Ultimate office headset

[Zinkar]

Hi.

 

I've been searching for the ultimate office headset, to no avail.

My key requirements:

• closed ear cups, extra comfort for long hours on calls,
• superb microphone quality,
• flip-to-mute microphone,
• wireless,
• ANC.

 

I am ready to resign from wireless and ANC, and even flip-to-mute. I don't want a microphone like arctis series.

I do not want any sennheiser, corsair, cooler master, asus and other sh* like this.

 

Wanted to purchase audio technica BHPS1, but don't want to have additional equipment to connect it to my laptop, gaming pc.

My budget is 300-350 USD.

 

Please, please help me!

[OfficialTechSpace]

I think the main issue you're facing is the failure to realize each of those things can be purchased individually. You can get a comfortable headphone that has good noise isolation, and then a microphone separately. There are no perfect combination all-in-ones, especially after adding that Wireless/ANC functionality. That search with all those filters will leave you with no results.

 

On paper a Drop + THX Panda plus its additional boom mic would be a perfect fit for the bill, BUT it ain't. D-tier headphone at a bad price, with reliability issues.

 

Just get a Shure SRH440A or SRH840, and an Antlion modmic. Any over-ear closed-back can should suffice in a typical office environment. Also, don't pay over $100-150 for a closed-back can in this day and age. It's a bad value, and the Shure's are right on on the outer boundary of what I'd consider feasible.

[ShearMe]

Plantronics makes headsets for call centers. Here's their over-ear product: https://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-Bluetooth-USB-Compatible-Dual-Mode/dp/B073YN75NM/

 

Generally though, a separate mic and headphone is the way to go for good audio.

[startrek03]

The Beyerdynamic DT 790s or MMX 300s are both headsets which are based on the DT 770s, which are basically an industry standard for closed back headphones. I don't know the big differences between, though, besides the fact they have different mics and are marketed to different groups of consumers.

Apart from that, there's always the option to slap a modmic onto any pair of headphone.

 

Edit: The DT 790 might need an amp and even plugs depending on where and how you buy them.

[cmndr]

You'll be hard pressed to get ALL of those all at once.

Sony XM5 seems decent. Flip to mute isn't applicable though, it uses an array of 8 small microphones for both ANC as well as voice.
This would require using mute on device.

[OfficialTechSpace]

1 hour ago, cmndr said:

Sony XM5 seems decent. Flip to mute isn't applicable though, it uses an array of 8 small microphones for both ANC as well as voice.

That's not even out yet... how're you really gonna sit here and try to recommend something NOBODY knows is even any good yet? If the previous generations are anything to go by, they won't be. Besides the chassis redesign, there's nothing to signify any significant change in a positive direction.

 

Even if they were okay, they're $50-100 over the OP's budget. I didn't know we're making recommendations based on ads now, I didn't get that notice. The official ad's only been out for 5 days.

[cmndr]

7 minutes ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

That's not even out yet... how're you really gonna sit here and try to recommend something NOBODY knows is even any good yet? If the previous generations are anything to go by, they won't be. Besides the chassis redesign, there's nothing to signify any significant change in a positive direction.

 

Even if they were okay, they're $50-100 over the OP's budget.

It's out in 2ish days. I expect you could literally walk into a Best Buy or similar Friday morning and walk out with a pair.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-wh-1000xm5-wireless-noise-canceling-over-the-ear-headphones-black/6505727.p?skuId=6505727&ref=NS&loc=101

It's out in 3 days. The XM3/XM4s have a good reputation for ANC and comfort. They do noise isolation well though the sound from the mic could be better. The XM5 seems to correct this.

Both MKBHD and LTT did reviews of it and reached similar conclusions.

 

If it ends up being troublesome, returns are a thing.
 

[OfficialTechSpace]

1 hour ago, cmndr said:

Both MKBHD and LTT did reviews of it and reached similar conclusions.

Neither of those people can be trusted to give a valid audio recommendation, they don't even understand the terminologies properly. Linus says things like the "The iMAC's speakers have an impressively wide soundstage" and MKBHD gives positive reviews to things like the Sennheiser HD820. A can widely renowned for how TERRIBLE it is, especially for the price. D-Tier headphone. Them and Unbox Therapy are all in the same bucket. No measurements, only subjective, inexperienced, and improperly formulated consumer-like opinions.

[cmndr]

1 hour ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

Neither of those people can be trusted to give a valid audio recommendation, they don't even understand the terminologies properly. Linus says things like the "The iMAC's speakers have an impressively wide soundstage" and MKBHD gives positive reviews to things like the Sennheiser HD820. A can widely renowned for how TERRIBLE it is, especially for the price. D-Tier headphone. Them and Unbox Therapy are all in the same bucket. No measurements, only subjective, inexperienced, and improperly formulated consumer-like opinions.

Who would you recommend for reviews on headsets where the primary use case is office work as opposed to critical listening (aka audiophiles)? I'm not holding MKBHD and LTT as the end all be all for audiophile/sound quality reviews. I merely cited them as I'd seen their reviews and they seemed on point when it came to assessing the ANC functionality and they made comparisons to the XM4 which I have personally found to work well for doing video calls in a corporate setting.


