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Working From Home 2.0: Improving Audio

Home Office Veterans Can No Longer be Excused from Bad Audio on Web Conferences

By Michael Heiss

1More’s True Wireless ANC are alternatives to the popular white colored in-ear buds that do not extend as far out from the ear.

We all hope that 2021 will bring full, widespread availability of vaccines and therapeutics, but even with that Working (or Learning) From Home (WFH) won’t end entirely. Even with medical advances, it will be months before everyone has been vaccinated and the immunity antibodies take hold. Perhaps even more important, many companies, both large and small, have already said WFH is something they will continue, and in turn, the excuse “this is new to me” will no longer justify bad audio, video, or connectivity for web conferences.

We Have to Step Up Our WFH Game

That is why we need to move to what I’m calling “WFH 2.0,” where you may need to step up your game. To help with that, here are some suggestions as to what you can do to impress the boss, teacher, or your relatives on one aspect of WFH, and, at the same time, making those daylong sessions in front of the screen more tolerable. It will take more than one article to address the issue, so look for more articles on the subject coming soon at restechtoday.com.

The subject here is perhaps one of the more frequently ignored aspects of online video and audio web conferences: audio. After all, even with the best picture, all is for naught if no one can hear you, or you can’t hear them! The speakers and mics built into most laptops, tablets, and particularly smart phones are serviceable to occasional use, but here we’re talking about all-day sessions.

Finding Better Earbuds

To start, let’s examine some alternatives to the earbuds that many WFH folks use. Yes, they work, as evidenced by what you see used by your friends and colleagues as well as interview subjects on the news. Forgive me for a personal peeve, but while Apple’s AirPods deserve their reputation for good sound, the hard-plastic buds and “universal” fit of the original models tend to be uncomfortable for day-long use.

Alternatives? First, look for earbuds with replaceable foam or silicone tips. (the AirPod Pro model, for instance). This gives you increased ambient noise isolation and will hopefully let you wear the buds for a longer time. Next, when shopping for in-ear buds, look for the number of mics and their placement. As always, price isn’t always the determining factor. For example, I tried out two models from the highly respected 1More brand. Their “True Wireless ANC” buds are great sounding and even have THX Certification. They also did a very credible job of conveying my voice to others on the call.

Alternatively, 1More’s PistonBud TWS buds are one third the cost of the ANC model. While they don’t have active noise cancellation and the driver set is not as sophisticated, the mic elements and the circuitry is designed to emphasize voice pickup and they are virtually flush-fit for a better aesthetic.

The moral: Both are great, but you have a choice. If the task is more music listening, the THX-Certified model makes sense. On the other hand, if the requirement is a day full of back-to-back video calls where the audio is sometimes flakey, the less expensive PistonBuds are a great buy. The choice for these and competitive products is broad enough for you to make the right decision for your application.

Moving to On-Ear or Over-Ear Headphones

As good as any in-ear options might be, some prefer on-ear or over-ear models. With either of those, you get much more comfort, better sound due to the use of larger drivers, and, typically, a boom mic that is right next to your mouth.

Finally, the larger product size means that there is room for a larger battery for Bluetooth (BT). Given how many screen time hours some spend every day, that could be important.

The first thing to do here is to decide if you want on- or over-ear. “On-ear” headsets are the descendants of the old “operators’ headsets” used in communications for many decades. They work but having used them “back in the day” I can attest that they were fragile and uncomfortable. Today’s on-ear models are often more comfortable, thanks to open-cell foam pads. There is a reason that these are the go-to standard for telemarketers and others who have always had to use a headset for hours on end.

This is great for WFHers who want to hear the live stream but still have some awareness of what is going on around them. There are inexpensive on-ear models, but it is worth the investment to

Poly’s new Sync 20 brings the power and audio quality of a full business speakerphone to your WFH environment at a reasonable price.

Turtle Beach’s Roccat Elo is a good example of an over-ear gaming headset with Bluetooth that is well suited to WFH applications.

look for products developed for enterprise (business) use. They last longer, and the earpads are usually interchangeable. A common feature is the ability to automatically go on mute when you tilt the mic boom up. This is much easier than remembering to hit a mute icon when the dog or a noisy child enters the room. Even better to have when you are yelled at to “UNMUTE!”

