Wireless headset recommendations

[Dan~]

Hello,

I’m after a wireless headset which is over ear but not too bulky like a gaming headset as it’ll just be for calls.

I currently have a Jabra wired headset which is okay,  I love the fact on the lead it’s got a mini controller so I can mute, turn volume up/down, but it’s wired which I don’t want anymore

Does anyone who of a wireless headset and a wireless controller with the same options? 

If not is there an over ear headset with the same controls on the side they’d recommend? It’s just for teams chats so don’t need anything crazy as I’d rather functionality and wireless.

thanks

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

BT or RF/2.4/5?

You connecting this with your phone?

A lot of earbuds include that function. Can both listen to music and accept calls.

What is your definition of "bulky"?

[Dan~]

For connectivity it’ll be Bluetooth and connecting to PC.

I can’t get on with earbuds so needs to be over or on ear.

I’d say bulky is like a gaming headset, I was looking at the Xbox one but that’s not as big as some but still too big I’d say.

I forgot to add, it’s it’ll be mostly for teams it needs to fully work with that for muting, I was looking at the Jabra 45h but that has issues with muting it seems

thanks

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

You look at any Razer headset? I used to have a few headsets from them, I don't call them bulky.

I haven't looked at them recently.

Might give us a better idea what you are looking for with links.

[Symal Taneous]

I use the Razer Nari Essential for work, I take calls over MicroSIP and Teams and it works great. The mic flips up to mute (haven't actually tried this, but apparently that's how it functions). The battery is supposed to last up to 30 hours, I usually charge it every 3 days to be sure. You can use it while it's charging, but I'd rather not have to plug it in while I'm on a call. I also use it to listen to music when I'm working on projects where I'm not on calls and it works great for that too. It is also very comfortable, I've had no issues at all wearing it for the full duration of my work day. You don't need to install Razer Synapse for it to work either.

It has really good range too, my bedroom/office are in the basement and sometimes the dog will need to go out while I'm on a call and I have no issues going upstairs to let her out and still be able to maintain contact during the call.

It is a bit bulkier than the Blackshark V2 that I use for my gaming computer, but that's probably because the Blackshark isn't wireless.

[adrynalyne]

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/d/microsoft-modern-wireless-headset/8wn49139qkjf#overview

 

I use this at work. At home I use a HyperX Quadcast and some wireless earbuds.

[+BudMan MVC]

I got a pair of these back in 2017

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AWIPITS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Still working, they small light work great for meetings.  they have controls on the side of the right ear that work. I had to by some replacement pads for the ears because they were starting to crack and flake off.. But I am pretty happy with them.  and have no issues with people complaining about hearing me or anything.   They work with teams, that is what we use for meetings most of the time, etc.

And they are cheap... I don't like earbuds either.. 

At home I just use jabra speaker phone, but office - having to go into office few days a week and can not really use speaker phones in the hotel cubes have to sit in when in the office..  This hybrid model kind of blows - wish could just work from home full time to be honest like back when covid was in full swing..

 

 

 

[binaryzero]

Anything in the Jabra evolve range will be fine - have multiple pairs, work well.

https://www.jabra.com.au/business/office-headsets

[ThaCrip]

Just a small comment... the thing I don't like about all of the stuff shown in this topic so far is lack of NiMh AA/AAA rechargeable as once the lithium battery dies in the wireless bluetooth headsets, the headphones are basically junk (since I would assume these are generally not replaceable. even if they are, in the future it will likely eventually be difficult to find quality replacement batteries). I suspect the headphones will outlast the battery.

personally I always prefer NiMh AA/AAA over anything Lithium for long term use (and that's generally what I try for as I am not a fan that disposable mentality many have of throwing away a perfectly good product when all it needs is a battery etc) since you can easily find quality replacements (Eneloop) and you are set for a long time once again as you won't have to worry in the future about not being able to find quality AA/AAA batteries as these are time tested and have been around for a long time and likely will continue to be.

p.s. but I definitely prefer normal headphones over anything that goes in the ear as I would straight up avoid anything that goes into ones ear.

[binaryzero]

On 05/03/2023 at 18:00, ThaCrip said:

Just a small comment... the thing I don't like about all of the stuff shown in this topic so far is lack of NiMh AA/AAA rechargeable as once the lithium battery dies in the wireless bluetooth headsets, the headphones are basically junk (since I would assume these are generally not replaceable. even if they are, in the future it will likely eventually be difficult to find quality replacement batteries). I suspect the headphones will outlast the battery.

personally I always prefer NiMh AA/AAA over anything Lithium for long term use (and that's generally what I try for as I am not a fan that disposable mentality many have of throwing away a perfectly good product when all it needs is a battery etc) since you can easily find quality replacements (Eneloop) and you are set for a long time once again as you won't have to worry in the future about not being able to find quality AA/AAA batteries as these are time tested and have been around for a long time and likely will continue to be.

p.s. but I definitely prefer normal headphones over anything that goes in the ear as I would straight up avoid anything that goes into ones ear.

