Skype headphones for Mac?

luckat

What's the best headphone-and-mike set to buy for a Mac, to use while phoning on Skype?

ZENER

I use a Logitech USB headset usually.

Alternatively you can use a Bluetooth headset like you use with your mobile phone.

ZEN

J-blk

On my Mac Mini, I use a pretty standard Creative HS-400 headset:

http://ie.europe.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=437&subcategory=442&product=13868

But it's plugged into a USB Griffin iMic:

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic

This essentially makes it a USB headset. Zener's suggestion of using a USB or Bluetooth headset is optimal because they'll show up as separate audio devices, allowing you to set Skype to ring on your speakers/main audio output and keep all other audio output from the system there, while Skype's audio in/out are set to the headset.

luckat

The description says: "Take advantage of pure digital audio with the included plug-and-play USB adapter, or connect the dual analog 3.5 mm jacks to your favorite soundcard."

There's only one socket to put in a jack on my MacBook - well, there's one with a picture of headphones, and another with what looks like a lift-door-closing sign with a circle around it. Are these where I'd connect the jacks?

(I've been told that jacks give a better sound than USB?)

By the way, most of the muzzy sound is apparently because my IBB cable to the antenna on the roof has gone bad, again. The lads are said to be arriving midweek sometime to fix it.

BuffyBot

I've got a Plantronics DSP-500 and can't fault it. I've noticed no difference between jacks and USB

luckat

Looked at the Plantronics one, but apparently it's been retired, and isn't compatible with Leopard.

The page I checked offered a bunch of wildly expensive alternatives:

http://plantronics.com/north_america/en_US/productfinder/productlist.jhtml?refresh=all&mftr=Apple&_requestid=2006307

J-blk

luckat wrote: »

well, there's one with a picture of headphones, and another with what looks like a lift-door-closing sign with a circle around it. Are these where I'd connect the jacks?

That's an interesting description of the audio input logo . Yeah, any standard headset will have two minijack connectors, a heaphone out and a microphone input. These connect to those two connectors on your MacBook, headphone out and line in respectively. I've noticed no difference between USB and minijack headsets either, they both sound fine.

luckat

OK, I'll probably get the Komplett one, which looks fine and has a doable price.

BuffyBot

Looked at the Plantronics one, but apparently it's been retired, and isn't compatible with Leopard.

Works fine on my Leopard machine

ZENER

The most elegant/convenient/simplest solution is a bluetooth headset. It leaves you free of wires to wander about while talking on Skype. I have a Plantronics 340 device which works nicely allowing me to move about untethered. Cost me about 49 euros in the Airport shopping area. It's available in other online shops too.

As babypink says it's easy to tell Skype what audio setup to use or to tell the Mac which audio device to use for input/output. Try doing it in Windows XP - a royal pain to explain to someone of the technophobe variety !

ZEN

J-blk

ZENER wrote: »

As babypink says it's easy to tell Skype what audio setup to use or to tell the Mac which audio device to use for input/output. Try doing it in Windows XP - a royal pain to explain to someone of the technophobe variety !

Babypink? Um, that was me...

You're right about the Windows XP thing though - it took forever to explain this setup to my dad and once he got it, it still never sticks :mad:! Windows randomly changes all the settings because at times it fails to detect a USB audio device at startup... getting you back to square one... This never happens to me on the Mac side of things, unless I manually change it - as it should be.

ZENER

J-blk wrote: »

Babypink? Um, that was me...

Heh heh sorry 'bout that. Had mr Merlot 'round for a visit and he kept messing with my faculties !!:eek:

ZEN

luckat

That Plantronics looks good, Zener - I'll have a look when I'm tripping to London next week.

Anyone know if Gatwick or Dublin Airport is better value for that kinda thing?

Sympathies on Mr Merlot - what a messer. His cousin Mme Sancerre caused me some grief last weekend.

fbradyirl

Bluetooth headset for Skype is my preference also. I would recommend the Jawbone (picked one up cheap in the states as they are half price now because they are getting rid of stock to make way for a smaller model)

Duck Soup

Like yourself, I'm also looking at Skype headsets. I got a Skype-approved phone and it was atrocious.

One that might be worth taking a look at is the Logitech ClearChat PC Wireless headset.

http://www.gizmag.com/logitech-clearchat-pc-voip-headset/8949/

It's not Bluetooth (although I appreciate that pretty much every recent Mac has Bluetooth), it's just plug-and-play. I priced it with Beyond 2000 off Grafton Street and they said they could order it in for me for €94.99.