Review of the Skype Everyman Headset
Skype is a great way to stay in touch with people without maxing out your cell phone bill every month. Thanks to the inclusion of a webcam and microphone on almost every notebook sold these days getting started with Skype is but a download away. Still if you’re going to use Skype every day or to chat with co-workers like we do at Notebooks.com you’ll want to invest in a headset to provide a better chatting experience.
Skype was kind enough to lend us one of their new Skype Everyman USB headsets to review. The Everyman headset is a wideband audio headset which is available for just $22 direct from Skype.
First Look:
When you unbox the Skype Everyman headset the first thing you’ll notice is the small size. Thanks to a bit of design ingenuity the everyman headset swivels and slides flat to fit into even my small netbook bag without adding too much extra bulge.
The good news is that the Skype Everyman headset feels durable. Even though it swivels and twists to turn into a small package it stood up to the abuses of a cramped netbook bag and the joints felt solid even when I tried to turn the earphones the wrong way. Bottom line while it is cheap, it doesn’t feel cheap. The review unit has also survived several falls off my desk without damage.
Sound Quality:
When talking to other Skype users the headset performed very well and was a marked improvement over the built in mic on my laptop. The headset connects to your computer via USB which lets it skip your soundcard and provide better quality sound. It also supports the Super Wideband Audio codec for chatting in Skype which also provides a better quality sound.
But wait, there’s more:
This isn’t just a Skype headset. The Everyman headset has an interesting cord which provides you with the ability to use the headphones to listen to your mp3 player or iPhone. While it won’t block out the noise of a crying baby on a flight and your neighbor is sure to hear it works great in an office or a hotel room. I was happy to discover that the headset works without being plugged into a USB port so you don’t have to be tethered to your laptop to use it.
Pros:
- Price $22.88
- Folds flat for travel
- Sound quality
- Ability to connect to an external device
Cons:
- When listening to music you can still hear external sounds and music leaks out.
Bottom Line:
Given the good sound quality and ability to hook it up to an external device it’s hard to take issue with much on the Everyman headset; especially at $22.
Category: Accessory Reviews, News
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I had a pain with these: My audio setting was too high when I was talking to granny and there is neither no audio control nor any mute button on the headset. Talk about cheap stuff!!! So while granny was screaming in my ears I was desperately searching in the software for a way to make her “shut upâ€.
No, this is one shortcut that will end up in someone suing Skype for damaged hearing!!!
And it is “Certified”??? Does the Skype Certification stand for nothing??
I had a pain with these: My audio setting was too high when I was talking to granny and there is neither no audio control nor any mute button on the headset. Talk about cheap stuff!!! So while granny was screaming in my ears I was desperately searching in the software for a way to make her “shut upâ€.
No, this is one shortcut that will end up in someone suing Skype for damaged hearing!!!
And it is “Certified”??? Does the Skype Certification stand for nothing??
I had a pain with these: My audio setting was too high when I was talking to granny and there is neither no audio control nor any mute button on the headset. Talk about cheap stuff!!! So while granny was screaming in my ears I was desperately searching in the software for a way to make her “shut upâ€.
No, this is one shortcut that will end up in someone suing Skype for damaged hearing!!!
And it is “Certified”??? Does the Skype Certification stand for nothing??
You mean you don’t know how to lower your volume through whatever OS it is that you’re using? That’s a fail on your part, not the headset. No set of headphones I’ve ever had, has a volume dial. It’s not needed, and it could lower the sound quality.
You mean you don’t know how to lower your volume through whatever OS it is that you’re using? That’s a fail on your part, not the headset. No set of headphones I’ve ever had, has a volume dial. It’s not needed, and it could lower the sound quality.
You mean you don’t know how to lower your volume through whatever OS it is that you’re using? That’s a fail on your part, not the headset. No set of headphones I’ve ever had, has a volume dial. It’s not needed, and it could lower the sound quality.
Cyber:
No, that is not what I mean. I mean that it is much faster and quicker to lower the volume (or mute it) if the control sits nicely on the headset, instead of on the computer. With a two meter cable I might be sitting comfortably in my big chair, fairly far from the computer, and it is not small thing to get to the computer and mute or lower the volume. Therefore a good headset for VOIP should have a control on itself, not being dependant on other things in order to make it useful.
Lower the sound quality? What are you talking about? If it is a good manufacturer I am sure they can make a headset where a electronic device does not interfere with the quality. If they can not then it is rubbish and should not be bought in the first place.
Cyber:
No, that is not what I mean. I mean that it is much faster and quicker to lower the volume (or mute it) if the control sits nicely on the headset, instead of on the computer. With a two meter cable I might be sitting comfortably in my big chair, fairly far from the computer, and it is not small thing to get to the computer and mute or lower the volume. Therefore a good headset for VOIP should have a control on itself, not being dependant on other things in order to make it useful.
Lower the sound quality? What are you talking about? If it is a good manufacturer I am sure they can make a headset where a electronic device does not interfere with the quality. If they can not then it is rubbish and should not be bought in the first place.
Cyber:
No, that is not what I mean. I mean that it is much faster and quicker to lower the volume (or mute it) if the control sits nicely on the headset, instead of on the computer. With a two meter cable I might be sitting comfortably in my big chair, fairly far from the computer, and it is not small thing to get to the computer and mute or lower the volume. Therefore a good headset for VOIP should have a control on itself, not being dependant on other things in order to make it useful.
Lower the sound quality? What are you talking about? If it is a good manufacturer I am sure they can make a headset where a electronic device does not interfere with the quality. If they can not then it is rubbish and should not be bought in the first place.
I just bought a pair of these for MAC OS, and I am having trouble getting the set up to work – have chosen USB Voip device in my systems prefs and the same in my Skype prefs, but no go…any thoughts?
I just bought a pair of these for MAC OS, and I am having trouble getting the set up to work – have chosen USB Voip device in my systems prefs and the same in my Skype prefs, but no go…any thoughts?
I just bought a pair of these for MAC OS, and I am having trouble getting the set up to work – have chosen USB Voip device in my systems prefs and the same in my Skype prefs, but no go…any thoughts?
My desktop finds the headset immediately, not so however my laptop. What could be the cause of that?
My desktop finds the headset immediately, not so however my laptop. What could be the cause of that?