Whether for your desk phone, computer soft phone, videoconferencing, or your smart phone, an external headset is often worth the cost vs using the built-in mic and/or speaker if you are using them regularly. Besides the obvious advantage of being hands-free, headsets have a few other benefits:


  • They usually have great directional microphones specifically for speaking instead of condenser microphones that pick up a lot of outside noise. We strongly recommend a "boom" mic, or one that comes near your mouth instead of the tiny ones that stay near your ear like AirPods.
  • There is less opportunity for feedback, and they sound far more natural for both/all parties.


We often recommend you go to Walmart, Office Depot, Best Buy, etc to see some options in person rather than just order on Amazon, because there are many options, and audio quality, charging type, comfort/fit, battery life, distance/range and ease of return are all important things to consider.  You can spend $25 on a headset (not typically recommended) or all the way up to $250+ on a headset (which can be worth it if you are on the phone or video conferences constantly).


Caveats:


  • While it is certainly possible to purchase a wired headset, for most situations a wireless headset is not much more expensive, and it provides a lot of flexibility to be able to use with multiple devices.
  • Most new-ish computers have Bluetooth built-in, but please double-check to make sure that your laptop supports Bluetooth without an external adapter before you buy one.  The more expensive headsets come with the Bluetooth adapter for a laptop.
  • If you are intending to use your headset with a desk phone, there is almost CERTAINLY an extra adapter required to make it Bluetooth capable.  Specifically, the Yealink T27 and T48 telephones that most of our customers use need a $25 BT41 Bluetooth adapter.  If you have a different phone, please contact us for assistance.
  • You'll see a lot of different versions of Bluetooth - 4, 5, LE, etc.  In general the only particular difference between these is the battery life and range.  They're typically all compatible with one another.  Bluetooth 5 is fairly new, and few host devices support it, but it will allow approximately 4x the range once it becomes standard.
  • Some models can pair with 2 devices (e.g. a smart phone and computer), so that you can use them for either, and/or switch seamlessly between listening to music and phone calls.
  • Some headsets come in single ear and dual ear models.  Dual ear models are great for tuning out all background noise, where single ear models make a lot more sense in an office where you need to switch back and forth between being on the phone and periodically talking with people in the office.
  • High end models may have functionality that allows you to pick up / mute / hold / hang up the phone just on the headset itself, so you don't have to be so tethered to a desk/computer.  Here are a couple of options: