ECS WordSmith USB Transcription Headset, 7-Foot Cord, in-Ear Ear Bud

I ordered these on the recommendation of my sister, who is a very experienced transcriptionist. I had been using high-quality headphones that had been designed to listen to music and movies, which were great, except when it came to trying to listen to poor-quality transcription audio, because they picked up every little background noise and amplified them. The ECS WordSmith headset is designed to pick up the sounds of human speech while filtering out more of the annoying background noises that can make transcription so difficult. Of course, they're not perfect, but they definitely do make a difference. Unfortunately, they can't make a speaker who mumbles sound like an enunciating genius, but they can make that speaker's mumblings a bit easier to understand. Just to make sure there was a difference, I listened to a test audio file I had tried to transcribe with my music/movie headphones, and I could hear a definite difference. I feel this headset is worth a try. The headset also comes with four sets of little rubber earbud covers so you can customize the headset to the size and shape of your ears. The headset is also very lightweight, and I don't even feel them when I'm wearing them. Even after transcribing an hour's worth of audio, I don't feel any discomfort at all. There are two things that I feel I should note, although neither aspect affected my overall rating of this product: 1) When you first play audio with the headset plugged in, it will be VERY LOUD. I recommend plugging the headset into the USB port and turning your volume down to 0--don't just mute it, actually turn it down--then slowly turn the sound back up one click at a time--using your computer's volume controls or the controls on the headset--with the earbuds in your ears. I've found that you can hear quite clearly with the headset, even at a minimal volume level. You will need to do this every time you use the headset to make sure your ear drums don't get blasted. 2) I also found out that the headset works only if it is plugged directly into its own USB port on the computer. If you use a USB hub, the sound will continue to come out of your computer's speakers, even though the headset driver was completely installed. At least, that's how it worked on my computer. Perhaps it was just a fluke with my computer, and you won't have the same problem, but I thought it was worth noting. Other than that, I love this headset and feel it was money well spent. If you do order it, just use the standard shipping method, because the seller--Executive Communication Systems - The Voice Processing Specialist--uses 2-day priority mail, so you'll get it well before the delivery dates estimated by Amazon. That's what I did because I wasn't in a hurry to receive the order, so I settled in for a one-week wait. I was very pleasantly surprised when I got the delivery two days later without requesting expedited delivery.

I have never heard such clear sound before. I needed a set with a sound booster...a true sound booster...and these are it. Unlike others, who complained about the length of the cord, I love the length! I work on my cases mostly while standing. The cord length offers me freedom of movement around my office area. If I feel like sitting while working on a case, I usually just leave the cord off to one side to keep it from being entangled by my leg movements. When I know I'll sit for a short case, I simply roll up the wire and use the twist tie it came with to maintain the shorter length I want. I have already worked a few cases with this, yet I haven't had them for even five days. I know these are my favorite set now, though. Adding to my review, since I have been using these a few months now. I still love them, but my left ear bud stopped working a week ago. Not sure why. I will say, despite this, I will buy another pair because the quality I have been able to accomplish with these, even with one side working, is still far better than one any I've used before. I believe, though, that the next set I will buy are the ECS over the ear type. I won't have to clip anything to my clothing, that way. I transcribe 4-track court hearings, and nothing else compares with these headsets.

I have purchased two pair of these in the last year. Both sets have been very disappointing. The little caps that cover the wires on the earbuds keeps falling off exposing the wires. The wire for the headset is covered by a soft overlay made of some type of material and the wire is popping through the material. This is the second sent that the wire is popping through. Very annoying to try and work with the cap constantly falling off and I don't want to glue it because there are wires underneath. Have bought these several years ago and they seemed to be made much better than these new ones. Expensive headset, and it's great for clarity and noise reduction, but they fall apart and it's upsetting because I NEED to use them every day for my job.

It is somewhat ironic that the reason I bought this headset was to cancel out background noise, of which they do a pretty good job compared to the other two headsets that I have which are not noise canceling. However, the problem is that when I use this headset with my transcription foot pedal on my Mac, there is a very high pitched squealing sound. My other two headsets don't make the squealing sound, so I know that the problem is specific to this product. So after wasting a lot of time trying to figure out how to get rid of the squealing sound, on September 29th I contacted the company by email and explained the situation to them and asked if they had any ideas as to what the problem could be, and if there were any suggestions for a possible solution. They promptly sent me an email back asking for my order/invoice number. I immediately sent them a copy of my Amazon order receipt. That was the last I've heard from them. Apparently they either don't offer product support, or don't approve of the fact that I bought them on Amazon. All I know is that my "Noise Reduction" headset adds noise to my audio transcripts rather than reducing noise. I think if I could figure out how to get rid of the high pitched squealing sound I could give a better rating, but so far it was just a waste of $50.

