Do you want the best headset? 
These days, a lot of people find themselves working from home. This was a developing trend prior to the Covid pandemic, but once that arrived, remote working became the rule and not the exception.
One kind of noise that has proven to be challenging is the sounds of crying babies which ranks right up there with barking dogs. Anyone who has young children at home knows exactly what I’m referring to.
In this blog, I’ll provide you with my opinion on how these headsets performed when confronted with the sounds of a crying baby:
- Apple Airpods Max
- Dell WL7024
- Jabra Evolve3 85
- Poly Surround 80
- Bose 700
- Yealink HA64 Pro
Though these headsets vary in their designed purpose, they do share a couple of things in common which is they’re all double ear models that are worn over the head, and they don’t have a boom microphone, with the exception of the Yealink HA64 Pro.
Doing this noise test will give you an idea how each of these models sound and how much of the crying baby noise gets reduced. I’ll share with you which ones sound best to me, but everyone has their own preferences, so you may have a different opinion.
Rather Hear For Yourself?
If you’d rather bypass this blog and go straight to our video test, then make sure to watch it below.
The Problem With Noise
Noise is a problem in most work environments. This can be the sounds of noisy coworkers, the sounds of traffic, machinery, children, pets, landscapers and a lot more. The thing these noises share in common is that they all can be distracting to your callers. And when callers are distracted by background noise, they can miss your message, and even develop an unfavorable opinion of you, your product or service and even your company.
When you become distracted by the background noise going on around you, it can lead to setbacks in productivity due to interrupted concentration. You may also miss important points your callers are raising which can also be problematic.
Sound Quality - Not To Be Overlooked
Removing unwanted background noise is important, and so is how you sound to your callers. I’m referring to the microphone sound quality. And as you’ll hear in our video above, they don’t sound the same.
Compare the sound quality of different headsets, whether they’re budget or premium models, and you’ll always hear differences.
In our video, the differences in sound quality between these different models is very evident. So when you’re shopping for new headsets, the two areas to pay attention to are:
- Noise cancellation
- Microphone sound quality
One other feature you might benefit from is Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). This is an electronic feature that’s a countermeasure to room noise. A sort of anti-noise feature. Headsets having ANC will allow you to activate the feature by pressing a button on the headset, which then dampens down the noise you hear. This is very useful if you need to maximize concentration.
If you'd like to learn more about Active Noise Cancellation, and how it differs from noise cancellation, check out our explainer video below.
The alternative to having ANC, for noise reduction, is to look at oversize ear cushions that surround the ear rather than press against them. Larger ear cushions, like the ones available for the EPOS Impact 1000 headset, more comfortably distributes the pressure of the cushion to the area around the ear. This not only provides a greater level of comfort, but it can help to passively remove background noise.
Secret Weapon Against Noise
Something worth keeping in mind is no headset is designed to remove all the background noise. That’s where having a backup plan has value. neep noise canceling software works in tandem with your preferred audio device, and silently operates in the background.
neep removes the noise on both ends of the call, which is something a headset can’t do. neep will also learn your voice, enhance it, and then isolate it, keeping you sounding clear when other voices or noise is present.
To learn more about neep, or to try it for free, just go to neep.com
So How Did These Headsets Perform?
Below are my thoughts on how each of the different headsets performed for microphone sound quality, as well as noise cancellation.
Apple Airpods Max. I’m a fan of Apple products, and use them daily. However, I wouldn’t use the Apple Airpods Max on business calls.
Yes, these are regarded as premium headphones, which they are. Great audio quality, and a superb build. But when it comes to business grade microphone sound quality, and noise reduction, they fall short.
In our noise test, the sound of the crying baby could be heard easily, which suggests that very little noise canceling was taking place. So, listening to music or a movie, these are awesome. For business calls? Not up to the task for sound quality and noise reduction, so I wouldn’t recommend them.
Dell WL7024. Out of all the models tested, I have to give credit to Dell on this model. The microphone sound quality was very good, and it did a great job at eliminating the baby crying sounds.
So between voice quality, and noise removal, I’d give high marks to the Dell WL7024.
Jabra Evolve3 85. Jabra has a long history of making consumer and business grade audio devices. The Evolve3 is the latest in their business line.
My take on this new headset is the sound quality was solid, and the noise canceling was equally solid. I think it would be hard to go wrong selecting this headset, based on Jabra’s reputation, the Evolve lineage, and the fit, feel and sound of this headset.
Poly Surround 80. The microphone sound quality on the Surround 80 is impressive. To me, it rivals Dell in richness. However, the Dell WL7024 is clearly better at removing background noise, because with the Surround 80, the crying baby was easily heard.
To me, that places the Poly Surround 80 in the middle of the pack.
Bose 700. This is a product where one might say that the name precedes the product. After all, it is Bose. It’s also fair to say that some products simply need to stay in their lane, and this is one of them, at least with the model we tested.
For music and entertainment, Bose rocks. For business calls, based on our test, I would be hard pressed to recommend this one.
The microphone sound quality was hollow, lacking richness and depth for sure, and the noise cancellation was poor at best. I stand by my opinion that these aren’t ready for prime time business calls.
Yealink HA64 Pro. To throw a wrench in the works, we decided to include a popular headset that features a boom microphone. Others on this list are boomless.
So…how did the Yealink do?
Microphone sound quality was solid, and the noise cancellation was excellent. No surprise to me because Yealink has a well-earned reputation for slaying background noise, and the HA64 Pro is no exception.
If you’re looking for a business grade headset, and you need to connect to different devices, and also need long wireless range, check this headset out because it’s a fresh face on the headset scene, and it’s packed with features.
Final Thoughts
Generally speaking, boomless headsets aren’t the most ideal type of headset to use for business calls. And though that’s been very true in the past, it’s clear to see that things are changing because some of these headsets did a great job in microphone sound quality, and noise reduction. Both of these features are important when having a business conversation.
If I had to pick one boomless headset off this list for richness of sound, and solid noise cancellation, I’d say the Dell 7024 would be my choice. And though Dell is better known for computers, it’s impressive that they’re outperforming the heavyweights in the industry like Poly and Jabra in audio quality.
My opinions are not to say that the other models tested are bad, because they are not. It does however, underscore the value in using a headset in the environment it was designed for. Bose and Apple, for example, would be best used for non-business purposes, whereas the Jabra, Poly and Dell are more at home for business calls and meetings.
Like with any product, things evolve. it's easy to see that boomless headphones are evolving into a more muliti-purpose device, one that can excel in the entertainment space, and double as your go-to business headset as well.
No doubt there are other models of headphones that would perform as well, or even better than the models we tested. But, it's hard to argue that it's a valuable exercise to thoroughly test headphones before deciding to use them on important business calls.
Watch the video, listen to how they all sound, and how much noise they remove, and see if you don’t agree with my views. Maybe you will and maybe you won’t. Either way is fine.
Have Questions, Or Need Some Help?
If you have questions, or need some help deciding on new headsets, we're here to help! Headset Advisor has been assisting customers with the communication needs for over 30 years, and we have over 800 Five Star reviews on Google.
We can help cut through the noise, and provide you with a tailored communication solution that's guaranteed to work with your system. Contact us today for some professional assistnace.
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