using that for the last four months I thought I would share my thoughts on both. Lets start with the Plantronics.

Plantronics 8200 uc

Out of the box the 8200 UC feels solid, built to hold up to the day to day use and abuse of someone who travels, stuffs it into their backpack, and takes it everywhere. During my time with this headset I did just that, I took it on 4 international flights, used them for phone calls in the office, at home to listen to music, and even for a little gaming. During the flights the noise cancelling worked really well to block the noise of the jet and give me a private cocoon of quietness while providing excellent sound quality for both music and movies, and even after wearing them for a long 17 hour flight I didn’t find them uncomfortable at all. The Battery life surprised me by lasting 20+ hours with noise cancelling on high and cranking out audio at a good volume the entire time. I honestly didn’t have anything to complain about after using the 8200 uc, even the button layout was intuitive and I had no trouble learning where everything was without taking them off of my head.

Sennheiser MB 660 uc MS

The Sennheiser unit immediately stood out as looking more suit and tie than business casual like the Plantronics. The clean lines and the black leather with aluminum accents gives it a sharp look while being unassuming and sleek, overall I like the looks better but that’s subjective. The build quality feels just as good as the Plantronics and as far as durability from my perspective I would guess they would be quite similar. I didn’t get to take the Sennheiser on a flight but I did use the noise cancelling in the back of a car to compare and in that environment the Sennheiser is slightly better at blocking noise. On the Sound quality front I would pick the Sennheiser again, I’m no audiophile but the Sennheiser seems to have a wider range from the lows to the highs while also being a little more crisp. The battery life was good with no complaints, however that can’t be said about the controls. There is a touch pad on the right ear that controls nearly everything, swiping up and down for volume and right and left to skip tracks worked great, but the other gestures such as muting the microphone were hard to get right consistently and added a few frustrations while using them. The Sennheiser has noticeably deeper ear cups which some people may find better but it also has a tighter squeeze on the head which I tended to find uncomfortable after just a few hours of wearing them. However the real Stand out feature for me is the microphones, they are hands down the best microphones Built into a headset I have ever used, and I have a collection of great headsets. Even with someone talking loudly just 3 feet away from me the person on the other end of the call could hear me loud and clear while not even catching a trace of what the person next to me was saying or even hearing them at all.

In conclusion I can hardly pick a winner because both are great, if audio and microphone quality is top of your list pick the Sennheiser, if comfort and ease of use are more important pick the Plantronics, I dont think you will be disappointed with either option. If you have experience with either of these I would love to hear your thoughts, or if you want me to compare them to something else please leave a comment.