Panasonic KX-TCA60 Hands-Free Headset with Comfort Fit Headband for Use with Cordless Phones

Car use:--------I still LOVE my Burger King Drive-thru style headset in the car for a few reasons:1. I tend to call into conference calls and need every bit of fidelity to hear everyone in the room, while I'm driving2. Don't want customers to hear road noice3. Doesn't look like I'm talking my self when driving4. When I'm upset on the phone, other drivers don't think I'm ragin' at them5. Voice quality in my opinion is best for my audience and myself6. I never lose my big ol' headset in the car or house, easy to find7. Big ol' headset never needs charging8. Reminds me of the charcoal hotdog shop I used to work at when I was a teenager (fun, laid back times with friends)Well, as I mentioned I need excellent listening and talking quality because I dial into conference calls from the car EVERY weekday as well as customer calls. I always come through crystal clear EVEN AFTER 3 YEARS of use and I can hear everyone in the room.The headset fits my head TIGHT (maybe I have a fat head), even after three years. I just tried to shake if off now and couldn't, my head actually started to hurt from trying. Tell ya what, I have a tape measure in the drawer... hold on, ok 22.5" circumference head. Not sure if that helps.I haven't read the other reviews, but I wonder if some folks find the headset too-tight. After a while, my ear does get a bit sore from being pressed tightly for so long, but it's just necessary as I want to hear the conversation well and for the headset to never fall off.Home use:---------I give E-COMMERCE SOFTWARE PRODUCT DEMONSTRATIONS - around 400 a year, that require web meeting software and both hands free to work the mouse and keyboard(obviously, when I'm in the house, not driving!).Most of these demonstrations are received by the customer in a conference room on a conference phone - so they need to hear me CLEARLY!!! I can't stress this enough.Sometimes customers have a projector in the room as well that produces background noise - I can still usually hear well even with the hum/buzz of a project fan on the other end. There's always paper shuffling and even laptop fans, I can still make out voices and background conversations with this headset.Given the critical nature of these demonstrations, which usually make or break the deal - the headset must be reliable! A technical demonstration that experiences a technical problem can be a deal breaker. I have to hear and be heard at all times. This headset always comes through for me.Features I like:----------------1. Pivoting earpiece - seems to really stayed glued to my ear, other headsets don't have this feature2. Thick/solid cord. Definitely substantial, way more than my other headsets or headphones.3. Full 5' cord (I measured) this is ideal length more me, any longer, it gets caught on shifter/armrest/home chair armrest and snags things when I'm walking around)4. THICK, I mean THICK mic boom that adjusts well and stays where I adjust it5. Mic boom stays up when I pivot it up. I do this often when I put the call on mute and need to talk to someone else or take another call6. THICK head band (top of head), so even after 3 years, it's still as tight fitting as when I got it.7. Durable - it's a SOLID headset. I use it every day. Many days, I put it on in the house, then walk out to the car - and the other way around. So it's in motion a lot.What don't I like:------------------I've spend some time digging here, but I can't really come up with anything I personally don't like. I was thinking maybe if it had a volume control or mute, but my last headset did and I never used it - and it made winding the cord up awkward. So no complaints.I'll probably order 2 more now that they're half the price as when I originally ordered them. I'm still thrilled after 3 years, they're a part of my life!I don't usually give 5-stars, but had to this time! Feels good!By the way, I needed an adapter for my new phones that now have 3.5MM plug (first it was a blackberry curve, then the Motorola Droid 3, this adapter works for both)so I ordered the adapter below at the same time as the headset. Both work great together, read my review on the adapter if you'd like:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010VLYJE/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

I have only been using the KX-TCA60 headset for 1 day. However, I have been testing several headsets and phones recently so I can compare this product with the others in a fairly objective manner.For each test I have been calling in to my voicemail and recording a very similar message. First, I can judge the sound I hear (my voice mail greeting, etc.) as I make the call. Then I can play back the test voice mail message on my computer (which has pretty good speakers) to determine how the listener would hear my voice.I have performed 67 tests of different headsets, phones and phone lines so far. All tests are saved so I can compare one headset to another by playing the messages back repeatedly to listen for subtle differences in sound quality. I have no training in the audio field, so I simply judge the sound quality to the best of my ability.What I can say is that this very inexpensive Panasonic KX-TCA60 Hands-Free Headset is every bit as good as my Plantronics Supra Plus, which cost over 10 times as much! My voice quality comes through at least as good with the KX-TCA60. And I can hear just as well too (the volume is slightly louder). Personally, I think the product durability looks adequate and the comfort seems good so far.I tested each of these two headsets on a variety of phones including a Philips DECT6 phone, a Panasonic KX-TG6413T, and even a Nokia N810 internet tablet with Gizmo5 VoIP. In each case, the Panasonic KX-TCA60 Hands-Free Headset performed as well as the much more expensive headsets I tested.In addition to testing the H261N Supra Plus, I did side-by-side testing against the Plantronics HW301N Apla-na Binaural Noise Canceling Wideband headset, an inexpensive Nokia earbud that came with the N810, and speaking directly into each phone without a headset. All tests were duplicated over an AT&T landline as well as Skype and Gizmo5 VoIP. I also tested the two Plantronics headsets with a Plantronics T-10 base (e.g., a telephone designed for commercial headsets) using just a landline.After all that testing, I am satisfied that this very inexpensive Panasonic KX-TCA60 Hands-Free Headset is every bit as good as the much more expensive headsets when used with standard telephone handsets.The very best sound quality came with the Plantronics T-10 base and the expensive headsets, but those expensive headsets do not do a good job when plugged into a standard telephone such as the popular Panasonic DECT 6 handsets (KX-TG6413T) I tried.BTW, I was able to get near landline quality using Gizmo5 and the Linksys SPA2102 VoIP router. I was surprised how good this VoIP setup could work. I heard more of a difference between the various headsets than I did between an AT&T landline and Gizmo5 going over a DSL modem. But that's a different topic.This headset is a bargain for use with a normal telephone.