Customer Reviews

Logitech Stereo USB Headset 250

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

This is my first set of USB headphones so I can't really do any comparative evaluation except to say that they work very well for the purpose for which I bought them; for Skype conversations.

What I can report is that they work beautifully with Skype and Mac OS X. When you have them plugged into your USB port they automatically appear in the OS X system preferences menu and in the Skype preferences panel. When you select them in the Skype preferences, Skype uses the headphones but all other sound continues to be played through your existing system so you can still hear other system sounds through your built in speakers. If you want all audio to be through the headphones (for example to listen to music on them) just choose them in the sounds system preference panel.

There is no software or other drivers and no "wizard". Just plug them in and they work.

I bought a Logitech 250 to replace my Ipevo USB Skype phone. I was surprised that it was such a dramatic improvement. Others say my voice is much louder and clearer, and a problem I had been having with my voice suddenly getting too quiet for others to hear went away right away. In addition, it requires no drivers: plug and play on winXP, easy to find and control in Skype. These are also WONDERFULLY COMFORTABLE. One drawback worth mentioning is that one does not hear their own voice as you would on a phone, so that you do have to adjust to speaking at a normal volume and just assuming every word is getting through. It takes an adjustment to get used to this.

Incidentally, I recommended the 250 to a friend, but the store he went to was out of them so he got a 350. He's very frustrated, as the mute button on the headphones is very sensitive and very easy to trigger, which happens regularly during our conversations. He's anxious to get rid of it and get the 250 as soon as possible. For Skyping, at least, the volume control of the 350 is superfluous, as is the mute button, since one can hit Mute on the screen at any time.

I paid list price on these after I trashed the last 'phones that I had (I sat on the mic part). They work much better than the last ones, and the USB connection is MUCH better than the separate mic-headset connection. It works plug-n-play on Windoze XP and Mac OS like a charm.

Skyping is much better in a noisy place because the headset blocks out external noise very well, but the mic picks up ANY background noise when you're not talking (like a toilet flushing in a rest room behind TWO doors).

The headset's really nice for music, too. I can actually turn the volume down from where I used to have it, and I can hear it better. The frequency range is much better than the old phones and the sealed cups are a great feature.

I tried several headsets for my MAC so that I could use and internet telephony service to contact family long distance.
This is the first of 4 headsets to actually work!
Sound quality is excellent and everyone I talk to says my voice sounds crystal clear.
I have two gripes- the ear pads are a bit bulky and a bit too thick for using for telephony-I can't hear myself speak!

USB Headset technology is great. It allows audio signals to travel from your device to the headset digitally. The quality is much better than the analog signal provided by the standard mini-RCA jacks most headsets use (usually two, one for the speakers and one for the mic). Here are a few things I liked about this particular headset:

1. Excellent sound quality.
2. Ear pads are extremely comfortable and block out sound well enough that I can't hear someone talking five feet away, but I can hear my office phone ringing one foot away.
3. Noise cancelling mic sounds great.
4. Wire only comes out of one earpiece, which eliminates the annoyance of a wire coming out of each ear piece and meeting around your chest.
5. Headset interfaces seamlessly with my laptop.
6. Headset fits comfortably (and I've got a big head).

Unfortunately, one thing ruined all this for me. The wire going into the earpiece seems to have a bad connection. I've had this problem before with earphones, but normally at the end where it goes into the device. I have to jiggle it around to get a clear signal, and once I get the clear signal, I can't move very much or I lose it. Sometimes it's lots of static, other times I only get sound from one earpiece, and other times I get no sound at all. I would expect this if I had the headset for a year, but I've only had it TWO MONTHS! I looked around the Logitech website for a way to contact Customer Service electronically (I'm not a big fan of calling customer service), but could not find one. I've been a big fan of Logitech products, but this one shook me a little. If you do buy it, be extremely delicate.

