BEST HEADSET EVER! Ok, so for work, I'm talking to people all day everyday.
The Rode NT-USB USB Condenser Microphone, a newer version of a microphone Lauren tested in 2013, came the closest to unseating the Blue Yeti in our 2015 tests. Its sound quality, averaged across two rounds of testing, was nearly tied with the Yeti, just ever-so-narrowly edged out by the Yeti’s more neutral sound.
These headphones are so amazing that I'm using them for normal conversations too lol The sound is loud, clear, and the mic isn't obvious to the other person. On the receiving end, its super clear and you cant even tell (yes I tried it, to see what people are going to be hearing). I honestly love this product, and if you're in sales/use your phone constantly, you NEED this! They are a little bigger than the average work headset, but they're SO much better.
I've had the smaller one ear ones, also, and these are so much better. Especially if you're in a loudish environment, it helps mask the noise. I am a female gamer and find that most headsets are too big for my little noggin' but this one is snug and super comfy. Yes it comes with a USB cable but this does NOT need to be plugged into the PS4 console to use the headset or the volume controller/mute - unmute function. The only reason to connect the USB is if you want the blue LED lights to come on. If you're wearing the headset why do you even care if the LED lights are on? Totally not a deal breaker for the quality and comfort of the headset.
And, if you're a PC gamer then you can plug in the USB and get the LED light feature (yay!) All around these are cool design, comfortable af, great snug fit for small heads and affordable. I'll start off by saying I'm a middle aged dad who purchased this for my teenage son so that he would stop borrowing his sister's Beats for gaming. I was first expecting to pay $100, but was pleasantly surprised by the pricing and reviews for these. I just now tested these, and to me, they don't seem too bad. The audio quality is lesser than the Beats he was using, but to me, that's OK. They are not as comfortable as the Beats either, but they're still fine for wearing for hours on end. Unfortunately, they were not acceptable for my teenage son.
This was just one gift of the many for his birthday. We tend to go overboard, even before Christmas. He wasn't overly thrilled, but used them immediately. Later, in a fit of rage over his other gifts, he shouts 'Thanks for the. I use w/ my Verizon flip phone w/ hands free talking driving my Big Rig state to state.
People hear me clearly, I hear them good unlike Bluetooth type threw truck radio. I've only used about 10-Hrs. Making 30 to 50 phone calls. I don't suggest driving & talking as it's a distraction. The 3.5 mm plug fits phone jack, however it came w/ second jack of different size. This has an on/off switch on about a 10' long cord to disconnect after call.
I close flip phone after placing call & my call stays connected. These are comfortable to where, and well made & a good value for the money. Amazon Prime w/ great S&H also. Ten-Four Ol' buddy. This was a huge surprise for me. I have a Siberia 800 series wireless headset. Those became my favorite pair of headphones as it easily allowed me to plug my Xbox and PC into it via SPDIF to get the higest quality.
I ended up reorganizing my office so that I couldn't plug both the PC and Xbox into the same unit. I decided the Xbox would get the Siberia 800 (because that's where I watch movies, play games mostly) and I'd invest in a new set for my PC. Because I don't play games on my PC as often as I do on my Xbox (I go back and forth depending where the games are), I didn't want to spend the same $250 I spent on the other headphones. The timing was great as the Arctis 7's had just come out.
I ended up pulling the trigger, hoping that these. I bought these as a replacement for my old Logitech G430s. They were getting old and they were hurting my head to wear for longer than 2 hours at a time. These Cloud IIs have been amazing so far. They are super comfortable and the sound quality is great for what I use it for (gaming, discord chat with friends). Pros: - Comfortable foam sits well on my head - Can wear for extended periods without headache - Sound is clear and perfect for hearing 360 degrees - Mic is very well made and crystal clear (from what my friends tell me) and it WILL NOT pick up stray sounds in the room.
If I try to talk through it from further than foot or 2 away, it will not pick up. Maybe a con, but I cannot hear much else with these on. They immerse me fully in whatever I'm doing, sometimes to the. 2018 UPDATE - My son had no complaints against this headset until December 2017.
He came to me and told me that the braided sleeve, which looks very cool, was coming apart at the plug end of the cord. Aside from the sleeve it looked like there wasn’t much else protecting the wires. The headset continued to work without fail tho.
