Kashif Eizdi 1305695 Posted February 6, 2018 at 03:28 AM Posted February 6, 2018 at 03:28 AM I am thinking about buying a nice headset, however, I want to be able to use it on my phone and for VATSIM. I have been looking at the Bose QC25, and soundtrue II. I realize I could just use a mic/headphone splitter, but even then that creates the issues. Right now I am using apple earphones for audio, but they create issues in the fact I need to select them in the audio devices menu every time I want to use them. More inconveniently, because they use the headphone jack all audio including Flight Sim audio (Fixable through a setting I know) and browser audio goes through them. What pair would you guys is suggest? Is usb connection important? Currently I am setting my sights on a high quality Bose set for iPhone, and then using a usb adapter to connect it to my pc. Is there any advantage of that over a in/out splitter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDPR-removed Posted February 7, 2018 at 02:18 AM Posted February 7, 2018 at 02:18 AM I am thinking about buying a nice headset, however, I want to be able to use it on my phone and for VATSIM. To be honest, I don't know of any headsets out there that work on your phone and on your computer for VATSIM. I used to play a lot of COD, so getting a headset that can pick up the slightest of sounds on your computer was appropriate for me, and because of the sometimes gargled voices on the network, I think it's appropriate for you. Think Turtle Beaches, Astros, etc. Right now I am using apple earphones for audio, but they create issues in the fact I need to select them in the audio devices menu every time I want to use them. More inconveniently, because they use the headphone jack all audio including Flight Sim audio (Fixable through a setting I know) and browser audio goes through them. What pair would you guys is suggest? Is usb connection important? Currently I am setting my sights on a high quality Bose set for iPhone, and then using a usb adapter to connect it to my pc. Is there any advantage of that over a in/out splitter? I'd stop using the apple earphones on your computer, as well as anything that just utilizes your headphone jack. Also, don't mess around with splitters for your microphone. As long as you purchase a headset that connects to your PC via USB, you're good to go. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Carlson Posted February 7, 2018 at 03:35 AM Posted February 7, 2018 at 03:35 AM Any bluetooth headset will work for both PC and phone, and if your PC doesn't have bluetooth built in, you can get a USB adapter, as you mentioned. And some headsets come with the adapter, such as the plantronics voyager. Developer: vPilot, VRC, vSTARS, vERAM, VAT-Spy Senior Controller, Boston Virtual ARTCC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kashif Eizdi 1305695 Posted February 7, 2018 at 04:50 AM Author Posted February 7, 2018 at 04:50 AM Thanks guys. So the way I am seeing it I should go for a good wireless device and purchase an adapter for my PC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kashif Eizdi 1305695 Posted February 7, 2018 at 04:55 AM Author Posted February 7, 2018 at 04:55 AM I would really rather not spend money on a gaming headset and a music headset, as I only listen to music casually (I am purchasing a headset as I find the in ears to be very uncomfortable, and unnecessarily exposing me to ear infection. How would a Sennheiser 461 fare? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Board of Governors Simon Kelsey Posted February 7, 2018 at 05:00 PM Board of Governors Posted February 7, 2018 at 05:00 PM Hi Kashif, My concern with that 'headset' is the microphone. The VATSIM audio codec is very unforgiving and that sort of "dangly" microphone is liable to pick up an awful lot of background noise, which subsequently gets garbled by the codec and makes you sound like a Dalek with a sore throat. Really you need a headset with a proper boom mic with a directional pick-up pattern (i.e. so that sound from the 'wrong' side of the mic is rejected) which can be positioned correctly approximately 1cm below and 1cm to the side of your lips. This (along with correctly configuring your audio recording settings so that the level going in is correct) will give you the best chance of that your transmissions are clear to all. In order to split your engine sounds from ATC comms you will need a second audio device. As mentioned above, the easiest way to do this is with a USB headset, as the USB appears to Windows as a separate sound device. Some headsets terminate in 3.5mm jacks which then plug in to a supplied USB "dongle", thus allowing them to be used with both traditional analogue jacks and as a USB device, but again I suspect this would not be compatible with your phone. Bluetooth therefore is probably your best option, as again a Bluetooth adapter for the