(wired) headset to use with zoom-related activities?
August 13, 2020 9:44 AM Subscribe
I need to lead some meetings on Zoom as well as do one-to-one consultations using a Mac laptop. I understand a headset mic would help sound quality both for speaking and hearing. I'm fine with plugging it in via a wire and don't need "professional" studio quality, just something decent. Any recommendations?
I use an AmazonBasics gaming headset, it works GREAT. USB connection though, if you need to use the headphone jack make sure it has that.
posted by epanalepsis at 10:07 AM on August 13, 2020
posted by epanalepsis at 10:07 AM on August 13, 2020
During the Great Headset Shortage in April I managed to buy an mpow 071. It's cheap and not as big or ugly as a lot of gaming headsets, but it's also a little bit uncomfortable to wear for more than an hour or so. It comes with a USB dongle, so you have the choice between a normal audio jack and a USB connection, which can come in handy.
posted by BungaDunga at 10:14 AM on August 13, 2020
posted by BungaDunga at 10:14 AM on August 13, 2020
I have these Jabra Evolve 20s and they work amazingly well for the price. (It's the step down from the Wirecutter recommendation)
posted by General Malaise at 10:14 AM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by General Malaise at 10:14 AM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
I work for a Fortune 50 company and the Wirecutter reco is the default headset that gets provisioned to employees who need one. I use one and had nothing but good results. I haven't heard anyone else complain.
posted by mmascolino at 10:23 AM on August 13, 2020
posted by mmascolino at 10:23 AM on August 13, 2020
When I realized I was going to be doing a lot of video conferencing suddenly, I first tried a set of very nice headphones we had sitting around but quickly realized I don't like my own voice sounding muffled. So, I ended up buying the only one-ear with microphone I could find at a big box store: a white and xbox green "Turtle Beach Recon Chat Gaming Headset".
The construction is super cheap, so much floppy plastic, so holding it in my hand I can see how the $20 I paid is probably a huge markup. But the sound in my ear and the microphone are great (better than some expensive headsets) and I've had numerous people comment that it looks like I have such a professional headset on calls. So, if you want a mono-headset, you could do worse.
posted by past unusual at 11:22 AM on August 13, 2020
The construction is super cheap, so much floppy plastic, so holding it in my hand I can see how the $20 I paid is probably a huge markup. But the sound in my ear and the microphone are great (better than some expensive headsets) and I've had numerous people comment that it looks like I have such a professional headset on calls. So, if you want a mono-headset, you could do worse.
posted by past unusual at 11:22 AM on August 13, 2020
I'm in a lot of zoom/teams meetings, both group meetings and one-on-one as well as online teaching (academia). I recently got some wired steelseries arctis pro headphones to fill the role of "headset with a good mic" for me. Wirecutters didn't like these for some reason in their overall headphone roundup (the only thing they mention, people claiming that the suspension band is uncomfortable, is 100% opposite of my experience, I wonder if their testers realized it's adjustable), but I picked this on the basis of a tom's guide roundup of gaming headsets (they're an audio quality upgrade from the winner there). They're not nearly so absurd looking as most gaming headphones, though not small. The mic quality seems good and the boom mic retracts, and there's a handy physical mute button + volume control on the headphones themselves. Very comfortable to wear in my experience. The two-channel output over usb is overkill but the mixer control for that does give another very convenient volume knob. (I guess I could actually use it to provide a really boring meeting with some background music, though, hmmm...)
I will say that for calls where I do not plan to be talking much I do still wear an older pair of bluetooth headphones that lack a boom mic, so that I can wander off. So I'd personally still recommend a wireless headset if you're aiming for one headset to cover all your bases.
posted by advil at 11:37 AM on August 13, 2020
I will say that for calls where I do not plan to be talking much I do still wear an older pair of bluetooth headphones that lack a boom mic, so that I can wander off. So I'd personally still recommend a wireless headset if you're aiming for one headset to cover all your bases.
posted by advil at 11:37 AM on August 13, 2020
I'm fond of Logitech for good quality and low-fuss peripherals. I'm using a 5+ year old wireless Logitech headset; the battery doesn't last as long as it used to, but the quality is still great. The wired headsets start at about $20 (at least in Canada); wireless are more like $60+.
posted by jb at 11:44 AM on August 13, 2020
posted by jb at 11:44 AM on August 13, 2020
I use this really affordable Monoprice headset. It has an inline mic on one of the cables that comes with it. The headphones are fairly comfortable for long meetings. I've been told I sound really good.