After having this headset for six months and forgetting what the return policy was, I wasn’t sure the seller would do anything about this defect. I did, however, contact the seller and told them about the braided sleeve starting to come apart. They sincerely apologized, asked me to give the product a second chance, and asked me to verify my shipping address.
They actually told me that they would send a brand new replacement free of charge. They did so with. This is truly a fantastic headset for gaming. I'm really happy with the audio and mic quality and the build is very comfortable for long sessions. Beyond a mute button for the mic, there is no control panel for the device to control the volume and other settings; all that has to be done through your pc/console. Things to note for PS4 specifically are the lack of surround sound functionality when using this headset with the system and also the headset by default uses microphone monitoring. This feature provides real time feedback of your own voice and other sounds in the mics radius to let the user gauge their own voice volume, this is a helpful way to counter your inability to hear your natural voice due to noise cancelation.
If this is a feature you don't like than know that the PS4 can't turn it off for this specific. I was looking for a pair of inexpensive, USB connected headsets for the occasional webinar/meetings with my online students. After a disappointing experience with Logitech headsets (too tight, caused headaches), I then conducted research of all headsets under $100.00. Research consisted of reviewing comments, like these from consumers, good and bad, and also reviewing the percentage analysis based on number of comments received, and that is what told the story. Ordered and Received these headsets and immediately put them to the test, recording a few You Tube instructional videos and holding a 'test' webinar meeting. These headsets are light, and not too tight on my head, have a volume control, and a mute button on the cord, and a very long cord from computer USB plug to headset, allowing me to sit, stand, etc. Recording is very clear, shutting out exterior noise.
These headsets from a. This is the second USB mic I have tried and I like this one a lot. It simple to install depending upon what software you are using. I like the sound quality the best! The first mic I tried didn’t work. The sound was very scratchy and sound unprofessional.
This Microphone is great. The sound is clear and I don’t hear any glitching or scratchy sounds in the background. This is great for studio style recordings. It’s great at isolating the sounds from the main source and separating them from any background noise. I’m a singer and it picks up the dynamics in my voice really well.
It is not like being in a studio of course but it’s great for at home recordings or for doing podcasts or just skyping. I like the little tripod it comes with as it makes it easy to set up and to put. This product was easy to setup and is easy to use. I use this in my college classes. My professor wears the Mic and the people captioning can hear them very clearly with no issues. Occasionally the audio goes out, but it is only for a second. There are a number of things that could be causing that though.
I even had one of the captionist ask me what device I was using so she could recommend it to another client because it works so well. In case some of what I said seems foreign to some, I am hearing impaired and I have someone that captions the lectures I my college classes. That being said, this device can be used for many other things as well. I use this twice a week for 8 hours a day, and have only had to change the batteries 4 times since August 2017.
If you use a speech recognition program such as Nuance's ( ) or the new to dictate to your Mac, you may be using the default headset provided with the software, or you may have picked up some other kind of microphone to use for dictation. While the headset that Nuance includes with Dragon Dictate is acceptable, if you want to get better accuracy and use a comfortable microphone for speech recognition, it's worth looking at the many different types of mics available. Here's an overview of the different types of microphones you can use with speech recognition software, how they work, and what might be the best mic for the way you work.
Three types of microphones There are three types of microphones that you can use with speech recognition software. The most common type of microphone is a USB headset. Nuance includes one of these with boxed versions of Dragon Dictate.
While the headset they provide is acceptable, there are many headsets that are much better. The second type of microphone is wireless.
There are two technologies for wireless: Bluetooth. Each offer different advantages and disadvantages. Finally, you can use a desktop microphone, which allows you to work without wires or without wearing the mic.
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(Technically, you can use your Mac's internal microphone, or the one in your monitor if you use an Apple display, but this won't give you the best results with speech recognition software.) Good headsets may cost more than the actual speech recognition software you use, but if you plan to spend a lot of time dictating, the amount of time you save using speech recognition software ensures that this investment will pay for itself very quickly. Wired headsets: Basic tool for talking to a computer Headsets are the most common type of microphone that people use to talk to a computer. You may be using a headset now to talk to friends or family via iChat or Skype, so using one for dictation won't seem very different.
