Headset Comparison for HorizonWimba
The purpose of this site is to compare a variety of headsets for use with the VOIP component of HorizonWimba's Live Classroom. My approach to making this comparison includes the purchase of several headsets. I then used each one on the same computer, a Dell Optiplex SX 260. This computer was configured as follows:
| My recommendation -- The rule of thumb has been, "spend money on a sound card, not a headset" and I think this still holds true, but two of the headsets I tested have built-in sound cards. |
| Alternative 1 - Buy a good USB sound card (like the iMic) and a cheap headset. The advantage of this is that you can always plug your speakers into this USB sound card and use it for better quality sound for other audio functions of your computer. Also, the line in function will allow you do other things with this sound card not related to the Live Classroom. |
| Alternative 2 - Plantronics DSP-500 -- This headset comes with its own sound card built in to the USB cable. The Sennheiser PC155 also includes a sound card in line, but it is more than twice the cost of the DSP-500. It might be a little more comfortable, but it surely is not worth the difference in price. The down side of this solution is that to use the sound capability for other audio functions you can only experience them via the headset. |
| Alternative 3 - If you need a good sound card for other things, then spend your money on a good sound card and buy a cheaper headset. |
I judged each headset on three characteristics -- Quality of the microphone, quality of the speakers (sound), and comfort.
I then ran two tests of the microphone. In the first test, I recorded the same short paragraph from a web-based book I edit (http://www.coe.uga.edu/epltt/InformationProcessing.htm). Here is the text as I read it (not how it appears in the WebBook) of each recording.
Information processing is a cognitive processing theory. While other theories in this e-book are learning or instructional in nature, IP theory seeks to explain how the mind functions. Learning components such as rehearsal and elaboration are associated with IP; however, most emphasis is placed on understanding how information is processed rather than how learning happens.
I am no linguistics expert. I am not sure that all phonemes from the English language are represented in this text or if they are representative of the entire language. I just chose this because I own the copyright to this text and it was short and it is the first paragraph from the first chapter in the WebBook. I also chose English because it is my native language and a recording of my speaking Spanish or Portuguese (two languages that I can use to buy a meal) would likely be incomprehensible to many speakers of either of those languages.
I used Windows Sound Recorder Version 5.1. I used the 48.00kHz, 16 Bit, Mono at 93kb/sec as the setting to record. Because this creates a huge file, I then converted each one to an MP3 file that is linked below. To convert the WAV file to MP3, I used a program called Switch from NCH Swift Sound Software (www.nch.com.au/switch). I made my own judgment about each one's quality, but you are welcome to decide for yourself.
I also recorded the same text inside of HorizonWimba. Those links are also found below.
The second test that I conducted was to use Plantronics DSP 500 in one of my classes that had 31 registered students. They were used to my using the Plantronics Audio 90. I took a poll towards the end of class to ask them to rate the headset that I was using. The results appear below. It was difficult to judge from one week to another week. Only a few of the students thought it was better. Listen to all the MP3 files in this site, and vote below to decide which one you prefer.
For the second characteristic, I listened to each mp3 with each headset. I wanted to listen to the good and the worse recordings because this is realistic to expect to have variance in the quality of audio from a variety of students in a class. I made the best judgment I could in terms of quality of the audio. I am only interested in the use of this headset for use in HorizonWimba, so I did not use them to listen to music or other audio sources. I also tried to use each headset at least once in a class session (which lasts 2 hours). I am 47 years old, so I am sure that my hearing is not what it used to be. I love Rock and Roll and I likely have suffered some sort of hearing loss, but I have not ever been tested and I do not seem to need people to repeat themselves very often. My statements are based on this listening experience.
My final test was to make a judgment about comfort of the headphones. This is harder to share for everyone, so it is simply my own judgment. Also, in terms of comfort and fit, I have a sort of large or wide head. I have put a photo of myself with a headset below so you have a reference for my comfort comments.
The headsets that I examined included:
Here is my rank ordered list of best microphone within the headset. I separated out the headsets with miniplugs to show that they were clearly worse. The best headset is #1 and the worst is #8.
1. Plantronics DSP 500 - This headset, when I compare the MP3's side by side, is clearly the better recording. However, after having three class meetings (we meet for 2 hours once a week), I switched to the DSP 500 on the fourth week of class. I took a poll and may have biased it a bit by saying that I had switched to a different headset. The poll resulted in 2 people thinking it sounded much better, 7 who thought it was better and 16 who thought it was the same. After I made the HorizonWimba recordings, it was hard to compare because it takes a little bit of time between loading the recordings. However, I still believe that the DSP 500 recording is better.
1. Sennheiser PC155 - Clearly, this headset is equal to the DSP 500, but both of these rise above the others because they have built in sound cards.
7. Sennheiser PC150
7. Plantronics Audio 90
7. Logitech Premium
7. Koss CS100
8. Plantronics 2001
8. Cyber Acoustics AC-200
Here is the rank ordered list of best listening headset. The best headset is #1 and the worst is #8.
1. Plantronics DSP 500 - My first impression before I even start listening is that there is absolutely no static. It is better than dead air. As a consequence, this is clearly the best headset for listening. I also used this headset to take a careful listen to compare the MP3 made by this headset and the one that I made use the Plantronics Audio 90 set and the top quality Sound Blaster card. I still hear a slight amount of hiss in the Audio 90 recording. I really think the fact that the sound card is physically separate makes a big difference. In the near future, I should have the Sennheiser PC155 set which I expect will be about the same as this set. I also ordered a USB sound card from Sound Blaster (Audigy 2 NX External USB at about $100) to see if I can get all the headsets to be about equivalent.
1. Sennheiser PC155 - Again, this headset is the equal of the DSP 500. The reason both do not have the hum the others have is likely due to the USB sound card.