Also audio quality wasn't even mentioned as a primary purchasing factor.

This is to be a work device, not a critical listening device. The goal is presumably to not be annoyed, distracted or stressed by background noise, and to be able to take calls.

----

Judging your two recommendations...

excellent sound quality at price range - N/A part of OP's criteria (pass though)
closed ear cups, extra comfort for long hours on calls - Pass

superb microphone quality - FAIL

flip-to-mute microphone - FAIL

wireless - FAIL

ANC - FAIL

 

I acknowledge that the XM5 also fails on flip to mute. As stated in my first sentence in this thread, it's hard to get everything.

 

 

----

 

digging in a bit further - OP might want to look into some things from Jabra and Plantronics. These are NOT audiophile headsets. Their goal is seemingly good voice calls and ANC. A superficial search (I haven't read much into it, take with a grain of salt) shows the Jabra Evolve 75 checking most boxes.

[OfficialTechSpace]

16 minutes ago, cmndr said:

So you have criticisms...
Who do you propose? What are the reasons for your proposal?

I did state why, above. There's only really a few reviewers to even pay attention to in terms of audio, and that's:

 

Crinacle (In-Ear Fidelity)

Resolve (The Headphone Show / headphones.com)

Steve Guttenberg (The Audiophiliac)

Chris (Bad Guy Good Audio Reviews)

GoldenOne (GoldenSound)

Zeos Pantera (Z Reviews)

Joshua Valor (*self-titled)

DMS (*self-titled)

DS.audioreview (Digital Stereophony)

16 minutes ago, cmndr said:

Also audio quality wasn't even mentioned as a primary purchasing factor.

This is to be a work device, not a critical listening device. The goal is presumably to not be annoyed, distracted or stressed by background noise, and to be able to take calls.

So you recommend an untested $400 flagship headphone? You can get all of those things for a fraction of the price, and better. If sound quality wasn't a concern, then what's the justification for the $400 pricetag, despite it probably sounding like hot garbage? 

16 minutes ago, cmndr said:

excellent sound quality at price range - N/A part of OP's criteria (pass though)
closed ear cups, extra comfort for long hours on calls - Pass

superb microphone quality - FAIL

flip-to-mute microphone - FAIL

wireless - FAIL

ANC - FAIL

1) Definitely a pass, for a fraction of $400 also

2) Pass. Meeting the criteria of being closed-back and comfortable wasn't difficult

3) Actually a pass. You'd otherwise be claiming that the Antlion ModMic sounds worse than the untested integrated mics on the XM5. That was my recommendation.

4) OP stated, quote: "I am ready to resign from wireless and ANC, and even flip-to-mute." meaning it's fine if they don't have it. Plus, there's not a SINGLE headphone worth recommending that can do those things flawlessly yet.

[Zinkar]

Hey all and thanks for ideas.

Plantronics - I need to have a dedicated microphone, not inbuilt in  the earcup. I've had plantronics before but the open cup and as with my Jabras right now (company provided), microphone is decent but comfort is aweful.

 

Most headsets for call center are not closed backs and not comfy unfortunately. If I'm gonna pay extra for these, I want the comfort to be there

 

I will check Beyerdynamic DT790, for now I'll be testing the gaming version as it was more available and could get now.

 

In terms of a good headset + attachable mic - I really wanted to avoid this for added complexity of carrying 2 pieces of equipment instead of one.

For wireless requirement - I do like to walk around when on calls or even listening to music. I know there's no one-in-all headset yet (unfortunately), so ANC is the first to drop as a requirement, then there's wireless and flip-to-mute mic last - but that's something that I'd do very sadly as I've come to know that this feature is super duper awesome.

 

Thanks guys again!

[cmndr]

14 minutes ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

So you recommend an untested $400 flagship headphone? You can get all of those things for a fraction of the price, and better. If sound quality wasn't a concern, then what's the justification for the $400 pricetag, despite it probably sounding like hot garbage? 

I linked to tests.

 

14 minutes ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

You can get all of those things for a fraction of the price, and better. If sound quality wasn't a concern, then what's the justification for the $400 pricetag, despite it probably sounding like hot garbage? 

You did the equivalent of telling someone asking for a laptop for use during travel to buy a desktop computer.

You can't even use the Sures with a modern phone.

 

14 minutes ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

You can get all of those things for a fraction of the price, and better.

They have industry leading active noise cancellation. Which the Sures do not.

 

14 minutes ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

despite it probably sounding like hot garbage? 

It's good enough for a phone call. I can say confidently that my Sennheiser HD800s (MSRP $1600) sound better than my XM4s. I use them for different things. Hell I prefer my girlfriend's ATH-M50x headphones over XM4s in terms of sound quality.

Also you have no evidence of that being the case. There is counter evidence though.

With that said, I HAVE over-indexed on the value of ANC to OP. Given its lower weight OTHER choices matter more and that strikes of considerations like Bose Quiet Comfort, Apple Airpods Max.
 

