[dazbradbury]

Hey Guys,
 
Basically, I've been playing with headphone options for our small business and no category of headphone seems to match the requirements, which I'll outline below:
 
Comfort: These puppies are going to be worn for 9 hours straight every day
Closed Back / Noise Cancelling: Being in a noisy environment means open back aren't suitable at all.
Microphone: Needs to come with a high quality microphone, or have a place for one to be attached.
Audio Quality: When not on a call, we like to listen to music!
 
I've tried so many pairs of supposedly purpose-built call centre headphones, and they've all been absolute rubbish. Either too much leakage, poor audio quality, or really uncomfortable.
 
I've tried gaming headphones, which tick a lot of boxes, but don't put too much emphasis on noise cancellation / isolation. They also sell features like surround sound, which makes them expensive for things we don't need. Having said that, Creative HS800 Fatal1ty have been OK, but the noise isolation isn't great.
 
I've also tried attaching a boom microphone to my Senn HD-25's to some success, but it's not really something I want to maintain for the whole team!
 
Anyone have any decent alternatives? I understand this is quite a niche set of requirements...
 
Thanks,
Daz

 

[dazbradbury]

I've just realised this is in the wrong forum... but see no way to delete my post, can a mod move it?
 
Sorry.. I may have been reading head-fi for years but am still a n00b!

 

[DivergeUnify]

When I worked in a call center, I used to take calls with my Shure 530s lol.  I brought my mic from home.  I liked to walk around when pitching, so I didn't use that combo for all too long

 

[DaveK1977]

I work in a call center, and I'd love to have a headset based on my DT990s.  Dat comfort.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
Comfort: These puppies are going to be worn for 9 hours straight every day
Closed Back / Noise Cancelling: Being in a noisy environment means open back aren't suitable at all.
Microphone: Needs to come with a high quality microphone, or have a place for one to be attached.
Audio Quality: When not on a call, we like to listen to music!
 

 

I'd take a look at Sennheiser headsets. Senns usually have easily replaceable parts, and given you'll wear these for that long on a daily basis, you should get one with easily swappable earpads, that way when they get worn out and already affects the sound (too squished, puts the drivers too close to your ears plus they'd be too sealed so you get a boost in bass and treble) and comfort you can easily replace them.

 

Look into the G4ME series or any other gaming headsets, but ask Sennheiser support which ones have replaceable earpads. Also ask your local distributor if they have the parts, especially the earpads. Over here our distributor just plain sucks - I've been getting my earpads from Senn USA (but since they aren't supposed to impinge on another distro's territory, I don't buy direct - I bought from sites like B&H, but first time out my brother in CA directly from Sennheiser USA).

 

[thatBeatsguy]

  Denon D600, B&W P7, V-Moda M80, Sennheiser Momentum offers all the above features and there soundquality is realy good.

Note how he says he works at a call center. An inline remote/mic is a no-no for that type of application.
Otherwise, I second the Sennheiser G4ME series.
 
You can also look at regular headphones with a removable 3.5mm jack so you could use the V-Moda BoomPro mic. If that doesn't work, consider the Antlion ModMic.

 

[uncola]

at my old phone support job we used this, it was decent: Logitech ClearChat Comfort/USB Headset H390 (Black)
 
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-ClearChat-Comfort-Headset-Black/dp/B000UXZQ42/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420531360&sr=8-1&keywords=logitech+clearchat+comfort+usb

 

[dazbradbury]

Thanks for all the great responses! Not sure there is a killer option in this space, but definitely lots of alternative set ups to consider that will beat a boom mic duct taped to some senn HD-25's!
 
Quote:

  When I worked in a call center, I used to take calls with my Shure 530s lol.  I brought my mic from home.  I liked to walk around when pitching, so I didn't use that combo for all too long

 
Yep - definitely an option. But bar getting custom made monitors, in-ears can get really uncomfortable after prolonged use (varies person to person obviously as sometimes standard sizes fit really well!). I think something with an attachable boom mic attachment is going to work better, but worth considering!
 
 

  I work in a call center, and I'd love to have a headset based on my DT990s.  Dat comfort.

