I have a MBA and a Mini that I use for Zoom meetings and such, and I’d like a basic headset that can pair to both. It also needs to be rock solid for Zoom.
The reason I mention Zoom is that I have some Anker headphones that would fit the bill if they didn’t mute the mic (with no ability to unmute - no hardware button, Zoom software buttons don’t work) every time I exit a Zoom breakout room. I have to disconnect them from my computer and reconnect for the mic to start working again.
Oh, Zoom really doesn’t work well over wireless in my experience. One thing we tell everyone at work is to buy a wired headset to use with Zoom. It always makes a difference when that person switches from a bluetooth headset to wired.
I’m not a headset user, but my Airpods connect and reconnect to Zoom just fine. If you prefer a headset (and have the budget for it) maybe the Airpods Max?
Yeah, I have AirPods Pro - but I’ve been advised to not use anything that goes into the ear for extended periods of time.
Because of this I use Shokz for my cell phone, and it actually works well with Zoom if I multipoint it, but when it’s multipointed it periodically loses connection to everything and has to be completely shut down and restarted. Which sucks, and always seems to happen at bad times.
I’ve been considering the AirPods Max, but…$500. That’s a lot of money.
I swear by the BlueParrot line of headsets. I use one to record my (Panopto) lecture presentations (giving me freedom to roam around the lecture room). I use it also for Zoom.
Have you thought about a USB speaker phone attachment? We use them at work occasionally and I’m thinking about getting one for my home office because I dislike wearing headphones for calls.
To actually answer your question, I have the Sony XM5s headphones. They can connect to two devices at once so you can swap seemlessy, and the mic quality is good. If you want a more general pair of headphones that can serve as a headset, they’re something to look at. Just not what I like to use them for.
I’ve contemplated a speakerphone type thing, but part of this is that I want it for later at night when other people are asleep. And the speakerphone probably couldn’t connect to both Macs.
It is a lot of money, but I’ve been using AirPods Max as my videoconferencing headphones for almost three years now and they’ve generally worked quite well.
I’ve used Bose Soundlink around-ear headphones for the last 7 years and think they’re great. Two years ago I replaced the ear cushions because the faux leather stuff was beginning to perish (you can buy replacements on Amazon and they’re really easy to swap out). They’re basically as good as new.
There are buttons for play, track skipping, and volume but I’ve never tried them on Zoom and would assume they don’t work. My version of the headphones (I guess newer models might do other things) connects to and remembers two devices and can switch between both seamlessly.
This is however not necessarily ideal. Mine are connected to my MBP and my iPhone, because I also use them to listen to music (I mostly play music via my iPhone, regardless of my location and what device I’m using). If I get a sound-based notification on my phone whilst I’m in Zoom, I hear the alert through my headset. I’m used to it and mostly ignore it, but it’s not ideal.
One other thing I like about these Bose headphones - I don’t know how many other Bluetooth headsets do this so it might be common - when you turn them on they speak to tell you what % of charge remains. That means you rarely get caught short on charge.
