Tuesday 29 June 2021

Best VoIP headsets 2021

Voice over IP (VoIP) has become the preferred method for businesses to communicate vocally, both internally and with customers and partners. 

Whether you’re looking for yourself or for an entire team, it’s important to have a headset that facilitates communication, especially when the user is in a busy office environment.

The best way to do this is to focus on a few key factors that can make or break a VoIP headset’s overall performance.

To this end, we’ve tested dozens of models to find the best VoIP headsets, focusing on stable connectivity, comfort, price, and of course good audio quality. Each of these headphones brings something to the table, so be sure to read through the whole review to find the best fit for your needs. 

For example, if you work in a noisy or open-office environment, check out the Jabra Evolve 75 with its exceptional noise cancellation. If you’re on a tight budget, then the Logitech H600 offers great value for money, without sacrificing audio quality. And if outstanding audio and microphone quality is a deciding factor, Sennheiser’s MB 660 UC MS has you covered, with 30-hour battery life to boot.

Read on to discover more great VoIP headsets.

jabra voip headset on a desk

Jabra offers distraction-free noise cancellation with a comfortable design (Image credit: Jabra)

1. Jabra Evolve 75

Best for noise cancellation and staying focused

Good battery life
Excellent noise cancellation
Comfortable and lightweight
A bit expensive
Audio output has room for improvement

We chose the Jabra Evolve 75 for a few reasons, not least because it’s quite comfortable. The materials are of a high quality, and the design, while utilitarian, is smooth, streamlined, and feels agreeable in the hands and on the ears.

But the Jabra Evolve 75 has more to offer than just comfort. While the audio output isn’t the best in the industry (higher ranges come through a bit tinny), the noise cancellation itself is impressive. If you’re looking for a distraction-free experience in the middle of a busy, open workspace, the Evolve 75 won’t disappoint. 

The microphone is found on the right side, on a flexible boom arm that can be affixed to the band (with a magnet) when not in use. The Evolve 75’s mic demonstrated excellent performance in capturing and transmitting audio—a must for any VoIP headset worth its salt. There are a few missing features—no play/pause/skip music control, for example—but the Evolve 75 still ticks a lot of boxes, and is a solid choice in terms of comfort and noise cancellation. 

Read our full Jabra Evolve 75 review

woman using a VoIP headset

The Blackwire 7225 by Poly can be worn all day long (Image credit: Poly.com)

2. Poly Blackwire 7225 (formerly Plantronics)

Best for comfortable all-day use

Active noise cancellation
Boomless design is comfortable and lightweight
Plenty of controls
No wireless option (USB A or C available)

The Poly Blackwire 720’s design takes a departure from your standard bulky-headset-with-boom style, instead opting for a sleek and very lightweight form factor that makes it quite comfortable to wear for extended periods, even all day long.

The ability to turn on and off active noise cancellation also makes it easier to keep your headphones on, as you can simply turn off noise cancellation rather than removing the headphones as needed. It’s also a good set of headphones for listening to music, with full media controls: mute, play, pause, forward, and back.

Despite being integrated into the body of the earpiece, the audio capture is quite good. The Poly Blackwire 7225 features four omni-directional microphones that do a good job differentiating between ambient and directed noise, so your voice comes through clearly on calls. If you keep your headphones on all day for music and calls, this is a good choice for you.

sennheiser VoIP headsets

Get exceptionally long-lasting battery power and range with the MB 660 UC MS (Image credit: Sennheiser)

3. Sennheiser MB 660 UC MS

Best for exceptional audio quality

30-hour battery and 80-foot range
SpeakFocus™ ambient audio cancellation
Comfortable for long periods
Expensive
Some users experience connectivity issues

Sennheiser is known for outstanding audio quality, and the MB 660 doesn’t disappoint. It stands out as a truly excellent set of headphones for music, VoIP calls, and everything in-between. Built-in noise cancelling and multiple microphones make for crystal-clear VoIP calls in both directions. You can also choose between sound modes (Movie, Director, Club, and Speech) for the best sound for your environment. 

The foldable design makes it easy to carry in a bag or suitcase, and it’s built from premium-quality materials for maximum comfort. You can easily spend all day on calls without significant discomfort. The battery will have no trouble keeping up, either: it can last a full 30 hours between charges. Those batteries are also covered by the device’s two-year warranty, by the way. 

While the Sennheiser MB 660 UC MS isn’t the cheapest VoIP headset on the market (you can expect to pay up to $350), it is one of the best, especially if sound quality is a deciding factor for you. 

Best VoIP headsets

Rock-bottom pricing that doesn’t compromise on quality (Image credit: Logitech)

4. Logitech H600

Best value for money

Low price tag
Decent sound quality
Convenient fold-up design
Nano receiver easy to lose in transport
Missing some key features

The Logitech H600 has a simple design, is made from humble materials, and is cheap enough to fit just about any budget. That doesn’t mean the H600 has made any big concessions in sound quality or functionality, though. The battery lasts for a full 6 hours, which should be enough to get most people through the workday, and the fold-up design makes it easy to take between work and home.

The H600 is fully wireless, syncing through a USB dongle (nano receiver)—it’s small, so be careful not to lose it: the headphones can’t work without it. The sound, while not exceptional, is sufficient for meetings and calls, and the headphone’s drivers have been laser-tuned to minimize distortion. 

The Logitech H600 has fewer bells and whistles than some of the other headsets on this list, and the range isn’t superb, but the price can’t be beaten, and the sound quality is still respectable.

Best VoIP headsets

A simple, dependable corded model at a reasonable price (Image credit: Microsoft)

5. Microsoft LifeChat LX-6000

Best mid-range corded VoIP headset

Good microphone noise cancellation
Reasonably priced
Highly adjustable boom
Awkward inline remote
Not suitable for all-day use

Not everybody needs—or wants—a wireless, Bluetooth headset. If that’s the case, you may want to check out the LifeChat LX-6000. The cable comes with mute and volume controls, and reaches about 7 feet (2.15m), so you can still get up and pace the room. The stereo audio quality is more than good enough for VoIP calls, and with active noise cancellation, calls come through crystal-clear.

The design is simple, although the headband and ear pads may cause some discomfort after long periods of use—these are good headphones for occasional calls, but if you spend all day on the phone or want to use them to listen to music, the Poly Blackwire 7225 on this list may be a better fit (literally).

Nonetheless, this is a great plug-and-play budget option. It’s comfortable enough if you’re not wearing it all day, and it’s got good sound quality to boot.

Further reading

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