Versatile headset for Macs and PCs, not just for notebooks

Logitech Norebook Headset | Logitech Premium Notebook Headset

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	• Logitech Premium Notebook Headset Logitech Logitech, 2006 average customer review:based on 75 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Works great.

Works great, I use it on my desktop for Skype and sometimes for just listening to music or using TeamSpeak or Ventrilo. Good set of headphones for the price, and the box is somewhat useful for transit. Definitely recommended.

Versatile headset for Macs and PCs, not just for notebooks

I bought this because for whatever reason God only knows (or Steve Jobs only knows), Macs still can't use standard PC microphones even though they've adopted most other PC-standard technologies. Macs need line level input, while PC microphones provide microphone level. The latter is a much weaker signal and Apple probably believes it's too susceptible to interference. The USB adapter made this headset immediately usable with Macs. All it took was a quick trip to the Sound control panel to select the headset as input and output device and adjust the respective volume levels.

My plan was to use this both with Skype and iListen speech recognition. For both purposes, it works fine. iListen tested the input and deemed the sound quality "poor" but usable for speech recognition. The accuracy is still good. Input volume has to be maxed out in the control panel. I've since upgraded to Macspeech's new Dictate voice recognition program. With the input level cranked up all the way in Dictate's microphone setup, the program says voice quality is 4 out of 5 (where 3 is good). With Nuance's VR engine, accuracy is far better now than on iListen. On Skype, the other parties I speak with say it sounds much better than my previous headsets did. I even use it with iTunes at times. It's not the equal of good circumaural headphones or AKG K26P headphones, but it's better than any headphone you're likely to get with an mp3 player, including the infamous iPod earbuds. Bass response is good, perhaps 6.5 to 7.5 on a scale from 1 to 10, where the K26P is a 9 and most bundled headphones are about a 3 or 4. Slightly muffled and boomy, but good punch in the low end of the frequency range. The phones don't have the sensitivity of the K26P, though, so they need higher volume from my iPod. Years ago, I also owned Plantronics' DSP-500, their top of the line USB computer headset at the time. Despite their claims, I found the DSP-500's sound quality to be thin and tinny and the headset not all that comfortable. That's despite the specialized software Plantronics required you to install to adjust the sound quality. (I am very leery of needing special drivers which may or may not be orphaned just for an audio device.) How ironic that a more diversified company like Logitech beats Plantronics, a company that specializes in headsets.

In terms of comfort, they're fine. I've worn them for hours at a time while listening to iTunes or my iPod and even fell asleep in my chair with them on once. I suspect people complaining of discomfort are wearing the headband on the outside of the ears rather than against the head beneath the tips of the ears, as they're designed to be worn. I don't understand complaints here that say it always feels like it's slipping off. I suspect the complainer never spent time to properly adjust the headset. The earpieces have fore-aft adjustments and also pivot up and down slightly on the headband. The headband rests above your ears, looping behind your head just above your neck, sort of like wearing glasses backward, so they're completely supported and feel completely secure. Don't try to position them high behind the head. Not only don't they slip, I can shake my head vigorously and they don't budge in the slightest. The only disadvantage is that you can't wear glasses with these because the headband loops over the ears exactly where the temples of the glasses would go. I don't see why some have asked for a foam windscreen, either. The microphone is a decent distance from the mouth and I have no problems with popping.

While I like the idea of a hard case for traveling, it's actually a lot bigger than it needs to be. I guess I'll have to carry the headset "commando" when I need to take it with me, unless I'm going on a long trip with a good size suitcase.

Overall, this is one of the best multipurpose headsets I've tried, and I've tried quite a few. I got mine for a fraction of the price (thanks to online auctions), but knowing what I know now, I'd be willing to pay more.

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Logitech Norebook Headset

The Logitech headset is lightweight (good for long use), have good sound quality and work great with Skype.

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Too close

This headset is difficult to adjust correctly. While it will stay on, it feels as if it's slipping no matter how I adjust it. Also, it's not possible to wear it without having the microphone too close causing popping "p"s.

Quality, but a little lax on the comfort

I searched for awhile looking for a headset for Skype and Rosetta Stone. So far, it seems to be built pretty solid.

I used it with Rosetta Stone (a language program). You can speak into a microphone and the program will compare your accent to a native speaker. At first, I had trouble getting the microphone to pick up my voice. I turned up the gain, and it seemed to work a little better, but I also think the software is not the best.

I have not had a chance to use the headset with Skype yet, so I can't comment on that, but I have used it as headphones for listening to music and movies. The sound quality is good enough, I could not notice any problems or issues.

Comfort wise, this headset is not the best. If I wear them for about an hour, my ears and head start to hurt a little. I just would switch between this headset and my iPod earbuds every so often. The other problem is with glasses. I'm not sure if my glasses are wider than most, but the headset pushed on my glasses and they had trouble staying in place. It wasn't that big of a problem since I mostly wear contacts, but it was a disappointment.

Style wise, obviously these look cool, almost like a Bluetooth set on each ear.

All in all, I'm happy with the purchase, but I think they could be better if they were a little more comfortable.

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