Logitech Zone Vibe Pro in Lilac
Image credit: Andrea Smith/Techlicious
Headphones that sound great for music often make you sound terrible on calls, and headsets built for calls rarely look or sound right for anything else. So plenty of us end up owning both.
Logitech's new Zone Vibe Pro ($259.99) is meant to be the only pair you need for both scenarios. It's a boomless over-ear headset that pairs AI-powered call mics with adaptive noise cancellation for music and podcasts. I got to try the Zone Vibe Pro at a Logitech demo in New York City, including a test that put its noise-suppressing microphones to work against two running power drills.
The drill test
It was one of the most convincing demonstrations of call noise suppression I've seen, because I could hear the difference immediately. At the event, I sat at a desk on a video call with a member of the Logitech team who was also wearing the Zone Vibe Pro. I could see and hear her perfectly, even though a man stood right behind her holding a running electric drill in each hand.
My video call with two power drills competing for attention
Image credit: Andrea Smith/Techlicious
Then she switched off the headset's AI-powered noise suppression. Suddenly it sounded like a construction crew had set up outside my window. Her voice turned muffled, and I couldn't make out a word she said. When she switched the feature back on, the drilling vanished and her voice came through clean again.
That flip of a switch said more than any spec sheet could.
Why the mics matter
Your mic doesn't just pick up your voice. It also grabs the coworker typing next to you and the leaf blowers down the street, then pipes all of it into everyone else's ears. I work from home a lot, and the dog that lives downstairs has become a regular, unwelcome guest on my work calls. The barking drives me crazy. After watching the Zone Vibe Pro wipe out two power drills, I have high hopes for my downstairs neighbor's dog.
The headset's built-in microphones use machine learning to filter out ambient noise and, in Logitech's testing, cut noticeable background chatter by 93%.
It also supports sidetone, which plays your own voice back through the ear cups while you talk. That's especially useful with over-ear headphones, since the cushions and noise cancellation can muffle your voice and make you talk louder without realizing it.
Built for listening, too
Once the call ends, the headset shifts roles. When you're listening to music or a podcast, adaptive noise cancellation (ANC) adjusts in real time to what's around you, whether that's a noisy open office or a crowded train. It's also great for getting lost in an audiobook, which I tried at the event. With transparency mode on, I could hear the people talking around me. Switching on the ANC shut them out and left me in my own world of fiction.
Custom 40mm drivers handle both calls and music, and multipoint Bluetooth lets you jump from a video call on your laptop to a playlist on your phone without re-pairing.
Comfort and battery life
Over-ear headphones are my preferred fit, and the Zone Vibe Pro felt comfortable as soon as I put it on. The earpads combine a firm layer for support with a soft layer for cushioning, while the redesigned head strap distributes pressure evenly without feeling heavy.
An all-day headset also needs to hold up for the whole day. Battery life is rated at up to 30 hours of listening or 18 hours of calls with ANC on. Turn ANC off and listening time stretches to up to 66 hours. If you forget to charge, five minutes over USB-C gets you about an hour of call time, and the headset keeps working while it's plugged in. A USB-C to 3.5mm cable is included for wired listening, along with a USB-C to USB-C cable and a soft carrying pouch.
Travel tech that matches
Beyond the specs, Logitech nailed the details I didn't expect to care about. The Zone Vibe Pro comes in Graphite, Black, Off-White and Lilac. I'm going team Lilac, because it's the same shade as the Keys-To-Go 2 keyboard ($79.99) and Mobi Fold mouse ($79.99) I already pack for every trip.
The matching colors make Logitech's portable lineup feel like it was designed to travel as a set, and I love that my headset, keyboard and mouse finally look like they belong together.
The Logitech portable lineup in matching Lilac
Image credit: Andrea Smith/Techlicious
At $259.99, the Logitech Zone Vibe Pro isn't cheap, but it makes a compelling case for replacing two pieces of gear with one, especially if you spend your day moving between work calls and personal listening. The boomless design and background noise suppression make it well suited for calls, while ANC, transparency mode and multipoint Bluetooth make it useful for everything after work.
Read next: Hands-on with the Logitech Mobi Fold Mouse
