Plantronics S12 Corded Telephone Headset System

Item is great. However, just using the headset over your ear is not a secure fit. Using with the headband does provide a secure fit.

I liked this headset, it was comfortable, the sound quality was pretty decent, can be a little echo at times, but overall pretty decent.

I purchased this headset because I have started presenting webcasts and needed to make sure that the sound quality was superior. The Platronics S12 meets that requirement (and exceeded my expectations) and gives the wearer great flexiblity to control the sound. My only complaints are the short cord between the telephone and the Platronics base and the flimsy stand used to hold the headset when not in use. Both of these problems are minor and can be corrected through a little ingenuity.

The standard headset around the office is a GN2120 made by Jabra; it goes for about $170. This headset is just as good if not better in my opinion. It also does not rely on batteries for the amplifier and instead plugs into an outlet.

I'd say that most bad reviews here are probably a result of having not read the instructions. If you're having volume problems, remember to turn down the phone volume and also use the dial located front and center on the base.

I have a desk phone (Avaya 1608) that is loud in general. The headset is able to go as quiet as the hand-held receiver with both at their lowest volumes. With either, I could turn them all the way up and hear the conversation from several feet away.

People I've spoken to say I sound crisp and clear. The low mic sensitivity setting is good if not a bit quiet. If you turn it down it will not pick up things like typing. Alternatively you can turn the mic sensitivity way up. My co-worker had to pull the phone away from his ear when I turned it all the way up, but said that the sound did not distort on his end.

The glowing red light at the tip has a somewhat narrow angle at which it's noticeable. Someone would have to be somewhere between your 1 and 3 o'clock to notice the pulsing light. I use the padded over the head setup which is very comfortable.

I've noticed that the padded part of the headset is made of a material that they made a similar 3.5mm type headset about 15 or 20 years ago. I had it for about 3-5 years before it dried out and started flaking off but this could have been due to direct sunlight and/or heat.

Great headset to use with a landline. It should work with any phone that you already have, so there is no need to purchase another phone. Clarity is GREAT!

I bought a few sets of these for my sales staff to use. They've commented on how much more productive they feel being "hands free". The only draw back, and this is minor, is that the handset much be taken off the hook to answer or to place calls. Not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things but something I thought I'd mention.

I'm on the phone a lot every day - and I have arthritis in the hand that I use to hold the receiver. This has been a blessing - don't have to hold it,and the sound is fabulous. Only had it for short time, so I can't speak as to the longevity of the product, but I'm very pleased with it so far.

My husband has used this all-day, every-day for the last 3 1/2 years, and it has been fantastic. Very clear, very durable- wouldn't be without it. We'd definatley buy another one if this one bit the dust.

We bought two of these for our small office and they are great. Easy to use, with a very quick set up. We've had no problems with either unit and the sound quality is very good after an initial test call to adjust. I would highly recommend these. We looked at pricier units, but they didn't offer much more. The only drawback is that the earpiece is not the most comfortable, but certainly will do.

I had a hard time choosing a headset because I had no experience with headsets whatsoever. My first purchase was one that plugged into a cordless - it was very convenient but I couldn't hear my caller!! The amplifier is a must for anyone working at a desk and talking on the phone.

I chose this model over the T20 because the reviews were better. The main difference between the two (which some reviewers failed to realize) is that the T20 is a phone with an amplifier and headset built-in. This one, the S12, is an amplifier you can connect to your CORDED phone. One thing I'd like to mention is that if you already have a corded phone you like, go to [...] and make sure it is compatible with this headset. Not all phones are. With the first phone I tried, only the mic worked on one setting and only the earpiece worked on another. Fortunately, I took it back and got another phone that works just fine.

The last thing I want to mention is that you still have to pick up the handset of your phone to answer calls. I at first thought this would be inconvenient, but when I'm working I just keep the headset activated, and take the phone off the hook to answer. Then use the handset to hang up.

All in all, a great product. Clear sound on both ends, and very easy to set up and use.
I'd really like to know if the T20 works as well, because that would seem to be a better option for someone who doesn't need a handset at all (like me). But of course check out those reviews before making your decision.

