ECS WordSmith USB Transcription Headset, 7-Foot Cord, in-Ear Ear Bud with Silicone Ear Tips, Superior Comfort & Audio Clarity, External Sound Card, Medical & Legal Dictation, 3 Extra Pair of Ear Tips

I ordered these on the recommendation of my sister, who is a very experienced transcriptionist. I had been using high-quality headphones that had been designed to listen to music and movies, which were great, except when it came to trying to listen to poor-quality transcription audio, because they picked up every little background noise and amplified them. The ECS WordSmith headset is designed to pick up the sounds of human speech while filtering out more of the annoying background noises that can make transcription so difficult. Of course, they're not perfect, but they definitely do make a difference. Unfortunately, they can't make a speaker who mumbles sound like an enunciating genius, but they can make that speaker's mumblings a bit easier to understand. Just to make sure there was a difference, I listened to a test audio file I had tried to transcribe with my music/movie headphones, and I could hear a definite difference. I feel this headset is worth a try. The headset also comes with four sets of little rubber earbud covers so you can customize the headset to the size and shape of your ears. The headset is also very lightweight, and I don't even feel them when I'm wearing them. Even after transcribing an hour's worth of audio, I don't feel any discomfort at all. There are two things that I feel I should note, although neither aspect affected my overall rating of this product: 1) When you first play audio with the headset plugged in, it will be VERY LOUD. I recommend plugging the headset into the USB port and turning your volume down to 0--don't just mute it, actually turn it down--then slowly turn the sound back up one click at a time--using your computer's volume controls or the controls on the headset--with the earbuds in your ears. I've found that you can hear quite clearly with the headset, even at a minimal volume level. You will need to do this every time you use the headset to make sure your ear drums don't get blasted. 2) I also found out that the headset works only if it is plugged directly into its own USB port on the computer. If you use a USB hub, the sound will continue to come out of your computer's speakers, even though the headset driver was completely installed. At least, that's how it worked on my computer. Perhaps it was just a fluke with my computer, and you won't have the same problem, but I thought it was worth noting. Other than that, I love this headset and feel it was money well spent. If you do order it, just use the standard shipping method, because the seller--Executive Communication Systems - The Voice Processing Specialist--uses 2-day priority mail, so you'll get it well before the delivery dates estimated by Amazon. That's what I did because I wasn't in a hurry to receive the order, so I settled in for a one-week wait. I was very pleasantly surprised when I got the delivery two days later without requesting expedited delivery.

I have never heard such clear sound before. I needed a set with a sound booster...a true sound booster...and these are it. Unlike others, who complained about the length of the cord, I love the length! I work on my cases mostly while standing. The cord length offers me freedom of movement around my office area. If I feel like sitting while working on a case, I usually just leave the cord off to one side to keep it from being entangled by my leg movements. When I know I'll sit for a short case, I simply roll up the wire and use the twist tie it came with to maintain the shorter length I want. I have already worked a few cases with this, yet I haven't had them for even five days. I know these are my favorite set now, though. Adding to my review, since I have been using these a few months now. I still love them, but my left ear bud stopped working a week ago. Not sure why. I will say, despite this, I will buy another pair because the quality I have been able to accomplish with these, even with one side working, is still far better than one any I've used before. I believe, though, that the next set I will buy are the ECS over the ear type. I won't have to clip anything to my clothing, that way. I transcribe 4-track court hearings, and nothing else compares with these headsets.

It is somewhat ironic that the reason I bought this headset was to cancel out background noise, of which they do a pretty good job compared to the other two headsets that I have which are not noise canceling. However, the problem is that when I use this headset with my transcription foot pedal on my Mac, there is a very high pitched squealing sound. My other two headsets don't make the squealing sound, so I know that the problem is specific to this product. So after wasting a lot of time trying to figure out how to get rid of the squealing sound, on September 29th I contacted the company by email and explained the situation to them and asked if they had any ideas as to what the problem could be, and if there were any suggestions for a possible solution. They promptly sent me an email back asking for my order/invoice number. I immediately sent them a copy of my Amazon order receipt. That was the last I've heard from them. Apparently they either don't offer product support, or don't approve of the fact that I bought them on Amazon. All I know is that my "Noise Reduction" headset adds noise to my audio transcripts rather than reducing noise. I think if I could figure out how to get rid of the high pitched squealing sound I could give a better rating, but so far it was just a waste of $50.

I just started training as an MT, and am also working in gaining experience by working as a GT, so I needed great headphones at a good price. These have a great sound. It picked up words that are normally lost in poor audio compared to some other headsets I've used. My problem is the fact that the right earbud stopped working and I bought this set in March of this year (2016). Really? not even a full year? I suspect that it may be because the cord is very long, opening the door for unnoticed kinks from normal usage. The headset never left my desk and it is not put in a jumble on the desk when I am finished with it. I spent good money for this and considering they have great sound quality, I am disappointed in the short lifespan. UPDATE: I talked to someone at ECS and they sent an email to me for instructions on sending the set back for an exchange. So based on that pleasant customer service, and the fact that the sound quality IS very good, I upped my rating to a 4. So if you love the sound coming from these headphones, don't lose hope. It has a 1-year warranty, so if you are having problems, hold on to that receipt, and don't hesitate to give them a call. I appreciated the help.

Not as good sound acuity as I had hoped. It does get louder but needs treble and less bass.

Comfortable and more durable than I thought. They allow me to do my work better than before. However, there is an odd high pitched squealing noise that occurs whenever I pause my audio. It only lasts for a few seconds each time, but it's enough to make my head hurt by the end of the day.

The sound quality and voice clarity is not the greatest. It will work for the time being but I do not think I will purchase them again. Not worth what I paid.

As per expectations

Lasted 4 months before static started to occur and left ear stops working at times. A bit disappointing considering the price.

I an a professional transcriptionist. I opened the box to discover they had no headband and unlike a proper transcription headset. Do not buy ECS WORDSMITH earphones. I used them and there was crackling noise. When i compared them with my Spectra headset, the Spectra set was clearer. Also whoever designed these doesn't know the first thing about ergonomic needs of an audio typist. Most professional transcriptionists don't want to feel the gravitational pull of the cable. It's a pain to have to sling the remaining lead over my shoulder while I'm working. The sound was muffled and crackling at times. A complete waste!