Any advice on the best, ruggedest, USB-dongle, wireless headset?

[Bert Bates]

I love my MacBook Pro 17"... it has TONS of pixels!!

(As an aside, the single best way a programmer can improve his productivity is to buy more pixels. Either a bigger laptop or an 2nd or third monitor.)

The only problem I'm having is with my headsets. I tried using USB headsets for a while but I think that that will ultimately stress the physical USB ports on the machine - what with all the plugging, unplugging, and general rattling around.

My experience with Bluetooth is only so-so. But perhaps there is a Bluetooth headset that totally rocks? I'd be open to trying that! Suggestions?

So, I've been using wireless headsets with a USB dongle that stays in place and isn't subject to being banged on. But it seems that the headsets fail too frequently. I'm on my third set of Logitech h800's. Not cheap (~$80), supposed to be pretty good. They're the best I've used, but they still seem to wear out.

So, does anyone have experience with REALLY RUGGED, DURABLE, wireless, USB-dongle headsets? (or perhaps bluetooth)

Or maybe some other solution I haven't thought of? I move around with my laptop a lot, so any solution has to be very portable.

Thanks!

[margaret gillon]

I have heard this headset is good -- Plantronics Savi W740 wireless.

I have not used it but i have a wired Plantronics at work that I use up to seven hours a day. Please let us know what you end up with.

A: I may not be the best person to answer this because I am a heavy headset user. I do most of my work with clients remotely, so headsets are critical. I use a Plantronics Savi W740 wireless. I'd contact Headsets Direct. I buy all my headsets from them and they can recommend the best headset for your specific needs. You don't need a headset as good as the one I use to be fine with Dragon. But that is the one I use for Dragon and all day.
Feb 5, 2013 by hamilton wallace

source
http://www.amazon.com/gp/communities/ask-search/ref=cm_cd_search_basic?ie=UTF8&asin=B008NP76FQ&cdForum=FxXR4W3B8WBV2V&cdQuery=headset%20wireless

[Gregg Bolinger]

Kind of depends on what you use the headset for. Are they primarily for listening? How important is the mic, if at all? Do they have to be USB or Bluetooth or can they plug into the headphone jack? Just need more details around what they are used for to help.

[Bert Bates]

Thanks Margaret!

Gregg, I do TONS of conference calls so I need a mike. My experience is that the mikes tend not to be a problem and I haven't gotten much feedback from people either way on whether one mike is better than another.

I need a mobile solution. Sometimes I stand at a desk, sometimes I sit on a couch, so my laptop gets dragged from spot to spot all day.

I feel I'm already experiencing some wear and tear on one of my computer's USB ports. I want to avoid any solution that involves repeated plugging and unplugging - into ANY of my computers ports (USB, mini-jack, whatever). So I want to have a wireless setup of some sort. The best *so far* seems to be to use a very small, basically permanent, USB dongle that talks wirelessly to a headset. The blue tooth solutions I've tried have been unreliable *so far*, but I'd be happy to reconsider a bluetooth solution if you know of a good one.

[Gregg Bolinger]

I do a lot of conference calls as well. HipChat, Skype, and GoToMeeting primarily. I never use a headset and I never have any issues. Do you need a headset because you are in an environment where external noise is an issue? I find that my MBP does a really good job of noise canceling when I'm not talking.

[margaret gillon]

Hi Bert, Forget the plantronics unit I posted, it has a large base that goes into the usb port.

On Amazon I found this for $80.72 using search words 'bluetooth noise cancelling headset'.

If you search the product's user questions for 'computer' you can see answers from people who have coupled it to pc's without problems. I would think the mac would work, too.

VXI BlueParrott B250-XT+ Next Generation Improved Noise Canceling Bluetooth Headset for Cell Phones/Computers (PN 203100/APN 203111B)

[Ali Gordon]

@Bert bates - You can use a usb extension cables to reduce wear and tear to laptop or dongle. You can replace this cheap cable as often as you like.
Can you tell what it mean - headphones fail too often ? What is nature of problems ? $80 is not too expensive for headphones. I have
see college kids who (for sure) have a much less money than you, spend $250 on headphones and not think about it.