Plantronics Marque 2 Review

Introduction:

Who wants complication, right? Some people might relish over the comprehensive set of features found with today’s modern Bluetooth headsets, but for those looking to get the basics without forking over their life savings, the Plantronics Marque 2 aims to please the masses with its duty of being an entry-level headset. Brandishing a $59.99 cost, let’s hope that this no-fluffs Bluetooth headset doesn’t compromise in the quality department.

Design and Comfort:

When you’re aiming to target the entry-level segment, design isn’t something that’s particularly high on the totem pole. Low and behold folks, that’s exactly what we see with the Plantronics Marque 2. Going forward with a compact minimalist design with its elongated shape, the headset looks exactly like, you know, a headset! Sorry folks, there’s nothing necessarily exciting with this one, but at least it’s lightweight thanks to its all-plastic construction. Fortunately, the clean finish of the casing manages to do a wonderful job in repelling fingerprints and smudges – so there’s no worry about it getting dirty.


The Plantronics Marque 2 feels extremely comfortable when worn. Indeed, it comes included with a plastic ear hook, but in all honesty, the flexible silicone eartips are strong enough to stay firmly in our ear – and that’s without feeling too irritating during prolonged usage! Throw in the fact that it’s lightweight, we barely notice that we’re even wearing it at times. And if you’re afraid about this one coming off if you somehow decide to do some head bobbing action at a concert, you won’t have to worry one bit since it’s pretty much staying put in your ear

On the façade of the Plantronics Marque 2, there’s a recessed multi-function button that allows us to pickup/end calls with a single press, and access voice assistant services by long pressing. Sure it’s recessed, but at least the feedback is good when pressed. Nearby, there’s also a small LED notification light to indicate it’s turned on and connected. Along one side of the headset, there’s a switch that allows us to easily turn on/off the headset – while on the other, there’s a raised button that enables us to cycle through the volume levels. Certainly, we would’ve preferred separate controls for that, but we can’t complain too much about it, since as we know, this is an entry-model we’re dealing with. Finally, a microUSB port rests solely by itself on the backside, which allows us to charge its internal battery.



Software Features:

Testing out the Plantronics Marque 2 with a Samsung Galaxy S III, we downloaded the free Plantronics MyHeadset app. Now if you happen to use an Android 3.0 & up device, it’s nice that the headset’s battery life and remaining talk time are displayed in the notifications panel. Interestingly, it also supports the neat feature of allowing us to easily track down the headset if we misplace it somewhere nearby. However, it’s accessible by using yet another app – the Plantronics Find MyHeadset. Seriously, it’s nice that we’re given all of these tertiary features, but it would’ve been better if they were all incorporated into one single app, as opposed to two separate ones.

In its quest to provide us with an ample hands-free experience the Plantronics Marque 2 makes it super easy to accept or reject calls. Of course, we can naturally press the multi-function button to execute the task, but even simpler, we can merely say “answer” to pick up the call. A standard in this day and age, it supports multipoint technology to enable two devices to connect to it. Overall, the features set of the headset are nice, but it’s nothing too comprehensive.

Call and Audio Quality:

Although it’s unlikely that people will primarily use this for listening to music, the quality is actually pleasant. When using it for phone calls and pumping it up all the way to its highest volume setting, it retains some of its robustness, but there’s a minute level of strain with voices. On the other end of the line, though, our callers mention being presented with a decent amount of clarity, so there’s no issue comprehending us. However, when using it in the car with the windows rolled down, its noise-cancellation feature kicks into gear after a 5 seconds – so background noise (like the wind) is muted, mostly. Then again, some faint instances of distortion comes into play, but are still more than audible for us to discern.

Battery:

Rated for 7 hours of talk time by the manufacturer, our results tallied in a little over the 6 hour mark, which isn’t anything grand, but for its size and all, we can’t complain too much about it.

Conclusion:

For an entry-level Bluetooth headset, we really would’ve liked to see this guy priced more aggressively below the $50 mark. Instead, its $59.99 price point can make it a tough sell for some people – especially knowing that there are a handful out there that boast similar features. Certainly, it works out for simple phone calls and whatnot, but don’t expect anything extravagant. In the end, if you like its minimalistic design and decent call quality, it should no doubt get the job done. Beyond that, you can fork over a little bit more cash and pick up something with a broader features set.

Plantronics Marque 2 Video Review: