Welcome to our Buyers’ Guide to choosing the best headset for working from home. In this article we discuss the various options that are available and discuss the key things you should consider in order to choose the perfect headset for your home office. We choose our Top 5 products.
Over the last year many of us who have previously worked in offices have found ourselves working from home. Even those of us who have not used a headset have found that with our laptops replacing our deskphones, a USB headset has become an essential piece of kit. They enable us to communicate effectively with both our customers and colleagues alike.
At Handset Solutions we have been selling headsets for more years than some of us care to remember. With our experience we are ideally placed to help you decide which headset is right for you. Whatever your budget, whatever you need to connect to, we have the perfect headset to enable you to work effectively from home.
Connectivity
The first thing we recommend you consider is what you want to connect it to. If it is to connect to a laptop is it a standard USB-A or the newer USB-C connection. Maybe you make some calls from your mobile or tablet and would like to connect to that via a 3.5mm connection.
Wearing Style
Next let’s consider the wearing style. If you are going to be wearing the headset for long periods of time it’s important that it’s comfortable. There are also other considerations. A binaural or stereo headset is great for shutting out distractions and letting you focus on the call. A stereo headset is also great if you want to listen to music or other stream other web content. We find that with a monaural headset you are more inclined to keep the headset on when not on the phone and less likely to find yourself taking the headset on and off between calls.
Noise Cancelling
Most headsets feature ‘noise cancelling’ but this refers to your microphone. This refers to a headset that cuts some of the background noise your callers hear. If you are working in a busy house and you want to cut out those distractions and enable you to really focus on your call then you may want to consider a headset with Active Noise Cancelling or Noise Blackout.
Go Wireless
Finally, if you don’t want to be tied to your desk whilst working from home, maybe you want to consider a cordless USB headset. Wireless headsets let you move away from the desk whilst on the phone. Some headsets will connect to your laptop or mobile device via Bluetooth, and others come supplied with a DECT dongle that plug into the USB port on your computer giving you a much greater range than via Bluetooth.
Click here for our Buyers’ Guide to the best wireless headsets for the office
Quick Guide
Wearing Style
Would you prefer one ear piece or two? Or maybe you would prefer an over the ear design that doesn’t have a headband. There are also products that are convertible and have a number of wearing styles
Corded or Cordless
A cordless handset enables you to move away from the desk whilst on a call, giving you extra mobility
Connectivity
What do you want to connect the headset to? If you are connecting via USB is it a USB-A or USB-C connection? Would you also like to connect to your mobile device via a 3.5mm plug?
Number 1 – Plantronics Blackwire C3220 Binaural USB-A Headset
Our best value headset for working from home
The was no competition when it came to selecting our number one product in this category. The Plantronics or Poly Blackwire C3220 Binaural Headset was the clear winner. It’s far and away the best selling computer headset on the market.
Poly, as they are now known, were formed when Plantronics, the worlds leading headset manufacturer bought Polycom, the leading supplier of conferencing equipment, making them the dominant force in the UC market.
Our Overall Number One
So what makes the Blackwire C3220 our number 1 choice? Generally we prefer a binaural headset for working from home. The stereo design helps you focus on your call and cuts out the distractions around you. We also like the fact that you can use a stereo headset to listen to music when you are not on the phone. The comfortable lightweight design means it is ideal for all day use. The sound quality is good for an entry level product and it features a noise cancelling microphone too so your callers will hear you rather than whatever else might be going on in the home around you.
Poly’s position as market leader and the Blackwire C3220’s competitive price point for an entry level USB headset have made this headset the product of choice for many large corporate and public sector organisations as they have implemented large scale rollouts for their home working staff.
Product Variants
For those that prefer a monaural headset, there is the Blackwire C3210. Both the C3220 and the C3210 are available as standard USB-A, or the newer USB-C versions. For users who want to connect their PC headset to their mobile phone or tablet there is the C3225/C3215 which have a dual USB and 3.5mm connection.
Number 2 – Plantronics EncorePro 310Monaural USB-A Headset
Most durable headset for working from home
The EncorePro is Plantronics’ premium call centre line of headsets, but the EncorePro 310 USB-A comes fitted with with a USB connection, making it idea for home working.
Built to Last
Call centre headsets are designed with comfort and durability in mind. They need to be comfortable, because they are designed to be used for long periods of time. They also need to be robust because of the rigours of call centre life. In our opinion if you want a headset to last, the EncorePro 310 is a great option.
So for the company buyer looking to equip their staff with a headset for home workers that isn’t going to break the EncorePro 310 is the ideal product to protect your investment. The monaural design is ideal for high volume call roles where users are more likely to keep their headsets on between calls. We also find that the single ear design are also less likely to go missing as they are less useful as a pair of headphones!
With straight forward plug and play operation the EncorePro 310 is compatible with all applications, whether it is Microsoft Teams, Zoom calls, or using on any standard UC softphone making it the perfect choice for the business user.
The EncorePro 310 features HD sound and a noise cancelling microphone and a flexible microphone boom which lets you position the microphone just where you need it. Another feature that we liked was the dynamic mute alert that detects and informs you when you are talking when muted.
