The Gigaset DX800A is an advanced corded deskphone from one of the most well-respected brands on the market. It's somewhat expensive for a deskphone, but you certainly get plenty of features for your money. But is it worth the price tag? We put it to the test in another of our in-depth reviews. Read on to find out what we thought of it!
Design & build
The Gigaset DX800A is intended as an advanced deskphone, and that really shows in its design. It's a fairly large unit, with all of the controls that you'd find on a typical cordless handset along with some extras for the DX800's more advanced features.
A full-colour screen makes it that much easier to use, as does the intuitive menu system. While there's plenty to dig into, we found these menus to be mostly self-explanatory. If you do get stuck, then the included instruction manual explains everything in an easy-to-understand manner.
As for build quality, the DX800A feels like a very well-built piece of tech. All of the buttons are nice and solid when pressed, and the handset is light enough to be comfortable for long calls without feeling flimsy.
Set-up
How complicated is the DX800A to set up? That all depends on how exactly you want to use it. For just making and receiving calls, it's essentially plug-and-play. However, to really get the most out of this deskphone (and surely you'll want to, given the price), there's a bit more to dig into.
It's important to note that the DX800A is VoIP-compatible. This will require a VoIP connection from a provider, and a few more extra steps to get it up and running.
You can also register additional cordless handsets up to the DX800A. This process is very simple, though. In fact, it only takes about a minute per handset- so even if you've got the maximum of six, it won't take long to have everything set up.
Sound quality
Gigaset phones are renowned for their sound quality, and the DX800A is no different. HDSP (High Definition Sound Performance) ensures that the DX800A performs a whole level above other deskphones when it comes to sound quality. It's especially good over VoIP, where the superior connection of broadband let's it really show off.
The phone also performs well on speakerphone, which is great news for those who plan on using it in their home office. With a full-duplex speaker, it cancels out any annoying echo, to ensure all your calls remain crystal-clear.
Range
If you're just using the DX800A on its own, then naturally the range is simply how far the cord can stretch. However, another key selling point of this deskphone is that you can pair it to up to six cordless handsets.
If you're doing this, then you'll get the standard DECT range: up to 50m indoors, up to 300m outdoors. As with other Gigaset phones, we managed to reach close to the maximum during testing before the signal started to cut out. If you want to make the most of those extra handsets, then it's also repeater-compatible. This will allow you to get up to double the range from your handsets.
Additional features
The Gigaset DX800A has so many extra features that there's simply not scope to go into them all in this review. However, there are a few key features which are worth highlighting.
The main thing to mention here is that it is compatible with both analogue and VoIP lines. With VoIP set to become the standard for UK phones in the next few years, it's good to know that the DX800A is futureproof. As we mentioned earlier, VoIP also allows you to experience the full benefit of the phone's extraordinary sound quality.
Since you can use the DX800A with multiple VoIP lines as well as an analogue one, it also includes three answer machine message boxes. You can also set up the phone to send you a text when you receive a new message- very handy for business users. There's even the option to reroute calls to your mobile via Bluetooth.
Gigaset DX800A: The Verdict
The Gigaset DX800A is undoubtedly one of the best office deskphones on the market. With excellent sound quality, and an incredibly flexible set of features, it's ideal for the home office and the workplace alike.