Computer Headsets

Wired or wireless computer headset: pick by how far you walk

Choose the connection first. It's the one thing about a computer headset you can't change once it arrives.

A wired PC headset has no battery to wear out and nothing to pair, which is why it's the default for a computer you sit at all day.

Computer phone headset: one headset for every phone on your desk

Every headset here takes calls on your computer, in Teams, Zoom or a softphone. What decides the pick is the other phone you want it for.

• Your cell phone. Bluetooth models with a dongle, like the Voyager Focus 2, Evolve2 65 and Yealink BH70, pair with your mobile as well as the computer.
• Your desk phone. DECT headsets with a base, like the Poly Savi 7310, Jabra Engage 65 SE and EPOS SDW 5035, connect to the desk phone's headset port and the computer's USB at the same time.
• All three. The Poly Savi 8240, Poly Voyager 5200 Office and EPOS SDW 5036 add your mobile on top of the desk phone and computer.

To answer desk phone calls from the headset instead of lifting the handset, the base also needs an EHS cable or a handset lifter made for your phone model.

The microphone and the plug

A computer headset with a microphone on a boom puts the mic about an inch from your mouth, while a laptop's built-in mic sits behind the keyboard you're typing on. Most models here use a noise-canceling boom, so callers hear you and not the room.

Buying a headset for a laptop, check the ports first. Many recent laptops only have USB-C, so pick a USB-C model like the Blackwire 3220, a wireless one with a USB-C dongle like the Voyager Focus 2, or plan on an adapter.