Cyber AcousticsStereo Headset/Microphone, Ambidextrous design AC-201
by Cyber Acoustics
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List Price: Our Price: $7.24 You Save: $12.75 (64%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $6.99 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cyber AcousticsStereo Headset/Microphone, Ambidextrous design AC-201
Customer Review: Great headset for the price!
Summary: 5 Stars
I ordered two of these headsets for use by my wife and myself while playing World of Warcraft on our PCs. We had just recently gotten voice chat via Ventrilo set up and working, and we wanted to upgrade to headsets to replace our basic speakers-and-desktop-mic setup.
Both headsets worked great right out of the box. The sound output quality is fine, both for the voice chat and the Warcraft game sounds and music. Our teammates reported that the microphone sound quality was fine as well.
The headset earpieces are small, but include some cushioning. (They definitely fit "on" the ear, not "around" the ear.) I had some ear discomfort after wearing the headset for over an hour, but it was very slight -- definitely mild enough not to be a distraction. Adjusting the earpieces forward a bit on my head (so they didn't rest directly on my ears as much) helped.
The headband is adjustable to fit various head sizes. Both my wife (5'6" with a normal head size) and myself (6'3" with a large head size) were able to adjust our headset to have it fit comfortably.
The end of the microphone is slightly "bendy," and thus the microphone's position can be fine-tuned as desired. The entire microphone stalk can also be swiveled up to be parallel to the headset's headband, to move it up and out of the way.
The hardware interface (at the end of the cord) is two standard sound plugs (that will fit standard PC sound cards) -- one for the sound output jack, and one for the microphone jack. The cord itself is a nice length, plenty long enough to plug into a PC sitting on the floor under a desk and reach the head of the user sitting on a chair at the desk.
I'm sure there are better headsets out there, but I'd say that this is an excellent headset for the price for anyone looking for an entry-level headset.
Customer Review: A great tool for dictation software!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this headphone/microphone set so that I could use it with Dragon dictation. As a novelist, I am finding that my wrists are hurting me more and more these days with all the hours I spend pounding the keyboard. I didn't want to have to spend $200 on some of the more expensive headsets I saw on Amazon to get accurate dictating results, so I was glad when I saw at least one review where someone said that they had used the AC 201 for dictation and found this headset to be perfectly acceptable.
I'm writing this review to tell you that I am very happy with this purchase. For such a cheap price, it is working well beyond my expectation. In fact, I expected that by using this headset I would learn that yes, I did need to spend an exorbitant amount of money for a decent microphone for dictation. I learned the exact opposite. I'm using the microphone to dictate right now, and so far from what I can tell there are no errors! I also love the sound from the headset--when I take a break from dictating, I like to listen to my MP3 player and I don't even have to take off the headset to do so. The sound is comparable to the sound from my Sony ear buds. I also find the headset very comfortable, and I don't think I have a small head :-). All I have to do is unplug the cord from the computer--I'm using an ASUS net book, by the way--and attach it to my MP3 player, and I'm good to go!
So for those of you who care about dictation quality, you will be happy if you purchase this headset/microphone. At least I am! As I said, I am completely dictating this-- with the television playing in the background--and the results are fabulous. And FYI, I am using Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 10, Standard Edition.
Customer Review: Mac users PLEASE read...
Summary: 3 Stars
This product MAY or MAY-NOT work for the Mac you are using... Read below for details but it has nothing to do with drivers or any such nonsense... its purely a hardware issue.
Some Mac's shipped with 'Mic Ports' on the back (usually labeled with an icon of a Mic) mostly older models now I'm afraid. With a "Mic Port" one could use any-old cheap **unpowered** Mic provided you got the right adapter to make it fit and that could be a whole OTHER issue but for the most part lets just say a Mac with a MIC PORT can use this headset...
However, It seems with most/all new Mac hardware the good ole reliable 'Mic Port" has gone the way of the floppy drive... It's been replaced with an __arguably_more_powerful__ (for audio buffs especially) "Line In Port".
So what's the difference between "Mic Port" and "Line-In Port"... Mic Port could accept an unpowered cheap mic for input (the kind of Mic used in these headphones) and the "Line-In Port" requires a powered Mic (or other powered audio source).
I hope this helps... and if you happen to be using a Hackintosh, FrankinMac, etc (you know who you are) then chances are your machine DOES have a Mic In Port and I can't think of any reason why this shouldn't work provided you have good and complete audio drivers for your specific mobo now the question is do you have good audio drivers?!?! Ah, the perils and pitfalls of using non-conformist hardware... :)
Customer Review: Buyer Beware
Summary: 1 Stars
After having all brands of headsets ranging in price from under 15.00 to over 40.00. I think I've become somewhat of a headset expert. This pair didn't last very long. In less than a month, I noticed problems with the right side audio. I was also constantly asked to speak louder when I used the headset to make VOIP calls. Eventually the mic digressed from low audio, to static to nothing at all. I urge anyone seeking a quality VOIP (or gaming even) headset to do your research. As for using this pair to listen to music, it provided minimal quality insofar as bass or solid delivery of clear, crisp audio. For music I cannot even recommend this particular make. As for longevity, you'll be lucky if this headset lasts a full year. Do your homework and watch for such things as extra long cabling to the headpiece (this goes for ear buds style as well), swivel mics that don't come close to your mouth, and flimsy mute/volume switches. As for comfort this headset is tight and its cheap feel gives it a shoddy workmanship look. Price-wise, it's too high and should be sold for much less, considering all of the flaws (poor earphone & mic sound quality) and lack of longevity (lasted under 4 months).
I will not recommend to anyone that they purchase this brand and I hope my honest review helps someone else not have to deal with having to waste their money. This gets one star at best.
Customer Review: Not Bad
Summary: 3 Stars
This headset is nice for the amount of money it goes for. It is light and goes pretty much unnoticed while it is in use. The mic is easily adjustable and you can wear the headset either way that is most comfortable to you. I have no outstanding issues with this product but you may want to look out for a few things:
You may (I did) have to adjust the properties of the mic so that it can more easily pick up your voice; simply adjusting the mic boost or volume should do the trick.
1. The sound output is overwhelming and I find that I have to turn down my systems volume just to be able to withstand the onslaught let loose on my ears.
2. The above issue is actually pretty annoying at points but it is nothing that should stop you from buying these if you are on a budget.
3. The manufacturer description says this headset comes with an easily adjustable sound output "This way you can change the volume without having to adjust any settings on your computer or gaming system." but I fail to see any such device on my headset.
Overall I'd say this is a good buy if you don't want to spend a whole lot of money and aren't too picky about little things. They may seem flimsy but as long as you don't plan on putting them through some kind of durability test then they will (should) last.