So... are you going to suggest a model? 🤷‍♂️

[ThaCrip]

On 05/03/2023 at 05:35, binaryzero said:

So... are you going to suggest a model? 🤷‍♂️

Nothing in particular. hence, why I just said, "Just a small comment" (as it's more of a side suggestion for anyone who considers long term use of a battery powered product a priority). I prefer rechargeable NiMh AA/AAA battery tech if possible over rechargeable Lithium is all as it's a better overall technology long term if a device can run on it with reasonable runtime, which with efficiency of devices nowadays it should not be a problem.

but sadly, it seems a lot of devices use rechargeable lithium, which is okay, but long term (say at least 10-20+ years) it can be difficult to find quality replacement batteries so you end up having to dump the device due to lack of replacement batteries. hence, the battery will become a problem long before the device needs to be replaced from genuine failure. but I guess if a person considers $50-100 to be pocket change (or thereabouts), they might not care as even the stuff recommended in the topic so far I would imagine you will get years of use at the least and if a person considers that passable for a $50-100 device, then they might not care about what I mentioned. but personally if I buy something like headphones (or other similarly powered electronic devices) I plan on using them for a very long time (probably at least 10-20 years minimum as I figure why replace a device unless it truly needs to be for a legitimate reason and not a artificial reason like a failed battery that you can't replace).

p.s. I don't really have anything to recommend as on the PC I use Klipsch Pro-Media PC speakers (I had these since early-to-mid 2000's as I would definitely recommend these as their sound quality probably won't be beat(solid all-around sound), especially in their price range (about $100-150)) and for on-the-go listening I am still using a wired pair of headphones (Sony MDR-NC7(which also run on a single AAA, which I use NiMh. battery is optional but sound is better with the headphones powered on)) I had since I think early 2010 and the OP specifically wanted wireless, which I don't use, so it's not even possible for me to suggest anything in regards to the general topic.

[adrynalyne]

On 05/03/2023 at 17:42, ThaCrip said:

Nothing in particular. hence, why I just said, "Just a small comment" (as it's more of a side suggestion for anyone who considers long term use of a battery powered product a priority). I prefer rechargeable NiMh AA/AAA battery tech if possible over rechargeable Lithium is all as it's a better overall technology long term if a device can run on it with reasonable runtime, which with efficiency of devices nowadays it should not be a problem.

but sadly, it seems a lot of devices use rechargeable lithium, which is okay, but long term (say at least 10-20+ years) it can be difficult to find quality replacement batteries so you end up having to dump the device due to lack of replacement batteries. hence, the battery will become a problem long before the device needs to be replaced from genuine failure. but I guess if a person considers $50-100 to be pocket change (or thereabouts), they might not care as even the stuff recommended in the topic so far I would imagine you will get years of use at the least and if a person considers that passable for a $50-100 device, then they might not care about what I mentioned. but personally if I buy something like headphones (or other similarly powered electronic devices) I plan on using them for a very long time (probably at least 10-20 years minimum as I figure why replace a device unless it truly needs to be for a legitimate reason and not a artificial reason like a failed battery that you can't replace).

p.s. I don't really have anything to recommend as on the PC I use Klipsch Pro-Media PC speakers (I had these since early-to-mid 2000's as I would definitely recommend these as their sound quality probably won't be beat(solid all-around sound), especially in their price range (about $100-150)) and for on-the-go listening I am still using a wired pair of headphones (Sony MDR-NC7(which also run on a single AAA, which I use NiMh. battery is optional but sound is better with the headphones powered on)) I had since I think early 2010 and the OP specifically wanted wireless, which I don't use, so it's not even possible for me to suggest anything in regards to the general topic.

But it wasn't a small comment and it isn't helpful to what is being asked.

[binaryzero]

On 06/03/2023 at 10:42, ThaCrip said:

Nothing in particular. hence, why I just said, "Just a small comment" (as it's more of a side suggestion for anyone who considers long term use of a battery powered product a priority). I prefer rechargeable NiMh AA/AAA battery tech if possible over rechargeable Lithium is all as it's a better overall technology long term if a device can run on it with reasonable runtime, which with efficiency of devices nowadays it should not be a problem.

but sadly, it seems a lot of devices use rechargeable lithium, which is okay, but long term (say at least 10-20+ years) it can be difficult to find quality replacement batteries so you end up having to dump the device due to lack of replacement batteries. hence, the battery will become a problem long before the device needs to be replaced from genuine failure. but I guess if a person considers $50-100 to be pocket change (or thereabouts), they might not care as even the stuff recommended in the topic so far I would imagine you will get years of use at the least and if a person considers that passable for a $50-100 device, then they might not care about what I mentioned. but personally if I buy something like headphones (or other similarly powered electronic devices) I plan on using them for a very long time (probably at least 10-20 years minimum as I figure why replace a device unless it truly needs to be for a legitimate reason and not a artificial reason like a failed battery that you can't replace).

p.s. I don't really have anything to recommend as on the PC I use Klipsch Pro-Media PC speakers (I had these since early-to-mid 2000's as I would definitely recommend these as their sound quality probably won't be beat(solid all-around sound), especially in their price range (about $100-150)) and for on-the-go listening I am still using a wired pair of headphones (Sony MDR-NC7(which also run on a single AAA, which I use NiMh. battery is optional but sound is better with the headphones powered on)) I had since I think early 2010 and the OP specifically wanted wireless, which I don't use, so it's not even possible for me to suggest anything in regards to the general topic.

