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I have a pretty serious audio setup for WFH. I assessed throat mics and bone conduction headphones and IEMs, I then ultimately decided against these options an

I have a pretty serious audio setup for WFH. I assessed throat mics and bone conduction headphones and IEMs, I then ultimately decided against these options and instead went for a front-address microphone on a boom and open circumaural headphones. In my testing, all of these technologies intended for stealth (primarily) were uncomfortable for long periods of wear/use, and traditional options were massively more comfortable. I wear headphones all day, for instance, as I listen to music when I’m not in meetings.

Bayart 4y ago
The headphones thing is very much a matter of morphology and personal preference. I know for instance anything other than IEMs is intolerable over any significant period of time for myself.
- Anderkent 4y ago
  And choice of headphone! Open versus closed headphones lie much different on your head; clamp strength and weight vary hugely as well. I'm on my third set of AKG k702s as the only headphones I can wear for hours; finding the right pair for anyone takes time.
  - wongarsu 4y ago
    Absolutely. I'm a fan of the SteelSeries Arctis 5, but the wireless version (Arctis 7) has too much clamp strength to be comfortable for me. Sony's WH-1000XM4 is a good wireless option on the go, but because it uses bluetooth it murders the quality of incoming audio if you use the mic. It's a series of tradeoffs, and finding a headphone that is right for you and your situation is far from trivial.
    - juki 4y ago
      > Sony's WH-1000XM4 is a good wireless option on the go, but because it uses bluetooth it murders the quality of incoming audio if you use the mic. In my experience they work well if you only connect it to a single device, but if you use the two device mode then the mic is useless.
  - tristor 4y ago
    This is true. I had a leg up when I chose my setup, because I've been active in the headphone hi-fi community for a few decades and had a collection of various cans and some knowledge of what I was looking for. My WFH setup uses Beyerdynamic DT880s, which are generally known for being comfortable with low clamping pressure, minimal weight, and because they are open tend to not cause ear sweat as bad as some other options. Obviously, YMMV
  - larrywright 4y ago
    The most comfortable headphones I have are my open ear Hifiman He-400i. Minimal clamping pressure, and they’re more breathable due to being open backed. I can wear them for hours without issue. The downside is that they only work if you can get away with open backed headphones. They’re useless if sound leak is an issue or if you’re on an airplane or something. But for working at home in my office by myself they’re ideal. And they sound way better than anything else I’ve tried.
JohnTHaller 4y ago
I use my Sennheiser PC38X for every work and personal call/conference I do. They have an excellent mic and great sound. I'd use them for music daily if I didn't WFH and have excellent speakers and even better headphones for just music. https://drop.com/buy/drop-epos-pc38x-gaming-headset https://drop.com/buy/drop-epos-pc38x-gaming-headset A good wired microphone absolutely destroys the sound quality from bluetooth headsets.
- SkyPuncher 4y ago
  I have a prior version of the same headphones. Very pleased with them. I have, however, moved to a Jabra bluetooth. The wireless freedom is top-notch.
eropple 4y ago
I tend to agree with you in the main - I use MDR-7506's and a sE Dynacaster as my normal setup - but you absolutely can get comfortable IEMs. But they really aren't cheap. If I need to do something that looks "cans free" at my desk I keep a set of Shure SE215s, which aren't super comfortable but they're tolerable for an hour or two. To me, reasonably affordable throat mics sound terrible, which is a big factor.
- jaywalk 4y ago
  I've worn Shure SE215s for 4+ hours at a time countless times for professional broadcasts. I found them to be very comfortable, and actually do use them at home for conferencing. It's definitely a personal preference thing, although I'm sure the more expensive ones are even more comfortable.
  - eropple 4y ago
    Yeah I'm sure SE215s are comfortable for some people. None of the canal plugs are comfortable for me past like an hour. The only canalphones I've ever had that I enjoy wearing are AirPod Pros, though - every other set of in-ear phones I've ever had has been of the "rest in the outer ear" variety like the PMX 684i's. I've thought about getting some Ultimate Ears custom-fits, but it's a lot of money for something I probably won't like wearing.
  - csee 4y ago
    How do these IEMs with their passive seal compare to active noise cancelling headphones for the purposes of unwanted noise attenuation
    - mjard 4y ago
      Pretty good, I use Shure IEMs to block wind noise on motorcycle rides and having access to podcasts/audiobooks are a nice bonus when slogging down freeways. I can still hear car engines and sirens, but it removes the wind buffeting in my helmet that really drains you (and damages your hearing) on a long ride.
    - 4y ago
klodolph 4y ago
Yes. I have a fairly serious setup too, and chose something similar. There are tons of different mic options which are designed for different applications--lavalier mics, headset mics, shotgun mics, omni mics, throat mics, boundary mics, and ordinary cardioid mics. An ordinary cardioid mic is cheap, durable, and gives high-quality audio for one person. It's hard to beat. If you're trying to hide the microphone so it's less visible on-camera, you end up spending more money for worse audio. The humble headset microphone is also a good option--a bit more utilitarian.
roelschroeven 4y ago
For what it's worth I have bone conduction headphones (Aftershokz Aeropex) and I find them very comfortable to wear for long periods (a few hours at a time; I have never used them for a full day), more so than other types of headphones. They don't cover my ears at all, so obviously they are only good in situations where I don't want to block out sounds from the environment. I tend to use them on a low volume, partly also because when I use them I don't want to block out other sounds, and partly because I don't like loud music most of the time. Within those parameters, I'm very happy with them. YMMV
- falcolas 4y ago
  I've used these, and have two comments. High-ish volumes and high-ish bass result in bouncing on your head. And the microphones absolutely suck.
GuB-42 4y ago
I love bone conduction headphone. I am currently using the Aftershokz Opencomm. The good thing is that they don't obstruct your ears, and you maintain full awareness of the outside world. Great when you are on the streets. If that't not what you want, and when you are working from home, it is usually the case, then bone conduction headphones are not for you. When working from home, I am using a more traditional headset (Sennheiser Game One), which has much better sound quality. For the microphone, I use the built-in headset mic, which is acceptable but not great. Best result I have heard on the receiving end is with a dynamic microphone, namely the Shure SM58, which is by far the most popular microphone for live vocals. Static mics are great in a studio, but most people don't have studios. Dynamic mics do a great job at rejecting background noise, that's why they are so popular in live performances, and that's why they are also great in a noisy room. One logical constraint that goes with it is that you need to put it very close to your mouth, if you are doing video calls, you can't have it out of the frame, you will look like a rock singer ;)
- Terretta 4y ago
  I suggest the Aftershokz Opencomm for anyone who wants to hear what’s going on in the home (parents hearing children, adults hearing pets, etc.). Also for anyone in an office who doesn’t want to put headphones on/off or in/out to interact with present people interspersed with remote people. The all day “nothing on or in your ears” aspect is comfortable and healthy too.

