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headset
If the microphone has an attached headphone, then it is called a headset. If it has no microphone it is called headphones. In
PC (Personal Computer)
s, nearly these are nearly always integrated. You can spend an incredible range on a
headset for your PC. Even with a simple PC, it is possible to
record voice or music and prepare to play on the Internet or as part of your own
computer programs. You can also use it for speech to text Dragon Naturally Speaking or hand-free control of your
computer. There are two major problems to solve:
Sound quality
Compressing the sound to conserve storage and band width
If you don’t compress, your audience will give up waiting for all but the
shortest of clips.
To get decent sound quality you need three things:
A high-quality microphone. Count on spending
up. For speech-to-text, a mono headset
with only one ear covered will suffice. For listening to music or web
presentations, you will want a stereo headset.
A low-noise sound card microphone or aux-in hookup. This might be an external
USB (Universal Serial Bus)
POD (Persistent Object Database), or a sound card with
a front mounted jack, that is shielded from all the other RF-noisy computer
components in the rear of the computer or near the monitor. The mike may plug
straight to the sound card, or via your stereo or other amp.
An appropriate sampling rate. 8-bit8 kHz is what you might get from a telephone. 16-bit48 kHz is
CD (Compact Disc)
quality.
You will need some recording an editing software such as GoldWave. The Recorder that comes with Windows is just
a toy, mainly useful for testing your hardware is working.
You then need software to compress without too much quality loss to a popular WEB
format such as Mp3, Silverlight or RealAudio.
For streaming audio, you may need a special server. Even when compressed, audio is
very bulky taking up many times the storage or bandwidth of the equivalent
transcripts. If you are not careful, using it will soon bankrupt you with the
Internet fees for broadcasting it.
Doing live Internet Radio broadcasts is considerably more difficult. You have to
do all this, especially the compression, in real time.
Desirable microphone features include:
Noise cancelling. Electronics measure background noise and generate a negative
noise signal added to your voice signal to cancel out background noise. You
definitely want noise cancelling in the microphone. You may also want it in the
headphone.
A POD. The electronics to convert the analog to digital
fit in a little box that sit on your desk. Only a digital signal goes into your
PC, usually via a USB. The idea
is to keep the delicate analog signal away from the electrically noisy desktop
case. Only the robust digital signal goes into it. This gets rid of hum and other
jittery computer electrical noise. Nuance, the makers of Dragon Naturally Speaking posts a list of high
quality microphones with a rating of how good they are for speech to text.
If it has minijacks, you can use an adapter to also plug them into your stereo.
You plug the earphone jack in and leave the microphone jack unconnected. The single
microjack pin has both signal and ground connectors.
Low impedance, <60Ω, especially if you plan to use a long cord.
Microphone mounted on a headset in such a way you can precisely position the
microphone without it wiggling away from where you put it.
If you get an analog headset, make sure the connectors are compatible with your
computer. PCs (Personal Computers)
typically want a separate mike and headphone 3.5 mm connector.
Wireless. This is rare since continuous use rapidly exhausts batteries. The
problem is the batteries run out after about 3 hours. The
wider the range, the faster they wear out.
You want a wide frequency range in both microphone and headphones. The lower
the first number, the better the bass. The higher the second number the clearer
high frequency sounds like s will be.
If you buy buy 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound, pretty well the only thing that can
generate surround sound is games. Don’t expect it from videos and
DVDs (Digital Video Discs).
Headphones or Headset?
Advantages of a Headset
The headset holds the microphone in place right in front of your mouth no matter where you turn your head.
The headset holds the microphone close to your mouth, which lets the noise canceling logic easily tell your voice apart from background noise.
USB port will attach to a laptop that does not have the necessary analog jacks.
USB port is immune to electrical hum emanating from the computer.
Disadvantages of a Headset
If the microphone breaks off from the headset, you must buy a whole new unit.
Advantages of a Separate Headphone/Microphone
For the same dollars, you can get better quality equipment.
If you make a video, you don’t have to look like a geek wearing a headset.
You can spend your dollars where you need the extra quality, on the microphone or the headphones.
Disadvantages of a Separate Headphone/Microphone
You must hold your head steady, pointed at and close to the microphone. You can’t turn your head to look at parts of the screen.