 
Exactly! 
 

   

I'd take a look at Sennheiser headsets. Senns usually have easily replaceable parts, and given you'll wear these for that long on a daily basis, you should get one with easily swappable earpads, that way when they get worn out and already affects the sound (too squished, puts the drivers too close to your ears plus they'd be too sealed so you get a boost in bass and treble) and comfort you can easily replace them.

 

Look into the G4ME series or any other gaming headsets, but ask Sennheiser support which ones have replaceable earpads. Also ask your local distributor if they have the parts, especially the earpads. Over here our distributor just plain sucks - I've been getting my earpads from Senn USA (but since they aren't supposed to impinge on another distro's territory, I don't buy direct - I bought from sites like B&H, but first time out my brother in CA directly from Sennheiser USA).

 
 

  Note how he says he works at a call center. An inline remote/mic is a no-no for that type of application.
Otherwise, I second the Sennheiser G4ME series.
 
You can also look at regular headphones with a removable 3.5mm jack so you could use the V-Moda BoomPro mic. If that doesn't work, consider the Antlion ModMic.

 
 
G4ME series look great, but for £200 ($300) I'd probably hope for noise cancelling rather than closed back design. However, it did lead me to the 

PC 330​

 - which seem like decent options.
 
The V-Moda and Antlion attachable mic's look great! Do you guys have any experience with them? The latter in particular, does the sticky pad destroy the headphones / not last that long?
 

  at my old phone support job we used this, it was decent: Logitech ClearChat Comfort/USB Headset H390 (Black)
 
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-ClearChat-Comfort-Headset-Black/dp/B000UXZQ42/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420531360&sr=8-1&keywords=logitech+clearchat+comfort+usb

 
 
These look like a great economy option, do you remember how well the sound was isolated when wearing them? If they're comfortable and isolate sound well they'll definitely tick the two high priority requirements!

 

[thatBeatsguy]

  Thanks for all the great responses! Not sure there is a killer option in this space, but definitely lots of alternative set ups to consider that will beat a boom mic duct taped to some senn HD-25's!
 

  Note how he says he works at a call center. An inline remote/mic is a no-no for that type of application.
Otherwise, I second the Sennheiser G4ME series.
 
You can also look at regular headphones with a removable 3.5mm jack so you could use the V-Moda BoomPro mic. If that doesn't work, consider the Antlion ModMic.

 
 
G4ME series look great, but for £200 ($300) I'd probably hope for noise cancelling rather than closed back design. However, it did lead me to the 

PC 330​

 - which seem like decent options.
 
The V-Moda and Antlion attachable mic's look great! Do you guys have any experience with them? The latter in particular, does the sticky pad destroy the headphones / not last that long?

I haven't owned the ModMic before, but I have tried it once. They stick to headphones very firmly, as long as to follow the instructions to get the adhesive right. I've even seen it attached onto open headphones with a grille on it, and they stick on pretty firmly still. SQ-wise I can't really say as I never really use VoIP or Teamspeak or pretty much anything that uses my voice (unless I'm making a phone call).

 

[neoh77]

I do a lot of call center telephone.  Our current call center has 150 agents.  With that said... we currently use some of the following:
 
Do you need USB connected?  Check out the Jabra evolve line
http://www.jabra.com/products/pc_headsets/jabra_evolve__series
 
My favorite is the Jabra BIZ 2400 series, but they are very pricey and not closed back.  They do have an excellent noise cancelling mic setup that works well in noisy environments.
 
 
The logitech option is probably good for a small business with no budget allocated for this sort of thing
 
Edit:  Most other users now get Jabra 750 Duo http://www.jabra.com/products/wired_headsets/jabra_uc_voice__750_series    With the high turnover rates in a call center, it's often not wise to invest in expensive headsets unless they are staying long term.

 

[BLenarcik]

I have a lot of experience building call centers and Sennheiser does make several models designed specifically for office and call center applications:
 
http://en-us.sennheiser.com/headphones-call-center-office
 
The vast majority of my customers use Plantronics mainly because of name recognition and high availability.  I don't have a lot of direct experience with Sennheiser's wired headsets, though I know people have had good experience with their wireless models. 
 
