Voice chats and video conferences have become an integral part of everyday digital life – a good headset with a microphone is ideal for this. We have tested many wireless headsets and provide comprehensive tips for purchasing them.
Note: Classification as a price tip or according to price limits is based on the cheapest shop offer in our price comparison; the price in the linked shop may differ.
CHIP Pick – Get the right headset straight away!
No matter whether in an open-plan office, home office or gaming room: many online meetings still start with the question: “Can you hear me?” A high-quality headset with a microphone arm ensures that this question is always answered with “Yes, clearly and clearly!“ is answered.
Here we present the headset recommendations from our test – including the test winner and price tip. You will then find out how much a good headset can cost, what you should pay particular attention to when buying and how the test results were obtained.
How much a headset should cost
Good wireless headsets start at around 90 euros. This gives you a solid device with a certain basic functionality. Good gaming headsets are also available from this price range. Depending on the equipment, these can cost well over 200 euros. You pay at least 150 euros for a high-quality office headset without a cable, but you often also get accessories such as a carrying case and an inductive charging station included.
What headsets are there?
Over-ear headsets surround the ears and thus shield more from the surroundings, in addition to the active noise cancellation (ANC) that is often available. Over-ears offer the best sound quality and are particularly suitable for gaming, but also for many other areas of use.
Often found in the office On-ear headsets, that rest on the ear without enclosing it. These lightweight devices have a foldable microphone boom and are available with one (monaural) or two (binaural) earcups. Monaural devices are very light and leave the other ear free to the surroundings. Binaural on-ears are heavier, but also sound better. Discreet ones are rather unusual, but also worth mentioning In-ear headsets. People who want to move freely during a meeting particularly prefer this design.
Which headset is suitable for PC, console, cell phone, etc.?
Of course, what type of headset you need depends entirely on the area of application and intended use. A light and compact on-ear headset is the ideal companion for the office, is comfortable to wear even after many hours and offers a high-quality folding microphone for video and voice conferences. Gaming professionals are less likely to be happy with this and instead turn to over-ear gaming headsets. They offer more immersive sound and are often optimized with all sorts of features for the gaming experience.
Of course, gaming headsets can also be taken to the office – what sounds good in voice chat also does a great job in a work meeting. Although the devices often come with playful designs, there are also many simpler models. And the colorful RGB lighting, which many gamers swear by, can also be easily turned off if desired.
Most modern headsets use Bluetooth and can therefore be easily paired with smartphones, laptops and game consoles. There is a minimal delay in sending and receiving signals. While this is hardly important when listening to music or making phone calls, gamers are particularly interested in low latencies – a USB dongle is usually included for a low-lag connection.
What battery life is recommended for wireless headsets?
Battery life varies from model to model and depending on individual usage. We therefore provide measured values for two typical areas of application: making phone calls and listening to music. We measured both runtimes with active noise cancellation, if available. While one of the tested devices needs to be recharged after just over 10 hours of telephony, other models last for over three days in conferences.
Many other factors can affect the actual running time: those who use Bluetooth are more battery-efficient than using a USB dongle. Device-specific elements such as RGB lighting can significantly reduce battery life.
Weight and comfort
From the on-ear lightweight at 140 grams to the gaming clunker at 400 grams, the weight varies greatly in our headset test field. Due to their construction, over-ears are heavier, become noticeable on the head more quickly and produce more heat. After a few hours, it is advisable to give your ears some rest.
There are often big differences in the pressure on the ears. People who wear glasses are sometimes more sensitive to this because some models press against the temples of the glasses. Holding brackets that are too small or a lack of padding also lead to a painful feeling of pressure sooner or later.
When it comes to comfort, we can only give subjective impressions and cannot make a uniform recommendation. Practically every headset offers a few adjustment screws to adjust the fit slightly depending on your taste and head shape.
In many electronics stores you can try on headsets before buying – but realistic experience can only be gained after wearing them for several hours. If the headset feels uncomfortable or something else bothers you about it, you can still make use of your right to return it.
What else should you pay attention to when buying?
Mute via microphone arm or button?
The headset can be muted in two ways: by pressing a button or by folding up the microphone arm. The advantage of a raised microphone arm: You can immediately see whether your headset is muted or not. In addition, the microphone does not disturb you while you work. A simple mute button is less subject to wear and tear, but you may be delayed in noticing that your headset is muted.
Do you like to grab a coffee from the office kitchen during meetings? Then you should pay attention to our rating of the wireless range in the best list. Good headsets still transmit stable signals even after 20 meters and through several walls.
Many headsets have Bluetooth, but not all have multipoint: This practical feature allows you to connect two devices (such as a computer and smartphone) at the same time and switch playback seamlessly.
Loading time
In addition to battery life, we also measure how long a headset takes to fully recharge. Here too there are sometimes strong differences, from one and a half to almost 5 hours.
Connections
Many, but not all, wireless devices can still be connected in the traditional way using a USB or audio cable. In ours Headset leaderboard you can easily check which ports the respective model supports. The analog audio jack in its 3.5 mm format has not yet become obsolete in the digital age and is also present in many wireless devices. Mobile devices require a four-pin connection. This can be easily recognized by the three mostly black rings that surround the metal of the handle. The four poles represent the two audio channels, the microphone and ground. Some headsets have two jacks: one for the microphone, the second for the headphones. These jacks generally do not fit any mobile device. However, they can easily be connected to a combined sound/microphone port using a connecting adapter.
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