An Entry Level Headset
Written: Feb 03 '03 (Updated Feb 05 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Stereo headphone, low noise microphone
Cons: No volume and mute control on the cord
The Bottom Line: I am recommending this product since I have not found anything better in my price range ($25). The headset works well, but still there is nothing impressive, either.
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| lobsters's Full Review: Labtec Axis 302 Headset |
I bought the headset because I need to set up an Internet phone so that I can call my friends abroad for much lower price. I went to several local stores and picked up this one because it is reasonably priced, and offer stereo earphone and low noise microphone.
The EarPhone
The earphone has decent sound quality. Unlike some cheaper one-eared version, this one can play stereo sound and therefore can work for music and movies. It has a thin foam cushion, which lets you hear your environment noise (in case the door bell rings, or kids starts crying – wait a minute, do I really want to hear that?). However I can't stop thinking that the foam looks cheap, and wish I had a leather cushion, which is usually also more durable.
The MicroPhone
The microphone features the so-called NCAT-2 noise cancellation technology. It is very clear and highly usable in phone conversations. The microphone is resting on a swing arm on the left earphone. Aside from the swing arm adjustment, which goes up and down, you can also adjust the microphone by bending the lower half of the arm. It was advertised that the microphone is "ambidextrous". I guess it is true that you can wear it on the right, but you need to remember to flip it back when you watch movies, otherwise your stereo earphone is going to disagree with what's shown on the screen.
The Cord
I was originally worried about the length of the cord, since my gigantic full tower computer is sitting on the floor. It turns out that all headsets I saw has the standard 8 feet cord, which is well enough.
The cord has two 3.5 mm gold-plated plugs. The black one goes into the speaker socket and the pink one goes to the microphone socket on the soundcard. This headset does not have USB connectors, and hence needs a sound card to work. The more expensive USB versions can bypass a soundcard, but I really don’t see the need for that. Plus, the marketing trick of labeling USB microphones as “digital” is just making me sick.
There is no control on the cord. On more expensive models (such as the Axis-502), there is a mute button and volume control, which can be handy. For the 302, you might want to launch the volume control software and leave it there so that you can adjust quickly.
My Complains
I have a speaker already setup on my computer. Right now I crawl under my desk and plug in my headset every time I use it. I can see this gets old real quick. One might blame the speaker design. If the speaker has a microphone passthrough, it will be much easier: I can just plug my headset in to the speakers.
Apparently someone has recognized this problem and start selling a switch that goes between the speaker and the headset. I personally want to get an extension cord for the pink microphone plug (the black earphone plug can go directly into my speaker), but I have yet to find it.
My Brilliant Idea
Anyone wants to make some money? Here is my great idea. I think spending $20 on the headset is crazy, especially while I already have two headsets for my cell phones. If anyone can design an adapter that allows me to use my cell phone headset on my computer for under $15, I will buy it.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lobsters
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Location: Encinitas, CA
Reviews written: 39
Trusted by: 7 members
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