Review There are two types of people in this world. There are those who walk around with a Bluetooth headset permanently grafted to the side of their heads, and those of us who absolutely refuse to be seen in public with a big lump of metal and plastic dangling out of a lughole.

Even so, we couldn’t help but be interested in Sennheiser’s new VMX Office, a Bluetooth headset and basestation combo that's designed to work in conjunction not only with a mobile but also with a conventional landline and PC-based VoIP apps such as Skype.

The kit consists of a Bluetooth headset that looks virtually identical to Sennheiser’s existing VMX 100, although it isn’t identified as such in the packaging or documentation. It has the same bulky yet comfortable design as the VMX 100, with a rotating ball-and-socket joint that allows you to freely adjust the microphone boom. You can turn the headset on and off simply by folding the microphone open or closed. It’s got the same claimed battery life as the VMX 100, which clinches it for us.

Like any other Bluetooth headset, the VMX Office can be paired with a Bluetooth mobile phone. The basestation doubles up as the headset's charger, but it's there to be connected to both an ordinary wired phone and to a PC. The basestation can transmit calls to the headset up to a distance of 35m, so you’re free to wander around the office and grab a cup of coffee without ever missing a call.

Landline and VoIP calls can then be transmitted to the headset, allowing you to receive all three types of calls on the same earpiece. By default, the headset will pick up calls from your mobile phone, but as soon as you hear your desk telephone ring – or Skype ringing on your computer – you can pick up those calls simply by pressing the appropriate button on the basestation or the headset.

It’s certainly a nice idea, and as we have a mobile phone, landline phone and Skype headset scattered across our desk, we certainly liked the idea of replacing all three with one gadget.

---

Things didn’t get off to a good start, though, as the printed Quick Start guide supplied with the VMX Office was utterly baffling. It’s one of those guides that eschews words for pictures covered in arrows and unintelligible symbols. As well as providing three different options for connecting your desk phone to the basestation, the guide also seemed to suggest that you make Skype calls on a PC by plugging two separate cables into the same socket on the basestation.

You won’t be able to get rid of your existing desk telephone, either, as the VMX basestation can’t be connected directly to a landline wall socket. You’ll also need to make sure that the phone has a suitable external socket. Sennheiser told us that many cordless phones do have such a port, so if yours does, you can hook it in.

If you want to use your computer to make VoIP calls you can either pair the VMX headset with the computer via Bluetooth - though you won't be able to pair it with a phone; it supports two devices: the basestation and one other - or use the adaptor cable supplied by Sennheiser to connect the base station to computer’s audio output.

The headset uses a dual-microphone design that does a good job of helping to block out background noise, so it will also work well when you’re outdoors using just your mobile. The sound quality was as good as you’d expect from Sennheiser: very clean and clear, and we didn’t experience any interference as we wandered around the office - although major obstacles such as brick walls may affect reception and sound quality.

Sennheiser claims that the headset provides five hours of talk-time. We reckon it falls a little short of that, but is still good for about around four and a half hours, and you can charge it quickly from the basestation when you’re indoors or use the supplied car-charger when you’re on the road.

Verdict

If you’re already a Bluetooth fan then VMX Office will have obvious appeal. However, it has something for the rest of us: its ability to handle calls from landlines and PCs. Our only real complaints are about the woeful documentation and the price. A VMX 100 headset costs about £80 when bought on its own, so you’re paying well over £100 just for the basestation, which seems a bit steep. However, the VMX Office will definitely appeal to any office worker that juggles calls on both a mobile and fixed-line phones. ®

More Reviews...

(http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/08/11/ten_bt_headsets/) Top Ten Bluetooth headsets

(http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/12/29/review_noise_cancelling_headphones/) Noise-cancelling headphones head-to-head

(http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/11/07/review_bluetooth_headphones_sony_ericsson_hbh_is800/) Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800

(http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/10/07/review_bluetooth_car_kit_lg_hfb_500_solar/) LG HFB-500