You need some way to mount the microphone close to your mouth.
Unless you spend a lot of money, your headset will be fragile. You will be lucky if
it lasts a year. The really rugged headsets are called aviation headsets,
but they cost about $1000.
The are many specialised online headset stores. When you have decided on a model,
Google to check out who is carrying it at what price and shipping. e.g.
Headphones come in two designs: open and closed. With open ones, other people can hear whan you are listening
to. With closed ones they cannot. Open ones give a more realistic sound.
USB
Should you pick a USB connector or a traditional mini-jack connector?
Advantage of USB Headsets
USB lets you have more than two channels, e.g. 5.1 or 6.1.
USB handles the microphone with the same connector.
USB does not use the delicate mini-jacks which easily break.
USB avoids routing analog signals inside your computer where they are subject
to contamination with AC (Alternating Current) hum. This is important for clean signals for Dragon
Naturally Speaking.
Easier to set up. All you do is plug in the cord to a USB port.
There is no mandatory configuring.
Disadvantage of USB Headsets
You cannot use them on your stereo, cellphone or tablet.
Very high quality headphones do not use USB.
Headset vs Headphone + Microphone
If you are mainly interested in Dragon Naturally Speaking, the quality of the
headphones does not matter. What matters is the quality of the microphone. For noise
cancelling microphones used with Dragon, the microphone must be as close to your
mouth as possible, in other words, you need an integrated headset.
If your interest is making podcasts, you probably want a separate microphone, so
viewers can see you head unencumbered.
If your interest is gaming where you speak, you will want an integrated gaming
headset.
If your interest is listening to music and videos, you want a separate headphone
engineered for comfort and high fidelity. It will be hum-free if you use a
USB
port rather than the analog jacks.
If you want to talk on the phone hands-free, you probably want a monaural,
noise-cancelling, wireless headset, specially designed to interface with
telephones.
You have to decide if you want to be responsive to sounds around you or if you
want to block them out with over-the-ear and noise-cancelling headphones.
Wireless lets you get up and walk around, but only get about 4 hours per charge. DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telephony)
is the standard that lets the wireless headset talk to the base.
Caveat
Hackers can surreptitiously turn on your microphone and spy on you. To defeat them you must disconnect
your microphone.
Shopping for a Headset
These headsets are in ascending order by list price. This approximates the order
of street price.
$2.20
electronic link to Syba SD-CM-UAUD Analog to USB Adapter
recommend electronic⇒Syba SD-CM-UAUD Analog to USB Adapter
asin
B001MSS6CS
It lets you inexpensively turn any headset with minijacks into a digital USB headset.
Online electronic stores carrying Syba SD-CM-UAUD Analog to USB Adapter
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$23.81
electronic link to Koss SB40 Computer Headset
recommend electronic⇒Koss SB40 Computer Headset
asin
B00005ML7T
non-USB headset, Minijacks, microphone noise-canceling, but headaphones are not noise-cancelling. Not certified for use with Dragon Naturally Speaking. Earphones: an impresive 20 Hz — 20 kHz. The microphone frequency range is not specified and it is low quality. Specs.
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$38.59
electronic link to Andrea Headset NC-185VM USB
recommend electronic⇒Andrea Headset NC-185VM USB
asin
B003LY5RCS
USB headset. Rated 6 dragons by Dragon Naturally Speaking. Noise-canceling microphone. Stereo headphones. Frequency response of microphone and headphones not divulged. There are two cheaper variants without the USB. Specs.
Online electronic stores carrying Andrea Headset NC-185VM USB
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$38.95
electronic link to Logitech - H390 USB Headset w/Noise-Canceling Microphone 981000014 (DMi EA
recommend electronic⇒Logitech - H390 USB Headset w/Noise-Canceling Microphone 981000014 (DMi EA
asin
B00N3AZJ3W
This a very delicate headset. Mine broke within weeks. It uses a bare delicate wire inside the headband to route the sound to the right earpiece. I would not recommend it. It has a volume control that has a mind of its own, and turns the volume up and down when it rubs against your body. Frequency response: Headset: 20 Hz—20 kHz. Microphone: 100 Hz—10 kHz. specs.
