Connect a Plantronics Headset to a Computer

How to connect a Plantronics headset to a computer

To connect a Plantronics headset to a computer you need a DA-series USB adapter, which joins the headset's quick disconnect plug at one end and a USB port at the other, with no desk phone involved anywhere in the arrangement. Separate the QD on the headset cable, plug the headset half into the adapter, and put the USB end into the computer. Which adapter depends on the headset you already own. The DA70 is the current basic option for any H-series headset. The DA80 adds inline volume, mute and call controls. The DA90 works only with the six-pin digital headsets whose model numbers end in D. Older Polaris headsets take the DA55 or DA60 instead. No new headset is required in any of these cases, which is the point of the quick disconnect.

Which adapter your headset takes

Any H-series headset: the DA70, or the DA80 for inline controls.
A model number ending in D: the DA90, and nothing else.
An older Polaris headset: the DA55, or the DA60 with controls.

A company that bought corded headsets for desk phones and then moved onto softphones owns most of what it needs already. The headsets are unchanged. Only the thing below the quick disconnect has to change, and on a computer that thing is a USB adapter rather than a cable to a phone.

DA-series adapter: Poly's family of USB adapters for corded headsets: a short cable with a quick disconnect plug on one end and USB on the other, presenting the headset to a computer as a standard USB audio device.

Making the connection

The procedure is the same for every adapter in the range, and it takes about a minute.

Separate the quick disconnect
Find the flat plug partway down the headset cable and pull the two halves apart. The lower half, the part that ran to the desk phone, is not needed here and can go back in the drawer.
Join the headset to the adapter
Push the headset's QD plug into the matching plug on the DA adapter until it seats. It only fits one way round.
Plug the USB end into the computer
Use a port on the machine itself rather than an unpowered hub. Windows and macOS both install the audio device without a driver download.
Select the headset in your softphone
Open the sound settings in Teams, Zoom or whichever softphone you use and pick the Poly device as both the microphone and the speaker. Applications do not always follow the operating system default.
Test before the first real call
Record a few seconds in any voice recorder and play it back. It confirms the microphone side, which is the half nobody notices is wrong until a caller says so.

Which DA adapter fits your headset

Six adapters cover the range, and the headset you own narrows it to one or two immediately. The split that matters most is what kind of quick disconnect the headset has.

For any standard H-series headset, the DA70 is the current basic option: quick disconnect to USB-A, no extra controls, and the sensible default for a large deployment where simplicity is worth more than features. The DA80 is the same connection with inline volume, microphone mute and answer, end and hold controls added, and it is the one to pick for anyone taking calls continuously who should not have to reach for a mouse to mute.

For a headset whose model number ends in D, such as the HW510D, HW540D or HW720D, the DA90 is the only option. Those headsets carry a six-pin digital quick disconnect rather than the analog one, and no other adapter in the range mates with it. The DA90 also carries the fleet-level features that larger contact centers buy it for: usage monitoring, call quality feedback and inventory tracking across on-site and remote users.

For an older Polaris-connector headset, the DA55 connects it to a computer and the DA60 does the same with inline volume, mute, call controls, wideband audio and echo management. Both exist so that Polaris hardware does not have to be replaced to reach a softphone.

Two older adapters still turn up in documentation and in drawers. The DA40 was the original basic unit, and the DA45 added inline controls and bundled call software to it. Both predate the DA70 and DA80 that replaced them, so treat a reference to either as a sign the document is old.

What the old documentation says

PerSono is the software you install to manage a Plantronics DA-series adapter.

What is actually current

PerSono is long superseded. Plantronics Hub replaced it, Poly Lens replaced that, and the current tool is the HP Poly Studio App. If a setup guide tells you to install PerSono, the guide predates two renames, and it is worth confirming which software your specific adapter needs before installing anything at all.

What this does not solve

A DA adapter connects the headset to the computer and nothing else. It does not give the headset a path back to the desk phone at the same time, so a user who needs both has to unplug from one and into the other, or move to a switch built for the job such as the MDA524.

It also does not change what the headset is. A mono headset with a noise-canceling boom is still that on a softphone, and if the complaint was comfort or background noise on the phone, the same complaint will follow it onto the computer. Those are reasons to look at the qd headset range rather than at adapters.

If the quick disconnect plug on your headset does not match any adapter described here, the generation is worth checking before ordering, and the markings are what tell you: our guide to identifying a qd cord set covers them. Or call 877-999-3838 with the model number on the headset and we will name the adapter.

How do I connect my Plantronics H-series headset to a computer?

Connect a Plantronics H-series headset to a computer with a DA-series USB adapter. Separate the quick disconnect on the headset cable, push the headset half into the adapter, and plug the USB end into the computer. The DA70 is the current basic option, and the DA80 adds inline volume, mute and call controls.

What is the difference between the DA70, DA80 and DA90?

The DA70 is a basic quick disconnect to USB-A adapter with no extra controls. The DA80 adds inline volume, mute and answer, end and hold controls, which suits continuous call work. The DA90 is for six-pin digital headsets whose model numbers end in D, and it adds fleet-level usage monitoring and inventory tracking for larger deployments.

Can I connect an older Polaris headset to a computer?

Yes. A Polaris-connector headset connects to a computer through the DA55, or the DA60 if you want inline volume and mute, call controls, wideband audio and echo management. Both adapters exist specifically so Polaris hardware does not have to be replaced to work with a softphone.

Do I need to install software to use a DA-series adapter?

A DA-series adapter works as a plug-and-play USB audio device without software on both Windows and macOS. Management software is optional and applies mainly to the DA90 in managed deployments. Older guides naming PerSono are out of date; the current tool is the HP Poly Studio App.