Honestly, the laptop built in microphones aren't bad as long as you use headphones. The headphones make it so the mic doesn't pick up the sound of the meeting, so the app doesn't have to try to cancel that feedback out.
posted by advicepig at 12:27 PM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Honestly, the laptop built in microphones aren't bad as long as you use headphones. The headphones make it so the mic doesn't pick up the sound of the meeting, so the app doesn't have to try to cancel that feedback out.
posted by advicepig at 12:27 PM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
The previously mentioned Turtle Beach Recon Chat Gaming Headset is great, especially for the price, and doubly so if you wear glasses because it has a space for the arm. I used that for six months and then upgraded to the HyperX Cloud Stinger Gaming Headset, which is highly rated. You can listen to the difference in sound quality if you're interested in the question I asked about headsets -- the linked video is the Turtle Bay, and the most recent episodes are the HyperX.
posted by DarlingBri at 12:32 PM on August 13, 2020
posted by DarlingBri at 12:32 PM on August 13, 2020
I know you aasked for wired headset, but I am a fan of the Logitech H800.
posted by tman99 at 12:48 PM on August 13, 2020
posted by tman99 at 12:48 PM on August 13, 2020
The GE 98974 VoIP All-In-One Stereo Headset has been my conference call buddy for years. It looks utterly horrid, and you'd expect it to fall apart immediately, but this thing has lasted 8 years of daily use and looks just as cheap and plasticky as the day I bought it. It's on its second pair of foam earpads. It paid $10 for it in a clearance store, but full price is something like $25.
It sounds pretty good, but where it really shines is in interviews. I've had broadcast interviews with it and it sounds clean and sharp. Maybe I got a good one. It also comes with a full set of adapters, from 3.5 mm TRRS to dual 3.5 mm headphone/mic splitter, and also 3.5 to 2.5 mm so you can use it with your cordless phone. It's bloody brilliant, and I'd replace it in a heartbeat if it ever broke.
posted by scruss at 4:38 PM on August 13, 2020
It sounds pretty good, but where it really shines is in interviews. I've had broadcast interviews with it and it sounds clean and sharp. Maybe I got a good one. It also comes with a full set of adapters, from 3.5 mm TRRS to dual 3.5 mm headphone/mic splitter, and also 3.5 to 2.5 mm so you can use it with your cordless phone. It's bloody brilliant, and I'd replace it in a heartbeat if it ever broke.
posted by scruss at 4:38 PM on August 13, 2020
I recently picked up the Audio Technica ATH-PDG1 gaming headphones, based on The Wirecutter's pick for best open-back gaming headset. Considering you're looking for something for consultations, I bet you need something that looks professional, and this ain't it. But I wanted to chime in to point out something I don't hear discussed often.
Most headsets that cover both ears are closed-back and do a good job of isolating the user from the sounds of their environment. I liked that until my partner told me I was a lot louder on conference calls than in real life. I figured out it was because the closed-back headphones kept me from hearing my own voice, and I would naturally talk louder to compensate. Software solutions didn't work (enough of a delay, even with specialized solutions), but open-back headphones solved it for me. The sound bleed is minimal, and I can hear my own voice clearly.
So if you want to look very professional, I'd get something that only covers one ear so you also sound professional.
posted by Pacrand at 6:51 PM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Most headsets that cover both ears are closed-back and do a good job of isolating the user from the sounds of their environment. I liked that until my partner told me I was a lot louder on conference calls than in real life. I figured out it was because the closed-back headphones kept me from hearing my own voice, and I would naturally talk louder to compensate. Software solutions didn't work (enough of a delay, even with specialized solutions), but open-back headphones solved it for me. The sound bleed is minimal, and I can hear my own voice clearly.
So if you want to look very professional, I'd get something that only covers one ear so you also sound professional.
posted by Pacrand at 6:51 PM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
I use a Logitech H390 with my Macbook Pro daily and it works well. It was recommended to me by someone who used to run a large call center, as it was the standard headset their agents used. I think it hits the sweet spot when it comes to price and quality. Note that you might need a USB-C to USB adapter, depending on your Macbook model.
posted by neushoorn at 11:21 PM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by neushoorn at 11:21 PM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Founder of wordpress has a blog about the tools he uses in his company. On a podcast he said employees get a Sennheiser SC 30 and he also likes Sennheiser SC 130, or Sennheiser SC 160.
posted by Sophont at 12:34 AM on August 14, 2020
posted by Sophont at 12:34 AM on August 14, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
Beware more recent iPhones have wired earbuds with a lightning connector and that will not work with a standard PC headphone/mic jack.
posted by sol at 9:51 AM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]