A unique functional case, all-day batteries and advanced features give you every reason to buy HP Poly Voyager Free 60 series wireless headphones if you’re on the go or spending time connected to computers and smartphones.
Enterprise workers in the office environment are the ideal users of these premium and specially designed headsets. Remote corporate workers also gain vastly increased functionality to enhance their workday conveniences.
I have yet to find a set of headphones that can successfully compete with the features crammed into these relatively small but well-fitting dual devices.
The cost, however, is also a higher price point than most people would be willing to pay out of pocket. But if your workday needs for phone calls and listening to music outweigh the convenience of wireless connectivity, HP gives you a compelling list of reasons to pair up.
Pricing and Purchasing
For some prospective users, the performance outweighs the $329.95 price tag for the premium product, the Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC, which comes with a touchscreen charging case and more.
Two less-endowed but still great-performing versions of these headphones start at $229.95.
For the starting price, you get the Poly Voyager Free 60 model, which comes with a standard charging case that provides premium calling and music features. The reliability and dependability of this unit is designed for what HP calls “professors.”
The Poly Voyager Free 60 wireless headphones and main charging case, shown here in Carbon Black, are also available in Sand White. (Image credit: HP/Poly)
In addition to the HP/Poly website, you can find these headphones at B&H Photo and other online outlets.
Be careful when searching for this product. I found it listed on Amazon and elsewhere under the Plantronics label. Based on the price and product description, such listings, which are not branded as HP, appear to be older units than the latest HP product release.
HP acquired Poly last August and rebranded the new releases but kept the Poly name. For example, charging cases have the Poly name on them, and even the Poly app lacks the HP label.
Stepping up to $279.95 gets you Poly Voyager Free 60 UC headphones with a standard charging case and enterprise-grade audio and music features. This version is Microsoft Teams/Zoom certified and intended for business users.
Premium features unmatched
One of the really impressive performance factors of these headphones is the Poly Voyager Free 60 UC’s ability to combat ambient noise during calls and video sessions that affect both sides of the conversation.
This product reduces background noise during calls with active noise cancellation (ANC). The same ANC function between calls reduces background noise and provides high-quality music listening with three ambient settings.
One of them, transparency mode, lets you hear your surroundings without removing one or both headphones. If you remove the headset, it will stop the soundtrack playing from the connected device.
Sound production is at a premium level, thanks to six microphones, a boom design and a noise-canceling scheme called NoiseBlock, which is based on AI.
Multipoint connection allows users to stay connected to two devices at the same time. The technology pairs phones as Phone One and Phone Two, even if one of the devices is a speaker or computer.
The Smart Charge Case does more
Another advantage of the Voyager Free 60+ UC headphones is the unique charging case. All three Voyager models have cases that wirelessly charge the headphones in a rechargeable case and have Qi charging capability.
The Free 60+ UC model goes beyond that limited functionality. The smart charging case features a color touch screen with three control panels to customize the configuration and control the headset.
The Voyager Free 60+ UC touchscreen charging case displays the charging status of the case and the battery level of each earbud. (Image credit: HP/Poly)
The case charges with a USB cable that connects to a computer or wall power outlet. When the headphones are in use, their case is connected wirelessly to control audio functions that indicate battery charge status, listening environment settings and volume control.
You can easily switch between connected devices. The case allows you to connect to external audio sources via the 3.5 analog audio input.
Smart design
The oval design and three sizes of rubber earcups add extra comfort to the headphones. The tips are designed to minimize in-ear pressure while providing superior sound isolation.
For long-term use, you can use both pieces in both ears. For long-term travel listening, for example, you can simply place one earbud in both ears while the other charges in the case.
The headphones provide up to 5.5 hours of talk time with ANC on. If you don’t need ANC, the usage time is even longer.
The smart charging case provides up to 16 hours of additional talk time and has a USB-C port for on-the-go charging. The case also includes a BT700 Bluetooth adapter for enhanced functionality.
A really neat feature is the included USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable, which allows you to connect the charging case to almost any modern device and use the headphones where a physical connection is required instead of wireless.
The included USB receiver dongle tricks the host computer into pairing the headphones without needing to open the computer’s Bluetooth suite to connect. The result is a more seamless user experience compared to built-in Bluetooth on PCs.
Video credit: HP/Poly
Long stem functionality
The Poly Voyager Free 60 series headphones have a longer stem than other wireless headphones. The oval tip adds to the comfort factor and makes the headphones easy to grip, insert and remove.
A small button at the bottom of each stem plays or pauses music and answers calls. Press it for two seconds to activate Google Assistant and introduce more features.
A touch sensor lies along the middle of each stem. Swipe up and down to change the volume or mute the volume.
It took me a while to get the hang of using the swipe gestures to activate features, and I didn’t find it very intuitive to use in conjunction with the small button at the bottom.
The power of the application is convenient
Last but not least is the Poly Lens app, which is available on Google Play and the App Store. You can use only the headphones and get a great user experience without charging.
But I found it no less convenient to reach for my smartphone to adjust additional settings. It’s the same as using smartphone apps to help with my smartwatch settings and as an add-on to my smart TV remotes.
You need the app to process software updates for the headphones and smart charging case, and to access detailed configurability options to customize your headphones to your preferences. The app provides a long list of switches and sliders to tweak every possible decibel and frequency to improve your productivity and enjoyment.
Advanced communication features
Advanced side technology lets you be aware of how loud you’re talking. I never lost my boisterous voice projection that I learned in my early days of public speaking classes. This particular feature helps me not to strain my voice.
The headphones are designed with a wide microphone space so that users can adjust the wearing position for maximum comfort.
The Poly Voyager Free 60 Series Wireless Headphones are available in two colors: Carbon Black and White Sand.