Product Variants
The Plantronics EncorePro 310 comes with USB-A and USB-C variants. There is also a EncorePro 320, which is the binaural version of this headset. Please ask sales for details.
Plantronics Encorepro 310 Monaural USB-A Headset
Original price was: £45.00.£22.00Current price is: £22.00. ex.VAT £26.40 inc.VATJabra Evolve2 40 Stereo USB-A Headset
£81.00 ex.VAT £97.20 inc.VATNumber 3 – Jabra Evolve2 40 Stereo USB-A Headset
Premium corded headset for working from home
At number 3 we have a real premium quality corded headset, the brand new Jabra Evolve2 40 Stereo headset. These look and feel like a high quality pair of stereo headphones and they have the sound quality to match.
The padded headband and soft touch memory foam ear cushions are very comfortable. The headset is surprisingly light to wear. The larger ear cushions do an extremely good job of cutting out unwanted background noise. This enables you to focus on your call whatever distractions may be going on around you. There is even a buy light indicator on the headset which lets others know that you are on a call, so others in your household will know when that light is on you are not to be disturbed!
Great Sound
The Jabra Evolve2 40 has an advanced digital chipset and the latest sound processing technology and there is a real depth of sound that you won’t find on a budget headset. Listening to music on them, there are nice clear mids and trebles and a good deep punchy bass. It’s not just your callers that will sound great to you, with three optimally positioned microphones your callers will hear you loud and clear. As you’d expect on a premium product, there is a noise cancelling microphone that seeks out and suppresses and distracting background noise that may distract from your call.
Product Variants
The Jabra Evolve2 range have a version optimised for Microsoft and another for all other standard UC applications. If your home working set up utilises Microsoft Teams we advise choosing the MS variant. For all other applications the standard UC version is recommended. There is also a monaural version for users who prefer a headset with just the one ear piece and all products are available with either USB-A or USB-C connection.
Number 4 – Sennheiser SC 45 USB MS CTL Mon USB-A Headset
Best for working from home, or on the move
If you want a headset which is ideal for working from home, or on the move, the Sennheiser SC 45 makes an ideal choice. Small and light enough to carry around in your brief case or laptop bag its dual connectivity make it a versatile performer. The dual connectivity is provided via the headsets’ 3.5 mm jack and a detachable USB cable, allowing connection to smartphones, tablets, etc
Sennheiser is a name synonymous with high quality audio and they are one of the leading manufacturers of high end stereo headphones, so it is no surprise that the sound quality is excellent for a product at this price point.
The SC 45 is optimised for Microsoft which makes it the ideal headset for the Teams user who might need to jump on a conference call whilst working from home, or when out and about using their mobile device.
We also liked the call control built into the headset. Designed to make calls easier and more manageable, the SC45 headset has easy to use controls built in to the cable. This lets you accept and make calls easily. You can pick up and initiate calls, control the volume, or silence your microphone, all directly from the headset control.
Sennheiser SC 45 USB MS CTRL Mon USB Headset
Original price was: £39.95.£25.00Current price is: £25.00. ex.VAT £30.00 inc.VATJabra Evolve2 65 Stereo with Charging Stand
£170.00 ex.VAT £204.00 inc.VATNumber 5 – Jabra Evolve2 65 Stereo with Charging Stand
Best wireless headset for working from home
A top 5 wouldn’t be complete without pushing the budget to find what is in our opinion, the very best headset for working from home. After trying the top end offerings from all the major manufacturers, it was the one that we wanted to take home with us.
It comes supplied with a DECT USB dongle that plugs into your USB port (USB-A and USB-C versions available), giving you a range of 30m which was enough to stay on your call anywhere in the house, and even into the garden. As well as connecting to your computer you can also connect to mobile phones and tablets via Bluetooth. This allows you to answer and make calls on any connected device.
Historically battery life on cordless headsets can be an issue. This is not the case on the Jabra Evolve2 65 which has an 8 hour charge in just 15 mins and is fully charged in 90 mins giving you up to a whopping 37 hours of talk-time. The optional changing stand provides convenient storage and reduces desk clutter as well as ensuring the headset is always charged whenever you need it.
Great Sound
What we liked best about this product however was the headset itself. Our preferred version, the stereo weighed in at a feather light 176g making it comfortable for all day use. The super soft memory foam ear cushions are a snug fit, without feeling as though they are pressing against your ears and the effect is that you feel isolated from any distractions and able to focus on your call. Your favourite tunes will sound as good on these as on a pair of premium headphones.
The in-use indicator is a useful feature, great for letting those you are sharing your home office with that you are not to be disturbed. The Evolve2 65 also has a host of enhanced features for Microsoft Teams users, accessed via the dedicated Teams button.
For many of us, working from home is going to be the ‘new normal’ for the foreseeable future, so why not treat yourself to a Jabra Evolve2 65 Stereo headset. Trust us, you won’t regret it.
Product Variants
The Evolve2 65 comes in Stereo and Mono versions. Both are available with USB-A or USB-C wireless dongles. All variations are available with or without the optional charging stand. Although we prefer the black, all variations are also available in beige. Click here for more details on the Jabra Evolve2 65 range of headsets