66 Audio PRO Voice 35 Meter Range USB C Bluetooth BLE headset

Monday, December 17, 2018

Usually associated with modern technology, wireless communications have been around since the late 1800's!

GPS devices, cordless mice, home routers, the Amazon Echo Plus and headsets such as the 66 Audio PRO Voice use different types of wireless technology (i.e. satellite, Wifi, bluetooth and Zigbee).

In the case of the PRO Voice, it uses bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology while the Amazon Echo Plus smart speaker uses Zigbee which is a wireless technology similar to bluetooth but with much longer range.

microphone pinhole located to the right of the USB C port

Speaking of Amazon, the 66 Audio PRO Voice headset has Amazon Alexa virtual assistant built-in using Alexa Voice Service, as well as 66 Audio's own voice recognition technology (called ActiveVoice) so you can issue voice commands to Alexa even while playing music or on standby.

While Alexa integration in PRO Voice is a high selling point, there are some drawbacks. You do have to be paired with the Motion Control app to use Alexa and you cannot ask Alexa to set volume to a certain number although the commands “volume up,” “volume down,” “mute,” and “unmute” are supported.

Spotify isn't yet supported either by PRO Voice nor Alexa alerts and notifications are yet supported. You can currently use most third party streaming services including Amazon Prime Music, iHeartRadio, Pandora, and TuneIn music services. Spotify over Alexa won't be implemented until January 2019.

With that said, the 66 Audio PRO Voice is a rather unique headset because of its powerful antenna and bluetooth chip which features an LTE coexistence filter, the same type of filter used in outdoor wireless access points to protect the signal from interference from other high speed wireless signals.

Speaking of outdoors, the 66 Audio PRO Voice can be used for working out in the gym, running, etc; just like the BTS version as the ear pads are sweat resistant. However, there is no water resistance rating so the PRO Voice aren't waterproof headphones.

The wireless range of the PRO Voice headset is a massive 38 meters which is 18 meters longer range than the Revolution headphones! And, you won't have to worry about getting interferences from other wireless devices like you do with older versions of Bluetooth thanks to the integration of bluetooth 4.2.

The 66 Audio PRO Voice headset does have a strong bluetooth signal but to benefit from the 38 meter range you need direct line of sight and a bluetooth device which a strong bluetooth transmission. The latest, top of the range smartphones will come equipped with better bluetooth transmitters.

On top of that, the 66 Audio PRO Voice bluetooth chip integrates Low Energy (BLE); hence superb battery life. In fact, the built-in rechargeable 500mAh lithium polymer battery can power the 66 Audio PRO Voice headset for an amazing 40 hours of continuous audio playback. When charging, the led will light up red and then turn blue when PRO Voice is fully charged (approx. 3 hours).

on headphone user controls

There is no NFC connectivity but the 66 Audio PRO Voice headset features a dedicated 24-bit Digital Signal Processor (DSP) by 66 Audio called 66 SoundEngine, which is the same type of DSP microprocessor you find in smartphones for handling audio quality and incoming calls by minimizing call audio background noise to make the audio of the call clearer.

This particular DSP integration allows the 66 Audio PRO Voice headset to support higher end audio codecs such as Qualcomm aptX-Low Latency, AAC and SBC. There is also 3D audio effect integration for a more immersive music listening experience through the built-in 36mm speaker drivers.

If your smartphone can handle aptX, the audio transmission is CD-like sound quality which is almost as good as CD quality (16-bit/44.1kHz) but better than SBC (Subband Coding) and A2DP bluetooth audio codecs.

There is a nice balance of treble and bass right out of the box but you can tweak the sound via the Motion Control app, which is a neat mobile app made by 66 Audio.

Motion Control lets you control audio playback remotely, check battery status of the PRO Voice, and update the PRO Voice firmware which is a feature you don't usually get with headphones but very useful for fixing bugs and adding new features.

The Motion Control app also doubles as a tracker and finder to track via map the location of the PRO Voice headset should they go missing. You can also turn off the leds on the PRO Voice headset from the app.

As far as fit, the PRO Voice headset is worn on the ears via loops that fit around the top of the ears for a secure fit.

The band is worn towards the back of the head so the PRO Voice is not a neckband style that sits on the back of the neck but rather a neckband style that is meant to stick out from the back of the neck.

The PRO Voice headset only weighs 83 grams so they are remarkably lightweight, measuring 18.2cm long, 16.9cm wide and 8.1cm high. The folding design is solid thanks to the metal hardware on the hinges.

A USB-C connector is also integrated in the PRO Voice headset so no more headaches trying to figure out the right way when charging. Speaking of charging, 66 Audio also bundles a high quality USB- A to USB-C cable to match the 66 Audio PRO Voice blue and black color scheme.