This is a good unit and was easy to install. The over-the-ear part did not fit that well, but may fit better for you. It is a great price for what you would normally pay $100+ for.

I'm very pleased with this product. I wasn't sure the quality would be this good because of the low cost, but it was everything I needed. Very compact, lightweight, and extremely simple to set up. The best feature, in addition to the sound quality, is the ability
to adjust the volume to both the incoming voice and your own voice. My phone system has a lot of "noise" on it to begin with, but in
using this product, I actually was able to do a radio interview and no extraneous noise could be heard. Glad I made the purchase.

John Parker

I wish I had spent my $80 on something better. I really wanted wireless headsets but got these instead thinking they would be OK. I like to move around when I have these headsets on and the cord gets in the way from the headphones. THey are OK but not worth all of the money that I spent.

I've been using this for about 3 months, and have to say I'm impressed with the comfort and sounds quality. My last job I was using the wireless style and always had problems with not loud enough, or just bad quality sound. Crystal clear with this, and easy to turn up the volume if I need to... 90% of the time, the lowest setting is loud enough anyway. The cord gets in the way sometimes, but isn't that big of a deal. All in all, very happy with this. Oh yeah, I wear glasses, and the headset fits very well!

Bought this for work to help with neck pain from being on the phone too much. It works great - sound quality is excellent and there is no "buzz" when not on a call like some headsets have. Easy enough to put on and off without messing up your hair too much. Price was much cheaper than other places too.

The S12 is an upgraded S10 with a simpler method of matching the headset to the characteristics of your corded phone with a single slider. For owners of the older S10, there was a very busy backend to the control module with wires, a lousy headset hook, power cord etc. some of these problems have been addressed in the S12, a streamlined look and fewer buttons for mute and transmit / listen sensitivity. I noticed that my bridge calls are quieter and crisp/clean, my older S10 was a workhorse, since I work from my home office and use it alot for conf calls and the hands free for typing is a must. Construction is good, but the newer version didn't come with the 3 ear 'rings' that my S10 came with, so if one breaks, you're back to working with Plantronics to get a new one. I'd like to see the price of cordless come back to earth in this product line, at @ $300 bucks a pop, and no chance of my company reimbursement, I was happy as all getout to find this deal on Amazon.

The S12 comes with plenty of cord for the power unit which looks more like a cell phone charger, but the link between the control module and your corded phone is still very short, for the 1st timers - plan for a larger footprint for both phone and control module.

If you need a hands free I would recommend the S12 - you can plan to get 5 years out of it, my mute button stopped working first on my old S10 - and finding that out was a real 'whoops O.M.G.' moment that my work team took in stride but left me blushing.

-jjm

If you're in front of a computer and on the phone all day, it's likely your neck is starting to hurt from cradling the phone. This model performs as advertised, with the exception that some of the button functions for choosing headset or phone receiver work differently with differently phones. Also, be warned that to use this unit, you still have to pick up the receiver to activate the line. My neck stopped hurting, but the inconvenience of picking up and putting down the receiver, as well as the physical limitations of a corded headset, got me to order a bluetooth model with a "cradle lifter" mechanism that allows you to pick up the receiver remotely. (Better solution would be a dedicated phone or more sophisticated access to a normal business phone's functions). About 3 times more expensive (and it hasn't arrived yet), but as I often move more than 6 feet from my phone during the day, I'm hopeful it will provide a more complete solution.

I ordered this headset for a webinar that I was presenting, so I was concerned that it would be easy to use, not be overwhelmingly expensive, and have good sound. Based on reviews, I picked this Plantronics S12. It performed well during that 4 hour webinar and has been brilliant ever since. It is easy to use, delivers really good sound to the earpiece, and, most importantly, those who I talk with are very impressed with the quality leap over my hand held phone receiver. I have a number of friends who are now getting these.

IF a person need equipment such as this one. This is a good place to start

This is a great product. The sound quality is excellent. There's no background "static". The volume control works well. The price was half that of the business "specialty" sellers. Shipping was prompt and efficient. Great deal all around.

