Customer Reviews

Plantronics HW261N Binaural Headset

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this headset through my call center - provide tech support for a major ISP - 12 years. The Plantronics H261N is much More Comfortable than any monaural headset I've used. Because it's Binaural, you can change positions and alternate ears during a long day on the phone. About the Other reviewer's Comment - Needed to Adjust the Mic Closer To Mouth - Sure, JUST LIKE ANY HEADSET MIC that's Noise Cancelling! My regular customers commented on how much more CLEAR I sound compared to the previous headset. Regardless of what stores tell you, MSRP is actually $94.99 (Not Over $100.00 advertised some places) and they can be had for less than $70.00 Retail - Dealer Cost is about $45.00 plus Shipping for one - a little less for more.

The ad for these plantronics headphones is totally deceptive - you MUST buy the expensive adapters either for USB, your cordless or regular desk phone. Each of these three items is separate even though they are all "quick release". Buyer beware! You can't use these headphones without these adapters.

Function very well as described except the volumne is kind of low, I need to 'twist' or bend a little of the microphone in order to have lounder, clearer volumn on the other end. You also need to speak a bit lounder than usual. Otherwise, the receiving end will have a very weak, low voice volumn. The headset itself is very comfortable. Note: you need to purchase the amp adaptor to connect to a regular corded phone.

We use these headsets at work, which is a hotline setup. The microphone part is very bendy, so if the caller is in a noisy atmosphere I can bend it closer to my mouth. The foam padding on the earpieces are not very soft, but I've been using my set for over a year now and it's holding up well.

2011 update:
After 4 straight years of using this headset 40 hours a week I finally had to replace the foam pads when the one ripped enough that it actually fell off. I should have replaced the padding ages ago, it's way more comfy on my head now.

I'm actually posting this on behalf of my wife, who uses it almost daily in her job as part of a virtual call center. From the comments she's made, she's very happy with the product. Even on days when our lawn service is going past the window in her room where she's working, the person on the other end can't hear the mower. She's never complained about it, and never asked for a different one. Now if only *my* employer would buy these as well... I could definitely use the noise canceling feature (open area work group with inconsiderate and/or noisy co-workers).

Instead of USB, it uses some bizarre, proprietary, nonstandard type of plug, so you have to buy an adapter from Plantronics for an extra $35-50 before you can get it to plug in to any PC. Their plug has the same contacts as USB, but a different shape (slightly larger) serving no purpose whatsoever than to force you to buy extra accessories from them for $35 that cost $1 to make. They should use standard USB like everybody else.

This headset is more comfortable than most because the amount of force required to stretch it to the width of a head is less than average, but it could still be lower. Pressing the earpads into the ears doesn't accomplish anything, so they should just use a more flexible material for the top part. There is no need for the earpads to apply any force to the ears.

I've heard great things about the sound quality, but I'm waiting for the adapter to arrive in the mail, so I haven't experienced it first-hand.

Nice headset, clear sound and helps drown out background noise. I purchased the complete set, the amp and the adapter with the headset after reading all the reviews and I am glad I did. It's well worth the price if you are on the phone all the time and this will keep your hands free. YEA!!! I would recommend this to anyone whois on the phone, I took mind to the office to use, because they didn't have a headset and being able to talk and keep working is great.

I use this headset with a Plantronics amplifier for my telecommuting job. I have found the binaural headset to be very comfortable, although there is a slight minus to not having a tight fit: when the inevitable person calling from a speaker phone or cell phone comes through, I have to press the earphones to my head to hear them properly, thus negating the hands-free portion of the headset's capabilities. Usually, though, I can hear clear as a bell with no need for such measures.

The noise canceling mic works wonderfully, and ought to be verboten on all call center headsets. No one can hear the garbage truck trundle by, or the neighbor's kids whooping and hollering outside. On occasion, though, they can't hear me either (one might then call this a voice canceling mic). This is usually the aforementioned speaker phone and cell phone people, but anyone with a soft or low-pitched voice is going to have a little trouble with this I think. It's partly to do with the position of the mic: this one is designed to end near the corner of the mouth, so you could take a sip of water without disturbing the mic. For the purpose of sound quality, a more traditional mic ending right in front of the lips would work better in combination with the noise canceling feature. After all, if you're not speaking directly into the mic, why wouldn't the noise canceling feature cancel out your voice too?

All in all, though, this is a good headset to use if you need one compatible with a Plantronics amplifier. I have found that cupping your hand around the mic and your mouth works great at clearing up the sound when the caller can't hear you.

Before getting this headset, I was using my phone in "speaker-phone" mode which gets old fast. I chose this model because of the dual earpieces as it gives me a balanced feel. I have no idea why units like this cost so much as the build quality is on par with headsets you buy for gaming on your PC. At first the set was a little tight on the ears but after a few days they have "molded" themselves to my head. As with any headset, prolonged use causes different symptoms. Ears get hot, headband gets heavy on the top of your head, etc. Such things go with the turf. Customers have never complained that they can't hear me and I don't have to speak loud at all. Using with a Polycom VOIP phone with coiled cord.

This headset works well if you need an office headset. I'm a little dissatisfied with the binaural aspect of this headset. It's not very comfortable on both ears. I decided to go to a regular single ear headset instead.