Headsets

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What's the Difference Between Headsets and Headphones?

Simply put, headsets have microphones, while headphones do not. For all intents and purposes, you buy a headset more for its handy, easy-to-use microphone, rather than the quality of its speakers. As such, you tend to find headsets primarily used as communication devices in offices, call centres, and other business settings, where they're perfectly serviceable for calls and meetings. A dedicated pair of high-quality headphones, on the other hand, offers much better audio quality for listening to music, watching movies, and playing games.

That said, gaming headsets are immensely popular as they allow gamers (console gamers especially) to listen to a game's audio and communicate with their teammates with one plug-and-play device. A wireless gaming headset is a fantastic solution for those looking to kick back on the sofa and play games on the TV. If, however, you're a PC gamer with a desktop set-up, you may want to consider a standalone microphone paired with some headphones since you'll have the room for it.

Microphone

Most webcams and laptops have built-in microphones, but their quality usually leaves a lot to be desired. Sure, if you've got nothing else to hand, they'll do in a pinch. But if you expect to chat to someone for longer than 5 minutes, you really ought to use the microphone of a headset. It's not a fun experience being on the other end of a webcam or laptop's popping, crackling microphone during an hour-long conference call.

A standalone microphone is better still where quality is concerned, but as mentioned, it may not be a practical solution. For many, it's just easier to take a headset on and off as needed, rather than dealing with a microphone separately.

What's more, many of these headsets' microphones feature 'flip to mute' functionality. So, when you need to quickly mute yourself, you can just flip the microphone up and it'll automatically disable itself, saving you from having to fumble around for the mute button on your computer.

Wired vs Wireless Headsets

Browse our range of headsets and you'll find that there's just as many wireless headsets as there are wired headsets. So, you've got plenty of choice when shopping for headsets at Ebuyer, but which should you go for?

Wireless headsets let you move around freely without tangling a bunch of cables in the process, perfect if you find yourself getting up from your desk frequently. Whether you're in a call or waiting for your game's queue to pop, you'll be able to continue using your wireless headset while away from keyboard.

The trade-off is that you have to deal with batteries. Today's wireless headsets can run off a single charge for tens of hours at a time, but eventually they'll need to be plugged in and recharged. Some people would rather not risk having their headset run out of juice on them in the middle of something potentially important.

There's also latency to consider. You don't exactly need an ultra-low latency connection for making calls and meetings, but for games it's another story. Fortunately, most gaming headsets come with dedicated 2.4GHz wireless dongles to deliver the fastest possible connection, as opposed to relying on the laggier Bluetooth technology.

And, as is the case with any wireless device, wireless headsets are susceptible to interference. Using wireless headsets in a busy office environment may not make for the best experience, for example.

Headsets at Ebuyer

Here at Ebuyer, we stock a range of headsets from all the top brands, including EPOS, Jabra, Logitech, and more.

If you want your new headset by tomorrow, next-day delivery is available. We also offer finance packages for added flexibility. And don't forget the Ebuyer Price Match Promise - we won't be beaten in price.