Poly EncorePro 218275-01

The Poly EncorePro 218275-01 is a wired over-ear headset built for call center and Microsoft Teams use. It's light, comfortable, and has handy inline controls with USB-A and USB-C on one cable. Music quality is poor and it's wired only, but for pure call work at around EUR 57, it gets the job done.

For calls, the EncorePro does what it's designed to do. The noise-cancelling mic lands in the 65th percentile for mic quality, which is solid but not spectacular. In practice, that means your voice comes through clearly enough for most office environments, though it won't magically erase a barking dog in the background. The single mic setup is fine for call center use, but don't expect the kind of background rejection you'd get from a multi-mic array on a premium gaming headset.

Comfort is actually the strongest point here, sitting in the 68th percentile. At just 55g, this thing is light enough to wear for an eight-hour shift without feeling like your head is in a vice. The dual-ear design helps with focus in noisy environments, which makes sense for the target audience. Connectivity is middle of the pack at the 40th percentile, mostly because it's wired only. No Bluetooth, no dongle, just a cable with both USB-A and USB-C options. That's actually a feature for IT departments managing fleets of these things, but it means you're tethered to your desk.

Stacked against the competition, the EncorePro 218275-01 occupies a weird spot. The Sony ULT WEAR WHULT900N/B and JBL Tune 670NC are both wireless over-ear headphones with far better sound quality and ANC, but they're not really built for call center work. The Sony especially will crush this Poly headset for music and general listening, though you'll pay more for it. The TOZO HT3 is a budget wireless option that also beats the EncorePro on sound, but again, it's not a dedicated call tool.

The Beyerdynamic Aventho 1001609 is the closest competitor in terms of build philosophy, a wired headset aimed at professional use. Beyerdynamic has a reputation for durability and sound quality that Poly doesn't quite match here, with the EncorePro's build sitting at the 34th percentile. The Skullcandy Aviator S6AVW-T740 is more of a lifestyle product and doesn't really compete on the call center front. If your priority is call quality and Teams integration, the EncorePro holds its own. If you want anything resembling good music playback, every competitor on this list beats it.

Value is a mixed bag here, mostly because pricing varies so much by region. In Europe, you'll find this headset listed between EUR 57 and EUR 67, with the best deal currently at EUR 57. That's a reasonable price for a dedicated call center headset with Teams integration. But at USD 115 in the US, it starts to feel a bit steep for what you're getting, especially when you consider the weak music performance and mediocre build quality. If you're in Europe and need a no-frills wired headset for calls, the lower end of that EUR range is fair. If you're paying USD 115, you might want to look at what else is out there first.

The Poly EncorePro 218275-01 is a wired, over-ear headset built for call center work and cloud communications, not for kicking back with a playlist. It's a dual-ear design with a noise-cancelling mic, inline call controls, and both USB-A and USB-C connectors on the same cable. Pricing is a bit scattered depending on where you shop, with EUR listings ranging from EUR 57 to EUR 67 across Germany, Spain, France, and Italy, while US listings sit around USD 115. This is a work tool first, and the spec sheet makes that pretty clear.

If you're searching for a reliable headset for Microsoft Teams calls or a wired USB-C headset for a home office, this one is aimed squarely at you. The built-in hold and call answer buttons are a nice touch for anyone who spends hours on the phone. And the acoustic protection feature, which manages safe volume levels, is the kind of thing IT departments love but individual buyers rarely think about until their ears start ringing.

But let's be honest about what this isn't. The music score in our database is a rough 19.7 out of 100, which puts it near the bottom for sound quality among headsets we track. If you want something that pulls double duty for Spotify and conference calls, this probably isn't it.

Skip this one if you want a headset for music, gaming, or general entertainment. The sound quality is near the bottom of our database, and the ANC is weak even by budget standards. If you need wireless freedom, look at the Sony ULT WEAR or JBL Tune 670NC instead. And if you're a gamer, the lack of spatial audio and the mediocre mic positioning make this a poor fit. This is a call center tool, period. If you're not spending hours a day on voice calls, you're paying for features you won't use and missing out on sound quality you probably want.

Should you buy the Poly EncorePro 218275-01? If you're equipping a call center, working from home in a customer service role, or need a wired headset that plays nice with Microsoft Teams, this is a reasonable choice, especially at the EUR 57 price point. The inline call controls and acoustic protection are genuinely useful for people who live on the phone. The dual USB-A and USB-C cable is a small but meaningful convenience that saves you from digging through drawers for adapters.

But if you want a headset that does double duty for music, podcasts, or anything beyond voice calls, look elsewhere. The sound quality is a real weak spot, and the build feels less premium than the price suggests in some regions. This is a single-purpose tool, and it does that job adequately. Just don't expect it to be anything more.