3. Sennheiser PC150 - This headset also had the ambient static that I heard in the Plantronics 90, but it was a little less pronounced. I think this is pretty good headset for listening. I have a hard time differentiating it from the Plantronics 90. I suppose the one difference to consider is the cloth (a sort of flannel) cover on the Sennheiser versus the foam rubber covers on the Plantronics. There is also cost to consider.
3. Plantronics Audio 90 - Comfort and listening quality seem to go hand in hand. This headset is much better at noise reduction than any of the non-cupped headsets. In fact, while listening to all the MP3's for this test, I was first able to hear that there seemed to be a difference in the quality of plug (non-USB) mics. The older Plantronics and the AC-200 seemed to have a lot more ambient noise relative to the others. I will also note that as I am typing this, I hear some static in the headsets that is likely coming from all the electronics within the computer. I think the reason the USB version tests better is that it has the sound card detached from the computer. This physical separation results in the elimination of some of the noises from the computer itself.
5. Logitech Premium - Perhaps because this headset was tighter than the Plantronics 2001, I think that it canceled the noises in my environment better. All of the recordings sounded pretty good in this headset.
6. Plantronics 2001 - It is difficult to separate comfort from listening. I think the cupped headsets are more comfortable. I also think they are better at canceling other noises in the listening environment. I am listening to all the MP3's via iTunes, one right after the next. I can hear all the details in this headset, but I think that I can hear folks talking outside my office as well.
7. Cyber Acoustics AC-200 - While this is a little unfair, this headset was a year old when I tested it. In that year, somehow one ear in the headset no longer worked. So, I could only hear out of the one ear. So, by far, this was the worst listening experience. To be fair, I had two sets of the Plantronics headset for 2001 and the microphone stopped working on that headset. I have subsequently discarded this headset. I bring this up because these headsets do get a lot of wear and tear. This would be another reason to think about going the cheaper rather than the more expensive. I have no data on how durable the more expensive headsets are. I carry my 2001 version of my Plantronics headset in my backpack for my notebook and it still works, but its brother does not?
8. Koss CS100 - I am sure that this could have happened with any of the other headsets, but it only did happen with the Koss headset. I plugged it in. I did my recordings in Sound Recorder and HorizonWimba. Then I went to play it back. I could not hear anything. I tried playing with the plug. I tried plugging into a variety of sources that accept stereo miniplugs. Unfortunately, straight out of the box, this headset did not work. They arrived in a non-working order. I am in the process of shipping them back now. In the meantime, since I could hear nothing, they are the last place headset in this category.
Here is the rank ordered list of comfort with the headset. When I teach online, I am wearing these headsets for about 2 hours. So, comfort is an important parameter. I will say that I have not liked the headsets that go behind your head. Some people find these types of headsets to be much more comfortable. I do not. All of mine are over the head style headsets. The best headset is #1 and the worst is #8.
1. Plantronics DSP 500 - This headset has the exact same comfort as the Plantronics Audio 90. I like both of these headsets. I would say that the lighted inline mute button makes this a better set than the other set if usability is a part of comfort.
1. Plantronics Audio 90 - This headset was very comfortable. The ear pieces covered my ears more completely. Also, it had a two-part over-the-head piece that had rubber on the head and plastic above. This felt very good on my head. The only complaint I had with this headset is that on warmer days, the more sealed ear pieces made my head/ears sweat a bit.
1. Sennheiser PC155 - I now have used several headsets and I am beginning to prefer the feel of this headset. Last night I used my DSP 500 set and I had meetings after class. The result was that I had a pair of headsets on for 4 straight hours. I am willing to do that next week with these. I think they may actually be more comfortable.
1. Sennheiser PC150 - This headset was a bit too tight and a bit too itchy when I first put them one. Now I have become much more comfortable wearing this headset. Besides the cloth ear covers, there is also a padded cloth covered pad that goes across the top of the head. I can believe this may be even more comfortable than the Plantronics over time. The problem of breathability against the skin I had with the Plantronics headsets may not be a problem over time. There is one quality issue that I must bring up with the Sennheisser and that is the thin cable used for this headset. I think of this headset as being of equivalent quality to the Plantronics Audio 90, yet this headset is nearly 3 times more expensive. Yet, the cable feels sort of cheap. My worry, being the sort of bull in the China shop type, that some day the cable is going to get stuck on something and I will give it a tug and the cable will snap. I have not done this, but is is so thin, that is my worry. In fact, even the $6 AC-200 set's cables feel better than these.
7. Plantronics 2001 - This headset was not as tight as the Cyber, but like the Cyber, it has a plastic over the head piece that not only allowed the headset to slip (tilt forward or backward) it also felt harder on the top of my head. My head is balding, so the plastic part part pressed against my scalp. Those with more hair may find this not to be as big of a problem. In fact, the more rubbery over the head versions may "stick" more to your hair and pull on it. I did not experience this myself.
7. Cyber Acoustics AC-200 - These were reasonably comfortable though they seemed to be a little tight. I liked the boom okay on this headset.
7. Koss CS100 - This headset was as comfortable as the others.
8. Logitech Premium - The headphones were as comfortable as the others in the bottom half of this list, but the boom resting against my cheek really bothered me. I did like that the over the head part was more rubbery than plastic. This prevents it from slipping on my head. The Cyber and Plantronics 2001 both had more of a plastic over the head part that could cause it to slip.
Other Reviews of Headsets
George Jones of Networking Pipeline reviews four headsets for VOIP and gaming. It focused too much on listening to music for testing the listening portion of the headsets for me to judge how well I can hear someone talking. He liked the Plantronics DSP-500 the best and recommended that you not spend money on the cheaper headsets. Click Here to Read the Review