The pandemic has brought us more virtual work than we might like. Many office jobs have moved to the local area and are still there today. Home office equipment such as headsets, webcams and even small conference loudspeakers were sold in droves. From the latter category, I was currently able to try out a candidate that comes from Poly and is nicknamed the Sync 20. Are you unfamiliar with poly? Then you certainly know Plantronics, one of the largest headset manufacturers. They took over the competitor Polycom in 2018 and have been called Poly ever since.
I used a headset for a long time in my home office, which I do 95 percent of the time, but now I prefer to work without earmuffs at all. The MacBook Pro speakers and the Insta360 Link mic (MacBook is closed) are my current Teams devices of choice. A few days ago, the speaker replaced this combination.
The speaker comes to you as a flat device with rounded corners and an upward-facing speaker array. The Poly logo is emblazoned on the fabric protecting the speakers. A metal-looking plastic bar has been embedded that contains the Teams, Volume Up, Volume Down, Mute, and Call/Answer buttons.
The button with the rocket can be assigned various other actions in the Poly Lens app. An LED bar is used above the button bar, which lights up to indicate the volume level, for example.
At the bottom you will find a coiled USB-A cable. A USB-A Bluetooth adapter for connection to the PC is also included in the packaging. The device also comes in a USB-C version, in case you prefer the new connector. Of course, the Poly Sync 20 can also be connected to a laptop, tablet or smartphone via Bluetooth and without an adapter. There is also a pairing button on the side that switches on the pairing mode. Then simply connect in the Bluetooth settings, done. In my case, the connection worked both via Bluetooth (even without an adapter) and wired without any problems.
Inside, Poly installs a 40 mm driver with a bass reflex system with two passive radiators and an array with a total of three microphones. The device is intended for rooms with a maximum of 4 x 4 meters. Noise and echo reduction is included.
Before I get to the sound, let’s look at the performance in meetings. In my opinion, the speaker comes off pretty well. The volume is very okay and almost too loud at the maximum level. It is worth mentioning that voices are transported clearly and distinctly. There is no creaking or annoying noises, even at high volume levels. Of course, that always depends on the microphone quality of your counterpart. The microphones in the speaker itself are okay, but do not block out background noise very well. Although the microphones pick up your voice clearly and clearly even from a greater distance, interference could be filtered out better. But that’s whining on a higher level.
The Teams button on the device lets you quickly bring the app window to the foreground or join an upcoming meeting directly. If you missed a call, the button flashes and you can jump to your call history in the app at the touch of a button. The same applies to an open voicemail. Anyone who uses teams (voluntarily or involuntarily) should therefore consider using the version in question directly.
In addition to the good meeting performance, the Poly Sync 20 is also pretty good as a speaker. Music and other media can be played in crystal-clear quality and at high volume. Also ideal for on the go. Sure, the speaker doesn’t have the volume of a larger Bluetooth speaker, so there’s a lack of powerful bass. But I was really surprised by the quality and volume.
As for the device itself, there is a little more above mentioned, another app, with which you can update the firmware, get information about the USB adapter or change settings such as language, ringtones or similar.
All in all, what Poly has put together here is pretty good and a real alternative for mobile business people or the home office. Above all, it is a good change from the headset, which otherwise puts your head through the wringer all day. I am happy. You can currently get the whole thing at a price of just under 130 euros.
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