Consumer and Professional Headsets: What are the Differences?

Streamlined for Different Uses

While all headsets are primarily designed to deliver personalised audio streaming, consumer-grade headsets are not designed with some dedicated features that are mainly useful for businesses. Features such as noise cancellation for calls, compatibility with cloud platforms and many more. Instead, consumer headsets are engineered to maximise music streaming and media experiences. In addition, they come in different forms, such as ones that can be used to answer calls and ones that are only designed for audio streaming purposes.

On the other hand, business-grade or professional headsets are specifically built for business satisfaction. They are designed to enhance business call experience through various call features, which include noise-cancellation, echo-cancellation, quality audio delivery, sound isolation, intelligent microphone technology for voice pickup and many more. Professional headsets are indeed the best tool for achieving the perfect professional meeting experience, as there is no disturbance for workers whose job circles around the office, home and other places.

Audio Quality

Consumer headsets are designed to offer the best audio experience for people who require quality audio to stream music, podcasts and video contents. They provide blasting sound with good bass that would not damage hearing. Most of these consumer headsets also offer virtual surround sound to deliver an immersive experience.    

Professional or business headsets are built differently to deliver the best-in-class audio, providing clear and natural sound during calls, while simultaneously minimising background noise distractions. In order to produce precise and well-balanced audio, professional headsets are built with a neutral sound profile. This is crucial for jobs where sound quality is important, like audio editing, mixing, and broadcasting. Majority of business grade headsets are engineered with noise cancellation features like ANC (active noise cancellation), PNC (passive noise cancellation), etc. to eliminate environmental noise, allowing users to enjoy premium audio conversations. 

Call Quality

The essentiality of call quality cannot be underestimated as it is one vital aspect for both business professionals and regular users. The use of consumer-grade headsets to answer calls is great as it enables users to enjoy a duplex flow of conversation without having to disconnect headsets from phones, however there are some slight downsides to this as many consumer-grade headsets are not built to defend users from environmental noises.

However, professional/business headsets with advanced call features like noise-cancelling microphones and passive sound cancellation help prevent environmental noises. This scope places professional/business-grade headsets above consumer-grade headsets as you can use them to answer calls anywhere— in house or while on the road.

Physical Construction

In recent times, both consumer and professional headsets come in stylish appearance while not minimising comfort. They come in a variety of designs, colours, and form factors to appeal to users' tastes. Ear cups are usually padded for extended use, and lightweight materials ensure comfort during prolonged sessions. 

Professional headsets go a step further as they are highly durable and can come in two forms —monaural (single-sided ear cup) or binaural (double-sided ear cups)—to perfectly fit different business environments. They also sometimes feature replaceable ear pads to maintain comfort over time. Business headsets are often built to fit into every business industry with quick answer/end, mute/unmute and volume buttons around the ear cups for instant on-the-go call management. 

Affordability

Consumer headsets are generally more budget-friendly compared to their professional counterparts. They provide good value for money without compromising on the essential features for everyday use. The cost of professional grade headsets are often tied to advanced call features, connectivity and compatibility built into them.

Connectivity and Compatibility

With the diverse landscape of connectivity in a dynamic workplace, compatibility and connectivity is an essential part of headsets to discuss. The use of wired and wireless connections is common among all modern headsets, however, some professional grade headsets manufacturers are beginning to adopt the use of DECT wireless communication as the technology ensures more secure calls and stronger wireless connection with devices.

Furthermore, consumer grade headsets are often restricted by some features, which are not so with professional headsets. For instance, the use of headsets across various cloud meeting platforms, like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, with some being optimised for specific platforms. 

Conclusion

An understanding of these specifics, unique to each headset — consumer and professional — would guide you in making the right choice as your situation demands.  

Remember, the right headset can make all the difference! 

Looking to purchase a headset? Our array of consumer and professional headset options  is a good place to start.