Plantronics/Poly Blackwire 5200 series

Plantronics/Poly Blackwire 5200 Series Corded USB Headset 

The Plantronics/Poly Blackwire 5200 Series (5210/5220) is a quality Plantronics USB headset with 3.5mm connector and control panel for answer/ignore/end/hold (softphone dependant), volume and mute. Comfort is assured with the ergonomic headband and pillow-soft leatherette ear cushions. All versions are certified for Teams, Zoom and all major softphones. Available in USB-A and USB-C variants, this series also includes a USB-C version equipped with a USB-C to USB-A adapter, allowing you to connect to more devices and have your setup future proofed. 

Launch Date – November 2017

What We Love

• Quality headset at a great price
• Ergonomic, hammock style headband reduces pressure on the head, ultra-soft on-ear leatherette cushions
• 3.5mm jack is great for the odd mobile call (most modern mobiles will need an adaptor to be compatible)
• That jack is also useful if you don’t want to take your headset off every time you walk away from your desk –  just unplug the jack and go!
• Flexible microphone boom with digital sound processors for clear, rich sound.
• Carry case included to protect your headset on the go.
• Wear with the microphone on left or right (for mono versions you can have the earcup on either ear)
• Noise cancelling in the microphone (not earcups) to help block out your background noise for your caller.
• Plug and play simplicity –  no charging or pairing
• Depending on variant, will connect to USB desk phones

What We Don’t Love

• Been around for a while (but still performs well)
• Corded headset, so you can’t multi-task and have to stay at your desk
• Adaptor required to make it work with most mobiles

In Detail

Please note this headset has a 3.5mm connector. Before purchasing, if you intend to use it via the 3.5mm connection with a mobile/tablet, please check that your device has this connection. Eg iPhone models 7 and above require the lightning to 3.5mm adapter. Some models come with that, some don’t. If you do not have the adapter, you can purchase for $10-$20 from stores such as Kmart, Officeworks or any techy/gadget store. If you have any queries, please call our team for clarification.

Launched in November 2017, this is the mid-range USB headset in the Plantronics/Poly range that includes a 3.5mm jack to connect to a mobile phone or tablet for all brands inc Apple. As a USB headset it will of course connect to any PC or Mac and works with all major softphones and applications.

The 5200 series (5210/5220) are all Lync, Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams compatible of course they also work with all major softphones, other programmes like regular Skype, Dragon and pretty much anything you want to use a headset for on your PC or laptop! There’s also a USB C version (a smaller version of the standard USB plug. 

The microphone is of course noise cancelling so no-one hears the background noise around you and is wideband so your voice sounds natural and rich – just like you were there in person. Inbound audio is a very good quality and the Dynamic EQ feature automatically adapts to music and multimedia to give you the optimal sound for calls or the fun stuff. Many headsets don’t cope well switching from voice calls to music, and they have awful tinny audio when playing music but the 5200s do this with ease.So you can take a call on your softphone, then listen to music and stunning sound for both.

Ultra-soft leatherette ear cushions and lightweight headband mean all-day comfort and a secure fit. Indeed the 5220 models (that go on both ears) has 2 soft cushions which conform to the shape of your ear to help block out background noise (but please note this isn’t an ACTIVE noise cancelling headset. Also those duo models have a sprung headband to ease pressure on the top of the head for intensive all day use.

In summary this is a good mid range headset for use with mobile and USB. Not the cheapest in the field but a well known brand, a snazzy design and a standard 2 year warranty.