Why Use A Telephone Headset?

Almost everybody owns a headset as a daily driver for music or simply calls when on the go. However, telephone headsets primarily aim to provide a calling facility with hands-free operation. These have a specific application and are not similar to typical music listening or gaming headsets. Their design targets pristine microphone audio while speaking and clear vocals while listening. If you want a headset to ensure flawless online communication, look for a telephone headset.

Understanding the history and advancements of telephone headsets is the first step to finding the ideal device. Their key features make them suitable for applications requiring extensive communication. In this blog, we will explore the history, features, and applications of telephone headsets to discover why people use them.

The Backstory of Headset and Its First Use

Nathaniel Baldwin created the first-ever headset in 1910. The device featured speakers enclosed in an enclosure, which reduced background noise and led to more precise sound. The device was convenient enough to be commercialized for the public. Let's see how headsets developed into what they are today and what makes modern telephone headsets more advanced than early models.

Early Developments

Baldwin Telephonic Headset was the first commercially available headset sold to the U.S. Navy. The Baldwin Radio Company grew from its foundation in 1914 to annual sales of $2 million in the 1920s. This attracted many companies to start producing their renditions of telephonic headsets. The initial purpose was to enhance voice communication. However, now they are a multi-purpose device.

Key Milestones in Headset Technology

The earlier Baldwin telephonic headset had a simple speaker design, limited frequency response, and bulky body design. Advancements in telephonic headset technology started after the development of dynamic headphones.

1937: Development of the First Dynamic Headsets

Elektrotechnische Fabrik Eugen Beyer DT 48, developed by the German scientist Eugen Beyer, were the world's first dynamic headphones. They offered performance upgrades of many folds compared to older headsets, setting the wheel in motion for our modern headsets.

1958: Innovation of Stereo Headset

The earlier headsets were dynamic, which are the core characteristics of modern headsets. However, they lacked stereo sound and spatial sound features. John C. Koss invented the world's first stereo headphones in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1978: Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)

Background noise was still a problem with headsets. In 1978, the founder of Bose developed the concept of active noise cancellation technology. The headset heard the noise surrounding it and sent an opposing signal to the speaker drivers to cancel the noise. ANC is still a key feature in modern-day telephone headsets.

1979: From Telephonic to Music Gadget

Sony's Walkman, with its cassette players, was all the rage in the 1970s. It transformed headsets into portable music companions.

Since 1979, headset manufacturers have embraced multiple technologies like AI, digital audio signal, wireless technology, advanced level codecs, low latency Bluetooth, and even the RF (2.4GHz) connection. Let's dive deeper into what features you need in a telephone headset that is available today.

Four Reasons to Use a Telephone Headset

Modern telephonic headsets push comfort, convenience, versatility, and performance to an all-new high. The pristine audio quality with spatial audio features makes telephone headsets an auditory delight. Let's see what features telephone headsets have that make them useful:

1. Voice Transmission

The critical difference between regular and telephone heads is their ability to deliver audio. The modern-day work scheme is your voice converting into a digital signal and pushing across oceans and continents to someone on the other end of the digital meeting. There are mainly two types of microphones in a telephone headset:

● Boom Microphone

Using a boomstick to bring the microphone in front of the mouth is the earliest method to deliver audio. It is practical and is still the ideal way for application where long hours of communication occur daily. A monodirectional microphone that picks directly from the person speaking leaves out background noise naturally. It does not rely on audio processing for noise reduction. However, they might be inconvenient as the boom might irritate some users. Gaming professionals and call centers still use boom microphones for excellent audio delivery.

● In-Built Microphone

Any telephone headset that does not have a boom stick features an in-built microphone. These are the latest renditions of telephonic headsets, as they provide the comfort of not requiring you to set the boom mic in front of the mouth or away in case you are eating. In-built microphones need technologies like AI and ANC to reduce the surrounding noise. Otherwise, they will pick up all the surrounding sounds.

2. Quality Audio Drivers

Delivering audio to the listener is part of a telephone headset's purpose. You must ensure you hear the person on the other end in the best manner possible. Headsets need quality audio drivers to ensure the users hear the details within the voice and understand the person speaking clearly. Specifications such as resistance and size of diaphragm matter. Lower resistance consumes less power and can deliver louder sounds if the diaphragm is small. Typically, telephone headsets have drivers with impedance between 8 and 32 ohms, while the diaphragm can be 8mm to 15mm.

3. Convenience of Connectivity

It is essential to ensure a pristine connection. Former designs that used a 3.5mm connection were prone to resistance and noise due to imperfect connections. Modern telephone headsets use wireless technologies. They are mainly Bluetooth-based, while some can offer other wireless connectivity. Bluetooth is best for telephone headsets because of its lower battery consumption and standardization.

Some headsets can feature AAC, SBC, aptX, and other audio-transmission codecs. Regarding telephone headsets, SBC is more than enough for voice delivery.

4. Comfort with Headbands and Earmuffs

Another important aspect is the comfort of wearing the telephone headset for long hours. Some telephone headsets have only one earpad, which is great for spatial awareness. Modern headsets will have in-built microphones with AI-based noise cancellation, ANC, and audio-passthrough options. Users can define the intensity of background noise by allowing some noise to pass through the earmuffs to make sure they hear their colleagues or have spatial awareness in case they are on the move.

Applications that Require Telephone Headset

Applications that need loads of communication will require a telephone headset. It can ensure pristine audio communication with comfort and convenience. Let's have a look at some of the applications: 

● Call Centers: A telephone headset aims to ensure you get on a call with flawless communication. In the case of call centers, any hiccups or hearing troubles during a call can lead to bad customer reviews or lower satisfaction levels. Having good-quality telephone headsets in call centers is critical. Call centers also have a lot of noise, so noise cancellation is vital here.

● Business and Office Environments: If your business or office environment involves distant communication and many online meetings, telephone headsets are your best option, as they provide good audio delivery and instant connection.

● Home Office Use: If you work from home, many things can disturb your workflow. Telephone headsets reduce the surrounding noise so that you can focus on and remain on the critical path of your workflow and ace those tasks within the timeframe.

● Remote Learning and Education: As the world becomes a global village, remote learning and education are becoming prevalent in households. Telephone headsets can provide children and adults with the utmost interactive online classroom sessions with high-end audio quality.

● Gaming and Personal Use: It's common to see professional gamers use headphones with boom sticks in competitions, especially in games like Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Valorant, and PUBG. The constant need for communication with low latency amongst teammates is vital to secure a win. That is why telephone headsets can assist in such scenarios.

Final Words: Why Use A Telephone Headset

As we can see, the invention of the telephone headset arose from the need to provide privacy to the listeners receiving audio. It quickly became commercial, and now it has applications in music, call centers, remote learning, and gaming. Telephone headsets provide features that focus on voice delivery, noise reduction, and high-end audio delivery.

If you are looking for telephone headsets with an excellent price/performance ratio and premium quality, visit the MEETION headset section for a wide variety of options. They provide noise-canceling headsets or simple wired headsets ideal for call centers. Check out their 3.5 mm Telephone Headset HP003 and Bluetooth Telephone Headset BTH003 to understand their headset quality.