STACK #208 Feb 2022

LIFE TECH FEATURE

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no tangled wires, and you won’t rip them off your head in a frantic dash to get to the door when a courier knocks. However, wireless comes at a higher cost. If you’re a light user, a wired pair may well be the answer. Battery balance If you opt for a wireless pair, it’s worth researching the battery life. A flat battery can mean the mic, touch controls, and the active noise cancellation will not work. If your working day/night involves lengthy video conferencing or phone calls, shoot for a battery life that will stay the distance. Call quality Snuggled into the design of the headphones is an integrated mic. Even in premium models, these can vary in quality, but you want a mic that will represent your voice loud and clear without any interference. Easily accessible

Finding the right pair of headphones for making calls or video conferencing is essential in 2022’s brave new world.

W hile the world commenced its many office-bound workers was to make the necessary transition to working from home. At first, it was a novelty. Rolling out of bed and into the shower before presenting at whatever part of the house constituted a workspace/ office made a welcome change from being shoehorned into a rush-hour train carriage. However, with soaring productivity and happier employees, once the mandatory rules were relaxed, the temporary switch to working from home became more permanent for many workers. All the tools to work effectively in a remote environment were easily accessible, and video conferencing beamed the meeting room straight into our homes. Communication is the vital component in the working from home operation, and key to that is a decent set of headphones. Our headphone buying decisions are primarily centred around securing the best sounding pair for music that our budget will allow – the call component is just part of the package. But if you’re a frequent user of headphones, you’ll know that call quality can vary depending on what you use. There’s nothing more frustrating than conducting a conversation with someone who keeps cutting in and out at the other end. So, what should you look for when you’re shopping for a pair of headphones for video conferencing and calls? Comfort considerations An important factor is the fit of the headphones. Unlike a pair suited for exercise, you don’t want them to be too tight and restrictive if you’re going to wear them for challenge to readjust in the face of a global pandemic, the first step for

controls on modern headphones make answering calls as simple as pressing a button or touching the outer shell of an earcup. And headphones with Bluetooth 5.0 will allow the user to wander up to 40m from the source if you like to pace around when on a call. Stop the noise Noise cancellation does what it says on the tin. Ambient noise is reduced using filtering technology in the headphones. This is an excellent feature for when you need to concentrate and communicate in a space where environmental noise can be an issue (think builders, children, pets, etc.). They do come at a cost, although from our experience, the investment is undoubtedly worth it. So, how does active noise cancelling work? Well, without getting too technical, tiny microphones inside the earcups analyse the external noise frequencies – ambient noise – and replicate the exact opposite signal. So when the soundwaves meet, both frequencies are cancelled out. It’s far more complex than that, of course, and a lot of neat tech is deployed for this to happen, but that’s the basics in a very simplified nutshell.

most of the day. Earpads should be soft but also breathable – an essential factor in the summer months. Headband padding is also a consideration – too little support can lead to discomfort. And finally, weight. This is a no- brainer – the lighter the headphones, the more comfortable they will be over a prolonged period. Wired or wireless Wired or not wired, that is the question. This is a personal choice, of course, but it’s wireless all day long for us. There’s nothing quite like discussing an upcoming project on the phone while secretly unloading the dishwasher or pegging out the washing without missing a beat. Simple to connect to a phone or computer via Bluetooth, a wireless pair of headphones offers complete freedom,

54 FEBRUARY 2022

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