Polycom SoundPoint Pro SE-225 Phone Power Supply Included
by Polycom Inc.
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Polycom SoundPoint Pro SE-225 Phone Power Supply Included
Customer Review: No silver bullet but closest I've found
Summary: 4 Stars
The smallest things irk me so don't be too put off. Have had this one for 2 wks, been looking and trying misc brands for 6 months. Would buy Polycom again. It's a well made phone that performs admirably, esp in speakerphone. The 225 is the same as the 220 except it has more (99 vs 10?) memory number storage. Only 10 are true 2-key speed-dial though (a 2-button process, press the "speed dial" button then a number 0-9. You can scroll thru your 99 stored entries then hit speed dial button but that's not really speed dialing, ie there are no memory registers 11-99. In addition the 225 has a single cable to the phone that incorporates power and a single 4-wire L1+L2 connector...nice.
The good:
=Line in use by you is green, by another is red. Flashing red means message waiting on the Ma-bell or VOIP answering service. Easy to quickly see and discern what's what.
= We have a VOIP line and a Verizon landline; it works fine on both. Volume and all else is equal.
= No need to press line1/2 to get dial tone before dialing. Just start dialing digits and phone automatically activates the line. This is a love-hate thing. If you make a mistake dialing you can't go back 1 digit to correct and when ready then press Line1 to activate and dial like the Siemens gigaset (junk quality and 2.4GHz which is bad btw but that's another rant)
= Speakerphone quality great - people say they didn't know they were on one until I asked them.
= Timer to know duration of call as it progresses. Does not save call's elapsed time after you hang up and review past call list tho.
= Ring tones are great - nice selection and the ability to choose something that isn't jolting. The ring volume can be lowered to quite a nice low setting (or off for each line) which makes the key-beep/speakerphone volume minimum setting problem that much more apparent. see below.
The bad:
= I wish I could lower the volume of the key-beep when dialing, as well as the speakerphone itself. While not obnoxious, in a quiet home office near a sleeping room, you'd wish for a lower minimum setting. I have yet to find a way to disable the key beep - not sure you can.
= The LCD screen is a tad too flatly positioned. Anything more than 2 ft away from you and you'll have trouble reading it. Not a deal-breaker, you can see fine in a traditional setting, but worth a mention.
= Keypad and other function buttons not backlit.
= No speed-dial template to write down who is on the list. I taped a skinny piece of paper to the handset with my 1-10 entries.
*note not in manual: when formatting numbers from incoming calls before adding to speed dial list, press the # key enough times and you will see an option to strip the (1) prefix from a 10-digit number...a handy thing for VOIP users.
Customer Review: Do not buy this product -- final recommendation
Summary: 1 Stars
This is an update to a prior review. My fourth (or is it fifth) replacement phone stopped working, won't hold dial tone for more than 5 seconds, and is totally worthless. It's pretty clear after all these attempts that Polycom is shoving the home consumer aside in favor of the larger corporations' business. Otherwise, why would I have been provided with "refurbished" devices when the original "new" device never worked? This sure doesn't happen to my employer (I've checked). Spend your money elsewhere. 7/18/07
After 10 years of using Polycom "star" conference phones at the office with success, I purchased this model for my home office. I've had nothing but problems. The first one stopped working for no apparent reason after 3 weeks of use. The first week it kept dropping calls. The manufacturer's technical support staff suggested that I had a power surge and suggested plugging the unit into a surge protector. Had already done that, and same with phone cord. I am using a regular hardwired line, not VOIP or such. And no problems with my other equipment including office laptop and personal desktop and printer. I had to talk to the "second level" of customer support, as I was told that I could only receive a "reconditioned model." Unacceptable customer service, as I'd originally bought what I expected to be a brand new, unused model, and had used for less than 3 weeks. "But it sort of did work some of the time...." said the technician. No dice here. I was put on with the next level of tech support and assured that I would receive a "new" unopened, unused model. The second replacement unit stopped working and all lights on the phone were lit one morning and no dial tone or electrical power to the unit, less than a few days after I had received it. Was told again that I would be receiving "new, in box" model. The third replacement (and the last that I will accept) just quit working this morning (holds a dial tone for 5 seconds, then dies, same problem as the first unit I'd received), and was in use for only 2 days for a total of two phone calls. (exceedingly embarrassing to call in to your boss' boss' staff meeting only to have the unit drop 5 times during the call). I still have the second unit which has not yet been returned to the manufacturer, as it is to be returned within 5 business days. Just packed that one up yesterday. I will say that my colleagues thought that the phone sounded excellent, that the speakerphone was so good that they couldn't tell I was on a speakerphone, but hey, if the unit craps out after a short term of use, none of that matters. I would assign zero stars if possible. Don't waste your time or money on this model.
