Header banner
Revain logoHome Page
Kristen Smith photo
Sweden, Stockholm
1 Level
440 Review
0 Karma

Review on Andrea Communications NC 181VM USB Noise Canceling by Kristen Smith

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Good with Dragon Voice but lost headphone function. Be careful if you have TMJ.

This headset has performed well with Dragon Voice for the last 1 1/2 years. However, I was annoyed that recently the sound in the headphones disappeared. There doesn't seem to be a problem with speech recognition, so I can continue dictating as usual; but when i stop hearing something i can only hear it intermittently when i tug on the cord that connects to the headset. I typically use the headset a few times a week or less, so I didn't expect to run into problems this early on. Update January 2016: I recently used the Andrea headset for most of the day, several days in a row while dictating. long reports. My intermittent mild pain in my left temporomandibular joint flared up and I wasn't sure why. I usually have no pain for weeks and I haven't chewed anything that would strain my jaw. The pain lasted for several days until I finally realized that the pressure from the left cushion of the headset was digging into the TMJ site. Yesterday I took off my headset and spent the rest of the day dictating with a microphone in hand. I woke up in the morning with no pain, which means the inflammation must have been caused by the pressure from the headset. True, I have a large head circumference, for others this may not be a problem. However, if you have a sensitive jaw and dictate for a long period of time, you should remove the headset if your TMJ becomes worse.

Pros
  • Microphone arm with Proflex wire for precise microphone placement.
Cons
  • Style 90