Customer Ratings & Reviews
- Model:
- 203622-63
- SKU:
- 4385015
Rating by feature
- Sound Quality
Rating 4.4 out of 5 stars
- Battery Life
Rating 4.3 out of 5 stars
- Connectivity
Rating 4.3 out of 5 stars
Customers are saying
Customers have good things to say about the Explorer 505 Bluetooth Headset's sound quality, ease of use, and battery life. Many appreciate its comfortable fit and lightweight design, along with the Bluetooth functionality and affordable price. However, some users experienced issues with the maximum volume level and occasional connection problems. The headset's range and talk time also received positive feedback.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
- Cons mentioned:Connection
Wouldn't Buy
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.I've had this ear piece for less than a month and it has been nothing but problems. It connects and disconnects when I haven't even gotten up from my desk and it crackles in my ear constantly.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from PlantronicsRepresentative
Posted .Thank you for your honest review on our Explorer 505, we are sorry to hear you're experiencing trouble with your unit.
In order to troubleshoot connectivity or audio issues you might want to try resetting the Bluetooth connection between your phone and headset to see if that helps the issue. To do so:
1. Delete the headset from your cell phone's list of paired devices.
2. Once deleted, power your phone completely off, then power it back on. This resets the Bluetooth stack in the Bluetooth software on the phone.
3. Re-pair the headset with your phone. If this does not fix your issue, we suggest pairing the headset to another cell phone as a test.
If the issue is not present on the second phone, then the problem may be with the first phone, rather than the headset. If the issue exists on the second phone as well, you will need to replace the headset. Please don't hesitate to contact our customer care group at www.plantronics.com/support if you require assistance.
good functions, bad nose cancellation
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.I really liked the button features. Voice control of call and music were great. However, nose cancellation was terrible. All my callers said it sounded like I was talking in a wind tunnel. I ended up returning it and getting a Voyager Legend.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from PlantronicsRepresentative
Posted .Thank you for your honest review on our Explorer 505, we will forward your feedback to our team for future consideration. Please don't hesitate to contact our customer care group at www.plantronics.com/support if you have any questions regarding our products
- Pros mentioned:Battery life, Ease of use, Fit
Mostly great; one big deal breaker
Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Good sound quality. The controls feel really nice and easy to use. Pairing was easy. It's small, looks good and has better than average battery life. It also seems to maintain a connection much better than my previous Jabra earpiece. The problem? Piece that holds it in the ear is terrible. It only comes with one, whereas many other come with multiple sizes to choose from. For me, it lets the earpiece wiggle too much and holds the speaker too far away because of the way the rubber part bends to fit in the ear. It's not objectively bad, but it's not for me. It the one they give you is right for your ear, you will LOVE this earpiece. I'm probably going to have to return mine though.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend Does not work correctly!!!
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.When the device is fully charged and you turn it on, it tells you that it has 7 hours of talk time. I have never gotten over 1-1/2 hours of talk time on a charge!!!
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from PlantronicsRepresentative
Posted .Thank you for your honest review on our Explorer 505. We're sorry to hear you've had trouble with your unit. You might want to try using a different micro-USB cable and AC adapter to see if you get a different result. If the unit doesn't provide you at least 5 hours of talk time during phone calls, then most likely there is an actual problem with the unit and it is best to replace it. Please note this unit has a one-year limited warranty from date of purchase. Feel free to contact our Customer Care Team at: https://www.plantronics.com/us/en/support/contact if you require further assistance!
- Cons mentioned:Volume
Hard to hear especially in a moving vehicle.
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.The volume on this earpiece does not allow for consistent hearing of the person on the other end. Also, my last earpiece allowed for verbal answering of calls while this one does not.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from PlantronicsRepresentative
Posted .Thank you for your honest review and feedback on our Explorer 505, we will forward your comment to our team for future consideration. This model does not feature voice commands for answering/ignoring calls, if you're looking for a headset that features this functionality we recommend that you consider our Voyager Legend, Edge or 5200.
Not a good value!
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.This device doe not live up to the other Plantronics devices that I have purchased in the past. The sound does not cancel outside noise and it gives the sound of being in a tunnel or muffled.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from PlantronicsRepresentative
Posted .Hello Eddie, thank you for your honest review on our Explorer 500 headset, however, we are sorry to hear about your experience. Please note this model of headset does count with a noise-cancelling microphone I you are having some issues with the microphone of the headset, you may want to try resetting the Bluetooth connection with your mobile. To do so: 1) Unpair the headset from your mobile phone by accessing your Bluetooth settings. 2) Power off your mobile phone for 2 minutes and turn it back on. 3) Re-pair the headset by pressing and holding down the call control button until you see the LED flashing red and blue. 4) Access to your Bluetooth settings and select "PLT_E500". Once successfully paired, you will hear "pairing successful" and the LED on your headset will stop flashing red and blue. You may also want to test the headset with a different mobile to completely isolate the issue. If for some reason the issue remains, then it means the headset has an actual problem and it will be best to replace it. Remember this unit counts with a limited warranty since the first day of purchase and you can request a replacement directly through our official website: https://bit.ly/2DOJJZ9. Please don't hesitate to contact our Customer Care Team at 800-985-9815 if you require assistance.
