Audio pick for your organization

As the IT director and or the voice with the final say in what your organization picks for outfitting folks with audio accessories and tools, what elements guide your choices?
  • What audio accessories do you outfit your team with?
  • Do you give everyone a company-issued accessory or do you let new employees pick?
  • What is your happy price-point for audio-cost per headcount?
  • How often do you find you need to replace said audio accessory?
Please share with the community below! 
  • As IT director, it's essential to consider several elements when deciding what audio accessories and tools that my organization should invested in. First and foremost, I ensured that any products I purchased are compatible with the IT infrastructure of my company. This means they should were able to be integrated seamlessly into my existing systems without additional hardware or software. Additionally, it helped that I also considered the cost-effectiveness of a product, taking into account any potential maintenance costs and how quickly they can be deployed. Finally, it's essential to evaluate user experience when making these decisions.

    Lenovo wireless headphones are an excellent choice when equipping a team with audio accessories. Lenovo's wireless headphones provide impressive sound quality and feature noise-cancellation capabilities for improved clarity. The lightweight design of Lenovo’s wireless headphones makes them comfortable to wear, even after extended use. Moreover, their long-lasting battery life ensures that teams stay connected during long meetings. Lenovo’s wireless headphones also come with integrated access to virtual assistants, allowing for more accessible communication without disruption. Furthermore, their streamlined design allows for effortless storage and transport. Lenovo wireless headphones are ideal for equipping a team with the necessary audio accessories.

    I also choose my own accessories. I like the affordability of Lenovo. I replace it when it breaks.

     

  • Since we are a pretty small company, we get the user to help pick a device that fits them best, at the moment I am using a Sennheiser MB Pro1 Headset and it works great. I would say $100 - $200 can good you a pretty good headset

  • We're a small enough company that I just get whatever makes sense. Usually it's less than $20 for speakers.

    • What audio accessories do you outfit your team with? - We give everyone a wired headset.  We have tried bluetooth, but too many employees have trouble with keeping it connected.  I just started using bluetooth with my computer for our VOIP service, and I may consider allowing that option for employees if requested.  But for a good bluetooth headset, it is usually $80+
    • Do you give everyone a company-issued accessory or do you let new employees pick? - We pick for them, but if an employee has a special request within a reasonable price point, we will consider it.
    • What is your happy price-point for audio-cost per headcount? - $20 to $30
    • How often do you find you need to replace said audio accessory? - 5+ years.
  • no particular devises.. use what is available first.. 

  • Audio is not a significant part of our work. It is rather quiet work. 

    We all bring in a "choose your own" or "bring your own" device strategy.

    There is a mix from $500 level over-the-ear headsets like Beats (now part of Apple), to less expensive Marley & Co. ear-buds for ~$45.

    As these items are worn, it is most likely driven by comfort and the style one would choose to have close to them, and also utility.

    Once I worked in an industrial environment, and used noise-canceling headsets that were over $2k. So it depends.

    The mission drives the requirement!

  • We bring out small speakers after Thanksgiving to listen to Christmas music, otherwise we do not use audio.  From a personal standpoint I like earbuds that will let me use a single ear bud in either ear. My desk is in a shared space so I don't use a speaker.  I still need to be able to hear what is going on so I only wear one earbud at a time. If the battery dies on the one I am using I swap it out to charge and use the other.  I have found it difficult to find earbuds that don't require you to use the right one all the time.  I had some Logitech that I loved, but they require the right ear. I am now using Air pod Pro's.  The work well, but I don't like the look of having a golf tee sticking out of my ear.  

  • We were not using many audio accessories until we switched to VOIP. Most of our users preferred using the softphones on their computers.

    I have always been a fan of Sennheiser audio products. I personally owned their over-ear and on-ear wired headphones. My church also uses Sennheiser microphones. I contacted Sennheiser and their regional sales representative lived in Tucson. We currently have a mixture of the following:

    • EPOS Sennheiser Impact SC60 USB wired headsets
    • EPOS Sennheiser Adapt 165T USB wired headsets
    • EPOS Sennheiser Impact D10 wireless headsets
    • EPOS Sennheiser Impact SDW 5036 wireless headset
    • EPOS Sennheiser Expand SP20ML speakerphones
    • EPOS Sennheiser Expand 30T speakerphones
    • EPOS Sennheiser Expand 80T speakerphones

    Per user, our wired headsets cost us about $60 or less. Some users have opted to use their personal Bluetooth wireless earbuds. The EPOS wireless are more expensive($250-$350) but we only have a few for our frontdesk and main phone answering staff. We use the speakerphones($100-$220) a lot for group meetings and we have the Expand 80Ts($700) installed in our conference rooms.

    We replace the headset earpads when they get worn or when we swap users. We replace the actual headsets when they get broken or the quality of sound decreases.(this has not happened yet)

  • Audio is not really something needed for 99% of the work done, so it's more b.y.o.d. If it was needed for a specific project, I would front the purchase for an adequate device (usually headphones of some kind) if use necessitated it. But not really an issue for document translators on the whole.