Bayart 4y ago

The headphones thing is very much a matter of morphology and personal preference. I know for instance anything other than IEMs is intolerable over any significant period of time for myself.

Anderkent 4y ago
And choice of headphone! Open versus closed headphones lie much different on your head; clamp strength and weight vary hugely as well. I'm on my third set of AKG k702s as the only headphones I can wear for hours; finding the right pair for anyone takes time.
- wongarsu 4y ago
  Absolutely. I'm a fan of the SteelSeries Arctis 5, but the wireless version (Arctis 7) has too much clamp strength to be comfortable for me. Sony's WH-1000XM4 is a good wireless option on the go, but because it uses bluetooth it murders the quality of incoming audio if you use the mic. It's a series of tradeoffs, and finding a headphone that is right for you and your situation is far from trivial.
  - juki 4y ago
    > Sony's WH-1000XM4 is a good wireless option on the go, but because it uses bluetooth it murders the quality of incoming audio if you use the mic. In my experience they work well if you only connect it to a single device, but if you use the two device mode then the mic is useless.
- tristor 4y ago
  This is true. I had a leg up when I chose my setup, because I've been active in the headphone hi-fi community for a few decades and had a collection of various cans and some knowledge of what I was looking for. My WFH setup uses Beyerdynamic DT880s, which are generally known for being comfortable with low clamping pressure, minimal weight, and because they are open tend to not cause ear sweat as bad as some other options. Obviously, YMMV
- larrywright 4y ago
  The most comfortable headphones I have are my open ear Hifiman He-400i. Minimal clamping pressure, and they’re more breathable due to being open backed. I can wear them for hours without issue. The downside is that they only work if you can get away with open backed headphones. They’re useless if sound leak is an issue or if you’re on an airplane or something. But for working at home in my office by myself they’re ideal. And they sound way better than anything else I’ve tried.