Bit disappointed
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Blue tooth has a hard time with answering call through voice command. It also was delivered not holding a charge. I've had great Plantronics bluetooth in the past but disappointed in this refurbished one purchased in the store.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendMiss my last one
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.This brand has gone down hill for sure. My 4 year old Plantronics was great, then I lost it. Had to buy a new one. People have a hard time hearing me, I have a hard time hearing them, and it is uncomfortable.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from PlantronicsRepresentative
Posted .Thank you for taking the time to review our Explorer 505, we are sorry to hear you experienced trouble with your unit.
You might want to try resetting the Bluetooth connection between your phone and headset to see if that helps the issue. To do so:
1. Delete the headset from your cell phone's list of paired devices.
2. Once deleted, power your phone completely off, then power it back on. This resets the Bluetooth stack in the Bluetooth software on the phone.
3. Re-pair the headset with your phone.
If this does not fix your issue, we suggest pairing the headset to another cell phone as a test. If the issue is not present on the second phone, then the problem may be with the first phone, rather than the headset. If the issue exists on the second phone as well, you will need to replace the headset.
Please don't hesitate to contact our customer care group at https://www.plantronics.com/us/en/support/contact if you require assistance!
- Pros mentioned:Battery life, Fit
Nice BT headset for the price
Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.I just bought this tonight. Have had 2 Motorola headsets, in the past. Great but it was time for an update. 1st bought the Voyager Edge. Loved the features but had connections issues and it would not charge directly. It required the back-up charger to charge. Then it wouldn't charge anymore. Had to return. Decided to try a cheaper model. Picked up the 505. I thought it had the answer by voice function like the Edge, but a review I read was wrong about that. Also, you cannot upgrade the firmware. It is what it is, but call quality is still nice and I can still stream music to it. Thanks to Google Now and/or Siri, you can control a lot of your phone commands by voice. Another plus is the battery life is much better than the Voyager Edge. The device is smaller and more rugged. I can just turn it off and throw it in my pocket. The USB strap that comes with the 505 is nice for luggage and to charge the device from a PC. The USB strap is charge only, does not have data lines. So your PC will not go wild trying to install new software. If you don't need all the software features like on the Edge or Legend, and you don't need to answer by voice, this will do fine. I like it and will see how it last.
I would recommend this to a friend - Cons mentioned:Volume
Ready to return
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Hate it. Hurts to wear after a few minutes. Cannot hear anything. Cannot make it loud enough to be heard at all. Have to stick with Motorola products only.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from PlantronicsRepresentative
Posted .Thank you for your honest review on our Explorer 505, we are sorry to hear you had trouble with your unit and we will forward your feedback to our team for future consideration. Please don't hesitate to contact our customer care group at www.plantronics.com/support if you require assistance!
- Cons mentioned:Connection
Horrible purchase
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Doesn’t stay connected. Doesn’t announce who’s calling. Not at all happy with this bluetooth headset. I’ll use it as an extra. Not worth the money.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from PlantronicsRepresentative
Posted .Hello and thank you for your honest review, we are sorry to hear about your experience with the Explorer 505. Please try the following for the connection issues: 1) Completely unpair from your phone. 2) Power off and on both devices. 3) Press and hold the call button until the LED flashes red/blue on your headset. 4) Reconnect and test. If the issue continues, there might be an actual fault with the headset, in which case a replacement will be necessary. With regards to the caller announce, the Explorer 505 doesn't have the required Bluetooth profile (PBAP) to provide that feature. The Explorer 505 comes with a 1 year Limited Warranty, if you continue to experience difficulties, please don't hesitate to contact Plantronics Customer Care at https://www.plantronics.com/us/en/support/contact
EAR PIECE
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.THE UNIT WORKS GOOD. IT IS VERY UNCOMPFORTABLE, NO RUBBER EAR BUDS TO MAKE IT FUNCTION. wouldn't BUY ANOTHER ONE.iN THE PAST I ALWAYS BOUGHT THE OTHE PLAMTRONICE BLUETOOTH AND IT WAS REALLY GOOD.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from PlantronicsRepresentative
Posted .`Thank you for your honest review on our Explorer 505, the product should include a gel ear tip pre-installed on the headset's speaker. In case your unit was missing this soft gel ear tip out of the box we recommend that you arrange a return or exchange through the original place of purchase. Please don't hesitate to contact our customer care group at www.plantronics.com/support if you require assistance.
Ear Bud
||Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Hurt my ear, the sound wasn’t very clear and didn’t to to me as I thought. Ex: incoming coming call, ignore call, etc.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendTemper-mental
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.This thing works when it wants to, and thats not real good, have had several of these bluetooth, different ones ,of course, and I do believe this is right up there with one of the worst ones
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from PlantronicsRepresentative
Posted .We are sorry to hear you're experiencing trouble with our Explorer 505. Please don't hesitate to contact our customer support team at www.plantronics.com/support for troubleshooting or replacement assistance if required.