My favorite is the Focus line from Poly, the corporate umbrella for the former Plantronics and Polycom companies. Another highly regarded product comes from Jabra, with their “Evolve2 85” having the unique feature of a red LED at the front of each ear cup to let those around you know that you are ”on the air.” There are many fine products in this category, with both single and dual-ear models. For many users, this type of product will make a significant difference!

Alternatively, over-ear headsets cover the ear, as their name implies. Well suited for noisy homes with everyone having their own online session, these are the “big dog” of headsets and do the best job of isolating you from outside sounds. They also come with a variety of mics.

Considering Gaming Headsets

A pair of the industry-standard aviation headsets from the David Clark Company may be a bit extreme for most, so perhaps a better suggestion is the products designed for gamers. Think about it, while your work or learning environment is likely not a “game,” the requirements are the same. You have to wear the headset all day, have superb audio quality and require crystal clear audio when you speak. As a long-time WFH pro, I have used a gaming headset for years and can attest to the comfort and audio quality.

For these types of products (game-centric or not) consider the type of padding around the drivers and see if they are replaceable. For wired models, look to see if the connection is USB or 3.5mm. For iOS users, there are Lightning adapters as well as USB-C to 3.5mm for others. My strong suggestion is to look for an adapter that also has a pass-through for Lightning, USBMicro, or USB-C so that you don’t run out of battery power by continuing to charge.

There are many fine brands in this category,

Turtle Beach’s Recon 70

including the likes of Turtle Beach, Logitech, HyperX, Jabra, Razr, Astro, and Rig. I’ve recently tried the wired Recon 70 and wireless Roccat Elo models from Turtle Beach, and despite my initial hesitance about using a gaming product for a business application, they worked very well. For those with “learn from home” children, the compatibility of this type of headset with PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC gaming makes them an attractive incentive to do their study lessons with the same gear they use “after school,”

Of course, the easiest way to avoid headset problems is to simply use a separate mic and speakers. Have you got an old pair of “computer speakers” in the back of the closet? Pull them out and give them a new life. Many standard Bluetooth and “smart speakers” have a 3.5mm input jack that lets you connect them directly to your laptop, desktop, phones, and tablets.

If you use speakers instead of a headset, what do you do for a microphone? Two choices for that. The first, and easiest, is to use the mic array in an external webcam. In almost every case, they more than do the trick. I’ve tried this approach using webcams from Logitech and Ausdom with great results. Although the other alternative is to use a separate microphone, I would suggest that you put the budget for that towards a better webcam. (More about webcams for WFH coming soon to restechtoday.com in another part of the WFH 2.0 series.)

Freestanding Mics and Conference Phones

For WFH situations that demand the highest audio quality or involve music, a separate mic does become important. For this application I would strongly suggest a wired/USB connected product to assure the best results. In some cases, where appearance is important, having an external microphone on a stand or mount may even make you look like a true pro!

One more alternative is what we used to call a speakerphone. Poly recently introduced the Poly Sync line, which was designed for WFH or small business use. They pack the performance of their enterprise-grade cousins into a smaller, more affordable package. For less than the cost of some headsets, these deliver great sound and voice pickup. Similar products that are worth looking into are available from Jabra and Anker.

For all of these devices, always consider the connection. Particularly for the headsets, regardless of form factor, wired is the most reliable. Just make certain that you have the matching ports on your computer or mobile device, or at least have the correct adaptors. On the other hand, Bluetooth lets you move around the workspace without worrying about getting caught up in a cord.

A cautionary note on Bluetooth headsets is to check on the physical manner for the BY connection. Some products require a small USB-A receiver to be plugged in. This is OK if there is such a port, but not so good for a laptop that only has USB-C or a tablet.

There you have it. Improving the ways you listen to everyone on your video calls and the products that let everyone else hear you is your best bet to continue through the continuation of Work from Home. Just as you want to look good, even if you may be wearing sweatpants or shorts under the desk, there is no longer any excuse to keep wondering why you can’t understand what everyone is saying no matter how loud you turn up the volume. x [Disclaimer: The Ausdom webcam, Poly Focus and Turtle Beach headsets described here were provided by the manufacturers. No other consideration was involved.]