Logitech ClearChat (981-000009) Headset

Last year, I discovered an obsession. I d like to think of it simply as a hobby, but I know deep down that this has passed from hobby to full-fledged obsession. I discovered Librivox.org, a place where anybody can participate in recording/narrating audio public domain books. I knew right away that I was hooked.

I already had a microphone headset and was happily recording away. However, my old microphone was quite cheap and the quality of the recording reflected this. This lack of quality was compounded when, after purchasing a laptop, my old microphone s quality got worse since it could pick up the hissing of my hard drive. For online gaming or chatting, background noise such as this may not be an issue, but for audio books, such noise can get quite distracting.

After shopping around, I decided on the Logitech ClearChat Comfort USB headset. The USB connection was vitally important to me since a regular 3.5 mm mic jack would no doubt continue to pick up the hard drive noise.

The price was a decent $39.99 at Office Max and worth every penny. Although there were some cheaper headsets, there don t seem to be very many with the USB connection, most having a 3.5 mm jack.

The headset is moderately comfortable, but not what I would call outstanding. The headband is padded, unlike most cheaper headsets that just have the plastic band. However, the band itself is rather square, not fitting very well over my round head. Although not uncomfortable, the headband would have been a lot more comfortable if the band were more rounded. The ear pads are also padded and fit well on my ears. They don t fit entirely over the ears and thus don t create a seal for blocking out sound. The microphone arm is attached to the left side and can be rotated almost a full 180 degrees, but being aligned with the band to pointing almost directly down at the neck. One minor point that may be an issue for some is that the mic cannot be rotated so that wearing the headset backwards puts the mic on the right side. This was not an issue for me, however, since I like it being on the left side.

Another feature that I didn t think I would use all that much, but have found quite useful is the in-line volume and mute control. Located about 2 feet down the wire from the headset, the volume control is a convenient, handy way to adjust the volume or to mute the microphone. Not a big seller for me, but convenient, nonetheless.

The ear phone sound quality is also sufficient for my use, but I m not sure how it compares to ear phones on other headsets. The microphone recording quality itself, however, is superb. When recording with my previous mic, there was a constant hiss in the background. However, with the ClearChat mic, there was no detectable hiss at all, giving my recording a clear, crisp sound, with virtual silence where there should be silence (pauses in sentences, etc). Now that I've upgraded my mic, my obsession can continue on with better quality recording than before. My voice, on the other hand, can't really be helped.