It’s no secret that a good home workplace benefits both your comfort and productivity. You may think of your desk, chair or monitor first, but the peripherals you work on can also make a world of difference. In this article we discuss the best headsets for the optimal working experience from home.
Headsets are largely in the same boat as mice, because here too it is often the products intended for gaming that are the most interesting. Things like comfort, sound quality and especially microphone quality have been focus topics for gamers for years, and the value of a good microphone for home users has only come to light for many in the past year and a half.
Because everyone wants comfort, sound quality and microphone quality, some overlap is obvious. However, not every game headset is equally suitable, because the flashy design of many models will especially provoke frowning in video conferences. In addition, game headsets with additional connection options such as bluetooth are surprisingly rare.
Previously, we also featured the best keyboards and best mice for homeworkers.
Affordable Everyone’s Friend: Steelseries Arctis 1
The Steelseries Arctis 1 is a game headset that can actually do everything well. It combines a modest look with a pleasant sound quality for all kinds of sound, from a little background music to a movie or series, or of course a game from time to time.
Compared to its more expensive big brothers, the slip-on in the Arctis series is relatively light and simply built. But precisely because of that low weight, this is one of the most comfortable headsets for long-term use. And to rule out that the lighter construction is synonymous with mediocre build quality, we also had this headset tested intensively by our 5-year-old homeworker. Our own Arctis 1 has already been introduced to the floor several times, but still does an excellent job.
The fit can be adjusted from very small to very large. Combined with the mesh-lined ear cups, this makes this headset a true everyone’s friend, both for short-term and long-term use. The microphone is more than good enough for productive conversations. The main disadvantage is that it is wired, although you can easily connect it to most PCs, laptops and other devices with its 3.5mm jack.
Steelseries Arctic 1
Price
€ 59,-
Website
www.steelseries.com
8 Score 80 
- Pros
- Good sound
- Light and comfortable
- Great microphone
- Cheap
- Negatives
- Wired
- No premium materials
Wirelessly Productive: Logitech G435 Lightspeed
Officially, the Logitech G435 is also a gaming headset, but one that comes with both a wireless USB dongle for PC use and Bluetooth support. This is an ideal solution for wireless working from home: bluetooth audio on (Windows) laptops often has the necessary problems, but is ideal for a wireless connection with smartphones. This allows you to effortlessly switch from the Teams meeting via the dongle on your PC to a telephone conversation via bluetooth.
With a price of 79 euros, the G435 is nevertheless remarkably cheap. In addition, it is comfortable and also equipped with soft ear cushions. You can work with it for about two full days before you have to charge it again.
The main disadvantage is that it may look a bit gamer-like, although that applies especially to the trendy color variants and the black version is not that bad. In addition, the G435 mainly relies on its double connection. The headset sounds and communicates well, but there are better alternatives if you don’t need that extra connection option.
Logitech G435 Lightspeed
Price
€ 79,-
Website
www.logitech.com
9 Score 90 
- Pros
- USB dongle and bluetooth
- Price
- Negatives
- Game-like appearance
- No exceptional sound
Working in silence: Sony WH-1000XM4
Working from home has advantages, but can also be tough when there is a lot of background noise. A headset with active noise cancellation (ANC) can then be a great solution. Although ANC works best against constant noises, such as vacuum cleaners or passing cars, good noise cancellation can still make a nice fist against occasional ‘noise’ such as children playing or a fellow homeworker in the background. A quality ANC headset can also make the difference between distraction and undisturbed work.
With a price tag of 272 euros, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is a substantial investment, but with it you do get the headset that currently offers the best noise reduction. Moreover, it has a pleasant fit and excellent sound quality. Its predecessor, the WH-1000XM3, is considerably cheaper and hardly avoids the new model, with one exception: the WH-1000XM4 can connect to two devices simultaneously, which is an advantage for active home working.
We do want to note that the built-in microphone does not come close to that of a good gaming headset, not even our budget option of 59 euros. The microphone is more than fine for an occasional conversation, but we find it substandard for frequent communication or giving presentations. In such cases, we would still recommend the use of an extra separate microphone.
Sony WH-1000XM4
Price
€ 272,-
Website
www.sony.nl
9 Score 90
- Pros
- Top quality ANC
- Comfortable
- Connect two devices
- Negatives
- Price
- Poor call quality
Flex work tip: in-ear headphones
Even when it comes to headphones, you can only save a limited amount of space. After all, a headset remains a device that has to fit on your head. Each of the three suggestions in this test is on the light side and therefore suitable to take with you.
If you really want to be lighter, you will quickly end up with in-ear headphones, with the best choice depending on the type of laptop and phone you have. If you are an Apple user, Airpods (from 149 euros) are the obvious choice. If you use Android and/or Windows, the Sony WF-1000XM3 (approximately 119 euros) is the direct counterpart. The latter is actually a compact version of the WH-1000XM4.
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