However, the type of headset you use to chat over the Internet is not at all what you need for speech recognition software. First, consider the pros and cons of using a headset.
On the plus side, headsets offer very good accuracy—speech recognition software will get more words right because the microphone connected to a headset is generally in a good position. On the other hand, headsets can be annoying to wear; they mess up your hair, and if you wear glasses, headsets press them against your head, and the wires that tether you to your computer can prevent you from moving around. UmeVoice theBoom CSpeech recognition software is very sensitive to the quality of the voice the microphone pipes into your computer.
This sound quality depends on the ambient noise in the environment in which you dictate. For this reason, headsets designed for speech recognition include noise canceling features that eliminate noises around you—be they the voices of your coworkers, the sounds of cars coming from an open window, or phones ringing in nearby offices. For this reason, you cannot use just any headset for speech recognition. While Dragon Dictate may offer good accuracy with a cheap headset, you'll be spending a lot of time correcting mistakes, and it would probably be more efficient to type rather than dictate.
If you plan to do any serious dictation, you should look for headsets that are specifically designed for speech recognition. The $100 Plantronics is an interesting wired USB headset, with two separate earpieces that are connected together by wires, but that you can only wear using over–the–ear adapters. You can either use both of them if you want stereo sound, or just the one with the microphone boom if you're doing basic dictation or VoIP calls. This microphone is very light, and, in spite of of the fact that you have to wear it over your ear, is fairly comfortable. It also contains an in-line control device, allowing you to change the volume or mute the microphone whenever you want. However, while the accuracy is very good, there is a slight hiss in the earpiece, and a slight echo as my voice seems to come through the earpiece.
One company that makes headsets especially for speech recognition and use in noisy environments is from UmeVoice. This $150 headset provides excellent accuracy, in part because it has a very long boom, the part of the headset that sticks out in front of your mouth with the actual microphone at its tip. While many headsets have a boom that positions the microphone near the corner of your mouth, headsets from theBoom have extra long booms, so the microphone is almost directly in front of your mouth. This headset offers excellent accuracy, but I found it to be one of the most uncomfortable headsets I have ever worn: it is hard plastic, and the shape doesn't fit well on my head. If you plan to use this type of headset, you should try it on first to see if you think you can wear it for a long time. There are plenty of other headsets designed for speech recognition, and if you wish to use a wired headset, it's worth looking around to see which models are available.
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Wireless headsets: Untether yourself While wired headsets offer excellent accuracy, they keep you tied to your computer. That long, sinuous cable, that gets tangled whenever you reach for something at the far corner of your desk or knocks over your coffee cup, can be an annoyance.
In addition, some people like to move around while they dictate; I like to stand up, pace in my office, and have nothing forcing me to remain seated at my desk. After all, one of the reasons to use dictation software is so you don't have to keep your hands on your keyboard. Plantronics Savi 440As I mentioned previously, there are two types of wireless technology: Bluetooth and DECT. The former is commonly used for those tiny earpieces that people use with cell phones. Because of the way Bluetooth works and the way Bluetooth earpieces are designed, they don't offer good accuracy with speech recognition software.
The frequency range of Bluetooth is somewhat limited, and Bluetooth earpieces are very short and their booms don't reach anywhere near the corner of your mouth. When I tested the Plantronics Voyager, a Bluetooth earpiece that Nuance used to provide with Dragon Dictate (Nuance now offers the Plantronics ), the sound quality was poor and there was interference coming into my ear. On the other hand, DECT technology offers clear advantages for use with speech recognition software.
Plantronics' $280, a DECT headset, offers wideband audio, an extended frequency range, and a noise canceling microphone to provide much better quality audio than Bluetooth devices. In addition, DECT technology offers superior range than Bluetooth.
You probably won't dictate 100 feet from your Mac, but you could with this headset; Bluetooth, however, is limited to around 30 feet, and even then, the reception isn't ideal. This headset also offers three different ways to wear it: a standard, over–the–head headband, with a cushion on the earpiece; a behind–the–neck headband; and an over–the–ear earpiece. I found the latter to be uncomfortable, and the behind–the–neck headband pressed against my glasses, causing irritation. In the end, the standard over–the–head headband turned out to be the most comfortable, and this microphone is so light that I barely notice it. While accuracy is very good with this microphone, it is slightly inferior to a standard wired headset that has a boom closer to the front of the mouth.
