Headset with Noise Reduction Microphone for Calls

swings on 19/11/2020 - 12:05
Last edited 22/11/2020 - 13:37

Update:
based on thread suggestions I got the Plantronics Voyager 5200 as an all around mobile solution, thanks everyone to share experience and knowledge cause never I'd imagined to end up with a mono solution like this
These 2 reviews were very useful too :
https://youtu.be/0hF2rrUAdA0
https://youtu.be/c2OMHMpae28

Second contender and next purchase will be Jabra Evolve 75, it's a great solution for less mobile and more noisy situations.

Original post:
I'm remote in a sales job requiring a good 30 phone conversations a day + virtual team meetings.

being phone calls, sound quality in my ears is not critical,
being able to reduce any ambient noise in my mic it's the key (I'd like to work around not having to worry too much).

I'm fine with a wired solution, and I don't have a set budget.

it's important I can use it across iphone/android/win10 laptop.

I did search around(saw only the thread about under $30 which has not a solution for my case).

Most deals I found on Ozbargain are gaming and for console or pc connections only.

Thanks

Computing

Comments

  • SF3 on 19/11/2020 - 12:11

    I could be wrong - I don't think there is a mic that can cancel your surrounding noise and retains your voice… most headsets should block out passive background noise, but any background noise at the same db as your voice won't cancel out… I could be wrong… otherwise mute when you are not talking…

  • bobbified on 19/11/2020 - 12:16
    +1

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/product/plantronics-voyager-520…

    IMHO, this one is expensive, but it's the best one I found. I'm constantly on calls, voice and video, throughout the day. It connects to both my phone and laptop at the same time.
    There's often jack hammering going on in my background and people on the other side of the call tell me they can't hear it. When I'm driving with the window down, other people can't hear it either.

    • ChipsChicky on 19/11/2020 - 12:25

      is this easy to wear for long times provided it seems bit bulky ?

      • bobbified on 19/11/2020 - 12:38
        +1

        It's actually really comfortable. The weight is in the right place and it feels very balanced. Sometimes I forget I'm wearing it and I step out of the car and realise later that I would've looked like an idiot walking down the street with it.

        • Seraphin7 on 19/11/2020 - 15:40
          +1

          I've got this unit (or at least a very similar Plantronics one if not the exact same model) and it is great for the OP's use case. Agree with @bobbified that it is not bulky/uncomfortable at all. It's pricey but if you want a non-wired solution, its a great option.

          • swings on 19/11/2020 - 18:53
            +1

            @Seraphin7: I could definitely get one to see how it goes, very positive thing is being versatile for outdoors

    • SF3 on 19/11/2020 - 12:27
      +1

      Doesn't block https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/581748#comment-9629485 ??

      • bobbified on 19/11/2020 - 12:36
        +1

        I can just imagine the noise cancelling logic board of the headset going "who dat???" LOL

        (Sometimes I'm lazy to turn on the headset. I use a Logitech C920 cam that's got noise cancelling too. It's actually quite decent).

    • swings on 19/11/2020 - 13:31

      I never used mono before,
      is it distracting to still listen to what's happening around?

      I have the bad habit to talk louder if I feel is noisy and with a mono I'm afraid to overdo it (of course that's one thing I'm working on correcting myself too).

      it looks definitely a good one, battery life is a bit a concern, I'd need to remember to recharge always.

      • bobbified on 19/11/2020 - 13:55

        is it distracting to still listen to what's happening around?

        I think it's going to be down to a personal preference thing, but I do prefer to still be able to hear things around me. I don't find it distracting at all (but I don't have kids at home, it's just me).

        In the car, I definitely can't have the "over the ears" type that cups both ears. I find that it "dulls" my senses too much and I don't want it to affect my driving ability.

        …battery life is a bit a concern, I'd need to remember to recharge always.

        The battery lasts me at least a full 8 hour day with about 5 hours on and 3 hours off. And if I need to, it charges really quick in between.

        • swings on 19/11/2020 - 18:57

          I'm tempted, didn't think to a solution like this but I can see now how I could be more out and around with something like this.

          it's down to the way I'm organising work, if I can line up calls and do few in a row for example.

          • bobbified on 19/11/2020 - 21:04

            @swings:

            ….if I can line up calls and do few in a row for example.

            Worst case, you can still use it while it's charging with the cable connected. It works, but I've never had to do that.

            • swings on 20/11/2020 - 08:21
              +1

              @bobbified: this is a major bonus!

              if can charge and use at same time easy.

    • jhaley3180 on 20/11/2020 - 07:19

      Yep this is the headset I have and use. It is brilliant. I even use it when I am riding my bike and people cannot hear any wind noise.

      I've been using it since lockdown commenced and am extremely happy.

      • swings on 21/11/2020 - 16:31

        I'm trying to buy it, it's a bit confusing the generation, the headset launched in 2016, on youtube seems current generation should b D, officeworks and jb hi five seems to have generation B, according to YouTube each generation was improved. anyone can help to find where to buy latest one from an authorised seller?

        • swings on 22/11/2020 - 13:42

          reply to my self,
          no way to say what version each sellers has,
          ended up buying from jb hi five at $169.99 with a price match to an Amazon offer, jb was the only shop near where a I live with stock and wanted the item asap and from a reputable source.
          officeworks and jb they both list it at 179.99, online mostly is sold the version with the box which is over $200.

    • swings on 22/11/2020 - 13:39
      +1

      I got the 5200, thanks all of you to share your experience to help.

