Poly has long been a mainstay of boardrooms, as well as office desks across the globe. A new era calls for new technology, and the Poly Calisto 5300 is a high-quality portable Bluetooth amplified speaker that brings crisp, clear audio to your calls, no matter if its a desk phone, or Zoom, Microsoft Teams, AWS Chime, Google Meet, GoToMeeting, WebEx, or anything else.

The disc-like unit includes a 360-degree microphone, 150Hz to 20kHz speaker frequency response, Bluetooth and USB-A and USB-C connectivity, and a nice carry case with integrated cable management.

While other Bluetooth speakers exist, iTWire found the Calisto 5300 truly builds on Poly’s significant experience in business conferencing. Its speaker output, and its 360-degree microphone, deliver rich and clear voices from those you speak with, while crisply capturing your voice in return. It also proved to be a great Bluetooth speaker in general, playing videos, music, and podcasts through its amplified speaker.

What's also really nice is the unit has visual indications for mute, battery and volume level, so you know with a glance what’s going on. You won’t be uncertain if you are muted or not because the ring glows red, so there’s none of this, “Hey, can you hear me?” business at the start of the call.

With COVID-19 possibly providing the greatest impetus for remote working the world has ever seen, it’s vital all your calls sound great, no matter if you’re at home, in the office, or anywhere else. You could go and find the cheapest headphones in the local shopping centre, but that’s a recipe for frustration. In business calls every moment counts because every moment costs money, so why spend it struggling to hear what you’ve been tasked with, or to have your own cogent and articulate presentations weakened by inaudibility?

iTWire found the Calisto 5300 a snap to use, connecting effortlessly to smartphones, and to Windows and macOS computers. We used it to conduct business and to play music in between calls.

The device supports A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP Bluetooth protocols. It has a 1000mAh battery which charges within 3.5 hours and lets you talk for up to 16 hours. It has a digital MEMS omnidirectional microphone with a one-metre range. It weighs 214g, provides voice alerts, and can be configured and have its firmware update via the Plantronics Hub app.

Enterprises can also manage it via the Plantronics Manager Pro suite to report on call quality and analytics.

The carry case offers easy storage and helps you make a mobile conference room anywhere you go. You shouldn’t risk your essential business communication; the Calisto 5300 proved to be an excellent Bluetooth two-way speaker and microphone, sticking true to the Poly legacy of excellence in business voice. The Poly Caliston 5300 has an RRP of $244.95.