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Updated: 2026-10-07 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a dedicated office headset built for clear voice pickup and all-day wired comfort, choose Plantronics EncorePro HW545; if you need a versatile wireless headset with long battery life and a detachable boom mic that doubles as an everyday Bluetooth headphone, choose Gtheos 2.4GHz. I'm framing this whole comparison around office noise cancelling — and because a lot of buyers are shopping on behalf of someone else, I'll also flag what each pick means for elderly users along the way.
• Plantronics EncorePro HW545 — biggest strength: an enhanced noise cancelling microphone paired with active noise cancellation, call control buttons right on the headset, and a wired USB connection that never needs charging. That combination is exactly what a noisy open office demands.
• Plantronics EncorePro HW545 — biggest trade-off: it's a wired, single-purpose tool. The USB cable ties you to your desk, and the 20 Hz–6,800 Hz frequency range is tuned for speech intelligibility, not music or games.
• Gtheos 2.4GHz — biggest strength: 35–40 hours of battery life, three connection modes (2.4GHz dongle, Bluetooth, and 3.5mm wired), and a detachable noise-reduction boom mic — plus 50mm drivers and a much wider 20 Hz–20,000 Hz range.
• Gtheos 2.4GHz — biggest trade-off: it's designed as a gaming headset with RGB lighting and a mirror-surface finish, and the noise control field is listed as "None" — the noise reduction comes from the microphone and the memory-protein earcups isolating your ears, not from active circuitry.
• Who each pick is for: choose the Plantronics if your priority is talking clearly on calls in a loud office; choose the Gtheos if you want one wireless headset that handles gaming, calls, and casual listening around the house.
The EncorePro HW545 is an office headset, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else. The design brief is written all over the spec sheet: over-ear earpieces with aluminum enclosure material, a 40mm dynamic driver, and a frequency range of 20 Hz to 6,800 Hz. That narrow top end is deliberate for a voice product — it keeps the emphasis on the human voice band instead of sizzling highs and deep bass. Combined with active noise cancellation and an enhanced noise cancelling microphone, the pitch is simple: your caller hears you, and you hear your caller, even when the room around you is loud.
The practical details matter too. There's a DA80 USB adapter included, so it connects over USB rather than a headphone jack, and the controls are push-button call control mounted on the headset itself — mute and answer without hunting for software. It's wired, which means no battery anxiety, no pairing, and no charging dock. Plug in, work, unplug. For someone who spends hours a day in meetings, that reliability is the whole point.
Gtheos 2.4GHz: Who It's For
The Gtheos Captain 300 is the opposite personality: a wireless gaming headset that stretches into everyday life. The headline is the connection flexibility — a low-latency 2.4GHz USB dongle for gaming, Bluetooth 5.3 for your phone or tablet, and a 3.5mm wired cable as a backup. Latency on the 2.4GHz link is listed at ≤20ms with a range up to 49 feet in unobstructed space, which is the kind of responsiveness that matters when audio cues are part of the job — footsteps, direction, timing.
Audio-wise, it uses a 50mm dynamic driver with a quoted 30% extra sound effect and a full 20 Hz–20,000 Hz range. That's a much broader canvas than the Plantronics, and it's why this headset feels at home with games, videos, and music rather than just voice. The detachable omni-directional microphone is flexible and adjustable, and it's the noise-reduction piece of the puzzle here — dial it to the angle you want, and it picks up your voice while pushing down background noise.
Comfort and battery are the other two pillars. The padded adjustable headband is built to reduce head pressure across different head shapes, and the memory-protein earcups fully cover your ears, which does double duty: it isolates outside noise passively and lets you wear the thing for long stretches. Battery life is quoted at 35–40 hours, dropping to 15–20 with the RGB lighting on, with a full recharge in about 3 hours. Detach the mic and it becomes a normal pair of Bluetooth headphones for the subway, home, or going out.
Who should buy it? Gamers first, obviously, but also anyone who wants one wireless headset to cover several jobs. Who should skip it? If your day is back-to-back business calls on a desk phone or softphone and you want dedicated active noise cancellation with physical call controls, this isn't the tool — its noise control is listed as "None," and the control method is app-based, so the noise story is passive isolation plus mic reduction, not active cancellation.
• Best for active noise cancellation on calls → Plantronics EncorePro HW545. It's the only one of the two with noise control listed as Active Noise Cancellation, and it pairs that with an enhanced noise cancelling microphone.
• Best for battery life and freedom from cables → Gtheos 2.4GHz. 35–40 hours of play time and three connection modes, versus a permanently wired USB connection.
• Best for music, games and video → Gtheos 2.4GHz. A 20 Hz–20,000 Hz range and 50mm drivers versus the Plantronics' voice-focused 20 Hz–6,800 Hz.
• Best for a simple, no-charging, set-and-forget desk setup → Plantronics EncorePro HW545. USB-powered, physical call control buttons, nothing to pair.
• Best for elderly users who want one headset for everything → Gtheos 2.4GHz. Large over-ear memory-protein earcups, a padded adjustable headband, and a detachable mic that turns it into plain Bluetooth headphones for TV, calls, and outings.
• Best for elderly users who mainly need to hear and be heard on calls → Plantronics EncorePro HW545. Fewer decisions, no app, and dedicated call controls.
• Best for gaming on PS5, PS4, PC or Switch → Gtheos 2.4GHz. That's the platform list it was built around.
• Best for a shared or open office where you can't control the room → Plantronics EncorePro HW545. Active noise cancellation plus a noise cancelling mic is the combination built for exactly that environment.
If I were buying for a loud office and my job lived or died on call clarity, I'd buy the Plantronics EncorePro HW545. Active noise cancellation, an enhanced noise cancelling mic, and USB power with no charging routine is the most dependable answer to office noise I can see in these two spec sheets — and for elderly users who just want to talk and be understood without fiddling with apps or batteries, it's the calmer choice. I'd buy the Gtheos 2.4GHz instead if I wanted one wireless headset for gaming, music, and calls with 35–40 hours of battery and a detachable mic. Two different jobs, two clear winners — for pure office noise, my pick is the Plantronics.
FAQ
what is noise cancelling headset
For office noise specifically, the Plantronics EncorePro HW545 is the more targeted tool — it's an office headset with active noise cancellation, an enhanced noise cancelling microphone, and push-button call control. The Gtheos 2.4GHz is a gaming headset whose noise handling comes from its boom mic and sealed earcups, which helps but isn't the same as active cancellation.
Yes. It includes a detachable omni-directional noise-reduction microphone, and with Bluetooth 5.3 plus a 3.5mm cable it covers phones, tablets, and PCs alongside PS5, PS4 and Switch. Detach the mic and it becomes an ordinary pair of Bluetooth headphones — but note the control method is app-based rather than on-headset buttons.
The Gtheos 2.4GHz is quoted at 35–40 hours of use, dropping to 15–20 hours with RGB lighting on, with a full recharge in about 3 hours. The Plantronics EncorePro HW545 is wired over USB, so it has no battery to charge and no pairing step — you plug it in and it works.
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