Voyager Free 60's sounds horrible with ANC off - High pass filter

[Jroback]

Just got a pair of the Voyager Free 60's.  Updated to latest firmware, using BT70 to connect to my PC.

Started off by listening to music and quickly found something interesting… if you turn off ANC, the music sounds HORRIBLE.   The low frequencies are significantly reduced almost like there's a low pass filter in play.  It improves immediately if you turn ANC back on.   I've also found the same during voice calls.  The low end is so weak that it's really unpleasant to use for voice or music.

For now I've gone back to my Voyager 5200.   Must be a firmware bug, but I hope it gets corrected soon.

[Meghana_10]

Welcome to the HP Poly community.
Plantronics is now Poly. 
We are sorry to hear that you are facing this issue with Voyager Free 60 UC.
Could you please try a few troubleshooting steps and let us know if it helps?
1. Could you please let us know the device that you are using with the Free 60 and also try it with a different device?
2. Could you please let us know if you have installed the Poly Lens application on the PC, else please install and it, check for firmware updates on the Lens and update it. 
3. Could you please restore the settings to default on the Poly Lens and then switch off and switch on the earbuds and check?
 

[Jroback]

Yes, I tried that.   I also have a second unit so I tried everything with that too and still happens.  It's dramatic and consistent.   Below is a quick test I did with ANC on and off in a quiet room.  Blue is with anc off, red is with anc on.  You can see  roughly a 6 dBA  drop on several frequencies between 50 and 100 Hz.

[Meghana_10]

Thank you for the update. 
It is highly recommended to use the earbuds with the ANC switched on for better audio quality, as it is the specialty of the Voyager Free 60 Series. 

[Jroback]

Wow.... so if the headphones lose sound quality with ANC off... just don't turn it off?   That won't work so well when walking on a busy city street.

Other brands don't seem to have this problem... is that because they don't specialize in ANC?

[Meghana_10]

As the earbuds are majorly designed for the ANC feature, I highly recommend you enable the ANC feature and use the earbuds for better audio quality.

Regards,
Meghana

[Jroback]

Just an update for everyone.... after the latest October firmware update the problem remains.   Turn off ANC and the drums and other bass just disappears.  People's voices sound very unnatural on calls.

Very strange that this isn't coming up during testing.. I had bought these thinking that with Poly it would be a superior experience, but frankly all the other earbuds I've owned from others over the past 5 years have all sounded better.  

And no, Meghana, I can't just turn on ANC all the time.  When I'm walking on a busy street, not hearing what's going on around me is a real problem, but getting that back shouldn't cause me to sacrifice bass frequencies.   Wondering if this product just didn't get finished since it launched around the time of the Poly/HP merge.

[Meghana_10]

@Jroback Please check for the information below regarding the ANC feature. 

Active Noise Canceling (ANC)
Beyond passive noise canceling, which involves physically blocking sound, ANC is a technology built into many of our products that further enhances the user experience. This technology uses additional microphones on the back of each speaker that responds well to low-frequency (80 to 700 Hz) background noise. These microphones pick up the background noise, feed it into the ANC circuitry, invert it, then direct it into the same audio path. This happens very quickly, <500 milliseconds, which is not perceptible to the user. The result? The original background noise and the inverted noise cancel each other, leaving just the audio you want to hear.

ANC Levels
Our headsets feature two levels of ANC. The first one, “mid,” is optimized for typical office noise. The second level “high,” is about double the intensity of the mid-level. The high-level ANC is very useful for noisier environments, such as airports or coffee shops, but maybe fatiguing for long periods of use in an office environment depending on
how sensitive you are to the effects of ANC. The option to adjust ANC intensity settings allows you to choose your own individual comfort level.

Also, could you please change a few settings in the Poly Lens application while connecting the earbuds to the PC which helps in the busy streets?
1. Active noise cancellation - Adaptive
2. Transparency Mode - Environment 

Please let me know if this helps.

Regards,
Meghana  

[Jroback]

No, this didn't help.  I tried all the settings.  There's just bugs in the firmware.  Hoping they get fixed eventually.