Customer Review: Among home office phones, still the one to beat
Summary: 4 Stars
When I bought this phone for a home office about 8 years ago it had the features I needed at an acceptable if relatively high price. True, the voice quality was a bit uneven. Voice seemed to be breaking up occasionally, sometimes a bit staticky. But the speaker phone feature was excellent and especially good for waiting on hold then talking with customer service, etc. Speaker tone was clear and loud. Unfortunately it had a recurring problem of keyboard failure that required plugging and unplugging. Best keyboard touch I've found in a landline phone, ergonomically superior to Panasonic, etc., but directory and caller ID interface is convoluted. Now it has developed loud buzzing noises and I've been quoted (by a third-party shop) about as much for a repair as a new unit costs. Like other landline phones, it should really have a backlight or other alternative for more legible display. The reliability of this phone does not match the price. It should have been developed and improved. I would not buy again, even though 8+ years of use might be acceptable to some people. I'd look for newer technology from other makers, unless speakerphone function is really paramount. Too bad, design and concept were unique and on the right track.
UPDATE March 25, 2011
As a writer on technological glitches and fixes, I was kindly offered a chance by the company to send my unit back to Polycom's lab for examination. I hoped the staff would diagnose the problem, but in a variant of Murphy's Law, the unit worked perfectly when it arrived, except for damage to the handset when I put in a stack of other nonworking electronics for recycling. It's possible my problem was in the external power supply -- I couldn't find the original to ship back.
I've looked for an alternative from the best-known brands, but I haven't seen a satisfactory alternative for high-quality hands-free calling. And my other, cordless phone from another maker just failed. So in the absence of comparative data, the sound quality, professional appearance, usability, and ergonomics of the SountPoint Pro still make it the one to beat.
Customer Review: Solid product, but don't set the bar too high
Summary: 5 Stars
I use this phone for my home office. Over the years, I've used everything from Panasonic to ATT to BT phones. Like many people, I knew Polycom because of their exceptional conferencing/speakerphone products. My criteria were price, quality and ease-of-use. I didn't need a lot of gee-whiz features. I've had phones with enough features and gadgetry to run the space station if you wanted, but all I ever did was use them to dial numbers and make phone calls. I do a lot of multi-tasking so being able to carry on a conversation on the speakerphone while working on the computer was absolutely necessary. I also didn't want something that felt like it was made out of cardboard.
The Polycom has delivered. The voice quality is excellent on both the handset and the speakerphone. Conversations are clear and free of phantom noise/echo. Yes, people can tell they're on a speakerphone but that's just physics at work. There is absolutely no way that moving air (with your voice) 2-4 feet from a microphone is going to sound the same as moving air inches from a microphone. If there is some way to focus sound waves like a laser beam at the microphone, I haven't found it. The LCD displays all the relevant information. The volume is adjustable in small increments, unlike many phones which seem to only have "silent" and "foghorn" levels...
Build quality is excellent. The paint and finish are very professional. Everythig feels solid, buttons are a good size and everything is clearly marked. The unit itself looks better in person than it does in the pictures.
No, this doesn't have anywhere near as many features as other $150-$200 phones. No digital answering system, no flashing LEDs, nothing. The money was spent on the sound hardware and the production (and of course Polycom's profits). So, as the title implies, it all depends on what you want from a phone. It's worked well enough for my purposes that I have bought 3 more units.
Customer Review: This phone is THE office phone
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been shopping for a good home-office phone for a couple of months and was about to give up. I've purchased at least 3 phones including the ATT 4-line; AT&T 2-Line; and one other brand - none of them gave me the features and quality I was looking for. So when I found the Polycom, I was very anxious to receive it until I started reading the reviews.I'm not sure if I have a newer version of the SE-225, but it's terrific. I say that after opening the box with an extremely pessimistic pre-disposition, ready to pack it up and return another phone based on the negative comments. In two days of very active use, I have NOT been disappointed.
Some specifics:
Speed-dial: Too easy to use, 2-touch dialing for your top 10, with room for 99 (total) searchable by letter (like your cellphone)
Handfree: The volume is excellent, and the callers I've polled said it sounds great (I haven't been on the otherside of a call yet)
Footprint: It's not overly large, and the Console Cable that's included means only 1 cord snaked across the desk!
Quality: In no way do I feel like this phone is not worth the price. It's exactly what I expected from Polycom.
Cool features:
Primary Line: Allows you to designate which of the 2 lines is the main one you use, so it selects that line when you pick up the receiver, headset, etc.
Distintive Rings: Pick a ring and a volume for each line.
And just so it doesn't seem like I work for Polycom, the one thing I don't like is that you can't program Pauses into the speed-dial. It doesn't have a call-waiting light, but that's a small sacrifice considering what you get.
All in all, being the picky techno-geek I am, I am not seeing any of the negative points mentioned in some reviews. But given the dates that they were submitted, this may be an improved version of this phone. No matter, I highly recommend it!
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