Online electronic stores carrying Logitech - H390 USB Headset w/Noise-Canceling Microphone 981000014 (DMi EA
Model HT-SHK002ECBL, non-USB. Black with red trim, Also comes in white and red and blue and orange. Reputed to be more rugged that usual. Not certified for use with Dragon Naturally Speaking. Headphones: 20 — 20,000 Hz. Microphone: 100 — 10,000 Hz. Very good for the price. Noise canceling microphone. Amazon sells it under four different ASINs and four different prices. Oddly, the more expensive TT-HT-SHO001EC has less impressive specs. Specs.
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$55.49
electronic link to ROCCAT Kulo 7.1 USB Virtual Gaming Headset
recommend electronic⇒ROCCAT Kulo 7.1 USB Virtual Gaming Headset
asin
B0071JXE4M
7.1 surround sound and noise-canceling microphone. Headphone: 20 — 20,000 Hz. Microphone 70 — 15,000 Hz. Connects with single USB connector. Connector contains an external 7.1 sound card. Steel reinforced head band. Stats.
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$62.34
electronic link to Sennheiser PC 36 USB Stereo Headset
recommend electronic⇒Sennheiser PC 36 USB Stereo Headset
asin
B001SN8QJ0
USB headset with earphones and noise-canceling microphone. Microphone: 80 Hz — 15 kHz. Earphones: 40 Hz — 18 kHz. Not particularly impressive bass. Not certified for use with Dragon Naturally Speaking. Very light weight. I suspect it is near its end of product life. It is rarely stocked. Specs.
Online electronic stores carrying Sennheiser PC 36 USB Stereo Headset
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$69.99
electronic link to Corsair Dolby 7.1 USB Gaming Headset
recommend electronic⇒Corsair Dolby 7.1 USB Gaming Headset
asin
B005QUQP7G
Corsair CA-9011112-WW Vengeance 1500 Dolby 7.1 USB Gaming Headset, USB headset with earphones and noise-canceling microphone. Not certified for use with Dragon Naturally Speaking. Microphone: 100 Hz — 10 kHz. Weak at low frequencies. Earphones: 20 Hz — 10 kHz. specs.
Online electronic stores carrying Corsair Dolby 7.1 USB Gaming Headset
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$82.00
electronic link to Beyerdynamic MMX 2 PC Gaming Multimedia Digital Headset with Microphone
recommend electronic⇒Beyerdynamic MMX 2 PC Gaming Multimedia Digital Headset with Microphone
asin
B001BYOY42
Little brother to the Cadillac of headsets. USB connection, stereo. Headphone frequency 18 — 22,000 Hz. Noise-cancelling microphone. closed. Over-ear. Frequency 50 — 18,000 Hz. Specs. If you shop around, you can get it at quite a discount.
Online electronic stores carrying Beyerdynamic MMX 2 PC Gaming Multimedia Digital Headset with Microphone
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$91.99
electronic link to Razer Kraken 7.1 Chroma Sound USB Gaming Headset
recommend electronic⇒Razer Kraken 7.1 Chroma Sound USB Gaming Headset
asin
B00MTWV0RO
7.1 USB surround sound. Very good digital mike that lights up when it is operating. All plastic construction, so is not as durable as it looks. The cord is braided which generates noise when it rubs over your clothes. specs.
USB, 7.1, comes with interchangeable three types of jacks and 5 cables. Headphone frequency response: 10 — 28000Hz. Microphone frequency response: 50 — 16000 Hz. noise cancelling microphone. Specs. This is what I used myself. There are surprisingly few models to choose from with USB. I need it for Dragon Naturally Speaking. I did not really want the 7.1, but the rugged look, the ruggedness attested to in reviews and the cool orange trim all weighed in. The multiple jacks mean I will be able to use it both with my computer and for home entertainment.
