Andrea Communications C1-1022300-50 Model NC-181 VM USB On-Ear Mono (Monaural) Headset NC-181VM USB

I purchased this headset as an upgrade for the basic one that comes with the Dragon voice recognition software. This headset seems sturdier, is very comfortable, and the quality of sound is good. People told me they could hear me well on the other end of phone calls, too.When this headset worked, it was wonderful. I have a job where I use Dragon for writing reports, and this headset worked well for that. I also left the headset on all day and used it when making phone calls with Skype.So why only 3 stars if I love this headset? There were times that although the headset was plugged in and I had used it previously in the same work session with no issues, when all of sudden the audio would drop. I would get a phone call from a client, answer the call on Skype, and they could hear me (so the microphone was working), but I had no audio at all. When this would happen, I would no longer have audio on anything (when using, all computer sound also went through the headset), so it was not just the Skype connection. Usually all it would take to fix the issue was just to unplug it and plug it back in, but it was frustrating.You may notice that I am writing in past tense as to my use of this product. That is because I purchased it about a year ago, and it has since stopped working all together. First, the volume control stopped working - I had to work with it a little louder than I'd like, but the volume on the headset would stay the same even with adjustments to the headset and my computer volume. Annoying, but workable. Then, it began to cut out. When I lost audio, I realized that I could hear snippets if I held up the wires connecting to the earpieces, so I'm guessing the wires had come loose or worn through.For now, I'm back to my original Skype handset for calls, and the Dragon headset for dictating (the Dragon headset was not comfortable enough for all day wear). Would I buy this product again? Probably. I haven't found a better headset out there for the price. I did use it pretty much every day for a year, and most headsets in this price range probably wouldn't stand up to that either.

The Andrea NC-181VM is a big improvement over the Andrea NC-91 that came with Dragon Naturally Speaking. It has greatly improved speech recognition. I don't know all the technicalities but I notice several obvious improvements.* It has its own USB sound card and it works very well. Using this card via the USB works a lot better than using the old microphone input plug on the PC.* The cord is longer and more flexible so I don't have to fight with it. There is a inline mute button.* The cord must be better shielded; I had to be careful to keep the NC-91 cord away from power cords and speaker leads or it would not work very well. This is not easy to do on the crowded back of a PC tower.* The microphone seems more sensitive, even if I lower my voice.I haven't had many any serious complaints but there are 2 minor ones* Occasionally the mic is a little too sensitive and Dragon will translate my breathing into little words like "his" or "she". This is easily prevented by using the inline cord switch to mute the mic.* The set initially tries to route all the sound into the headphone. This would not be a problem for most, but my work requires me to use the PC speakers. This was solved by a little tinkering with the sound settings.Recommended.

I guess for the price this is an excellent item. However, if you are considering comfort, then I suggest you choose something else. The comfort isn't that bad is just not great if you are going to be using the headset for an extended period of time. I would definitely recommend this item simply based on its price, but for my intended use, I have switched to another product. I purchased this product originally for Dragon NaturallySpeaking. The accuracy was good. I wouldn't consider it excellent though. Currently I am writing this review, or should I say this review is being dictated with another headset. The Dragon website list this as one of the best microphones for dictation. Oddly enough though, there are websites online that do a better job at testing which microphone is the best. They also consider comfort as part of the review and their list of microphones is more up-to-date than the list on the Dragon site.I am not too sure why Nuance(Dragon) doesn't do a better job of reviewing which headsets are the best as half of voice recognition is the headset you are using.

. I found better

I paid approximately $39.00 plus $12.00 shipping. Considering the price of the unit I feel that overall it is five star worthy. To match both the headphones and microphone other manufacturers charge from 150.00 to $200.00 or more. The combination of the built-in USB adapter and microphone provides excellent voice-recognition when used with Dragon NaturallySpeaking but as with all such hardware, it does requires tweaking in both the position on your face and software settings to perfect and reduce/eliminate errors. Andrea Electronics provides FREE driver and control software via their support site that I strongly recommend you install and keep it updated.PRO: Great "budget buy" that will get the task done. Lightweight, easy to wear for hours on end. Excellent microphone response, acceptable audio from speaker. FREE drivers, control software and updates are downloadable from Andrea Electronics' web site.CON: Build is mostly plastic and will not stand up to much abuse. While this is not an issue for me I can see where the headband could be a bit tight on those with 7 1/2" or larger heads. $12.00 for shipping $39.00 item is a bit high in my opinion.A word of purchase caution worth note. This was my second order of the NC-181VM. The first order appeared to be at best an "open box" or "recertified" item and it failed miserably and thus was promptly returned.

Ich hatte beim Kauf selbstverständlich höhere Erwartungen an das Andrea NC 181 als an das bisher verwendete Logitech Headset 960 für eine Sprachselbstlernsoftware. Diese wurden sofort enttäuscht. Zwar lässt sich nach Installation der Downloadsoftware eine bessere Klangqualität erzielen, die Spracherkennung allerdings ist um keinen Deut besser. Eher im Gegenteil. (Die englische Sprachlernsoftware von Digital Publishing ist enorm zickig und pingelig, so dass ich mir hier wirklich eine Verbesserung erhofft hatte.)Hinzu kommt, was mir natürlich vor dem Kauf klar war, dass das Andrea natürlich nur die Monowiedergabe beherrscht, was ich nicht weiter tragisch gefunden hätte, würde es nicht geradezu das eine Ohr erdrücken. Es ist für meine Begriffe auch durch die nicht notwendigen Metallbügel sehr schwer und so unbequem, dass ich es nicht etwa über längere Zeit tragen könnte.Insgesamt gebe ich nur für den akzeptablen Klang einen Stern. Für eine Kaufempfehlung reicht dieser jedoch für ein Headset dieser Preisklasse nicht aus.

Die Erkennungsgenauigkeit für Sprachsoftware ist hiermit Abstand höher als bei teureren Headsets, welche ich bisher verwendet hat. Bei der Preis-Situation darf man keine ewige Haltbarkeit erwarten. Würde ich trotzdem wieder kaufen.

It's the best headset that I've purchase in this price range. I like that it has noise cancellation built-in.

Second one I've purchased and they've made some nice improvements. It easily adjusts for use on either ear. Great for speech to text applications.

flimsy piece of junk