I've had this product now for a month and it has so far been excellent. Sound quality is good, the microphone works well at screening out background noise and it is comfortable for long calls. Great product!

This is by far the best amplifier I have ever used in a call center. It's very crisp and loud. The volume button on the amplifier makes adjusting sound much easier than attempting so and the Nortel phone I use.

The one gripe I have is how the mute button on mine in particular is flaky. I want to not be able to hear myself in my headset when I mute the phone, which I still can if I press the mute button on the phone. On the amplifier, it works some of the time. So if I press the mute button there will be little tidbits of hearing myself (thus the customer hearing me). When it works, it works great. I can rest assured that the customer is not hearing me when discussing something with a co-worker.

I would still highly recommend this amplifier to anyone.

This product does not work for me. Whenever I call into a conference call the "group" screams about echo type noise. This product has been a disappointment (junk) to me. I will return and try another product.

In an effort to arrange an inexpensive dedicated business telephone line solution with a hands-free headset I purchased the magicJack and the Plantronics S12. Although the magicJack works great with other analog telephone devices, and the Plantronics S12 works great with other analog lines/services, it would appear that the magicJack together with the Plantronics S12 does not work. I thoroughly tested all 6 modes, the 2 TX amplification settings, the two volume slides, the mute button, all of the cables. Upon speaking with the Plantronics support line, upon concluding our troubleshooting, they advised that the S12 only works with traditional analog telephone lines and not analog-to-Internet conversion solutions like the magicJack. On the surface and given the other reviews it seems that the S12 is a great product, but does not work with the magicJack telephone service.

If your looking at this. You must be looking to have a call center, perhaps in your home. This product works exactly as advertised. It seems to be compatible with any corded phone.

Thus far, this is well worth the money. The sound is very clear and works as it is supposed to. Did a test call the first day and the person on the other end asked what kind of phone I was on, without knowing that they were a part of my "test". I've only had it for a short time, but as of now, I really like this headset system and would recommend it to those who are looking for a good set.

Plantronics S12 headset is comfortable and operates with ease. Volume controls for your voice and listening are easily adjusted. Some feedback if the base unit is too near electronics. Just move a few inches away to resolve the issue. Unit is durable and simple to install. Great investment for the home office.

We purchased one of these for our office on a trial basis, pairing it with the Panasonic KX-TG9391T two-line cordless phone's base station. What we found is that this is a nifty unit with good sound quality but, for whatever reason, there was a pronounced buzz in the headset. When you moved the headset's base unit around, the buzz sometimes went away so I tried swapping cables to no avail. I'm wondering if somehow the Panasonic's base unit's radio transmitter was interfering with this headset? At any rate, I've owned plenty of Plantronics headsets in the past including previous versions of this unit with great success, but if you own a Panasonic KX-TG9391T this might not be the best choice.

In general the headset works as described.
Although I would expect no induced noise into the regular handset. I tried all the suggested settings by plantronics and I still have a "hum" noise when using the regular phone handset.
If that noise was not present, I would give this a 5 star rating.

Makes conference calls much easier. Needs hang up option. Sound is clear and loud. The headset is comfortable.

This item works GREAT! For anyone in an office, or with long-winded relatives this is the solution. I saved about $40 using Amazon. Unit is well made, but if it ever breaks I'd buy another one just like it.

I use this product almost every day. I am impressed with the ease of use it provides. I wear the headset for at least 8 hours a day and it is very comfortable, (why is this important? - I am bald). The microphone does a very good job of picking up your voice and not your breathing. I like the selector on the left side that allows you to match the headset to thre phone system to eliminate "hum" in the earphone. The ability to amplify your voice with this device was important to me as I am a quiet speaker. Of equal value is the simple adjustment to amplify the sound in the earpiece. I highly recommend this product!!