10-20 years?! In consumer electronics?! Wowzers, that's a stretch...

Ok, you're just talking rubbish. Cool.

[ThaCrip]

On 05/03/2023 at 19:48, adrynalyne said:

But it wasn't a small comment and it isn't helpful to what is being asked.

Depends. because depending on if a person wants a device with a battery that will outlast the device or not, what I said could be of some help.

p.s. I would argue it's a small comment in a basic sense of the battery tech behind what powers it was my general point. one is a safer bet for long term use unquestionably. but I guess one potential negative with NiMh is if a person heavily favors convenience, they might find it to be a slight inconvenience having to remove the battery and put it into a charger and then take it out of that and put it back into the device (which won't be a issue with the typical lithium powered device). but it's a small trade off if you ask me. another great example of where NiMh is better than Lithium... console controllers. that's why I am glad I got a XBox360 controller I use occasionally for certain games (for driving) as it's powered by two AA's.

 

On 05/03/2023 at 19:57, binaryzero said:

10-20 years?! In consumer electronics?! Wowzers, that's a stretch...

Ok, you're just talking rubbish. Cool.

Not rubbish at all. it's totally realistic in certain cases.

my current main PC's motherboard I had since May 2012 (so closing in on 11 years) and it runs pretty much all of the time (it's onboard sound died back in the year 2020 though but I got a quick fix by getting one of those 3.5mm USB based sound cards to restore sound and I just disabled on-board sound in the BIOS). I got hard drives over 10 years old to. even my previous monitor lasted 11.x years. so anything of any real worth should last at least 10 years or so (I can live with that as it's a decent portion of a persons lifespan ). like a monitor/TV, if I don't get at least around 10 years out of it, it's junk as 5 years or so would be a joke (and much under this would be a insult to the customer, especially if this is common on certain devices), especially on anything hundreds of dollars as it's not like companies can't make electronics, at least most, last 10+ years. sure, I get that even with quality products there can be some that fail prematurely, but generally speaking I don't think what I am saying here is unreasonable given they can easily do it, at least on many things.

so while I am not saying I would expect 20+ years (although it's plausible depending on what it is as headphones should have no trouble lasting a very long time as for the speakers themselves to fail seem pretty slim in general in my experience over the years), 10+ years (if less, then not much less) I am pretty firm on that (depending on what it is).

I still got a CD Player that has a 1991 mfg date on it (I probably had it since late 1991 to maybe 1992 or so) and still works well (at least the CD part of it even though the tape player is pretty much shot but the CD player is really the only thing I care about on it anyways). even a portable CD player with a mfg date of Dec 1999 on it still works and is powered from two AA batteries (of which on the occasion I do use it, I use NiMh in it. if it was lithium that device would almost certainly be junk by now because one could not find replacement batteries, at least not quality ones).

hell, even my PC's Klipsch Pro-Media PC speakers still work (and they are about 20 years old now). but... I can tell they might be on their way out though as of not all that long ago now when you turn them on it sometimes takes a while before there is sound output and when there is, it takes a while (sometimes 5-10min) before everything is back to normal. hopefully if they do totally go, it's something I can fix with capacitor etc since I would rather not lose these as they are great speakers.

Edited March 6, 2023 by ThaCrip

[binaryzero]

Dude, we're talking about consumer headphones - who keeps them for 20 years?! I've had several pairs in the past 10 years, let alone the past 20.

My monitor headphones, yes, I've had them for 15 years - but parts are replaceable and they're not exactly consumer grade.

[goretsky Supervisor]

Hello,

I do not have a specific model in mind, but my last job was at a VoIP hardware manufacturer, and we recommended Bluetooth headsets from Jabra, Plantronics and Sennheiser for use with our phones that had Bluetooth.  For PC use, I have had good results most recently with cordless headphones from Bose and SONY, but those were primary for listening and not speaking, so I don't know how good the mics in those are.

Perhaps if there is an electronics or hi-fi store nearby you can go and try some out to see what sounds good and is comfortable for prolonged wear.

 

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky
 

[Michael Scrip]

I've heard good things about the Shokz OPENCOMM UC

It uses bone-conducting for the earpieces and it's got a nice boom for the microphone with some noise-cancellation stuff.  It's designed for voice calls.

And it's definitely not bulky since has a slim behind-the head design.

https://shokz.com/products/opencomm-uc

[Dan~]

Thanks for the suggestions, I’ve checked them out but I’ve narrowed it down to two so far.

1. Xbox wireless headset

2. Steelseries 7X

If anyone has any direct experience with using these especially for Teams meetings that’ll be pukka