The left and right cupts are not labeled. You can tell them apart because the mike is on the left. You must download the drivers. They do not automatically install as USB since you may need either Mac or PC drivers. It covers your ears and blocks outmost ambient sound. The disadvantage is you can’t hear keyboard clicks or mouse clicks. They make your ears uncomfortably warm. The cables are covered in retro cloth rather than the usual rubbery plastic. The connectors come apart rather too easily. You must connect the cables carefully arrow to arrow. It is not just a matter of matching plugs. Thankfully, the cord that goes under my desk is a distinctive black with orange dots so I can easily tell it apart from the other jungles of wires. I use the properties/advanced option in the task bar volume control to perform a sound check which helps tell when I have them snug again. The plugs don’t have embossing to tell you which way the mike mute is off and on. They could have used a slashed circle or a broken bar, or 0 and 1. The mike mute switch is an orange/black slider. They also don’t tell you which way is louder/softer. The instruction book devotes a page to this, but does it in such a way you still can’t tell. You figure this out eventually, but it is a hassle during install.(Louder is rotating toward the headset.)
The sound is clear. I got it at CanadaComputers.com at considerably less than the Amazon price. Listening to DVDs with the headsets is great fun. The sound seems to come from all around and feel so real I often think it must be sound in the room. There so much extra going on in the sound that I missed listening through speakers
However, I would not recommend this headset for several reasons:
I could never get the microphone to work.
The connectors are flimsy and pull apart with the least pressure. Two little tongues touch. There is nothing to control which tongue goes on top. There is nothing to press the tongues together.
The connector on the headset gradually became harder and harder to insert, then failed altogether. It looks at though a mounting inside the headset broke. I will have to send it back to the factory for repair. It is too much bother for a product improperly designed.
For the headphones to work, four connections must be snug. It is bit like getting old fashioned serial Christmas tree lights to work. They come apart rather too easily and the headphones stop working. Every time I went to use the headset it had stopped working. I had to fiddle with the connectors to get it working again.
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$99.95
electronic link to Razer Electra Headset
recommend electronic⇒Razer Electra Headset
asin
B005HMCCNE
This product is not in stock at any of the Amazon stores. Model RZ04-00700100-R3U1. This is a non-USB headset with noise-canceling microphone. Not certified for use with Dragon Naturally Speaking. I included it because of the fun colour and because it looks unusually comfortable. Headphone: 25 Hz — 16 KHz. Microphone 100 Hz — 10 KHz. Has a retractable microphone. I am nervous of that for Dragon. You need precise placement of the microphone for optimal noise canceling. Specs.
USB. Frequency response: 18 — 28,000 Hz. Jack: 3.5 mm, no USB. Simple stereo. Microphone frequency response: 50 — 16,000 Hz. No noise cancelling. Comes in eight colours, plus yellow at extra cost. The weak point looks like the two wires holding the head band on. specs. Even though it is discontinued, it is still widely available, often deeply discounted.
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$101.49
electronic link to Sennheiser SC 260 USB Headset
recommend electronic⇒Sennheiser SC 260 USB Headset
asin
B007H24NPM
USB headset. Rated 6 dragons by Dragon Naturally Speaking. Noise-canceling microphone. Stereo headphones. Microphone: 150-6,800 Hz. Headphone: 150-6,800 Hz. This is not very impressive frequency response. It is intended for voice not music. HeadSetDepot sells them at a considerable discount. Sennheiser no longer posts the specs on its website.
Online electronic stores carrying Sennheiser SC 260 USB Headset
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$104.39
electronic link to Sennheiser PC 330 Game Headset
recommend electronic⇒Sennheiser PC 330 Game Headset
asin
B003DA4D34
non-USB headset with earphones and noise-canceling microphone. Not certified for use with Dragon Naturally Speaking. Microphone: 70 Hz — 15 kHz. Earphones: 14 Hz — 22 kHz. Specs.
Online electronic stores carrying Sennheiser PC 330 Game Headset
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$129.00
electronic link to Logitech Digital Precision PC Gaming Headset
recommend electronic⇒Logitech Digital Precision PC Gaming Headset
asin
B000RVD89M
USB headset with earphones and noise-canceling microphone. This is what I bought myself. It was not my first choice, just the best I could find at local retailers.
Nice crisp sound. No background hum or hiss. They were so quiet at first I thought they were not working.
Noise canceling microphone that works extremely well. When I recorded, I heard dead silence whenever I was not speaking.
Long 10 foot cord.
Nice cushiony grip on the ears with an open gap at the top for air circulation.
Does not need a driver. It uses the built-it Microsoft driver. You just plug it in and go. It was even easier to get going than an analog headset.
