Headsets
In this video from ITFreeTraining, I will look at headsets. Headsets offer an alternative to speakers and in some cases come with a microphone. This video will look at what to look for in a headset depending on what your needs are.
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Headset Types
There are many different types of headsets on the market. These include on-ear, over-ear, open-back, closed-back, in-ear, surround sound and noise-cancelling headphones just to name a few. Your choice will depend on your needs. So, let’s have a look at the different types of headsets that are available.
Phone Headset
The first thing to consider is what is the primary use of the headset. One common use is to connect a headset to a telephone. These are commonplace in call centers. If you spend a lot of the day on the telephone in front of a computer, you should consider getting a phone headset.
Before purchasing a headset, check that the headset is compatible with your telephone. Older telephones and cheaper telephones will have fewer connections. In this example, this telephone has a lot of connections, but don’t expect this to always be the case.
Modern telephones may include a USB connection. Depending on the telephone, this may support a USB headset or a connection to a computer. If you decide to use this option, make sure the telephone supports the USB device that you intend to use.
Older style headsets may have a 3.5mm plug. These may have a single plug or two plugs, one for microphone and one for speaker. Not all telephones will have these.
The next connection is an RJ connection. This is a very common connection for telephones to use. Many headsets will be designed to plug into this connector. The headset will generally have a base station that connects into this connector.
In the case of this telephone there are two RJ connectors. This means you can use both your standard telephone handset that came with the telephone and an external phone headset. If your telephone does not have two connectors, you may need to unplug your phone handset in order to use a headset.
This covers the basics of telephone headsets, let’s now look at what sort of headsets you may consider purchasing.
Phone Headset/Headphones
Your requirements for what you want from a headset will play a big factor in the type of headset that you will purchase. If you are purchasing a headset for a telephone, these headsets are designed primarily for voice and are used in the office. For this reason, they are generally mono and thus don’t support stereo sound. In a lot of cases, they will just have one speaker.
Since these headsets are used in the office or a call center, they may include noise cancelling. Noise cancelling works by the headset recording external ambient noises. These ambient noises are mixed with the output of the headphones, however it is done out of phase. To understand how this works, consider that you have a wave. If you wanted to reduce the strength of the wave you could mix another wave that is the opposite of the first wave. For example, if the peak of a wave is combined with the trough of another wave of the same strength, they will cancel each other out.
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References
“The Official CompTIA A+ Core Study Guide (Exam 220-1001)” Section 5 Paragraph 218 - 222
“CompTIA A+ Certification exam guide. Tenth edition” Page 423
“Headset (audio)” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headset...)
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Credits
Trainer: Austin Mason http://ITFreeTraining.com
Voice Talent: Tomislav Krevzelj
Quality Assurance: Brett Batson http://www.pbb-proofreading.uk