  • FoxJump on 19/11/2020 - 12:41

    I thought my Bose NC700 has NC on the mic side
    https://www.bose.com.au/en_au/products/headphones/noise_canc…
    "Six mics work together to cancel the noise around you so you can hear the caller better, while four mics combine to improve the clarity of your voice so the caller can hear you better, first by isolating your speech and then by suppressing the most disruptive remaining sound around you. It"

    • swings on 19/11/2020 - 13:15

      interesting one,
      what's the real battery life?
      do they work wired too?

      how do you find the noise cancellation on the listening?

      • FoxJump on 19/11/2020 - 15:13

        It quotes 20hrs of battery life.
        I charge it … once every two weeks or a month or so. I use it for maybe an hour or two a day for work.

        it can work wired, but when wired the NC is off. Not sure if the mic works when wired - I assume so.

        NC is as good as the something 35 that BOSE also says.
        The headphones themselves get confused when the two bt end points are connected. As in .. you're on a teams call on the phone and beeep an email arrives on the computer so you lose the phone audio for a while.

  • dust on 19/11/2020 - 13:57

    Most deals I found on Ozbargain are gaming and for console or pc connections only.

    Yep. I don't understand why there aren't good gaming style headsets (with a mic that goes to the mouth) that support Bluetooth.

    • swings on 19/11/2020 - 17:40

      headsets should be compatible with every platforms, its really annoying to have to read details to understand what works with

  • psyren89 on 19/11/2020 - 14:17

    Do you have an RTX or last gen GTX graphics card? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-mETIjcIV0

    • swings on 19/11/2020 - 17:24

      no it's just a lenovo laptop for salesforce and Google and mobile to do the calls

  • Adredocto on 19/11/2020 - 14:35

    You need one with a microphone that sits in front of ur mouth. They are directional so don't need to worry much about background noise.

    If budget is not an issue, i.e. work pays try these which I'm using now ($300ish). Mic is great and if I forget to pull it down it's hard to hear me which shows how good the directional capture is.

    One thing I like is when u take them off it automatically pauses whatever u are listening to.

    https://www.poly.com/au/en/products/headsets/voyager/voyager…

    Should add is wireless and comes with a USB adaptor so can have Bluetooth to phone and laptop connection at the same time.

    • swings on 19/11/2020 - 17:25

      that's a good point about the directional microphone, definitely it reduce by itself the amount of noise cancellation required.
      checking the link

    • swings on 21/11/2020 - 08:58

      can you use them while charging them? (Bluetooth to mobile while charging with cable)

      • Adredocto on 21/11/2020 - 17:15

        Don't think so. Battery life is supposed to be 10 hours so I just put it on charge end of the day.

  • abb on 19/11/2020 - 14:41
    +1

    I have this one: https://www.jabra.com.au/business/office-headsets/jabra-evol…

    It has ANC to block ambient noise from your ears, as well as noise-cancelling for the mic.

    It cost a ton, but the boss paid :)

    • swings on 19/11/2020 - 17:28

      I was using jabra at previous job, they are good indeed.

      do they work as BT while you charge? (in charge and connected to Bluetooth on mobile?)

      what's the battery life?

      • abb on 19/11/2020 - 19:46

        It says (yes, it speaks) "14 hours battery remaining" when it's full. I haven't properly verified its accuracy, but it seems about right.

        Just tested charging while using, yep, works.

        • FoxJump on 20/11/2020 - 08:51

          Bose NC700 does not work while charging.

          • swings on 20/11/2020 - 15:13

            @FoxJump: that's a big thing with anything wireless for me, knowing batteries deplete ability to charge while in sue extend lifetime.

            • FoxJump on 20/11/2020 - 15:15

              @swings: Agreed.
              but .. at 20hrs battery life … :/

        • swings on 22/11/2020 - 13:46

          I got the mono in ear Plantronics as quick and mobile solution,
          but I'm lining the evolve 75 as my next purchase cause the best solution to work sitting down at the desk in any kind of environment.
          thanks for the suggestion.

  • peetah on 19/11/2020 - 14:48

    https://www.asus.com/Accessories/Streaming-Kit/All-series/AI…
    How about something like this? Pair it with your choice of headphones/mic.

    https://youtu.be/GEjya4OPqNs?t=209 - live quality sample around the 4:27 mark and 4:47 mark. Same video claims it works with laptops, smartphones and ipads and gets almost comparable results to RTX voice.

    • swings on 19/11/2020 - 17:36

      it's a brilliant idea, and definitely its a good solution for certain cases.

      work gave me an iPhone 7 just as a call phone, so no usb c, and in the end I'd like to buy a dedicated headset anyway on top.

      but definitely I'll keep this in mind, I think is a brilliant idea.

  • swings on 19/11/2020 - 22:13

    https://www.pccasegear.com/products/34017/audio-technica-ath…

    what about this one? (from a current deal)

    I can see is compatible, and seems to have the mic reduction or at least clarity (plus as mentioned above has the directional mic)

    • swings on 20/11/2020 - 06:55

      any example? as I mentioned most of calls are from mobile

  • swings on 23/01/2021 - 10:33

    Update,
    for anyone on a budget, the Soundpeats True Air 2 are an amazing solution, decent sound quality in ear (better than plantronics 5200 for sure) and very good (not just for the price) noise reduction in the microphone. (current deal on Amazon is around $35)

    At the moment I'm happy with this and the plantronics, depending on situation and to alternate when need to charge battery.

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