Quick review of the Logitech ClearChat Stereo headset

My new Logitech ClearChat Stereo headset just arrived. Here’s a quick review of it:

Plus

  • Low price, less than 30 CHF/USD (= budget class headset, don’t expect too much)
  • Fits well and is very light-weight (unlike those heavy headsets for gamers etc.). Can thus be carried in hand luggage etc.
  • The cable is attached to one side of the overhead band only (which is more convenient and facilitates the overall handling)
  • Good cable length (2 m, just about the right length so you can use the headset both for laptops and desktop computers)
  • The adjustable overhead band is very handy (There are still many budget headsets with fixed overhead bands). It’s also comfortable when wearing glasses (in contrary to most neck band headsets).
  • The size of the (open) earbuds is comfortable and they don’t warm your ears too much (like those cushioned closed earphones)
  • Sound quality of the earphones is okayish (= sufficient) for Skype, Internet telephony
  • Sound quality of the mic is also sufficient for Skype etc. (but not for singing Karaoke and the like)
  • The in-line controls for the volume and mic mute are very handy (else you’d need to adjust these things in Windows/Mac OS X/Linux)
  • Uses simple plugs, not USB (lighter, cheaper design, compatible to almost any computer or audio device)

Minus

  • Sound-quality-wise, you get what you pay for. Don’t expect high fidelity sound. It’s clearly a headset for Internet telephony only.
  • Not recommended for gamers (too low-fi and the open earbuds don’t protect enough from environment noise)
  • Not recommended for listening to music (lacking “crispness” of the sound, lacking frequency linearity, lbass frequencies are rather dull, dito for the heights) or for watching a film (dito).
  • Microphone can be rotated vertically only (which is sufficient for most people, but some would probably like it to be horizontally adjustable, too)
  • Microphone is on the right, not on the left (which is not necessarily a disadvantage, but is somewhat unusual as most headsets have the mic mounted on the left)
  • It’s not a very solid headset. Better don’t smash it to a wall. And yes, it will definitely blend (though nobody has tried that yet ;)

All-in-all: Recommended for Internet telephony, not recommended for gamers, audiophiles and cineasts. Which is pretty obvious, considering the low price.

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