Poly Voyager Surround 85 UC - Environmental and voice feedback through headset only when in a call

[Atmaworm]

I have a new Poly Voyager Surround 85 UC headset which is experiencing bad feedback/echo when in a call (making or receiving.)

The issue happens only when I enter a call. The headset switches on the microphone and it sounds like you enter super hearing mode. You pickup sounds you don't hear normally. Sliding your hands together sounds like you have two pieces of sand paper scraping them together. Typing on a keyboard sounds like an IBM mechanical keyboard from 1995 multiplied by 10. My keyboard is not mechanical, it just multiplies the volume of everything around me. You can hear the fabric in your clothes when you shift.

The caller is also experiencing issues. I sound very far away and there is static. Almost like instead of projecting my call to the caller, it is instead sending it back to my own headset. Callers state and I quote "It sounds as though I have the call on speaker phone and am across the room."

The phone I use is a Cisco CP-8851 IP desk phone. I have the headset setup via Bluetooth. The USB BT700 dongle is installed on my Windows 11 PC. Both connect correctly when powered on. I have Poly Lens installed on my PC and I ensured that the firmware was updated for all 3 devices (headset, dongle, charging stand) and was completely 100% charged before setting up.

This Poly Voyager Surround 85 UC is a replacement headset for another Poly headset which is a Poly Voyager 8200. My old headset still works fine without issues, my company simply provides us with a new headset every couple years. That headset does not have the same issues. I completely removed all previous Poly headsets, usb dongles from Poly Lens also just in case that may of had something to do with this issue, but that did not help.

Audio on my PC works perfectly and sounds amazing with the Surround 85s. The only issues I have are when making/receiving calls through my desk phone which is a Cisco CP-8851.

Can someone please let me know if they have encountered this issue? I have attempted to make changes on my desk phone as well, turning sidetone from Low to off. Poly Lens does have a Sidetone setting, but it cannot be turned off, it can only be set to Low. That being said, while I was on a call, I attempted to change this between Low, Medium and High and it had little impact on the issue besides making my own voice louder in my ear. The calls slightly improve if I disable ANC, but it doesn't help with hearing my own voice, it just muffles a bit by allowing ambient noise to enter my ears.

[Atmaworm]

Additionally, I find that trying to enable the options for the Wearing sensor do not seem to work. Content streaming is not paused when entering a call. Also, there are red leds in the headset that are pulsing, which I am not sure if this is supposed to happen or only meant to happen while in a call to signify to others that you are indeed in a call. It is almost as if the devices sensors are messed up. 

As I am not new to the Plantronics or now Poly Voyager series. I have already attempted to lay the headset flat and plug in the USB cable to my computer to connect it. I have also reset all settings in Poly Lens, then powered off the headset to ensure that the settings apply. This has not yet made a difference. 

[Danhill76]

I suspect that it is the sidetone issue, I have the same problem, keep hearing myself and other sounds.

If the option to turn the side tone off  I think that would solve the problem.

I create a thread about this as well.

Sidetone Poly Voyager UC85 - HP Support Community - 9183770

[SteffenBaierUK]

Hello @Atmaworm ,

welcome to the HP Poly community.

If no other volunteers reply, I suggest you contact our Support organization in your region. Details are in my Signature.

This would need to go to Engineering.

Best Regards

Steffen Baier

[eReS]

I have exactly the same observation, and it's really annoying.

I have the Poly Voyager Surround 80 UC, and I used the Voyager 8200 previously.

I am extremely disappointed with this new headset, not to mention that I also have issues with 'power off' (it never powers off) and experiencing random voice disruptions during Microsoft Teams calls.

[Atmaworm · Accepted solution]

I ended up sending the original pair back and getting a replacement. The replacement is the exact same way. So I returned it as well. I have since moved on from HP Poly and will likely never come back unless those issues are fixed. I absolutely loved everything about my Voyager 8200s owning two pair over the last 6-7 years. 

I instead went on a headset hunt trying out multiple different sets. I have settled on the Sennheiser Momentum 4. These are much less expensive ($219-249 on Amazon) compared to $379 at the time I posted this for the Poly Voyager Surround 85 UC.  There also was zero setup or software required to get the Sennheiser Momentum 4 set to work. Simply connected it with my desk phone Bluetooth and then Bluetooth on my PC. It only allows audio from one device at a time because of how Bluetooth works, but I never needed the option before anyway.