PC would appear as a separate audio device allowing you to split the audio, but then again Bluetooth does not provide for the highest-quality transmission of audio (not an issue with speech as on VATSIM but depending on how discerning your ears are you may or may not notice a difference with music compared to a wired connection). Worth also bearing in mind - you don't say what phone you have but if it is an iDevice of course later versions are sans 3.5mm headphone jack, so from a futureproofing point of view Bluetooth would provide lasting compatibility there but something with a 3.5mm jack would not... The other aspect of course is that the headset must be comfortable to wear: personally for VATSIM comms I prefer 'open-backed' cans which are a bit more lightweight and don't make me feel completely sealed off from the rest of the world, though it seems very difficult to find any these days (and for music listening a closed-back set may be preferable in any case). In honesty, it's quite challenging to find anything which properly fits the bill for both applications: a quick search of Amazon for "wireless headset" reveals a fairly limited number of Bluetooth-compatible options (the Logitech G930 etc stuff is 2.4 GHz wireless, not Bluetooth) manufactured by companies I've never heard of; on the face of it some of them look promising, but I have no idea of the build or sound quality. Vice President, Pilot Training Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Ogden Posted February 7, 2018 at 10:12 PM Posted February 7, 2018 at 10:12 PM For my computer, I use the Corsair VOID headset, which is a wireless headset using a USB dongle instead of bluetooth, kind of how a wireless computer mouse works. They are over ear headphones, which are very comfy and they block out a lot of background sound. The headset usually retails for around $120 AUD. For your phone, it might be better off getting some around ear earphones that sit around the ear. These would be a wireless example: https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/beats-by-dr-dre-powerbeats3-wireless-earphones-red-beats/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_listing_ads&gclid=CjwKCAiA5OrTBRBlEiwAXXhT6CTyvPUyfeWpUybfEM-PpwgacxIAO_284GL7hvHuQu26xoQxHz4ERxoC5kQQAvD_BwE Andrew Ogden Gander Oceanic OCA Chief Vancouver FIR Senior Instructor Visit us: https://ganderoceanic.ca Contact: [email protected] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kashif Eizdi 1305695 Posted February 11, 2018 at 04:11 AM Author Posted February 11, 2018 at 04:11 AM Thank's for your advice guys. I am going with the wireless route. Considering I am currently an Apple user, this may be useful in the future, and nonetheless wireless seems more pleasant. I have narrowed my choices down to the Skullcandy Crusher, and Sennheiser 4.40 HD. I realize that perhaps the VATSIM forums are no longer the best place to discuss this, but if anyone has experiences with the two, what are your thoughts? Personally I feel the Sennheiser looks a lot more cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts]y, but it is slightly more expensive than the Skullcandy, and seems to be slightly less feature packed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lehkamp Posted February 14, 2018 at 05:34 AM Posted February 14, 2018 at 05:34 AM We are using David Clarks in our 57 sim and they work great with Vatsim. 757 Simulator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kashif Eizdi 1305695 Posted February 17, 2018 at 10:03 PM Author Posted February 17, 2018 at 10:03 PM Well I purchased my first set, Sennheiser 4.40hds and I am not too happy with them. The mic and audio quality are great, but they are incredibly uncomfortable. I have been looking at some others that look more comfortable, but they are all wired and don't have a mic. I have thought about buying a clip on mic and using that instead of bluetooth, but I am a bit confused on one thing: So far most suggestions have been to avoid the headphone jack, as it doesn't allow sounds to be split. However I have had no issues doing exactly that, both with my old earbuds and new headphones (When using them wired). Whilst it's true I do need to reselect them everytime I connect or disconnect them, the same goes for disconnecting or reconnecting on bluetooth. As for browser and other audio always playing through the headsets, I figured I could fix that by setting my speakers up as the default audio device. Does using a USB plugin have any exact advantage? If it does, I have also considered purchasing one of these:https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-External-Headphone-Microphone-Desktops/dp/B01N905VOY/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1518902007&sr=8-5&keywords=3.5mm+to+usb to go with my headset and mic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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