SH230 Monaural Headset with Microphone Standard Packaging

If you buy this headset for use with your iPhone, make sure you buy a CBB01 Phone Audio Cable on Amazon for $46.62. I purchased the headset, expecting I could plug it directly into my iPhone. It arrived with a strange connector on the end of the cable. I went to Radio Shack to get an adapter cable but it was not available. I'd have to go back to Amazon to get the adapter cable. Since the cable cost almost as much as the headset, I opted to return the headset for credit. Also, in one of the other reviews here, it says the outgoing audio level is low and that makes it difficult for someone to hear the voice of the person using the headset.

Good sound on both ends. Small clip to attach the cord to something if desired. Mine did not come with the Sennheiser CSTD01 Cable Adapter so you need to purchase that separately. With these two cords together the line is long, I needed to wrap it up with a tie cable tie to keep it from hanging on the floor and getting caught up. It is comfortable, light weight and not too tight, with an adjustable head band that slides up and down for easy sizing. I have long hair and most headsets get caught up in my hair but this one does not. There is no volume control or mute switch on this headset, which is fine with me but just a heads up. The boom is on a swivel to move it up and down, and also made of a flexible rubber which makes it able to be bent into a position that will bring it closer or further from your mouth. I wear it 8-9 hours a day and it so comfortable I sometimes get up and try and walk away from my desk with it still attached to my head. :)

I just got this one to use it with Cisco SPA303 - voip phone. Per Cisco website, this is compatible with the Voip phone. The headsets are great. One of the best ones I seen for comfort. I can also hear great. But the problem is no one can hear me. I adjusted the microphone so it is almost in my mouth. Even then, they can harly hear me. They hear me but it is so light. I adjusted all the volume buttons on the phone and still same problem. FYI - I bought the adapter with the phone together. I may have to return it now. I hate to do it but what is the use if it doesn't work.

I use this headset every day for work with my VOIP phone. I bought it after getting tired of my ear getting hot and burny from the regular handset, to say nothing of the neck cramps from trying to pull up things on the computer screen for vendors and customers to help them. The sound quality is excellent, far superior to the regular phone handset. There are a lot of bottlenecks for sound quality in any phone system (including the phone system of whoever you're talking to!) and I would be very surprised if this headset turned out to be your bottleneck. Chances are you will notice an increase from any stock set you're using now, though because there are a ton of other barriers to perfect quality don't expect any headset to be able to make a phone call sound like you're in the same room as someone. The headset itself is comfortable. I normally take it off between calls but not all the time. I've had it on for hours at a time and it doesn't develop any pain or anything. The adjustable head band does a good job keeping the speaker pressed securely against your ear but with very very minimal pressure. The microphone can be adjusted to a comfortable distance from your mouth too and doesn't need to be so close that you can't, say, easily take a drink of water with it on. I keep mine maybe an inch or two away from my face by the corner of my mouth so I'm not really aware of it and people don't have any problem hearing me. I also like that the microphone can swing up or down on a hinge to get out of the way if need be without changing how you've adjusted the bendy arm. There is a handy clip on the cord that I keep set just to the right of my mouse pad so it doesn't get in the way of mouse usage, another nice touch. I don't generally use the quick (dis-)connect system. It is obviously well designed and would be useful if someone needed to switch stations often but I think it is more about being able to use the headset with any connector you need than it is anticipated people actually need to frequently re-connect their headset. Much easier to just pop a screw into a shelf or a tack on a cubicle and hang your headset on that when not in use. Regardless though it is consistent with the product being very thoughtfully designed every step of the way.

So I had a Plantronics M175C headset, which worked OK, but the mike was no good unless it was almost in my mouth. This SH-230 headset has a great mike, so that is no longer a problem. It also has a better earphone, so I can hear the conversation much better. However, there are few downsides. First is that the side support is really flimsy. I dropped the headset ONCE, from about 2 feet off my desk, and the piece snapped off. Turns out that it is held on by about 4 mm2 of plastic. This appears to be a known problem by Sennheiser, because they sell replacement side supports, http://www.amazon.com/Acc-headsets-side-support-SoHo/dp/B00382BU1K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1281561671&sr=8-1. Search for TPS-03 to find other sources. Second, the headset requires a Sennheiser amplifier or extension cable, since it only comes with the Sennheiser quick disconnect plug. I used the extension with a standard 3/32" headset plug: http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-CCEL190-2-Dect-gsm-Cable/dp/B000IXTEAQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1281561325&sr=8-2 So, with the headset, cable, and replacement supports, this becomes a pretty pricey solution. Third, the headset is barebones compared to other models in the same price range. Of course, they want you to buy their amplifiers, so it does not include a volume control or mute switch. Thankfully, I can use those features on my phone, but it was much more convenient to have them closer at hand. So, it is what I had to have, so that callers could hear me, but I would have preferred better build quality and features.