Talk clearer and listen closer with HP's
wireless headset
Here at CHIP, we've reviewed headsets meant
for gaming, movies and pure musical enjoyment. We've gone up the highest note
and rode down to the lowest bass, traversing the fickle lands of aural bliss
and sensuality. How ignorant are we to have ignored another segment of headsets
that are equally significant? We're talking about office headsets: the crowns
of operators worldwide. Crowns like the HP H8000 Wireless Headset.
If you haven't caught on already, the H8000
is a wireless headset made to be more viable for work environments, and the
looks itself reflects it. Nothing rugged or grungy here: the H8000 is slim, and
sensibly minimalistic in design.
The H8000 is a surprisingly comfortable
wear. The ear-cans are well padded and cushioned, fitting just rightly on the
ear so it doesn't heat up like enveloping cans would. The pressure keeping the
ear-cans on is also just right. You needn't be too worried wearing it during
those long work hours.
It's easy operation here: you only need to
worry about the on-ear volume control, a microphone-deactivating button and the
swivel-down microphone itself. The Wireless connectivity here works over a USB
receiver, and it's plug-&-play from the start. We found ourselves tuned in
within seconds. No wires and no hassle here!
Sound quality is pretty good overall. While
we can't directly compare it to higher-end headsets, the H8000 delivers clear audio
with a decent amount of bass and clarity. It works well over music and movies,
too, and can go loud enough without breaking. The noise-cancelling microphone
is excellent, doing a good job in isolating noise and providing crystal clear
audio.
The signal holds well in close range, but
if you take the headset a little further you'll find that it'll disrupt or
break when a few obstacles come between. It's hardly a big deal, because you'll
less likely take it beyond your office cubicle. We did discover, however, that
when left to idle, you can catch a faint but audible string of static, which
can be rather distracting.
HP
H8000 Wireless Headset
Price $48.99
Info www.hp.com
Specifications
Connectivity: USB receiver, mini-USB
(charging)
Frequency Range: 20Hz - 20 KHz
Other: Noise cancelling microphone
(+) Good audio quality
Comfortable wear
Easy Plug-n-play
Great microphone
(-) Slight static when idle Ranged performance could be better