 

[OfficialTechSpace]

18 minutes ago, cmndr said:

I linked to tests.

A first impressions video coming from non-audio reviewers is not a test.

18 minutes ago, cmndr said:

You did the equivalent of telling someone asking for a laptop for use during travel to buy a desktop computer.

I notified the OP that there exists no perfect all-in-one solution, then provided the next best alternative.

18 minutes ago, cmndr said:

You can't even use the Sures with a modern phone.

That's not true, they use a standard 3.5mm connector and are relatively easy to drive.

18 minutes ago, cmndr said:

They have industry leading active noise cancellation. Which the Sures do not.

That's straight from the ad, and still unproven. Untested, with no backing objective measurements. Unless you can show me a graph, that's heresy. Also, it's 'Shure', not sure.

18 minutes ago, cmndr said:

It's good enough for a phone call.

That's your justification for being $400?

18 minutes ago, cmndr said:

Also you have no evidence of that being the case.

More than you. I have measurements, which is more than you can say for an unreleased product.

 

 

*insert airhorn sound effects, and confetti* 

[Zinkar]

Hey guys that's a very fine discussion but I'm not interested in Sony, neither in a headset with integrated microphone (I had it tested on multiple pieces including Sony's XM4).

[Zinkar]

What about Shure BRH440 - https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/microphones/brh440mlc ?

 

Is there a cable that I could use to connect it to a PC/laptop or an adapter is needed for the XLR (I am indeed a super noob in audio world).

[OfficialTechSpace]

9 minutes ago, Zinkar said:

What about Shure BRH440 - https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/microphones/brh440mlc ?

I was unaware that headphone existed, it hasn't had much coverage. I'd assume it's pretty much an SRH440A but with a mic. If so, that's a decent catch if it can be snagged for under $200.

9 minutes ago, Zinkar said:

Is there a cable that I could use to connect it to a PC/laptop or an adapter is needed for the XLR (I am indeed a super noob in audio world).

It'd probably need an external audio interface, but those can be had for cheap. Maybe $40-$50 extra. But in that case, an Antlion ModMic might be the better investment because it won't require an interface.

[H713]

59 minutes ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

I did state why, above. There's only really a few reviewers to even pay attention to in terms of audio, and that's:

Crinacle (In-Ear Fidelity)

Resolve (The Headphone Show / headphones.com)

Steve Guttenberg (The Audiophiliac)

Chris (Bad Guy Good Audio Reviews)

GoldenOne (GoldenSound)

Zeos Pantera (Z Reviews)

Joshua Valor (*self-titled)

DMS (*self-titled)

DS.audioreview (Digital Stereophony)

 

Not going to point too many fingers, but there are a few "reviewers" on that list who I wouldn't trust any more than LTT / MKBHD.

[Spuriae]

If it were me, I'd probably just add a modmic wireless to a consumer ANC headphone (the Bose QC35 would be most applicable here since the modmic won't interfere with access to its physical buttons, though there are plenty of good alternatives). The QC35 is regularly available under $200, so this combination would be within budget.

 

This combination would fulfill all of the requirements.

[Alvin853]

Why is everyone recommending bluetooth headsets for an office environment? Bluetooth has terrible voice quality and in most cases a very noticable delay. Bluetooth is for listening to music or watching videos, media consumption, and maybe making a call every once in a while, but certainly not what I would be using as an office headset. If wireless is a requirement, go with a headset that comes with a DECT or 2.4GHz transmitter. I don't have any recommendations, as I'm using IEMs and a separate mic for voice calls, but I wouldn't want to use bluetooth, unless it's a $25 headset and I'm just looking for the cheapest possible solution. 

[IPD]

Carte blanche "I don't want Sennheiser".  Which you listed among a bunch of non-audiophile brands. 

Ok then.  I think the problem is you.

[Zinkar]

1 hour ago, IPD said:

Carte blanche "I don't want Sennheiser".  Which you listed among a bunch of non-audiophile brands. 

Ok then.  I think the problem is you.

Well, obviously I haven't tested ALL the headsets, but have tried Epos (I believe either partnered with or Sennheiser's brand) and the clamping force was causing my head to implode, while my lame sense were not amused of the both audio and microphone quality. Similarly (after attemps) have decided to remove such brands and their gaming products from the scope of my search.

[Zinkar]

1 hour ago, Alvin853 said:

Why is everyone recommending bluetooth headsets for an office environment? Bluetooth has terrible voice quality and in most cases a very noticable delay. Bluetooth is for listening to music or watching videos, media consumption, and maybe making a call every once in a while, but certainly not what I would be using as an office headset. If wireless is a requirement, go with a headset that comes with a DECT or 2.4GHz transmitter. I don't have any recommendations, as I'm using IEMs and a separate mic for voice calls, but I wouldn't want to use bluetooth, unless it's a $25 headset and I'm just looking for the cheapest possible solution. 

That's a fair point. Is there any reliable research whether DECT/2.4Ghz are still detrimental to wired ones ? I am considering staying with wired and resigning from the ability to just walk around with them.