Doesn't fit in my ear properly.
||Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.I bought this a week ago. It wasn't delivered on the date as promised. It doesn't fit properly in my ear and the talk time is about 5 hours.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from PlantronicsRepresentative
Posted .Hello! Thank you for your review, however, we are sorry to hear about your experience. We intend to provide the highest quality products to our customers and we thank you for bringing this to our attention. This headset model is designed to fit the vast majority of ear shapes and sizes; however, we do know that one size may not fit all and if you find the product too uncomfortable for normal use we strongly recommend that you consider using a headset with a different wearing style. Additionally, if your headset is not charging correctly, we recommend that you try another charging cable or another wall outlet if possible to isolate the problem. Please note this model does have a one-year warranty from the date of purchase and you can request a replacement directly through our official website. Please don't hesitate to contact our Customer Care Team at 1-888-363-0726 if you require assistance or have further questions.
Bluetooth headset
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.I've had Plantronics products before and had good service out of them. This headset battery life is short, and the switch for on/off doesn't work all the time
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from PlantronicsRepresentative
Posted .Hi! Thank you for your honest review on our Explorer 500, however, we are sorry to hear about your experience. This headset has a talk time up to 7 hours. If you are getting a reasonable low amount of talk time/battery, you may want to try charging the headset with a different charging cable to completely isolate the issue. If you are also experiencing some issues with the power switch it could be something internal or an actual problem with the switch and it is best to replace the headset. Remember this unit counts with a limited year warranty since the first day of purchase, and if you need a replacement you can simply click on the following link for further instructions: https://bit.ly/2N637EC. Please don't hesitate to contact our Customer Care Team at 800-985-9815 if you require assistance.
Poor Quality
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.I purchased this Plantronics - Explorer 505 Bluetooth Headset to replace the exact same model because the original one I purchased had near-constant distortion. I would have purchased another brand/model but the salesman assured me it was just a fluke. This one is exactly the same. When I use it on my iPhone or my Samsung, I sound like Darth Vader and so does the voice coming in. Searching for another brand to replace this bad purchase. Definitely would not purchase it again.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from PlantronicsRepresentative
Posted .Hello, we are sorry to hear about your experience with the Explorer 505 headset, please try the following: 1) Completely unpair from your phone. 2) Power off and on both devices. 3) Press and hold the call button until the LED flashes red/blue on your headset. 4) Reconnect. If the issue continues and is also present on different devices, there might be an actual fault with the headset, in which case a replacement will be necessary. The Explorer 505 comes with a 1 year Limited Warranty, if you continue to experience difficulties, please don't hesitate to contact Plantronics Customer Care at 855-765-7878.
Disappointed
||Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Wanted to replace an older version that is becoming flaky with this as I use it a lot for work. You have to crank the volume all the way up to have a chance to hear anything. The bad thing is that when you do that there is an unbelievable amount of feedback when you have the volume all the way up! Returning promptly.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from PlantronicsRepresentative
Posted .Thank you for sharing your honest feedback on our Explorer 505; Though we're sorry to hear you didn't find the earpiece loud enough. Please take into account that while using an Android phone it must be set to medium/high or the audio will sound too low. To isolate the cause of the issue, please test the earpiece with a different cell phone. If you're currently using android, then try it on an iPhone if possible. We thank you for bringing this to our attention. We will surely forward your comments to our team for review and consideration. If you require further assistance, please contact our Customer Care Team at: 1-888-363-0726
Functional, with difficulty.
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Nice box but no intelligible instructions. Poor sound quality. Unsure if there is a 'call take button,' a 'call quit button,' and generally uncomfortable.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from PlantronicsRepresentative
Posted .Hi! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback on our Explorer 505 Headset. We're sorry to hear you didn't find the instructions comprehensible. We provide quick start guides and make the full user guide available online as we are aiming to be a more environmentally conscientious company. The earpiece has a call button located in the rough texture of the earpiece (opposite to your cheek) that allows you to either answer/end or ignore a call. On the following link you will find the user guide: https://goo.gl/FJHSgs. In any case we thank you for your comments. We will forward them to our Product Development team as we appreciate feedback based in customer use to create the best possible products. Please don't hesitate to contact our Customer Care Team at: https://www.plantronics.com/us/en/support/contact if you have any other questions!
Look Else Where
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Not a good product the model before this one was so much better. This one has no attachments and hurts when worn. Also always losing connection to phone with no reason at all.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from PlantronicsRepresentative
Posted .That may be an issue with the headset or with the connection between the headset and phone. You might want to try resetting the Bluetooth connection between your phone and headset to see if that helps the issue.
To do so:
1. Delete the headset from your cell phone's list of paired devices.
2. Once deleted, power your phone completely off, then power it back on. This resets the Bluetooth stack in the Bluetooth software on the phone.
3. Re-pair the headset with your phone and test.
If the issue is the same we recommend testing the device with another phone to determine if it's on the phone or headset. If the issue persists even on a different phone we can replace that device, it comes with a 1 year warranty. Please don't hesitate to contact us at www.plantronics.com/support if you require assistance.