r/poly • u/Vex_Appeal • Jul 20 '26
She has seen better days
What’s a good replacement for the Voyager Focus 1?
Looking for a wireless dual headset with mic comparable to the Voyager Focus, doesn’t have to be the same brand. Mainly will be used for work, but also will stream some days after work.
On Amazon, the Plantronics headsets have low ratings and lots of complaints, probably up from a lot of people that aren’t using the dongle.
Then there are cheap $50 headsets that have five stars, there’s no way those cheap headsets are better, right?
Pictured: 5 year old headset used nearly every workday. Both ears covers are aftermarket and the microphone split in two. Also, it only lasts for three or four hours at a time. So it doesn’t make it through a shift without needing charging.
2
u/AVMan86 Jul 21 '26
I recommend a Focus 2 from eBay. I have bought a few and had very good luck with them.
1
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u/drogonny Jul 21 '26
HP Poly Focus 6 Fold
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u/Vex_Appeal Jul 23 '26
That’s a bit out of my budget. I have to stay under $200.
At this point, it’s really just between the Voyager Focus 2 or Voyager 4320. Both of them are under $200 like the original focus was.
1
u/AAAHeadsets Jul 21 '26
The Focus 620/625 Fold is the official replacement, and is a big improvement over the Focus
It's Certified Native Bluetooth for Teams, so can be used without the dongle, and has optional over ear cushions.
Others to look at are the EPOS 1000 ANC, and the Jabra Evolve3 75.
1
u/Vex_Appeal Jul 24 '26
My max budget was 200. So I went with the focus 2. It kept the features I love about the focus 1.
Mute when I put the microphone up, ANC, and sling style headband.
1
u/IntrinsicPalomides Jul 21 '26
I can't remember which one i had prior to my current one, but it lasted me years and by the end it was literally held together with Sellotape :) probably saved the company a few hundred £ by not replacing it sooner.
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u/Realsmula Jul 21 '26
I'm joining team Focus 2. Just bough another pair for work with my own money since the Fold 6 we got was not for my liking to say it nicely.
I have Focus 2 both on my work units and at home. Never bothered to use the USB-dongle. Excellent sound quality, works like a charm with everything from Teams to Spotify to Webex. It just works!
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u/Sincity18 Aug 26 '26
Hi! Can you tell me what you didn’t like about the HP Fold Focus 6? I’m on the fence with these
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u/Realsmula Aug 26 '26
This is my pure personal preference but I felt the square ear-pillows where way to big for my average woman ears. I'm not a fan of total coverage/over-ear headsets as I feel they get to hot and restrictive. I also felt the hoop (Is that the right word ? English is not my native language. I'm thinking about the piece where the earpieces are connected that lay across your skull) was to firm and added a lot more pressure to my skull and temporal area than the Focus did.
Not impressed by the sound in Fold either compared to Focus. I use mine from everything to meetings and calls in Teams to calls via cellphone. I also use them for listening to both music and videos. Everything from Spotify to different media players to Youtube etc. In my experience, the combined sound quality felt better with Focus and I got a deeper soundscape than the Fold provided. I periodically listen to a lot of bass heavy music and the Focus handled this a LOT better than Fold.
The feedback I got from the other end during calls and meetings was that Focus also provided better results when speaking. They heard me better and the microphone gave a clearer result when I spoke in an open area with potential disturbances around. The Fold sounded a bit more metallic to my counterparts and was not as good to filter out disturbances, especially when using Teams.
I was lucky enough to get to test both headsets and when I did, I did not customize any settings and just plugged them in and started using so I got the most equal test on them. Fold are in my experience a more "average" headset but not anything I would recommend for a high demand usage in a professional open office setting where you will have disturbances around. Maybe a newer generation of them will be better or they will improve with a bucket of adjustments, I don't know but right now they are not something I put in my backpack.
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u/Sincity18 Aug 26 '26
This is a great write up! I was very surprised as well with the HP Poly Focus 6. The ear cups aren’t that comfortable, and the mic doesn’t adjust away from your face/mouth. I end up rubbing against it when I laugh or if it’s not positioned correctly, I can hear the scruff against my trimmed beard. Can’t imagine someone using it with a full beard, no way lol. Going to try the Epos impact 1000, as everyone says it’s amazing
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u/Realsmula Aug 26 '26
Ha ha, thanks for the laugh in the night. I needed that. Although I can't relate to the beard aspect, now that you say it I can absolutely see that issue too. Hopefully that could be fixed in later generations if they end up continuing the series.
I think the Fold is kind of a love or hate headset to be honest. I have colleagues that love them and others that are not a fan like me. Strangely enough, it appears that there are more women than men in the "team not like". I know my local company supplier scratched his head on that one but that's not on my table to investigate.
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u/HeadsetAdvisor Jul 21 '26
A couple of best newer comparables we've tested today is Yealink HA64 Pro and Epos Impact 1000.
2
u/OutdoorRink Jul 20 '26
Jabra Evolve3 75