The Savi 440 is well-designed, however, with a longer boom than what you are used to seeing on a wireless earpiece; the boom almost reaches the corner of my mouth. Since the quality of the microphone itself is so good, this is an excellent microphone for speech recognition in a quiet environment. Desktop microphones: Comfort and freedom If you don't want to wear a mic, then a desktop microphone might be for you.
The major disadvantages to a desktop mic is that it needs to be more or less in front of your mouth, and if you turn your head or stand up, recognition will suffer. But you are free from wires and annoying devices that mess up your hair, press against your glasses, or irritate your ears. SpeechWare USB 3-in-1 TableMikeI tried several desktop microphones, and two models stood out. Blue Microphones' $150 is a very large, old-fashioned type of microphone, which is designed for making recordings on a computer. While not specifically designed for speech recognition, the Yeti offers excellent sound quality and works quite well with Dragon Dictate. If you choose the cardioid setting, the mic picks up sound in front rather than all around it, ensuring that background noise from behind the microphone is not picked up. In my tests, the Yeti offered very good accuracy, but given the size of the microphone, it can get in the way.
If you plan to do other types of recordings in addition to dictation (such as podcasts), this is an excellent microphone that will allow you to do both. For a desktop microphone that is both accurate and doesn't get in the way, SpeechWare's $279 is certainly one of the best available. With wideband audio and noise cancellation, this microphone is designed specifically for speech recognition, and you can set it on your desk with the tip of the microphone more than a foot from your mouth and get excellent accuracy. The standard version of this microphone comes with a 15-inch flexible boom; I found this to be just a bit too short, requiring the microphone's base to be too close to my keyboard. The company also offers an optional telescopic boom that extends to 19 inches; I found this length to be ideal, allowing me to move the base just far enough away for it to be practical on my desk. The disadvantage to desktop microphones is that there is a sweet spot for getting good recognition.
You can turn your head a bit, and it will still work very well, but if you want to slide over to the side of your desk, or turn to the side to look at something, say, on a table next to your desk, then you either have to move the microphone or turn back to dictate. The best microphone for you In this overview, I have discussed the three different types of microphones that work well with speech recognition software. Each user will have different needs and imperatives, and you should consider these carefully before investing in an expensive microphone.
Ideally, you should make sure that you can return your purchase if it doesn't suit you. For me, wearing a headset is an annoyance. Being tied to my computer by a wire is exactly what I don't want if I'm using speech recognition software to dictate to my Mac. However, I work in a home office with little background noise.
If you work in a busy office with lots of people chattering and phones ringing around you, you may need a headset because the position of the microphone boom in front of your mouth will ensure that the noise canceling blocks out all that ambient sound. Wireless microphones are wonderful, especially the Plantronics Savi 440 that I tested, but since they work on batteries, you have to make sure that they stay charged. (The Savi 440 has a charging base, and you can buy additional batteries to switch when you need.) Some of them can be very uncomfortable, especially if they just hook over your ear. Wearing them for long periods of time can be annoying.
The epiphany that I had when testing all these microphones was discovering that a good desktop microphone such as the TableMike offers numerous advantages. The accuracy of this microphone, even at a distance of around 12 inches from my mouth, is as good as any headset; in a quiet environment, even 18 inches is fine.
Also, with this microphone on my desk, I don't need to reach for a headset and put it on my head if I only want to dictate a paragraph or two, such as to reply to an email. I can keep the mic handy, with its flexible boom in a vertical position, then, if I want to dictate something, bend the boom, activate the microphone in Dragon Dictate, and start talking. This microphone is even good enough that I can lean back in my chair and dictate in a comfortable position; I'm not locked into a rigid position as with other desktop microphones. There are literally hundreds of microphones that you can use speech recognition. They fit into the three families have described here, and prices range from $50 to several hundred dollars. Given the difference in quality among these microphones, you definitely get what you pay for. If you plan to use dictation software frequently, you should seriously think of investing in a good microphone.
Senior contributor Kirk McElhearn writes about more than just Macs on his blog. Twitter: Kirk is the author of.
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