Finally. Our first wireless stereo headset! It is available just in time for the holidays. If you use Skype more than 5 times a week, this headset will be your new best friend, I can guarantee it. I’ve been carrying my proto with me for the better part of this year, and it’s held up relatively well in my bag, taking many beatings. It sounds great, and works flawlessly. The range on FREETALK’s version is just over 35 feet. It will best the two other cordless options shown on this page. They are both based on Bluetooth… stop yawning, you’ll want to hear this.
People often ask how we compare to Bluetooth… often phrased as, “why wouldn’t I just use Bluetooth?” The few (powerful) reasons are:
- FREETALK requires no driver installations. Freetalk is plug & play. Plug it in, wait for Mac OS or Windows to recognize it, and about 20 seconds later you are off to the races.
- FREETALK achieves better than 30 feet of range. Our system’s wireless audio coding gives you a few more meters than BT can at the same transmit power. Just try it. You’ll get 35-40 feet in most conditions, and up to 60 feet in very clean RF interference & obstacle environments.
- FREETALK gives you high fidelity stereo audio & wideband voice!!! The Freetalk headset natively supports 48 kHz uncompressed stereo audio to the headset, and 16 kHz wideband voice from the headset’s mic…. wait for it… at the same time. Boom. (Gamers rejoice - use it for World of Warcraft, Ventrillo, you name it) You have to hear it to believe it. With BT, you’re required to use a different profile (A2DP), which does not support simultanous usage of the microphone, AND it compresses the hell out of the audio using a very crude compression scheme called SBC (sub-band coding). About as clean as 96 kbps mp3 in best cases.
- FREETALK costs less. Don’t even get me started.
Anyways, let’s hear about what you think. Check it out, and report back here. I’m pretty sure you’ll be asking straight-away, “why hasn’t this existed before?”
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There is something missing in USB headset (wireless or not), these the possibility to merge audio output on both USB output and standard computer output. Skype can do that, but you have to go in option and that’s not obvious when you have some one on the phone. As a user I’d like to always have both audio active.
On skype but also in other applications.
On windows, i didn’t find a way to do it. Is there a solution.
Sounds great, although somebody at Skype told me the microphone was not using the same sampling rate as a Plantronics DSP-400, which I use now and is phenomenal. Specs below - can somebody comment?
Microphone Input
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Mono, 16 bit, 48kHz data
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Preset digital EX-6 bands mono
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Mic gain stage >50dB range
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Up to25dB noise rejection (hypercardiod response)
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100Hz-10kHz frequency response
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Electret condenser microphone with –38dVB/Pa sensitivity
Mine should arrive by the weekend, I’m excited because I was ready to give up on Bluetooth. After finally getting A2DP support in Leopard (latest Mac OS X), I still couldn’t get my Motorola S9 bluetooth stereo headset to work reliably. And as you said Bluetooth can’t use stereo and the mic at the same time. WTF were the Bluetooth designers thinking?
LTB Audio dudes… Q-Bean-U and Q-Bass-U
www.ltbaudio.com Skype it up!
I wish you would have let us know if these FINE headphones were available any where else BUT at http://us.accessories.skype.com/servlet/ControllerServlet?Action=DisplayPage&Env=BASE&Locale=en_US&SiteID=skype&id=ProductDetailsPage&productID=82968200 for a little under $90.00 when all the goodies are added. (Tax, Shipping and putting their hands on it for the last time.) Maybe 90 bucks “IS” cheap for a set of head phones like this, but to this kid, I could sure spend it in a lot of places right now even tho I have to admit, I would love to have these at home right now! Thanks for your time and a fine article!!!
Sincerelt, Steve A. Rosa’
Can anyone comment on the security aspect of the FreeTalk wireless connection? This condern has always been the bane of BlueTooth - and I’m wondering if the superior audio quality of the Freetalk technology has also been achieved in conjunction with an improved ability to communicate without fear of eavesdroppers. Anyone know?
How to replace the battery in a free talk Wireless Stereo Headset anyone know if it’s possible. TIA
Does anyone know who actually makes the Freetalk Wireless Stereo Headset? On skype’s website is says there should be a “CD-ROM” in the box. I didn’t get one did anyone else get one?
Then above comment submitted by me (John Durocher) deleted the fact that I was told by Skype Help that Plantronics made the Freetalk Wireless Stereo Headset. When asked about the Headset Plantronics denied knowing anything about the it. Did anyone get the CD-ROM listed as being in the Headset box on the Skype Website? Does anyone know who made the Headset since that is who Skype says I must deal with but they don’t themselves seem to know who it is.
John. As point of clarification, I did not delete any info from your post.
Re Plantronics. Not correct. They do not build the Freetalk. The company is called InStore Solutions.
FYI. There is no required CD-ROM. I believe at one point the plan was to offer this product in brick and mortar stores, and they were planning to include a CD-ROM that had Skype Software on it so consumers could install it. You are not missing anything.
I was told by Skype help that Plantronics (and I was given this number to call 800-544-4660) made the Freetalk Stereo Wireless Headset, and I said so in my first post, that is a fact. If you say the that “there is no required CD-ROM” then you should modify the information on your Skype store’s website where it clearly lists a CD-ROM as one of the things under the heading “What’s in the box:” in the description of the Headset, take a look.
I don’t control what is said on the Skype store, nor what their customer support staff say to you on the phone. Unfortunate, but true. Skype.com is the retail outlet in this case.
I do know that In Store Solutions sources the headset directly from our manufacturing partner (and direct customer), who I know is *not* Plantronics.
I realize this is confusing for consumers, even more so when the retail outlet is feeding you incorrect information.
John. Again, I don’t edit or delete comments. So you are wrong if you think you mentioned something before and you think it was deleted. I also just checked the moderation queue, and it is empty.
I just don’t want people to think I am selectively changing comments in any way. I will only make corrections or counter arguments via my own comments.
OK, thank you for you help.