T42; recommended headset for Skype?

[Johan]

I will need to get my dear old mother a Skype headset for her T42, and since I have never Skype'd on a T42, I would appreciate if anybody perhaps could share recommendations, or the contrary? Are there anything to be aware of here, or is it always just plug-and-play, with nothing at all to worry about? She is running Windows XP (SP3). We only expect to use this headset for a few months, so an e.g. $500+ headset is slightly beyond the budget!

It seems that the options are either: An USB-headset, or a headset two mini-Jack cables (one for the microphone, and one for the ear-phones). Having Googled around I have found two candidates, being Plantronics Audio 478 Stereo USB Headset and Plantronics .Audio 326 (w/dual-Jack cables). Both these are receiving fine feedback, so I simply wonder... would either do equally well?

One reason for asking for recommendations is, that some users have complainted about various noise-issues using USB headsets (see e.g. T43 headset voice hum with analog or USB)... but I wonder if this is a problem of the past, or something I should look a bit more into, before ordering?

Thanks everyone who have actual experience and/or recommendations to share!

Johan

[dr_st]

Unless there are specific requirements, I prefer a standard analog 2x mini-jack headset over the USB headset, which is really an additional audio device that plugs into the USB port. Fewer devices in the system - fewer chances of issues.

Any headset should work well enough. You should prioritize comfort more than anything else.

[Norway Pad]

It is funny, I did the same thing when I lived in the US. I bought a T42 for my mom, installed Skype and LogMeIn, and left it at her house so we could Skype. Once a week use and no moving around probably makes a T42 last much longer.

Anyway, I left a regular analog headset for her, like dr_st suggests. I can't see any benefits from a USB headset over an analog one, and a potential driver issue with a USB headset is something you might want to avoid. Apart from some minor issues that I corrected over LogMeIn, the T42 worked for this purpose for over 2 years. System requirements for Skype might have changed a little bit now, but back then (3 years ago), the T42 seemed to have no problems running Skype and full screen video on her side

[Medessec]

I use a Plantronics Gamecom 780, which I purchased for $55 at a Best Buy. Compared to all those outrageously overpriced branded "studio-grade" headsets and headphones, the Gamecom is an amazing bargain and despite ridiculous abuse(mostly owing to the fact it's wired) it chugs on. The sound quality is also amazing. So I second any recommendation of Plantronics products.

I'd probably recommend a dual-jack headset instead of one that interfaces with USB... because it's probably best to let the T42 do the audio card work instead of the headphones. It's just a major hassle to tell someone how to set this and this to default audio card, and that's the vice of my headset and my friend's wireless headset. It also eliminates any hardware issues that might come into having a USB headset.

Anything Sony, Logitech, Plantronics, and Sennheiser will work really well for the price.

[Johan]

First, thanks to you who replied to this thread; your replies made me easily realize that the "keep-it-simple" way (= use the built-in Jack Mic-input and the Jack-phone output) is the best solution here, so I discarded the idea of an USB-headset. Apart from the two headsets mentioned in my first post, I also concidered (based on user-reviews) the following alternatives: Plantronics .Audio 628 (USB) and Sennheiser PC 31-II (mini-Jack) and SENNHEISER PC 310 (mini-Jack) and Sennheiser PC 3 CHAT (mini-Jack)... and ended up buying the last model (Sennheiser PC 3 CHAT), which works very well for Skype, straight out-of-the-box; absolutely fine quality, both for the playback/earphones and for the recording/microphone (and also gives much better sound-quality, compared to the built-in speakers... tested playing Grieg ~ Peer Gynt - Death of Ase).

Actually, my mom (she's 84) and I had great fun today Skyping together for the first time, ever - so this is perhaps a nice Christmas-gift idea, if someone is in the need of one!

Thanks, again, for your helpful comments - much appreciated.

Johan