USB Headset Review

Well, it's been almost 1 year since I got my second pair of Plantronics DSP 500's. You know what that means. Time for them to break and be replaced. (Every year, like clockwork.)

I'm looking at 3 other Plantronics headsets and wanted to see if anyone has any experience with them. (Yeah, yeah. I know Plantronics' quality is lacking given that this is my third pair in 2 years, but no other company makes comfortable and good sounding USB headsets.)

First is the Audio 500. The drivers are smaller and supra-aural instead of circumaural like the DSP 500's. This could be a problem, but the price is right.

Second is the Audio 510. Plantronics has redesigned the mute button (THANK YOU!) and they look as comfortable as my current 500's. The price is also pretty good. These looks like a solid replacement.

Finally there is the Audio 550. It also sports the redesigned mute button, but the ear pieces have leather cushions that may be a little warm for those 4 hour raids. Still, this is the flagship model and sound quality is probably a little better. Unfortunately, the price reflects that.

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So my .Audio 510 arrived today. I'll give you the low down in a nice list.

Pros:
-The USB "sound card" portion is much smaller and lighter than my old DSP 500.
-The volume control / mute button is much higher quality and does not feel like it will break any time soon.
-The mic boom is vastly improved. It is both smaller and more flexible, moving up and down, in and out, as well as side to side. The up shot is that I can finally move the mic out from under my nose and I no longer pick up breathing when my mic is not on mute.
-These things are super quiet. No hiss or buzz at all and the circumaural drivers actually surround the ear much more than the DSP 500's. They don't block out everything, but it's a good deal more "cocoon-like" than the 500's.

Cons:
-The cord is about a foot shorter. (This is actually more of a pro for me as the old cord was super-long)
-The ear muffs are leather, not cloth so they may get a bit warm.
-The midrange seems slightly more "muddy" and the highs a little more piercing. I expect this will mellow out after a few weeks use.
-The in-line mute button and volume control is too close to the headset. It's designed to clip onto your shirt, but with it that high up it is impossible to see if the mute is on or off without looking down at the mute button (that glows red when on) is under your chin. (Still, at least this mute button is usable unlike on the 500's.)

I think that's it. After playing with my 500's some more, it looks like the mic connection wire at the base of the mic boom (the part just on the outside of the drivers) is shorting out. If I jiggle my boom a little and move it around my mic will start working again until I bump the boom.

All in all the Plantronics .Audio 510 seems like a good purchase. The price is significantly lower than previous USB headsets of this quality (short lifespan not withstanding). I would heartily recommend this headset to any guildie needing a headset for Teamspeak. Spend the extra $15 and get a no-fuss USB headset with high quality audio and skip the old 3.5mm dual plug headsets of yester-year. Your ears will thank you and so will everyone else listening to you on TS.

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