Update-09/05/2023--These used to be my go-to earbuds for work. I was hoping that after five years, they might have gotten better or had improvements done. They clearly have not. The button on the controller to turn on the sound card is not working and constantly flashes red no matter how many times I press it. The left earbud is considerably lower in volume than the right. These were great work earbuds for transcription several years ago, but not worth the money now. Update-06/10/2018--These went from being pretty good to being TERRIBLE. I had to buy a new pair of these to replace the ones I bought in November 2015. Supposedly there have been some "upgrades" to the set. The cords now have a braided covering. This gives the perception of security for the cord between the USB plug and the control and that's where it stops. The cords that attach the earbuds to the control feel very flimsy and very weak despite being covered in the same braided-type cord. The cords are also separated coming out of the control switch and the shirt clip does not hold both cords securely. My biggest complaint still is that there is no type of rubber boot at the base of the earbuds to help with stress on the cords where they attach to the earbuds. Lastly, that braided cord on the earbuds.....when I am working and I turn my head, the braided cord catches on my shirt and then the noise transfers to the earbuds. November 2015-I love these....They help clear up some of the fuzzy speech I have to deal with daily....Downside, is that the wires going into the earbuds appear to really be fragile. I bought my set in May 2015 for work and the left earbud quit working on 11/25. These never leave my desk and I take exceptional care of them, but I really cannot afford to replace them every six months. They are worth the money for what they do but not worth it longevity-wise.

I just started training as an MT, and am also working in gaining experience by working as a GT, so I needed great headphones at a good price. These have a great sound. It picked up words that are normally lost in poor audio compared to some other headsets I've used. My problem is the fact that the right earbud stopped working and I bought this set in March of this year (2016). Really? not even a full year? I suspect that it may be because the cord is very long, opening the door for unnoticed kinks from normal usage. The headset never left my desk and it is not put in a jumble on the desk when I am finished with it. I spent good money for this and considering they have great sound quality, I am disappointed in the short lifespan. UPDATE: I talked to someone at ECS and they sent an email to me for instructions on sending the set back for an exchange. So based on that pleasant customer service, and the fact that the sound quality IS very good, I upped my rating to a 4. So if you love the sound coming from these headphones, don't lose hope. It has a 1-year warranty, so if you are having problems, hold on to that receipt, and don't hesitate to give them a call. I appreciated the help.

I perform transcription work from my home. During the summer months especially, I need something that will block out background noise. These are ideal for that! I have purchased these one prior time and the lasted for quite a long time. The sound quality is excellent. The make the voices sound crisp and clear as if the dictator was right in the room with me, speaking to me directly. The long cord is somewhat of a hassle, but I leave it tied up towards the end of the cord and this works fine for me. The ear pieces fit nice in my ears although ideally I could use a small set. It would be really nice if they would include extra plugs for smaller and/or larger ear canals. If you perform transcription work, or if you like your music to be crisp and clear, you will be very happy with this product. As it says on the box, "The spoken word has never sounded this clear!" I agree totally.

I have been a transcriptionist for over 30 years and believe me, have gone through many, many sets of headphones, earbuds, you name it. These are by far the best I have ever used. While most other headsets are made for music, these apparently are made for voice and you can tell the difference! The sound is clear, precise, and even though I am not a big fan of earbuds, they work better than over the ear headphones as far as sound quality and clarity. These are very comfortable as far as earbuds go as well. You can't go wrong with these.

Comfortable and more durable than I thought. They allow me to do my work better than before. However, there is an odd high pitched squealing noise that occurs whenever I pause my audio. It only lasts for a few seconds each time, but it's enough to make my head hurt by the end of the day.

The sound quality and voice clarity is not the greatest. It will work for the time being but I do not think I will purchase them again. Not worth what I paid.

As per expectations

Lasted 4 months before static started to occur and left ear stops working at times. A bit disappointing considering the price.

I an a professional transcriptionist. I opened the box to discover they had no headband and unlike a proper transcription headset. Do not buy ECS WORDSMITH earphones. I used them and there was crackling noise. When i compared them with my Spectra headset, the Spectra set was clearer. Also whoever designed these doesn't know the first thing about ergonomic needs of an audio typist. Most professional transcriptionists don't want to feel the gravitational pull of the cable. It's a pain to have to sling the remaining lead over my shoulder while I'm working. The sound was muffled and crackling at times. A complete waste!