Behind-the-head grip is just as idiotic as it looks. It squeezes your head uncomfortably and keeps slipping down. The band should be on top.
Not truly digital. They are analog headphones with a separate digital USB adapter. The signal is analog for 3 meters(10 feet) or more then digital for the last 10 cm(4 inches) This defeats the point of digital. I suppose a purist could insert a USB extension cord to get the analog part further away from the electrically noisy computer box. However, they are substantially lower noise than conventional headphones where the analog signal has to wend its way inside the computer near all manner of noise sources.
You can’t adjust the microphone directly in front of your mouth. It is always way off to the side.
There is no noise-cancellation in the earphones.
There is yet another volume control to fiddle with on the cord. I wish volume were controlled in one place only!
Not certified for use with Dragon Naturally Speaking.
The left and right sides are not labeled.
They are very delicate. After being dropped on a carpet just once, they fell apart and would never stay assembled again. Further, the left sound or both would cut out if I did not hold the cord just so. They are very flimsy construction. I would not recommend them for this reason.
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$139.45
electronic link to Jabra PRO 930 UC Headset
recommend electronic⇒Jabra PRO 930 UC Headset
asin
B006GOG1FC
Wireless. Only one earpiece. Rated 6 dragons by Dragon Naturally Speaking. Frequency ranges not specified other that headphone high end 6,800 Hz. Connects via BlueTooth or DECT (you must specify which at purchase) Specs.
Online electronic stores carrying Jabra PRO 930 UC Headset
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$159.98
electronic link to Sennheiser PC 363D High Performance Surround Sound Gaming Headset
recommend electronic⇒Sennheiser PC 363D High Performance Surround Sound Gaming Headset
asin
B008O515CK
7.1 surround, USB connector. Good reputation for durability. There are are pure stereo models with and without USB. Microphone 50 — 16000 Hz. Headphones 15 — 28000 Hz. specs. Usually sold at a discount.
Online electronic stores carrying Sennheiser PC 363D High Performance Surround Sound Gaming Headset
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$164.00
electronic link to SteelSeries Diablo III USB Gaming Headset
recommend electronic⇒SteelSeries Diablo III USB Gaming Headset
asin
B005L38SGY
I included this headset because it looks rugged though I have seen mixed reviews on durability. USB. It has some very impressive frequency specs. Headphones: Frequency response: 18 — 28,000 Hz. Microphone: 50 — 16,000 Hz. Not certified for use with Dragon Naturally Speaking. The kid in me was impressed by the way the earphones glow and optionally pulse red — for no purpose at all other than to look sexy. Has a retractable microphone. I am nervous of that for Dragon. You need precise placement of the microphone for optimal noise canceling. The microphone is noise-canceling, but the headphones are not, though they are padded and cover the ears. Specs.
Online electronic stores carrying SteelSeries Diablo III USB Gaming Headset
USB, 5.1 surround sound and non-noise canceling microphone. Headphone: 20 — 20,000 Hz. Microphone 20 — 15,000 Hz. Connects with USB plus 4 jacks. Does not use S/PDIF. Not certified for use with Dragon Naturally Speaking.Spec.
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$279.00
electronic link to Beyerdynamic MMX 300 715565 PC Gaming Premium Digital Headset
recommend electronic⇒Beyerdynamic MMX 300 715565 PC Gaming Premium Digital Headset
asin
B001BYMZ5W
High end gaming USB headset. 7.1 surround sound. It is wired. There is an extra-cost wireless version. Headphone: 5 Hz — 30,000 Hz. Microphone 30 — 18,000 Hz. Works with an external USB sound card. Extremely soft ear cups.Specs.
Online electronic stores carrying Beyerdynamic MMX 300 715565 PC Gaming Premium Digital Headset
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock
$299.00
electronic link to David Clark H10-13H Headset
recommend electronic⇒David Clark H10-13H Headset
asin
B003JY2VN8
Designed for use in helicopters. Super noise suppression. earphone 200 Hz — 5,500 Hz (quite narrow). mike 200Hz — 5,500 Hz. Separate phone plugs for mike and earphones. No USB. Specs.
Online electronic stores carrying David Clark H10-13H Headset
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headset
