Headset for IP telephony and music playback

[The late XV105]

Plantronics DSP-650 review

I'll post what I find in due course

Pros

• Cheap
• Decent build quality
• Light
• Comfortable
• Open and clear music playback with decent bass extension and good tonal response; audible differentiation between original CD source and compressed .mp3 copy (128 Kbps)
• Clear speech
• Microphone adjusts for length as well as angle, the latter permitting vertical storage when the headphone are being used for playback only
• Within the USB constraints listed below, works fine through my KVM switch (two computers sharing one set of peripherals)

Cons

• Warm ears after extended use; hardly a surprise
• Hot plugging or unplugging of the USB connector results in a delay of 5 to 10 seconds before the computer senses it and switches between headphone and loudspeaker or vice-versa
• Hot plugging or unplugging of the USB connector results in computer volume being reset to 100% rather than remaining at whatever level was set; annoying to me on headphone and the whole household on loudspeakers!
• Inconsistent volume operation with Microsoft Multimedia Keyboard and XP; works perfectly with XP Pro SP2 on my laptop but the volume graphic doesn't represent reality with XP SP2 Media Center Edition 2005 on my home computer; it will display correctly up to 75% whereupon it becomes locked and won't go up or down even though the actual volume *does* go up or down according to +/- keystroke. Unplug the USB connector to use loudspeakers and volume display is correct.

Conclusion

• 8/10

Reply from Plantronics regarding the volume issue on hot plugging:

The reason that this is happening is every time you plug in the USB adapter, effectively windows is then using a completely different 'sound card'. The USB adapter in itself is an actual 'audio device' and every time you plug it in, I believe that windows will simply start using it as if it was a brand new hardware installation.

If you are wishing to be using both the headset and your desk top speakers I would advise another way around. What ever programs you are using the headset for (presumably voice programs?) you can manually tell them to use the USB device, and leave the Windows defaults as your sound card ergo you'll be able to leave your headset plugged in all the time, and hence the volume settings on both items should always remain the same.

Unfortunately doesn't help me because headset usage is driven by consideration for others in the house, not by application type