Plantronics Voyager 520 Bluetooth Headset Review
February 1, 2008 | Stéphane Dion
I should begin by saying that I’m not a big fan of Bluetooth headsets. I like to use one while I’m driving, but that’s about the only place I can stand this piece of hardware attached to my ear. Nevertheless, I had a lot of fun doing the set-up, and I enjoyed using the product in the last few months as well. Here are my thoughts on the product:
Unpacking and setup: The product comes in a really nice packaging and a little docking station to charge the earpiece is included. You absolutely need the dock to charge the device. UPDATE: After talking to Plantronics about this, the company told me that you detach the power supply from the base and connect it directly to the earpiece. I’ve tried it and it works well this way also. Just don’t expect that you will be able to switch from the dock to a direct connection easily though.
Before you can use it though, you have to open the dock to connect the power supply. I must say that it was not that obvious to do when I first tried. Nevertheless, it took me a few minutes to figure this out and I was ready to charge the earpiece.
I also have to say that the dock is so small and light, that it doesn’t stand very well on a desk or counter with the earpiece attached to it. It tends to fall on the side fairly easily.
Pairing the earpiece with the iPhone was a piece of cake and the iPhone detected the Voyager instantly.
Construction quality and design: 
Sound quality:
Conclusion:
My new iPhone 3G won’t seem to pair with the 520.
My old Verizon phone pairs with the 520 instantly.
Any suggestions?
I was having problems pairing this headset with my 3G phone too after using it on the 1st gen iPhone and found this from Plantronics website (under Product Support – Bluetooth Pairing Guide for the 520).
Steps:
1. Turn off your headset.
2. Turn on the Bluetooth mode on the iPhone.
3. Press and hold the headset button until you get a flashing blue & red light.
The iPhone should be able to discover it then, and just enter the passcode ’0000,’ and it should pair. Hope this helps!
http://www.plantronics.com/north_america/en_US/products/mobile/bluetooth-headsets/voyager-520?prodfind=true&mftr=Apple
Thank you so much for the information it helped immensely.
my iphone discoves it but, when i try to enter pass code it crashes
Thanks Joyce. It did help. i was having a terrible time pairing my bluetooh and it works now.
I have been searching for a solution for months. This is the only on that worked
thanks so much for this. the apple discussion boards are useless on the 3G pairing situation and I was almost ready to pay out on a new headset!
cheers
I had no problem pairing this with my 3G it came up right away.
I just picked up a new iphone 3g and I can’t get my voyager 520 to connect. I have tried everything I can think of. My iphone searches, but is not discovering it.
ok.. (slow down Randy and read the directions)
I wasn’t holding the power button on my bluetoothe long enough.
Works now.
I have to pair my Voyager 520 with my iPhone 1g over and over again: when the iPhone has been out of reach for a short while, or if the headset or the phone has been turned off. Anyone with a solution?
I have the same problem as Asmund. No solutions yet???
Set Auto Lock (General Settings) to never. Once I did that I only have to re-pair when I power cycle the iPhone, not when the headset goes out of range or power cycles. This problem is not unique to this headset or brand. I actually got the hint from a posting about the Jabra BT8040.
For a long time, I had no problem pairing three different Plantronics bluetooth headsets with my iPhone. (I have several headsets because I keep losing them temporarily, and/or putting them through the wash in my pants pocket; turns out that, once found and/or dried out, they still work). It seems to me that a lot of the concerns online, here and elsewhere, result from people not reading manuals, or making various mistakes during the pairing ritual.
Anyway, I had no problems … Then I went on an international trip, and I reset a lot of things while traveling to avoid getting charged for international roaming, etc. When I came back, my iPhone could not connect with any of the headsets. ONLY if I went to settings>general>bluetooth, clicked the name of the headset, told the phone to forget the headset, and then re-paired could I use one. Every time I powered down the headset or wandered too far from the phone and broke the connection, I would have to go through this whole rigamarole again. This can be a calming ritual, spending a few minutes lovingly maintaining the headset connection rather than just jumping in the car and driving off jabbering into the phone, but it could get old after a while. And, it is pretty difficult to forget and re-pair a headset while driving; I've tried, and succeeded, and lived, but definitely not recommended.
I am hoping that outinsun has an answer. I went to settings>general>autolock and chose "Never". If this works, I will be very happy. However, I was able to have an autolock setting AND pair with headsets repeatedly without any problem before. What is wrong?
yes, on my iphone, i had to touch the plantronics label to bring up the screen that allows me to enter the passcode ’0000′. and then touch connect, it then paired immediately with my iphone.
the iphone will not automatically find it, you have to enter the passcode.
thanks very much, very helpful.
Joyce:
Thanks so much for the instructions. I just bought an iphone 3g and had a hard time pairing the headset – just follow your instructions and worked great the first time!
the key thing to all of this is having you phone start to “search” while your headset is off – i tried it for a week without actually looking at the headset (it worked with my old phone, so i had it already turned “on” on my ear waiting for the familiar beeps). i then followed the directions at the top of this thread – turn bluetooth option “on” on the phone, then turn the headset on, hold for 6-10 seconds until the blue light comes on, next it should be blinking blue & red. my phone recognized my bluetooth headset when these specific steps were followed, and then i entered the passcode “0000″
GOOD LUCK to everyone out there!
Pairing mode for voyager 520:
“Begin with the headset turned off. Press and hold down the silver call control button in for 6-10 seconds. The light will flash blue first. Continue to hold the button down then release the button when the indicator light starts flashing red then blue.”
thank you!!!!! perfect advice. omg, i was going to buy a new headset, also! you rock! woot!
thanks tamar! I had trouble for the longest time to try to connect my iphone 3g to my voyager 520, no more! i followed your instructions and it worked perfectly the first time, thanks!
Tamar: many thanks. I too was unable to pair 520 & 3G but your instructions worked first time.
Duncan
Thanks! I was having the pairing problem with a 3GS… The trick is, you can’t just hold the power button until it turns on, you have to keep holding. Then you get the red and blue blinking and it becomes discoverable.
Thanks, Ryan!! That was exactly the tip I needed. Works fine now.
hi, i am able to pair 520 with my 3G but am not able to use it for the music. any suggestions.
Can't pair my Ipod Touch 3G to my Plantronics Voyager 520 – pure FAIL:
http://soundingboard.plantronics.com/plantronics/…
No one from Plantronics has responded to my post. So far I am unable to pair my 520 with with iPod Touch 3G. Can someone please help me and let me know WTF is going on? Thanks guys.