cheap headsets with 4 pin comms?

[gnomatron]

I've tried searching and can't find much about this but somebody must have tried it. I'm wondering how feasible it is to make an adaptor to plug cheap commercial headsets into a stonewood/metro comms system?

 

e.g. I have this headset for zoom calls etc. (urgh) - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0746R1R3R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

It has a simple 4-pin connector, so I'm wondering if I could make an XLR4f - minijack 4 pin female adaptor cable and just plug it in? I know there's potential impedance issues and so on but is it worth a go?

 

TBH at £60 a set plus the cost of adaptors it's not super cost effective, but I do already own this particular headset and there are a lot of much cheaper similar headsets out there, while used beltpacks often turn up without headsets.

[sandall]

This came up fairly recently. Most, if not all, headsets for phones / laptops have electret mics (needing anything from +1.5V to +5V "phantom" power) & very low-impedance (32R or less) headphones, so won't work with professional comms systems, most of which expect to see 200R dynamic mics & 400R headphones.

[boatman]

... However, Bluecom was specifically designed to accommodate low impedance headphones and electret mics.

[timsabre]

The speaker impedance isn't normally a problem, tecpro/stonewood type packs will drive 16 ohm headphones. Electret mics require a small mod to the pack.

[dje]

I've never personally understood the attraction to cheap comms headsets. You spend hours with this thing on your head, and being able to hear and speak clearly is fundamentally important to being able to do your job properly.

Just buy a good one, they last forever anyway.

[timsabre]

Well that's true if you can afford to but sometimes the money is just not there and you have to make do.

[sunray]

I've never personally understood the attraction to cheap comms headsets. You spend hours with this thing on your head, and being able to hear and speak clearly is fundamentally important to being able to do your job properly.

Just buy a good one, they last forever anyway.

Having dealt with hireing these thing out for a number of years I contradict you opinion of the longevity of headsetsGiven the choice of cheap or proper headsets to potentially replace/repair many hirers happily go for cheap. Also many opt to purchase at <£10 for hygiene.

 

[GaryNattrass]

Recently saw some of these Superlux headsets and I have some of their active headphone amps and the are very well built: https://www.thomann.de/gb/search_dir.html?sw=superlux+headset&smcs=a466c1_10230

[dje]

I've never personally understood the attraction to cheap comms headsets. You spend hours with this thing on your head, and being able to hear and speak clearly is fundamentally important to being able to do your job properly.

Just buy a good one, they last forever anyway.

Having dealt with hireing these thing out for a number of years I contradict you opinion of the longevity of headsets

 

Perhaps so in a hire environment, they're probably not treated too well. I've always seen a headset as something worth owning your own, both on hygiene grounds and comfort.

Mine's been going 10-11 years of touring and daily use and doesn't look far different from the day I bought it. It took accidental damage in an incident once, but David Clarke had parts on a FedEx the following day.

[richardash1981]

Back with the original question, the other hazard for this sort of adaptor is the headphone output. At least some beltpacks have a "bridged" or "floating" headphone driver, i.e. neither of the headphone output pins on the XLR are ground, and neither is common to the microphone pins. This is a problem because the consumer market headsets have a different set of four wires - they are left headphone, right headphone, microphone and common ground used by both headset and microphone. You can't connect the grounds of (at least some) beltpacks together in your adaptor ...

Again, blueclone has extra output terminals to accommodate this usage, because you don't need the extra power from bridged output into consumer type low impedance headsets, using one side is enough.

Something similar might (but no assurances!) work on other packs, use just the +ve headphone output pin from the the XLR to drive left and right headphones, with ground returned via the microphone ground pin.

[gnomatron]

Thanks folks, very helpful! Hygiene is definitely one thing I’m thinking of. Also the plantronics/poly headset I already own is actually super comfortable for long use, and a lot lighter than most proper comms headsets. That said I also found a thread on here linking to an ebay shop with brand new metro/canford style headsets for £50 which is a lot less painful than £200 for a beyer one. Given even a simple adaptor is probably £10 in parts and you’d have to get at least ok headsets this doesn’t make so much sense.

 

As for them lasting forever... something like 50% of the beyer headsets I’ve ever used have had dodgy locking on the mic boom. It’s replaceable of course but parts add up over time.

[sunray]

Recently saw some of these Superlux headsets and I have some of their active headphone amps and the are very well built: https://www.thomann....cs=a466c1_10230

I think I've used some of the 631's [or something very like it] which seemed a bit strange to adjust with the 'split' head band but once done felt fine, the short mic boom didn't seem right for auditorium use where I'm accustomed to very close speaking boom. Overall no complaints.

 

. I've always seen a headset as something worth owning your own, both on hygiene grounds and comfort.

I totally agree but it sometimes happens...

 

Thanks folks, very helpful! Hygiene is definitely one thing I'm thinking of. Also the plantronics/poly headset I already own is actually super comfortable for long use, and a lot lighter than most proper comms headsets. That said I also found a thread on here linking to an ebay shop with brand new metro/canford style headsets for £50 which is a lot less painful than £200 for a beyer one. Given even a simple adaptor is probably £10 in parts and you'd have to get at least ok headsets this doesn't make so much sense.

 

As for them lasting forever... something like 50% of the beyer headsets I've ever used have had dodgy locking on the mic boom. It's replaceable of course but parts add up over time.

Beyer used to be my standard but I gave up with them on maintenance costs a while ago.

 

I needed a number of additional intercom headsets a little while back and purchased some of these which at the time were <£3:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stereo-Gaming-Headset-Headphones-Earphone-For-PS4-PC-Wired-With-Microphone-UK/313488047278?hash=item48fd57fcae:g:2GIAAOSwRYJgcfWz

 

These were to use with Bluecom with minijack but I had to rewire in the 'in-line' volume control to isolate from the mic earth [I also bypassed the volume control]. They've been used about a dozen times without issue so far.However I wouldn't recommend for proper pro use as a quality product but fine tor the annual AmDram.

 

[alistermorton]

Annual?

[gareth]

Carrying my own headset is something I've done for years. Partly for comfort reasons (I wear glasses, and find the TecPro headsets which are commonly found in venues are not very comfortable for anything more than short periods of time), and partly for hygiene reasons - I've seen far too many instances of inconsiderate people sneezing and coughing copiously into communal headsets with absolutely no effort made to clean the mic afterwards.

 

I have a really comfortable Sennheiser one now, but the first one I bought was an ASL HS1/D - I'm not sure that these are manufactured any more, but it could be worth a look, as it's light, comfortable, and really cheap. Might be a possibility for you, if you can find one?

[sunray]

Annual?

IAll of the local village hall type AmDrams in this area, that I know of, tend to do one show a year and one in particular has built up a full set of sound/lighting/projection.

 

Carrying my own headset is something I've done for years. Partly for comfort reasons (I wear glasses, and find the TecPro headsets which are commonly found in venues are not very comfortable for anything more than short periods of time), and partly for hygiene reasons - I've seen far too many instances of inconsiderate people sneezing and coughing copiously into communal headsets with absolutely no effort made to clean the mic afterwards.

Absolutely agreed but occasionally one has to step in with no notice and if not carrying at the time have to take what's there. As an example I went to a WWII show at the local theatre a couple of years ago and got chatting to the lighting guy, immediately he asked if I could step in as their sound op was stuck at Dartford crossing.