The Logitech Stereo Headset 250 USB rocks!!! This is the first set of headphones I buy having a microphone and I love them!!! I spent lots of time on the internet trying to figure out what headphone w/mic to buy. I decided to purchase this one because the reviews for the brand/style were excellent. And they were right. I used the headphones today for the first time and I was impressed with the quality of the sound. I called internationally using the PC-to-phone service of Yahoo messenger and the sound was great. The reception was very clear and people could hear me very well. Zero problems. Not even my Motorola RAZAR has the reception and clarity of the headphones when calling internationally. I highly recommend them. An interesting feature is that you can adjust the volume of the microphone using the computer. Most headphones w/mic do not have this feature, which it is handy. The Logitech Stereo Headset 250 is also great for listening to music. The stereo sound is excellent. They fit well; they are light and the design is modern.

The product is wonderful and works fantastically well - when it works. However, this headset is much too fragile and prone to breakage to receive any serious consideration by any user.

For those who travel frequently, or own Mac computers, a headset that plugs directly into the USB port is a real convenience. One plug that's detected automatically is all that's needed. It works with no problems on Mac OS X, and requires no drivers.

Sound quality is good - not amazing, but acceptable for a $30 set of headphones. The mic quality, likewise, is also acceptable. These are best used for voice-voice communication as part of Skype conferences or video-gaming with Ventrilio. The sound quality is clear and the echo cancenllation works nicely. Unlike many PC headsets, the sound transmitted to the receiving end tends to be quite clear.

Varying people either tolerate the earmuffs, or despise them - I found them to be acceptable myself and I could wear them for long periods of time with occasional breaks, but I have known others who did not like their on-the-ear construction. Overall, I recommend that you try them first to ensure that they fit well for you. I prefer these earmuffs over those of the 350, which I found did not sit on my ears properly.

The main drawback of this product, however, and the main reason I hesitate to recommend this product highly, is its construction quality. Despite the fact that it works well, the cord is extremely prone to breakage, and I have heard multiple stories of the cords shorting out, resulting in damaged mics or headphones. The earpieces are prone to breaking and falling out. If you're careful, you can pop it back in, but occasionally it can be damaged beyond repair. However, the real loser is the cord - this breaks without warning, and has resulted in the death of many a headset. It's a shame, really, because if I was assured that a pair would last for a while, I'd simply recommend someone to buy another pair if they break. But because they tend to break randomly, without warning, perhaps a year after purchase, or 10 days after purchase, I cannot in good conscience recommend these.

Bad build construction could be offset by quality customer service and speedy replacement policies. However, Logitech's support is terrible. They offer no toll-free number - you pay long distance out of your own pocket. Their service people are presumptuous and are usually unhelpful, and are quicker to tell you that your product is uncovered and unsupported than they are to try to help you as best as they can. I've had to deal with Logitech support on a number of occasions and loathe every time I need to cope with them.

If I knew that I could call them and get these replaced hassle-free within the warranty period, then I could recommend them despite their tendency to break down, but the combination of a non-durable product and bad support seals the deal - do not purchase these headphones. It's a great product that's much too fragile and delicate to be relied on, and it's a shame that Logitech's designers couldn't have made something even slightly more robust.

Died in 10 days. Amazon made it easy to return. Other than that, not much to add beyond other comments. Instantly recognized by Dell E1505 Core Duo XP Media Center.

Doesn't seem to be many reviews complaining about failure (so far) so I guess I just got unlucky.

Update 4 April 2005: I recommend the Logitech 350 model over the 250. The build quality is better on the 350.

Works out of the box (for Skype on MacOS), good sound, comfortable earpads...that's more than enough for the money I paid.

These USB headphones cure the one problem I disliked about my very loved iBook - no microphone jack. My iBook recognized them right away, and they work great. I've read other reviews saying they weren't too comfortable. They're ok. Not the most comfortable things ever, but they are better than the more expensive 350 version. The sound quality is great for the price. Perfect for listening to iTunes and making Skype calls. I'll give them 5 stars, but I bet there's better out there if you're willing to spend more!