Also, here are some considerations when choosing a headset for business use (written for a webinar I delivered to a bunch of salespeople):
 
Wireless headsets fall into two categories based on the type of radio used.
1. Bluetooth offers convenience – some models can pair with a base station connected to the desk phone and to a mobile phone. Some downsides should be considered before recommending them for office environments:
a. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth both occupy 2.4 – 2.485 GHz band
b. Microwave ovens operate at 2.45 GHz and can generate a lot of EMI
c. Class 1 devices designed for 10m range, but actual range is diminished in offices
 
2. DECT 6.0 provides several benefits over Bluetooth devices in an office:
a. Operates at 1.9 GHz; less interference with Wi-Fi/Bluetooth frequencies
b. Greater range than Bluetooth – 200 to 300 feet vs. 33 feet
 
Wired headsets are less expensive than wireless but offer less mobility for the user. They provide the best performance in high density environments. Consider binaural vs. monaural to help the wearer hear in noisier environments.
 
Microphone Types
1. Noise Canceling – helps the caller hear better by reducing background noise.
2. Voice Tube – provides most clear & crisp audio quality in quieter environments; should be replaced annually for best performance.
 
Try to get samples from different manufacturers to get some actual feedback from your agents before deciding what to buy.  

 

[dazbradbury]

  I do a lot of call center telephone.  Our current call center has 150 agents.  With that said... we currently use some of the following:
 
Do you need USB connected?  Check out the Jabra evolve line
http://www.jabra.com/products/pc_headsets/jabra_evolve__series
 
My favorite is the Jabra BIZ 2400 series, but they are very pricey and not closed back.  They do have an excellent noise cancelling mic setup that works well in noisy environments.
 
 
The logitech option is probably good for a small business with no budget allocated for this sort of thing
 
Edit:  Most other users now get Jabra 750 Duo http://www.jabra.com/products/wired_headsets/jabra_uc_voice__750_series    With the high turnover rates in a call center, it's often not wise to invest in expensive headsets unless they are staying long term.

 
 
Thanks for the info! What I don't get about the Jabra products I've tried (which is many), is that they don't seem to consider the sound isolation. I can be on the phone, and if my colleague is also on the phone (sat near me) I can hear them talking. This totally puts you off and makes it hard to concentrate on the customer's voice. Multiply this out by multiple employees and the problem just gets worse and worse... You start talking louder, which affects other around you more and it just gets out of hand! 

Thanks for the options, and yes, the evolve certainly looks nice - the EVOLVE 80 @ £322 is probably a little much though, especially given you could attach a microphone to a top end pair of cans for that!
 

 

[n2stonerdoom]

Originally Posted by dazbradbury /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Comfort: These puppies are going to be worn for 9 hours straight every day
Closed Back / Noise Cancelling: Being in a noisy environment means open back aren't suitable at all.
Microphone: Needs to come with a high quality microphone, or have a place for one to be attached.
Audio Quality: When not on a call, we like to listen to music!

i'd been looking for a stereo headset to meet this set of requirements, with the additional requirement of durability/serviceability, for over a decade.
for a final solution, i built my own.
 
also, i have the m-100/boompro combo with extra large cushions, which i like alot, and is probably the best non-custom-build solution so far as i know.
just wish it had better noise isolation.
 
the antlion modmic pretty much worked for me too, just not so fond of the mic having its own separate cord.
also, the magnetically attached boom pops off for me too often.
mostly that's just me being clumsy though.
but for intermittent phone calls and the ability to use your favorite headphones, the modmic is pretty good solution.
the sticky base rarely leaves any residue.
if it does, just a tiny drop of "goo gone" on a q-tip should take it off. then wipe the "goo gone" off with a q-tip w/ soap, then water.
 
the jabra evolves that neon77 mentioned do look promising. kinda plasticy looking though.
 
i haven't tried any gaming headphones in a while.
most of the ones i did try i'd rather get slapped across the face with than have to listen to music through.
 
good luck, dazbradbury!