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In the world of technology, there are many claims that are made by manufacturers. Some are able to be supported, while others might tend to lean more in the way of a marketing pitch. Many times it can be hard to know what’s true and what’s not.
Poly, formerly known as Plantronics, has made reference to a technology they use in their noise cancelling microphone. They refer to this audio enhancement as “Acoustic Fence” technology.
Not to be outdone, Yealink, a relative newcomer to the headset world, also announced their acoustic feature they’re calling “Acoustic Shield”.
Both of these features are geared towards giving callers a better sounding call experience without distractions from sounds going on around the work environment.
Given that we’re in the business to provide helpful information to customers on headset related matters, I thought it would be interesting to do a side-by-side test of both headset brands that have this microphone technology.
I was curious to know if there was anything to this, or was it just fluffy sounding stuff to boost up the image of a product in a product datasheet.
I tested the Poly Blackwire 8225, which is a wired headset, and I also tested the YeaLink WH62 which is a wireless model. These models were chosen because each has the Acoustic technology mentioned earlier.
Before I let you know how this test came out, I did want to let you know that I did a video on this. In this video, I test the microphones for voice pickup, and I also test them for how well they do to remove unwanted background noise.
So, if you’d prefer to watch the video rather than read this blog, then check it out. I’ll insert it below for your convenience.
Ok, if you’re still reading this then stick with me as I let you know how my tests went when I put these two headset models side-by-side and ran them through the same situations.
Test #1 - How well do the microphones pick up my voice?
In this test, I wanted to see how well each of the microphones did to pick up my voice. Which did better?
To me, the Poly Blackwire 8225 had a more pleasant, deeper, richer sound when compared to the Yealink WH62.
Even though the Blackwire is a wired headset and the Yealink is wireless, it’s highly doubtful that this fact would have anything to do with the ultimate sound quality of the microphone. The Blackwire model was not only richer in sound, but it was louder as well.
For my taste, the Poly Blackwire 8225, with Acoustic Fence technology scores the first point.
Test #2 - How well do the microphones do to remove unwanted office noise?
In this test, I play a recording of typical office noise. This includes many of the normal sounds associated with an office environment like people talking and other related sounds.
This audio recording was played fairly loudly, and in my video, I include a decibel reader so you can see exactly how loud it’s projecting these sounds.
Both the Blackwire 8225, and the YeaLink WH62 performed well in this test.
With the Blackwire 8225, I could hear traces of that background sound, whereas the Yealink WH62 appeared to have eliminated it entirely.
Assuming others would have a similar sound experience, I’d say that the YeaLink WH62 with their Acoustic Shield technology comes out on top in round number 2
As of now, the score is even at one and one.
Test #3 - How well do the microphones do to remove loud, annoying blender noise?
In many of my videos, I like to fire up a blender that’s just behind me. Though this kind of noise isn’t typical to what you’d normally hear in an office, it’s a loud and annoying sound that puts a noise cancelling microphone to a healthy test.
If a headset can eliminate that noise, and it is loud, then it certainly has accomplished a lot in the way of noise cancellation.
And the drumroll please…
When I put both the Blackwire 8225, and the Yealink WH62 to this crazy test, any idea which came out on top? If you said the YeaLink WH62, you get a gold star and you’re getting moved to the front of the class.
I was a bit surprised at how much better the Yealink WH62 did to remove the blender sound when compared to the Blackwire 8225.
With the Blackwire headset, I could still hear the blender going on in the background. It wasn’t coming across as loud as it is in reality, but you could easily hear it.
The Yealink WH62, by comparison, eliminated the sound, to me, completely. I listened carefully to see if I could hear even traces of the blender sound going on in the background, and to me, I heard none. I’d say that’s impressive.
Yealink comes out on top and is the King of the hill for slaying unwanted background noise.
Does the Poly Acoustic Fence technology work?
I believe it does. But, I also believe that it doesn’t work as well as the YeaLink Acoustic Shield. At least in the tests that I ran these headsets through, clearly the YeaLink technology worked better than the Poly.
Lastly, the price between these two products is interesting.
The Blackwire 8225, which is a wired headset, has an MSRP of $209.95 The YeaLink WH62, which is a wireless headset, has an MSRP of $199.00
Based on the Yealink ability to kill background noise, and that it’s wireless and priced less than the Blackwire, I’d go with the YeaLink if I were in the market for a new headset. At the very least, it’s a compelling argument.
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