Because I have so many things I can’t physically do, I’m thankful that I’ve got my hearing and voice to help me out and fully embrace both to maximize my productivity and independence. Being heard is important to everyone, but, as a high quad, my life can depend on my ability to make my needs known. So, it’s the practical “staying alive” aspects that drive me to secure the most effective microphones, speakers and headset for my needs.

Much like the way I set up my home and work computers (see Todd Against the Machine, October 2020), I break my audio setup into two modes: the mobile and the fixed. When I’m on the go, I’m all about the headset. I want something that’s elegant, professional and functional that flawlessly handles my calls and lets me easily control Siri and Dragon Anywhere. But when I’m sitting in front of my workstation, performance trumps elegance. I need the most accurate dictation and highest reliability. And honestly, there’s nothing better than vibrating bass blasting from my subwoofer.

My enthusiastic mobile recommendation is the Blueparrot C300-XT headset from Jabra. When GN Audio, the owner of Jabra, acquired longtime audio industry leader Blueparrot in 2016, it did something very smart — it left Blueparrot alone. Blueparrot was known for innovative noise canceling technology and high-quality microphones favored by professional drivers. You can expect the same clarity and cleanly-captured voice from its microphone that the company has always delivered. With this microphone, I have the confidence that people will understand what I’m sharing with them and it won’t be garbled.

What’s so special about the Blueparrot C300-XT? Truckers use them; the entire delivery industry uses them; everyone who works in noisy places relies on the Blueparrot line. Its technology to clear out the background noise and focus on delivering your voice in a crisp, clear soundwave is amazing. Plus, the speakers in my headset deliver the same kind of clarity. I can be in a loud place with dogs barking and still hear just fine. The C300-XT’s sound quality is top notch and more than up to clearly playing my favorite podcasts and music when I’m out and about. Finally, the kicker: The battery life is next-level. I need to know my headset will keep a charge for a long time.

Whichever headset you go with, make sure it has the ability to upgrade its firmware. Regular obsolescence was the big reason headsets didn’t last long — the market outpaced them and they were quickly made unusable. In the old days, I’d go through headsets every year or two. Now, with firmware upgrade capabilities, I can update my headset with the latest software so it works with newer smartphones.

For my fixed setup, when I’m sitting in front of my tech gear, the critical components are my speakers and microphone. The stellar speakers I use are the AudioEngine line from Austin, Texas — I got the red ones. I originally got them without the subwoofer and that was a mistake. But after realizing something was missing from the sound, I ponied up and got the subwoofer. It made all the difference. Not long after, when I cranked up the speakers, they shook the walls to the point where pictures hanging in the entryway fell to the floor.

Setting up the speakers for maximum effect takes some tinkering. Mine rest on a platform that tips them up at the perfect angle to produce the best sound field together with the subwoofer. Now when I play Apple Music, my office sounds like a music studio.

Accompanying the speakers is my desk microphone, which looks like a throwback to old-school radio days. It’s round and not boxy, but definitely bulky, and it’s called the Yeti Blue. It’s the best mic I’ve tried. You have to get it set up correctly to utilize its great capabilities, so don’t throw away the instruction booklet and be sure to bookmark the YouTube tutorials because they’ve got details on how to position it for maximum effectiveness. When you get it into that sweet spot, it pulls your voice out of the air and filters out the background noise. The right combination of speakers and microphone should make your voice crisp for others if you’re on Zoom, while making sure you don’t miss a word of your next online meeting and allowing you to boom out your favorite jams when you just want to relax.

The equipment I recommend in this column costs between $125 and $200, if you choose models on the low-end. That seems like a lot of money, but I have learned that sometimes buying less expensive products means that I end up paying what I bought them for multiple times over. That ultimately costs more than if I’d chosen the higher-priced, better product up front.

As always, your audio needs will be unique to you. Please keep that in mind as you explore your own audio options. Think about what your objectives and goals are for your setup and find tech that supports them. It’s never one-size-fits-all.

Remember, if you’re not working the machine, the machine is working you.

Resources
• AudioEngine, audioengineusa.com
• Blueparrot C300-XT, blueparrott.com/on-the-road-headsets/blueparrott-c300-xt
• Yeti Blue, bluemic.com/en-us/products/yeti