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Headsets with a mic arm that auto-mutes in hardware also have the benefit that you can go to the bathroom, use the kitchen, etc. on mute, but still respond quic

Headsets with a mic arm that auto-mutes in hardware also have the benefit that you can go to the bathroom, use the kitchen, etc. on mute, but still respond quickly if someone addresses you.

grungydan 4y ago
Unless it's a Logitech headset, in which case 90% of the time the functionality of the mic-arm-mute breaks at the software level requiring various troubleshooting dances before anyone can hear you again. How they can be such a leader in the peripheral space but still produce absolutely the worst garbage software will never stop being annoying.
- jrootabega 4y ago
  When you're a leader you can just coast on your brand name!
- wink 4y ago
  Wow, I have a semi-old Sennheiser PC 320 G4ME (with a cable) and the hw mute has never let me down, also I'm pretty sure it's actually in HW, so how would the software fail?
- Mumps 4y ago
  I found out, after a full year-and-a-bit that Teams did not respect my Logitech G930 push-to-mute. How no colleague ever informed me, I can only speculate.
  - wolrah 4y ago
    G930 got me too. If it's powered on while connected to external power (like a USB battery) it works as an audio device but none of the inputs work, including the mute command.
- ridgered4 4y ago
  It seems like the mistake there would be implementing the mute in the software instead of a proper hardware shutoff.
wolrah 4y ago
You'll want to be very confident that it actually mutes in hardware. I thought my old headset (Logitech G930) did, until I found out the hard way that it was in fact just sending a software command to mute the mic at the system level, and that if the headset was turned on while plugged in to external power it would not properly communicate any inputs to the host system. Audio still worked perfectly, but volume controls, the "G Keys", and most importantly mic mute did not work in this state. The red light at the tip of the mic would come on but nothing actually changed and audio was always being transmitted to the host PC (which I guess was always true, but the host PC now wasn't muting it either). I found this out during a lunch break on a multi-day training session, where I let out a Barney Gumble class belch with my mic in the up/off position and the background chatter in the conference call fell silent until someone commented about how my lunch must have been good. After figuring out what happened I then wondered how much had been heard on previous days, but never got around to going back and listening through the session recordings to figure it out.
- jrootabega 4y ago
  I live by the principle where I just won't say anything incriminating or extremely embarrassing if there is a mic or phone that could possibly be active. Little embarrassing stuff is fine, but for everything else, I assume the mic is hot even if I just muted it and I can see the mute indicator. In addition to protecting against technical failures like you describe, I also don't get in the habit of saying stuff that one day I could accidentally say on a blatantly hot mic or in front of someone else. The only mute button I really trust is the one inside my head.
  - wolrah 4y ago
    I didn't say anything problematic, but I certainly might have used the restroom thinking I was muted.
    - jrootabega 4y ago
      A rite of passage!
cubefox 4y ago
That sounds risky
- jrootabega 4y ago
  Well... I still do a stealth pee + deferred flush in those scenarios.

Headsets with a mic arm that auto-mutes in hardware also have the benefit that you can go to the bathroom, use the kitchen, etc. on mute, but still respond quickly if someone addresses you.

grungydan 4y ago

Unless it's a Logitech headset, in which case 90% of the time the functionality of the mic-arm-mute breaks at the software level requiring various troubleshooting dances before anyone can hear you again. How they can be such a leader in the peripheral space but still produce absolutely the worst garbage software will never stop being annoying.

jrootabega 4y ago
When you're a leader you can just coast on your brand name!
wink 4y ago
Wow, I have a semi-old Sennheiser PC 320 G4ME (with a cable) and the hw mute has never let me down, also I'm pretty sure it's actually in HW, so how would the software fail?
Mumps 4y ago
I found out, after a full year-and-a-bit that Teams did not respect my Logitech G930 push-to-mute. How no colleague ever informed me, I can only speculate.
- wolrah 4y ago
  G930 got me too. If it's powered on while connected to external power (like a USB battery) it works as an audio device but none of the inputs work, including the mute command.
ridgered4 4y ago
It seems like the mistake there would be implementing the mute in the software instead of a proper hardware shutoff.

wolrah 4y ago

You'll want to be very confident that it actually mutes in hardware. I thought my old headset (Logitech G930) did, until I found out the hard way that it was in fact just sending a software command to mute the mic at the system level, and that if the headset was turned on while plugged in to external power it would not properly communicate any inputs to the host system. Audio still worked perfectly, but volume controls, the "G Keys", and most importantly mic mute did not work in this state. The red light at the tip of the mic would come on but nothing actually changed and audio was always being transmitted to the host PC (which I guess was always true, but the host PC now wasn't muting it either). I found this out during a lunch break on a multi-day training session, where I let out a Barney Gumble class belch with my mic in the up/off position and the background chatter in the conference call fell silent until someone commented about how my lunch must have been good. After figuring out what happened I then wondered how much had been heard on previous days, but never got around to going back and listening through the session recordings to figure it out.

jrootabega 4y ago
I live by the principle where I just won't say anything incriminating or extremely embarrassing if there is a mic or phone that could possibly be active. Little embarrassing stuff is fine, but for everything else, I assume the mic is hot even if I just muted it and I can see the mute indicator. In addition to protecting against technical failures like you describe, I also don't get in the habit of saying stuff that one day I could accidentally say on a blatantly hot mic or in front of someone else. The only mute button I really trust is the one inside my head.
- wolrah 4y ago
  I didn't say anything problematic, but I certainly might have used the restroom thinking I was muted.
  - jrootabega 4y ago
    A rite of passage!

cubefox 4y ago

That sounds risky

jrootabega 4y ago
Well... I still do a stealth pee + deferred flush in those scenarios.