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May 7th, 2020 18:00
Need A Recommendation For A USB Connected Headset To Use With A Vostro 5590
I'm looking for a recommendation for a USB connected headset that is compatible with my Vostro 5590 laptop.
I'll be using this for hosting Zoom video conferences. Want to make sure I buy something that is compatible with my laptop.
Any suggestions?
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jphughan
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May 7th, 2020 20:00
@bigal838 If you'll be using USB, then pretty much anything will work, but I'll give you some general information (and a specific recommendation).
Some headsets are designed to integrate better with certain teleconferencing solutions, like Skype for Business or Microsoft Teams, but I don't think there are any specifically designed for Zoom. And even with those special integrations, typically it just means that the application will auto-select that particular headset as the mic and audio output device. But you can always manually select whatever headset you're using in those applications too, of course, so it's not a big deal.
I would recommend against using "conventional" Bluetooth (more on that in a moment) if you might also want to use your headset for general purpose audio, such as listening to music on your laptop or whatever, simply because Windows is still a bit quirky about how it handles Bluetooth headsets when using them for those two purposes. The short version is that Bluetooth headsets appear as two separate audio devices after they're paired, one called "Your Headset (Headphones)" and another called "Your Headset (Headset)". The reason is that they use two different Bluetooth profiles, the former allowing high quality stereo audio but no mic, and the latter allowing low quality mono audio but also an audio return channel for the mic. The problem is that only one profile can be active at any one time, and applications are often finicky about continuing to route audio properly to your headset if you switch profiles, e.g. by starting a Zoom call that activates your mic. I just wrote a longer post about that in another thread here that I can try to find if you want to learn more about this.
The exception to the above caution would be headsets that use Bluetooth but come with a USB dongle that they pair with, like the Jabra Evolve 75, which I personally use with Skype for Business, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams on a daily basis -- and I love it. Technically you CAN pair that headset over regular Bluetooth, and I do pair it that way to my phone (it can be paired to a dongle and another Bluetooth device simultaneously), but using the dongle bypasses the normal quirks of Bluetooth headsets on Windows PCs. The reason is that the dongle isn't just for Bluetooth. It presents to the system an audio output and input device -- but only ONE output and input device -- and then the dongle switches between those two Bluetooth profiles I mentioned based on what you're actually at any given time. But that switching is completely transparent to the applications, so they just have to know "Send audio to (or receive audio from) this USB audio device", rather than switching between a "Headphones" and "Headset" version of the same device, which means that audio always routes to your headset properly. The dongle also gives pretty incredible range.
Prior to the Evolve 75 I had a wired USB headset and didn't mind it, but when my wife accidentally sat on it and broke it, I decided to go wireless, and now I can't go back. It's really nice to be able to walk around on long conference calls without having to carry my laptop around with me, and the headset battery lasts me all week using it for about 2 hours per day during the work week. Another killer feature of the Evolve 75 is that you can mute yourself by simply raising the mic boom and unmute yourself by lowering it, so you have an easy way to toggle that even while not sitting at your PC, and an easy visual indicator of whether you're muted or not. The Evolve 75 is definitely a bit expensive, but I love it.