Work from home - where's your headset?

Apr 19, 2021 misc
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Showdown: battle of the work from home headphones

Overview

Over the past few years, I’ve used a lot of work-from-home headphones. I’ve found myself at the point of a Goldilocks & 3 bears scenario a few times now; what headset is right for me?!

SPOILER Jump to Troy’s pick!

Notable Quotes

Sounds like listening through an old set of Sony headphones in the 90’s.

Most comfortable wearing headset, ever. I’ve owned the Bose QuietComfort QC 35 II - I never thought it’d get better, but it did.

Ranking Categories

  1. Comfort
  • Is it comfortable to wear after an hour? Is it comfortable to wear all day?
  • What is my ear temperature when wearing these? Does it effect my overall body temperature?
  1. Connectivity
  • What type of connectivity is there? Wired, Bluetooth, RF?
  • What is the connectivity like? Is it stable?
  • Is there a dongle?
  1. Sound
  • How does others perceive my sound on MS Teams?
  • How does music sound?
  • Is there ANC (Active Noise Cancellation)?
  • Is there an external boom mic?
  1. Cost
  • Is it worth the cost? (Subjective)
  • Is it easily obtainable? Is there public providers (such as Amazon, BHPhotoVideo, etc.)

Scale

The scale is 1-5 headphones:

  1. 🎧 WORST
  2. 🎧🎧
  3. 🎧🎧🎧
  4. 🎧🎧🎧🎧
  5. 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 BEST

Let’s get to the reviews!

Plantronics 3220 USB Type-A Corded Stereo UC Headset

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C3220

Comfort

  • Is it comfortable to wear after an hour? Is it comfortable to wear all day?

Foam padding makes it difficult to wear after long terms. Rating: 🎧🎧

  • What is my ear temperature when wearing these? Does it effect my overall body temperature?

Foam makes my ears happy. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

Connectivity

  • What type of connectivity is there? Wired, Bluetooth, RF?

Wired only, USB-A Rating: 🎧🎧

  • What is the connectivity like? Is it stable?

Connectivity is solid. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • Is there a dongle?

No, this garners 5 headphones. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

Sound

  • How does others perceive my sound on MS Teams?

Co-workers state that I sound pretty good, in and near the boom-mic. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • How does music sound?

Sounds like listening through an old set of Sony headphones in the 90’s. Rating: 🎧🎧

  • Is there ANC (Active Noise Cancellation)?

None out of the box - perhaps software may be able to provide that. Rating: 🎧

  • Is there an external boom mic?

Yes, folds down reliably. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

Cost

  • Is it worth the cost? (Subjective)

I think so, with a price tag of under $40.00 USD Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • Is it easily obtainable? Is there public providers (such as Amazon, BHPhotoVideo, etc.)

Yes, available at most providers. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

Overall

The Plantronics 3220 is a great starter set and works well for those that take occasional calls. It’s the one-step up from the integrated microphone in most laptops and an external boom-mic is always preferred.

Troy’s Rating: 🎧🎧🎧

Plantronics C5220T USB Type-A Corded Stereo Headset

Image

C3220

Comfort

  • Is it comfortable to wear after an hour? Is it comfortable to wear all day?

Leather padding improves the performance over lower-level Plantronics headsets. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧

  • What is my ear temperature when wearing these? Does it effect my overall body temperature?

Leather on-ear pads makes my ears hot. This makes it difficult to wear for long durations due to heat. Rating: 🎧🎧

Connectivity

  • What type of connectivity is there? Wired, Bluetooth, RF?

Wired only, USB-A Rating: 🎧🎧

  • What is the connectivity like? Is it stable?

Connectivity is solid. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • Is there a dongle?

No, this garners 5 headphones. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

Sound

  • How does others perceive my sound on MS Teams?

Co-workers state that I sound very good, voice is normalized and well-received. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • How does music sound?

Meh - these definitely have a calling.. and it’s not music. Rating: 🎧🎧

  • Is there ANC (Active Noise Cancellation)?

None out of the box - perhaps software may be able to provide that. Rating: 🎧🎧

  • Is there an external boom mic?

Yes, folds down reliably. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

Cost

  • Is it worth the cost? (Subjective)

At this price tag (around $80 USD) - find these on sale and you’re in for a bargain. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • Is it easily obtainable? Is there public providers (such as Amazon, BHPhotoVideo, etc.)

Yes, available at most providers. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

Overall

The Plantronics C5220T is a great daily driver for most work-from-home folks. If your ears are sensitive to ear-temperature, I’d be reluctant to any leather based ear padding. Otherwise, great voice input and output sound.

Troy’s Rating: 🎧🎧🎧½

Bose Smart Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

Comfort

  • Is it comfortable to wear after an hour? Is it comfortable to wear all day?

Most comfortable wearing headset, ever. I’ve owned the Bose QuietComfort QC 35 II - I never thought it’d get better, but it did.

Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • What is my ear temperature when wearing these? Does it effect my overall body temperature?

Low increase in temperature, very comfortable. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

Connectivity

  • What type of connectivity is there? Wired, Bluetooth, RF?

Bluetooth only, with the option for wired. Connectivity can vary and the Bose App (on your mobile device) controls the headphones. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧½

  • What is the connectivity like? Is it stable?

Connectivity is really mixed. Bluetooth can be a tumultuous protocol depending on the receiving system - I had mixed feelings as usual without a dedicated receiver. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • Is there a dongle?