I BOUGHT THIS FOR MY ASSISTANT AND IT WORKS GREAT. HAVE ONE FOR MYSELF FROM A DIFFERENT STORE AND WOULD DEFINITELY PURCHASE ANOTHER ONE. I ALSO BOUGH THE S11 AND HAD SOME PROBLEMS WITH IT SO IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A HIGH QUALITY HEADSET- THIS IS IT! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

I am very pleased with this headset. I work at home and I had a hard time finding a headset that worked with a landline phone.It works very well also.It is very clear.

Being that this is a Plantronic headset I had an expectation of quality. The system itself is wonderful, the headsets are horrible. I wanted to use the over the head unit, first it pulled my hair each time I took it off, then the protective piece that sits against your head keeps falling off making the headset poke into my head.

The other choice is the over the ear holder. Cheap scratchy plastic was used and it's not comfortable.

I've put my own little end on mine and taped it there and I'm only willing to do that because I'm happy with the sound and ease of use. I hope they come out with some other alternative to the crummy plastic used on the headsets!

The price was phenomenal and the unit works like a dream. I have told so many of my co-workers this is the only way to go.

This headset is relatively inexpensive and has some features (e.g., mute button, ) that others do not. I used it for a webcast, and the audio quality was very good. The only minor issue is that the I hear a slight hum in the background, and the amplifier compatibility switch does not eliminate it. However, this sound is not apparent to listeners at the other end. Overall, I would not hesitate to purchase this product again.

This headphone is easy to set up and use, and has really good sound quality. I would like a longer cord, but other than that, I am very happy with it.

i must say this produt is the best.being a travel agent , the phones lines are very busy , but these headsets have helped us out a great deal. its very clear in sounds, no background noises and it allows one to multi task. since i've had these headsets i haven't any problems. keep up the good work and people get your platronics headsets now.....and it's very much affordable.

Its around $200 to get this configuration direct through plantronics site (getting a headset and amp together, about $80 separately at the cheapest), didn't look up exact same model# but I couldn't find anything on their website that would match amazon's price for both a headset and amp. I went through 2 other headsets to find the right one. 1st one (about $15, over the head, one ear) was simply a headset to connect to the headset port on the phone, volume was way too low, both ways; especially on my end. 2nd (about $30, over the ear piece) was also headset port connected, same thing. They were cheap yes, but you get what you pay for. They simply were insufficient.

This one is superior. Instructions are easy, all I did was follow the pictures. I can hear the caller, and they can hear me, it's easy to adjust volume if they're too loud or too low or if I'm too low or if I don't want them to hear my background noise.

Worth the price. The headset cord is long enough for me to stand up and move around w/o tugging everything off the desk and it doesn't coil/tangle. The ear piece is comfortable (I use it on average, 12 hours a day, 5 days a week).

The mouth piece flashes red when there's activity on the phone so a person trying to talk to you in the room will know when you're on a call. It seems to blink when it picks up sound in general though, even when there is no call, except when you have the mute button on. It would be nice to have a binaural headset (but they are uber expensive, the nice ones), but since the volume can be adjusted it's no big deal. With one ear piece, at least I can hear what's going on around me just in case of an emergency or something.

I hear no static, no fuzz. The plugs (w/the exception of the AC adapter) looks like a mini RJ-45/phone plug. It's the same plug that the receiver on a corded phone plugs into. The headset itself has the same "mini phone plug" which plugs into the adapter, obviously. But because of these types of plugs, it's held into the outlets of the phone and amp securely. So there's no jiggling around that can happen, which usually happens to the plugs on typical headphones/headsets (the 2.5mm kind, etc).

I would highly recommend this product.

I had also gotten the phone that was suggested to get with this, but it was purchased several months before getting this headset system. They work great together. http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-KX-TS105B-Corded-Speakerphone-Black/dp/B000090WE9/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_b

The Plantronics S12 Corded Telephone Headset System is the best for the money. The noise-cancelling microphone works better than imagined, while giving crystal-clear voice clarity, and good, adjustable volume. The sound through the earpieces is loud and clear, and adjustable down to a whisper if you like. The S12 replaced a cheaper headset system that never performed up to expectations, The S12 is also comfortable to wear for extended periods, and it's sleek, compact, and easy to set up, adjust and use. Thank you Plantronics. And Amazon for excellent service.

