Looking for Headset Recommendations

[Pwykersotz]

 

So I just had a kid, and I work from home in a small house. I need to reduce the noise as well as be active in my job which involves being on phone calls. I'd also like to use it for personal use for online D&D games and casual video/music listening. After a number of recommendations and articles, I bought the Sony WH-1000XM5's. I loved them audio and feature wise, but as soon as I tried to make a call, it was clear the mic wouldn't work nearly as well as my old USB Plantronics headset that is so old, I can't find a product page to link it. It seems like a physical microphone arm will be necessary. I am not in a position to have a desk mic though, I need one on my headset. It would probably be beneficial if the mic also had noise cancelling, but not strictly necessary. It should probably be noted, the mic will not be used for recording or streaming, I just need to be crystal clear and not muffled on voice calls.

 

I am not an audiophile, and I don't need amazing sound, just good sound. I will be using these for entertainment like movies or music in addition to conversations, but I don't play games where sound is important. $300-400 is the most I can justify for these. Shopping around, everyone has great claims, but I don't know how to parse which ones are accurate. Does anyone have any recommendations?

 

TL;DR - I need a headset with a great quality mic and active noise cancellation that can be worn comfortably for long periods. I don't need the best sound, average or better is fine. I can do wired or wireless. A desk mic is not an option currently.

[Aaron_T]

I have and use the Arctis Nova Pro wireless headset: https://steelseries.com/gaming-headsets/arctis-nova-pro-wireless-xbox-pc

Base station is slightly annoying to make space for, but also kind of fantastic for the spare battery and controls.

I use this headset on a PC tower and my work MacBook. Works great, sound is great and mic is good, noise cancelling is good.

Here is a pretty good comparison of high end headsets including the Arctis. 

Original Nova pro wireless review:
 

 

[Pwykersotz]

14 minutes ago, Aaron_T said:

I have and use the Arctis Nova Pro wireless headset: https://steelseries.com/gaming-headsets/arctis-nova-pro-wireless-xbox-pc

 

Does this headset require software to be running on the computer it's connected to in order to use the presets? Or do the presets apply on the headset level? I can't be installing any custom software on my work PC.

[Aaron_T]

5 minutes ago, Pwykersotz said:

 

Does this headset require software to be running on the computer it's connected to in order to use the presets? Or do the presets apply on the headset level? I can't be installing any custom software on my work PC.

Unfortunately the easiest way to tune the headset is through a companion app. However, you can tune the headset through the base station, which does not require any companion apps at all. It's just a small screen with limited controls and granularity.

That being said, for myself, I haven't really felt the need to adjust the audio profile for my work situation.

[Aaron_T]

if you visit the steel series page for the product and scroll down, there is a section about the base station that demos the look and feel of using the EQ on the base station.

[Pwykersotz]

One more question, how necessary is the DAC? Can the headset be used by itself for portability? I wouldn't expect that all the features would work this way, but can it do the basic functions of sound and mic? I assume ANC wouldn't work...

Edited August 17, 2023 by Pwykersotz
Edited for clarity

[saintlouisbagels]

22 minutes ago, Pwykersotz said:

One more question, how necessary is the DAC? Can the headset be used by itself for portability? I wouldn't expect that all the features would work this way, but can it do the basic functions of sound and mic? I assume ANC wouldn't work...

A USB headphone will have a DAC/amp built-in. This is because USB is a digital interface, so the digital information needs to converted to Analog so that you can hear things (DAC = digital analog converter) and the amplifier to bring the signal to a listenable volume.

 

If you're buying a headset with 3.5mm jacks, then your audio source will have built-in DAC/amps.

[Pwykersotz]

10 minutes ago, saintlouisbagels said:

A USB headphone will have a DAC/amp built-in. This is because USB is a digital interface, so the digital information needs to converted to Analog so that you can hear things (DAC = digital analog converter) and the amplifier to bring the signal to a listenable volume.

 

If you're buying a headset with 3.5mm jacks, then your audio source will have built-in DAC/amps.

Good to know, thank you!