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Plantronics M124 Cordless Headset review: Plantronics M124 Cordless Headset

Plantronics M124 Cordless Headset

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
  • Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
See full bio
David Carnoy
2 min read
Over-the-ear headsets, such as Plantronics' M124, are less obtrusive than their headband-style equivalents. Like the step-up M135, the M124 is a stylish, relatively comfortable headset that offers decent sound quality and is particularly well suited for in-car use. But some may prefer the M135's earpiece. Over-the-ear headsets, such as Plantronics' M124, are less obtrusive than their headband-style equivalents. Like the step-up M135, the M124 is a stylish, relatively comfortable headset that offers decent sound quality and is particularly well suited for in-car use. But some may prefer the M135's earpiece.

Questionable comfort
Similar in design to Jabra's , this model features a hard plastic earpiece that rests on top of your ear and is debatably a tad less comfortable than the M135's foam-padded earpiece. The unit is fairly light and secure when placed on the ear, and it is also easy to slip on and off. That said, we found that it felt more secure than Jabra's EarWrap.

6.0

Plantronics M124 Cordless Headset

The Good

Easy to slip on and off; good mike placement; in-line volume control.

The Bad

No Answer/End button; some users may find the plastic earpiece uncomfortable.

The Bottom Line

The M124 costs less than the similarly styled M135, but it's arguably not quite as comfortable.

As far as features go, the M124 has its fair share. You'll find an in-line volume control as well as a mike-adjustment switch. Unfortunately, it doesn't have an Answer/End button.

Value proposition
We have no complaints in the audio department. Callers sounded loud and clear and said that they didn't have any trouble hearing us except in windy conditions.

The M124 lists for $32.95, but you should be able to find it for at least $10 less, which makes it reasonably priced but not a bargain. Is it worth stepping up to the more expensive M135? That's hard to say, because we didn't find a huge difference between the two units. However, some users may find the M135 slightly more comfortable.