This is a good product to use with hearing aids. NO interferance like is found with a wireless set. Only thing I wish it had was a plug to disconnect between the headset & the base. If I need to get up from my desk just for a second, it's easier to remove the headset rather than unplug it from the base. I'm sure there is another model with that option, just forgot to look for it.

Not much to say, except this is a really good corded headset, and very easy to set up. The biggest drawback is that it fails with VOIP phone lines. I found it impossible to tune (there are six settings) to VOIP frequencies; it just kept squealing and chirping, so I kept it on my land line.

I've used this for close to a year and it works OK, except for the headset cord, which is too thin in construction and constantly tangles on itself. Every week or so I have to disconnect the headset cord from the base and untangle it. Eventually my cord wore out in one tangled section and the headset no longer worked. But you can't just replace the cord, you have to get a whole new headset. Luckily my set was under warranty and Plantronics kindly sent me another. So I will at least have another year of use now until the cord wears out again. But based on this design flaw I won't be buying this set again in the future.

I have no idea if this device is any good because it was not compatible with any of the three common phones I have in my office. In fact, upon further investigation, this headset system won't work with any of the 1- or 2-line phones that Amazon sells...or that any other Big Box electronic dealer. You need to go to the Plantronics Web site, where you can use a kludgy "compatibility tool" to check on your particular model of phone, but good luck finding one thta will work.

I returned this product and Amazon game me a full refund.

Not bad for the price. The headset sound quality is decent. The build quality is so-so. The materials are flimsy (ie: cords) and a little cheap (ie: switches). The directions say to attach the existing telephone handset to the handset jack on the back of the amplifier. After doing this, the sound quality of the handset (not the headset) suffers greatly due to the AC line noise from the power adapter. I hear a very loud hum when making a quick call with the handset. Also, the microphone LED strangely glows at odd times with the unit switched off. The box says "Made in Mexico" but everything inside the box (including the instructions!) is made in China. I guess only the box itself is made in Mexico--quite misleading.

I bought two of these for my office. We both are on the phone all day so it was about time i invested in headsets. I went the cheap route and don't think i've suffered much at all for it. quite frankly, i think it works great. the mic may be a little on the trebly side - or at least a fraction more than i'd like, but to be honest, i don't think anyone notices. For the price, i definitely give this product a thumbs up.

This is a great headset system, as is the case with Plantronics products I have used in the past this was very easy to install and has been working great. I would highly recommend this product.

Initially the NEC phone in my office that I connected this headset up to did not have a dedicated headset button and so I had to run the handset cord through the headset in order to use the headset and still have the option to use the handset. This worked fine. Latter, we configured our phones with a headset button and alternating between headset and hand set became much easer to use. My point here is that both configurations worked, whether I had a dedicated headset button or not.

This is the first headset I have ever bought, and spending anywhere from 8 to 12 hours in the day on phone, I really need one, corded to boot for security purposes.

And the cords are in fact the problem with this headset. It does not move around (yet another problem for me). It sits on my desk, and the cords are VERY WELL cared for, always treated with respect. The power cord and now the cord for the earphone have died. Plantronics support is, well, more than bad. Maybe they should pay their people more, but when I call and say that after 3 weeks of use the power cord is dead, they should be a bit more concerned, even if they did send me a new one. The earphone cord died last night, after 6 weeks of use, and well support is closed early on Friday, as well as all day Saturday and Sunday. NOT AT ALL HELPFUL.

There were terrible sound issues the first week, necessitating 3 separate calls to the company to get the headset to work with 'my phone', and still there is interference that is not at all explicable.

As well, I think buyers should be very aware that this headset does not allow you to move easily from your work station. Plantronics does market headsets with an easy release, but I am wary about that as well, considering how delicate all of their cords seem to be.

All in all, I am highly disappointed. not only am I leashed to my desk, but despite my care, pieces are dying left and right. Very unpleasant. In fact, so unpleasant, I felt the need to share, seeing as how I chose this headset based upon my needs, the company's reputation, and other consumer reviews.