JohnTHaller 4y ago

I use my Sennheiser PC38X for every work and personal call/conference I do. They have an excellent mic and great sound. I'd use them for music daily if I didn't WFH and have excellent speakers and even better headphones for just music. https://drop.com/buy/drop-epos-pc38x-gaming-headset https://drop.com/buy/drop-epos-pc38x-gaming-headset A good wired microphone absolutely destroys the sound quality from bluetooth headsets.

SkyPuncher 4y ago
I have a prior version of the same headphones. Very pleased with them. I have, however, moved to a Jabra bluetooth. The wireless freedom is top-notch.

eropple 4y ago

I tend to agree with you in the main - I use MDR-7506's and a sE Dynacaster as my normal setup - but you absolutely can get comfortable IEMs. But they really aren't cheap. If I need to do something that looks "cans free" at my desk I keep a set of Shure SE215s, which aren't super comfortable but they're tolerable for an hour or two. To me, reasonably affordable throat mics sound terrible, which is a big factor.

jaywalk 4y ago
I've worn Shure SE215s for 4+ hours at a time countless times for professional broadcasts. I found them to be very comfortable, and actually do use them at home for conferencing. It's definitely a personal preference thing, although I'm sure the more expensive ones are even more comfortable.
- eropple 4y ago
  Yeah I'm sure SE215s are comfortable for some people. None of the canal plugs are comfortable for me past like an hour. The only canalphones I've ever had that I enjoy wearing are AirPod Pros, though - every other set of in-ear phones I've ever had has been of the "rest in the outer ear" variety like the PMX 684i's. I've thought about getting some Ultimate Ears custom-fits, but it's a lot of money for something I probably won't like wearing.
- csee 4y ago
  How do these IEMs with their passive seal compare to active noise cancelling headphones for the purposes of unwanted noise attenuation
  - mjard 4y ago
    Pretty good, I use Shure IEMs to block wind noise on motorcycle rides and having access to podcasts/audiobooks are a nice bonus when slogging down freeways. I can still hear car engines and sirens, but it removes the wind buffeting in my helmet that really drains you (and damages your hearing) on a long ride.
  - 4y ago

klodolph 4y ago

Yes. I have a fairly serious setup too, and chose something similar. There are tons of different mic options which are designed for different applications--lavalier mics, headset mics, shotgun mics, omni mics, throat mics, boundary mics, and ordinary cardioid mics. An ordinary cardioid mic is cheap, durable, and gives high-quality audio for one person. It's hard to beat. If you're trying to hide the microphone so it's less visible on-camera, you end up spending more money for worse audio. The humble headset microphone is also a good option--a bit more utilitarian.

roelschroeven 4y ago

For what it's worth I have bone conduction headphones (Aftershokz Aeropex) and I find them very comfortable to wear for long periods (a few hours at a time; I have never used them for a full day), more so than other types of headphones. They don't cover my ears at all, so obviously they are only good in situations where I don't want to block out sounds from the environment. I tend to use them on a low volume, partly also because when I use them I don't want to block out other sounds, and partly because I don't like loud music most of the time. Within those parameters, I'm very happy with them. YMMV

falcolas 4y ago
I've used these, and have two comments. High-ish volumes and high-ish bass result in bouncing on your head. And the microphones absolutely suck.

GuB-42 4y ago

I love bone conduction headphone. I am currently using the Aftershokz Opencomm. The good thing is that they don't obstruct your ears, and you maintain full awareness of the outside world. Great when you are on the streets. If that't not what you want, and when you are working from home, it is usually the case, then bone conduction headphones are not for you. When working from home, I am using a more traditional headset (Sennheiser Game One), which has much better sound quality. For the microphone, I use the built-in headset mic, which is acceptable but not great. Best result I have heard on the receiving end is with a dynamic microphone, namely the Shure SM58, which is by far the most popular microphone for live vocals. Static mics are great in a studio, but most people don't have studios. Dynamic mics do a great job at rejecting background noise, that's why they are so popular in live performances, and that's why they are also great in a noisy room. One logical constraint that goes with it is that you need to put it very close to your mouth, if you are doing video calls, you can't have it out of the frame, you will look like a rock singer ;)

Terretta 4y ago
I suggest the Aftershokz Opencomm for anyone who wants to hear what’s going on in the home (parents hearing children, adults hearing pets, etc.). Also for anyone in an office who doesn’t want to put headphones on/off or in/out to interact with present people interspersed with remote people. The all day “nothing on or in your ears” aspect is comfortable and healthy too.