Are work headsets a gimmick? I tested a pair, and it actually made calls more enjoyable

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Epos Impact 500 bid headset is disposable present for $299.
• It's supremely comfortable, with breathable, lightweight earcups, and the dependable prime is top-notch.
• Its buttons are tiny, and it's expensive.

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Epos, shaper of premium audio equipment, conscionable released a caller lightweight headset for the bureau with ANC, crisp telephone quality, and Microsoft Teams certification. The Epos Impact 500 is simply a sleek headset with a comfy acceptable and useful features for rapidly responding to calls.

I precocious reviewed the brand's productivity-focused earbuds, the Adapt E1, and noted their precise bully audio prime -- adjacent for euphony -- and useful integrations with communal videoconferencing platforms. The Impact 500 headset follows the aforesaid inclination with a streamlined signifier origin and comfy earcups I recovered myself capable to deterioration for agelong periods of time. 

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Even better, the headset works retired of the container without a batch of fuss. It features autochthonal Bluetooth, truthful it'll link to your laptop without a dongle, but it tin besides travel with some a USB-C and USB-A for devices that request it. Epos besides states that it volition adhd enactment for Teams implicit autochthonal Bluetooth successful the future, but there's nary timeframe for this yet. 

Connecting the headset has been precise casual connected each the devices I utilized it on: conscionable power to pairing mode and go. No apps are required, though an optional 1 is available. 

Regarding their fit, I recovered this headset to beryllium precise comfortable. It's exceedingly light, weighing conscionable 139 grams (4.9 ounces) with small, 2.56-inch earcups. Keeping the headset connected for extended periods is nary problem, and yes, I adjacent forgot I was wearing it connected a fewer occasions. This is notable to me, arsenic I typically don't similar headsets and tin lone deterioration them for an hr astatine a time. 

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The earcups are breathable and plush, but besides alternatively small, truthful they mightiness not supply implicit sum for immoderate people. For enactment calls, the headset performs well. Call prime is top-tier, some for incoming audio and outgoing voice. On each the calls I took, folks connected the different extremity said my dependable was earthy and precise, without stuttering, dropping, oregon robotic invasions. 

The headset's rotatable roar mic is the close length, neither excessively agelong nor successful the way, and it auto-mutes erstwhile flipped up to the vertical position. Additionally, the headset's talk-through mode functions well, providing conscionable capable of your ain dependable to marque speaking with the ANC seamless. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

Accepting an incoming telephone tin beryllium done by pressing the fastener connected the basal of the mic, though it's rather small. In fact, each the headset's buttons are small, requiring immoderate precision and a spot of fumbling to activate correctly. 

The powerfulness button, for example, is simply a tiny slider connected the near broadside that is located straight successful beforehand of the mic, which requires you to flip the mic successful the vertical presumption earlier turning it connected oregon off, which isn't precisely a plan flaw, but does necessitate an further measurement to usage effectively. 

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The different 2 buttons connected the near earcup are for volume: there's 1 connected either broadside of the USB-C port. However, I enactment that they're reversed from what is shown successful the brand's instrumentality manual: the front-facing fastener is measurement up, which is the much intuitive configuration, successful my opinion. 

If you person ample hands oregon similar microphones with much streamlined carnal controls, you mightiness person immoderate occupation with the buttons here, but similar immoderate headset, it's conscionable a substance of repetition and musculus memory. 

Let's sermon the ANC, which differs from the noise-cancelling exertion recovered successful audio headphones. It's effectual astatine mitigating ambient sound successful the office, specified arsenic airy conversations and typing, and is particularly bully astatine shutting down sources of sound similar A/C oregon HVAC systems that lend to the country tone. 

But for adjacent sounds, including clicks, keyboards, oregon radical speaking, the ANC reduces them by astir 50%. In that sense, the extremity present is to trim ambient sounds conscionable capable to forestall them distracting you connected a call, not make full silence. 

The artillery beingness connected this headset is besides precise good. Epos claims it tin execute up to 35 hours of speech clip connected a azygous charge, which is rather impressive. I volition accidental that, during my intermittent investigating of the headset implicit the people of a week and a half, I lone precocious needed to plug it in.

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Lastly, the headset's terms of $299 relegates it to the premium market. This is not an inexpensive solution to arming a fleet of workers successful a telephone center, but alternatively a selective portion of instrumentality for users seeking the precocious extremity of comfortableness and audio quality. 

ZDNET's buying advice

The Epos Impact 500 is simply a premium, lightweight headset that conscionable works retired of the container with small to nary fuss. For anyone who wants lightness and breathability, this headset delivers 1 of the much comfy fits I've used. 

In addition, the audio prime backs up the carnal fit. It's expensive, and though the buttons are tiny and travel with a learning curve, the autochthonal Bluetooth, ANC, and Epos' audio exertion moving down the scenes lend to a high-functioning headset for the bureau -- location oregon otherwise.