No, not out of the box. You can buy a UC connector that costs a significant amount of money to ensure connections for unified communication - but is it worth it?! Rating: 🎧🎧🎧

Sound

  • How does others perceive my sound on MS Teams?

Co-workers state that I sound muddled, or like I am covering the external microphone (there is none). Rating: 🎧🎧½

  • How does music sound?

In my opinion, from someone who has owned Bose headphones prior (QC 35 II)’s - a great upgrade to the previous generation. I will reserve my 5 headphone review for another candidate in the bunch! Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧½

  • Is there ANC (Active Noise Cancellation)?

Yes - and par-none, the best in the market. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • Is there an external boom mic?

No, and it really effects the use of work from home usability for calls. Rating: 🎧🎧

Cost

  • Is it worth the cost? (Subjective)

Between $350-$400 USD - it is definitely priced in the higher-tier. Is it worth it in the realm of work from home headphones? No - use these for other activities. Rating: 🎧🎧

  • Is it easily obtainable? Is there public providers (such as Amazon, BHPhotoVideo, etc.)

Yes, available at most providers and very much local. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

Overall

The Bose 700’s are fantastic for travel, music and podcasts. What are they not so great at? Working from home where you are on calls regularly. The external mics (stated as 8 external mics!) lack and the side tone setting is wonky.

As much as it pains me - two headphones for the use of the Bose 700’s for work from home.

Troy’s Rating: 🎧🎧

Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones

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C3220

Comfort

  • Is it comfortable to wear after an hour? Is it comfortable to wear all day?

About as comfortable as the Bose 700’s. I can wear these all day, no issues.

Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • What is my ear temperature when wearing these? Does it effect my overall body temperature?

Low increase in temperature, very comfortable. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

Connectivity

  • What type of connectivity is there? Wired, Bluetooth, RF?

Bluetooth only, with the option for wired. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • What is the connectivity like? Is it stable?

Connectivity is mixed, much like the Bose. Bluetooth is driven by the Sony App on your phone and can include either single or dual connectivity options. I had issues at times with connectivity, but still worked pretty well. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • Is there a dongle?

No, not out of the box. There is not a Sony Bluetooth connector that I know of. Rating: 🎧🎧

Sound

  • How does others perceive my sound on MS Teams?

Co-workers state that I sound okay - they can hear me. They compare my sound to the level of me using my integrated microphone in my laptop. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧

  • How does music sound?

For music - these are my favorite (consumer grade) headphones. From low-bass to high treble, it is amazing the range of these headphones. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • Is there ANC (Active Noise Cancellation)?

Yes - they work extremely well. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧½

  • Is there an external boom mic?

No, and it really effects the use of work from home usability for calls. Rating: 🎧🎧½

Cost

  • Is it worth the cost? (Subjective)

These are generally priced higher than the Bose and do not go on sale as often. I’ve reduced its score by ½ to note this. Rating: 🎧½

  • Is it easily obtainable? Is there public providers (such as Amazon, BHPhotoVideo, etc.)

Yes, available at most providers and very much local. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

Overall

I still own the Sony XM4’s (unlike the Bose, which I returned) - which I’ve designated as the music & streaming designated headphones. They work fantastic for that, along with traveling once that returns. A costly expense but worth it for music listening and traveling.

Troy’s Rating: 🎧🎧½

Jabra Evolve 75 Bluetooth Headset

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C3220

Comfort

  • Is it comfortable to wear after an hour? Is it comfortable to wear all day?

I wear them daily, and I would rank them as one of them most comfortable pair!

Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧½

  • What is my ear temperature when wearing these? Does it effect my overall body temperature?

Low increase in temperature, very comfortable. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

Connectivity

  • What type of connectivity is there? Wired, Bluetooth, RF?

Bluetooth only, with the option for wired. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • What is the connectivity like? Is it stable?

Connectivity is extremely stable via the provided Jabra UC adapter. This makes integration and pairing very easy. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • Is there a dongle?

Yes - but in this case, it makes thing much easier. It is a seamless integration! Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

Sound

  • How does others perceive my sound on MS Teams?

Co-workers state that I sound nearly in-person. These were the last pair for me to try after countless headsets and they were the clear winner when it comes to communications. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • How does music sound?

Music sounds okay, not anything I would try to regularly listen to on a normal basis. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧

  • Is there ANC (Active Noise Cancellation)?

Yes, they work pretty well. Utilizes Jabra Direct to set the ANC levels. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧

  • Is there an external boom mic?

Yes, the external boom mic easily slides up & down. It is usable and snap back to the top band when not in use. Intuitive design! Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

Cost

  • Is it worth the cost? (Subjective)

I believe so, prices vary dependantly on where you buy it from. If you own a business, you can register for a 40% discount directly from Jabra. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

  • Is it easily obtainable? Is there public providers (such as Amazon, BHPhotoVideo, etc.)

Available through Jabra and most online retailers. Rating: 🎧🎧🎧

Overall

This is my ride-or-die headset - I am absolutely in love with these. Pairing was easy, sound is fantastic and they are extremly comfortable. The range is amazing (I can walk upstairs into the kitchen and still listen in!).

Troy’s Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

Troy’s Pick

🎉🥳🎉🥳🎉🥳 The Jabra Evolve 75 Bluetooth Headset is my top choice, and would recommend it to anyone. This is not a paid advertisement, and I’ve just tried a ton of headphones options to make working from home ‘work’. This is the right choice.