Plantronics Foldable USB Stereo Headset (Optimized for Laptop Use) (Audio 470 USB) by Plantronics
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Digital camera reviews of Plantronics Foldable USB Stereo Headset (Optimized for Laptop Use) (Audio 470 USB)
Digital camera Review: Disappointing.
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought these headphones because they are recommended by MacSpeech for use with their Dictate speech recognition software (well, this is actually the successor to the one they recommend. Amazon apparently ships this one in place of the Audio 400)
First off, the build quality on these headphones is rather poor. I can't see the headband staying intact for more than a few months and looks like it might snap at any minute just by putting them on my head. The foam ear pads are flimsy and uncomfortable and the cord is also very flimsy and tangle prone. Overall, they remind me of the free headphones that airlines give out with an added microphone (which is no gem to look at itself)
Sound quality, both microphone and headphone, was subpar (or worse). The sound was clear, but had a very quiet maximum volume as far as maximum volumes go. It got distorted at max volume too, forcing me to keep it at about medium. I suppose this would be fine for conversation as long as the other party spoke loudly enough, but don't expect to use them for music (very poor bass and mid range).
And finally, the purpose I bought this headset for: speech recognition. I use a Macbook Pro, and I originally tried the Dictate software out with the built in microphone. Sitting about 3-4 feet away from my computer and talking at a normal conversational volume and pace with no particular regard for where the microphone was relative to myself, I was able to get a 2/5 star rating from the Dictate software. In actual use, I managed to speak about a page worth of text (after the software had calibrated everything and I was speaking into a text editor). I averaged about 8 misspelled or misunderstood words per paragraph.
Again, that was with my built in mic 3-4 feet away. So I figured with a proper, certified, headset I could get that inaccuracy down to nearly zero words per paragraph. Well, the audio 470 certainly did not perform. In fact, I couldn't even get the software to advance past the calibration stage. It asks you to read several lines of text and the software checks to see if it can understand you. After about an hour of trying and frequently having to repeat words and sentences up to 8 times before they were recognized (something I never had to do when using the computer's built in mic), I gave up and decided to return the headset.
Others gave this headset good reviews, which makes me wonder if I just got a lemon. Regardless, the build quality and performance combined don't even warrant giving this product a 1. Buy at your own caution.
Digital camera Review: Dragon Speech recognition
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to say this product is great! I love it and I think it is a fantastic purchase. Plantronics really seems to have it figured out when it comes to speech recognition. I use this product with Dragon Naturally Speaking. The level of accuracy I was able to achieve after 3 training sessions is about the same level I achieved after 10 training sessions with the microphone which came with Naturally Speaking. Unlike the Dragon microphone it is far less sensitive to microphone position even though optimal positioning does help (corner of mouth, slight above upper lip -- in my case). I found with the Dragon microphone that you had to tweak the position quite a bit and because the boom was so flexible it hardly stayed in place where as this one does, especially since the length is just right for reaching the corner of your mouth. And what is great is that because the boom-length is just right, once you twist the boom into the position that works for you, you don't have to adjust it for storage. So you only ever have to rotate it into place when you are ready to use it.
I find that the microphone picks up really well and I almost only get speech recognition errors when I (admittedly) pronounce the word phonetically incorrect. I am learning through use of speech recognition that I do run my words into each other sometimes. But, I am still able to dictate much faster than with the Dragon microphone and unlike the Dragon microphone there are only a handful of words that when repeated by themselves are still not picked up properly by the microphone. The other way in which this microphone is much better than the dragon microphone is that it doesn't pick up stray sounds as words -- the way the dragon microphone does.
You can tell the sound quality is much, different. Because when you do a playback, the voice recording is much, much better than with the Dragon microphone (and my voice is deeper than most so this helps :o). Clearly the USB connection makes a big difference in cutting down the noise. The first time you startup Windows wearing the headset you will be amazed at the clarity of sound which comes out of it as compared to other headphones. The bass is not the greatest, especially compared to ear buds. But I mainly listen to Jazz and instruments like guitars and saxophones sound fantastic through the headphones.
It is extremely comfortable -- almost like wearing nothing, (while doing initial training I wore it for eight hours with a few 15 minute breaks and it was almost like I had nothing on my head). This is due to the swivel mounting of the headphones. This is markedly different from the dragon headset. Every time I used it, the Temple of my ear would hurt quite a bit after two or so hours of use.
But I must agree with a few little quibbles made by other reviewers. In making the headset comfortable, Plantronics seems to have made it a little bit too loose. Somehow it stays in place though, even if you shake your head fairly vigorously. And the cord does seem a little bit flimsy. I worry a little bit about that in terms of the longevity of the headphone, but then I tend to treat my cords very well. As someone else also said, especially with the foldable design, a carrying case would really be nice.
So anyway, here's the proof of the pudding. I wrote this review three days after receiving the microphone and doing about 10 training sessions (plus training some specific words since I pronounce them differently). I used Dragon to write this review. I've corrected about 10 spelling errors. And here's the kicker -- I'm from Jamaica so my accent and pronunciations are much different from the North American accent. This microphone is great I love it so much I think I might get a spare!
Digital camera Review: Easy to use; sound quality good
Summary: 4 Stars
Relatively easy to use; just plug it in and your set to go. As I do not use it all day, every day and unplug it quite a bit, on occasion the volume needs to be readjusted.Digital camera Review: Electronics Dummy
Summary: 5 Stars
I had just suscribed to Skype and had just bought a new computer. I browsed numerous choices on Amazon. I decided to purchase this Platronics model based on reviews. Very pleased with the quality of sound ( in & out); and head-gear comfort is a plus . Great buy !!!!Digital camera Review: Excellent for Dragon Naturally Speaking
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this headphone specifically to use with Dragon Naturally Speaking 10, which works like a charm with it.
I did have one problem, which was my own fault. On the headset, there's a little silver microphone on the on/off switch. So that's where I set it, and spent a day and a half of total frustration because Dragon could not understand me. My grandson finally took a look and pointed out that the little silver microphone has a tiny line through it, about the size of a hair. I'd had it turned off the entire time, even though Dragon said the sound quality was good. The "on" side of the switch is blank, which seems backwards to me. Anyway, now it works great and I love it.