Let me guess:
You’ve decided to try dictation writing and have already chosen the software you’re going to use, but you’re not sure what gear you would need for that.
We’ve covered you! In this article, you’re going to learn:
- What is the best headset for Dragon Naturally Speaking.
- Why you shouldn’t use wireless headsets if you want to get the best accuracy.
- Why it all doesn’t matter.
Interested? Keep reading!
And we’ll start with the first question. Here’s the best headset for Dragon Naturally Speaking:
Sennheiser MB Pro 2 UC
RANK
Our Top Pick
Best Wireless Headset for Dragon Naturally Speaking in our list. Best quality and accuracy. Lowest error rate.
Cyber Acoustics AC-5002A
RANK
Great choice if you want to use the headset for both listening to music and professional dictation
Jabra Evolve 40 ProfessionalÂ
RANK
Best value for the money
The cheapest wired headset that offers good quality for reasonavle price
Now, let’s get into the details:
Best Wireless Bluetooth Headsets for Dragon Naturally Speaking
| Editor’s Pick | Headset |
| Best Overall Headset | Sennheiser MB Pro 2 |
| Runner Up Bluetooth Wireless Headset | Plantronics Voyager Focus |
| Best USB Wired Headset | Jabra EVOLVE 40 |
| Best Budget Headset | Cyber Acoustics Headset |
| Best Headset with a USB Soundcard Dongle | Voice Recognition USB Headset |
In this list, we’ll start with the cheapest wireless headsets that just OK and do the job. Then we’ll go through the options that offer the best quality and the best accuracy.
1. Sennheiser MB Pro 2 UC Bluetooth Wireless Headset for Dragon Naturally Speaking
In our opinion this is the best wireless headset for Dragon Naturally Speaking. Everything is great about this one:
Now, let’s get into the details:
Sennheiser MB Pro 2 UC is an outstanding headset. This headset comes with a dual-sided design, which helps with comfortable wearing. This is important, as users with single-sided (monaural) headsets can experience significant discomfort in the ear using the headset for longer periods of time. Having the dual earpieces allows them to share the pressure on both ears.
The headset features very comfortable soft ear pads with special earpad foam, which is soft and supple. These earpads are designed to cradle your ears comfortably and provide very good acoustic isolation.
This is a very lightweight headset with about 2.9 ounces of weight. With this weight, it is very easy to wear and use for hours without any discomfort.
The Dual Connectivity feature enables the users to switch between two devices seamlessly, whether you use a smartphone or you’re connected to a PC with a USB dongle.
The headset uses noise canceling technology and sound quality is crystal clear. It provides excellent voice recognition abilities for Dragon Naturally Speaking and comes with setup instructions on how to make the most out of the headset using speech recognition software like Dragon.
The battery in this headset lasts for as long as 15 hours of dictation. That’s basically 2 working days without recharging.
The testings show that the Bluetooth range for this headset is about 50 ft, although the technical specs tell us about 82 ft. It totally depends on your environment though.
Sennheiser MB Pro 2 UC is the best headset for Dragon Naturally speaking. The microphone works excellent. The voice is crystal-clear which is great for speech recognition. It is comfortable to wear it all day and the battery time is the best for a headset in this class and price range.
2. Plantronics Voyager Focus UC Bluetooth Wireless Headset for Speech Recognition
The Plantronics Voyager Focus UC is a noise-canceling headset that makes it easier to concentrate on the tasks and do the work effortlessly.
It is ideal for use with speech recognition software like Dragon Naturally Speaking. It has a unique DSP technology that cuts out background noise while you’re speaking.
The noise canceling feature makes Plantronics Voyager Focus UC headset much superior to the previous wireless headset. It’s essential for dictation that your voice is clearly distinct and this headset an excellent job at that.
With its unique focus button and streamlined design, you can effortlessly switch between incoming calls and dictation.
Also, it comes with dual connectivity of Bluetooth and USB.
You get about 12-14 hours of heavy usage before the battery dies out. An hour before the battery dies, you get an audio signal that indicates low battery. It’s also very accurate on the estimations.
The Bluetooth working range in these is much better than you’d have with the previous headset. Within the first 50 ft, quality and accuracy is perfect. Then if you go further the headset switches to work with longer distance. It may not catch a couple of words but it adjusts fast and works flawlessly within the range of up to 98 ft.
Plantronics Voyager Focus UC Headset seems like a well-priced, reasonable product. The build of the headset and the base feels solid. It does what it is intended to do well.
3. Mpow Bluetooth Wireless Headset with Microphone for Dictation
This is the cheapest wireless headset for Dragon Naturally Speaking with decent quality that we could find.
This headset is specifically designed with writers’ needs in mind. It is capable of up to 12 hours of talking time, and it is lightweight and comfortable due to its padded ear-pad and flexible headband. The microphone has 4X noise-canceling technology that will suppress unwanted background noise and is programmed to enunciate the speaker’s voice which is great for dictation.
The headset can pair with two Bluetooth devices at once, and it is capable of functioning within 30 feet of each Bluetooth device.
It’s far from perfect but once you train the software, Vont headset does the job. If the price is the most important factor, go with this headset.
Although we recommend looking into the Plantronics and Sennheiser headsets which we’ll review next. They offer better dictation accuracy, longer battery life, and longer Bluetooth range and bandwidth.
4. Sennheiser Presence UC Bluetooth Wireless Headset for Dragon Naturally Speaking
While this particular model of Sennheiser wasn’t created particularly for dictation purposes, it was designed to listen to people’s voices while they’re on the go.
Sennheiser Presence is a lightweight monaural wireless headset with great design, and perfect sound and voice clarity wherever you’re using it.
It’s way more expensive than our previous recommendations, but you really pay for what you get.
Sennheiser Presence has implemented some of the best technologies for voice recognition. The Advanced Own-Voice Detection Technology detects your voice in any environment and adapts to the environment you’re in.
This headset is comfortable enough to wear it for a few hours. Your ears may hurt if you wear them longer. But everyone is different so you can’t really tell.
The battery life is about 10 hours which isn’t perfect but not too bad either.
Overall, we do recommend this headset. It’s the best in its class of compact wireless headsets, although there are more convenient and more affordable options on our list.
Best USB Wired Headphones with Mic for Dragon Naturally Speaking
Now that we have reviewed wireless headsets for Dragon Naturally Speaking, let’s speak about the wired headsets.
Yes, they’re less convenient than the wireless options. But they have one serious advantage over the wireless headsets: you get the same or even better quality of sound and speech recognition accuracy for much lower prices.
Now, let’s take a look at them. Here are the best wired headsets with microphone for Dragon Naturally Speaking:
1. Cyber Acoustics Stereo Headset with Noise Cancelling Microphone
As we’ve said, wired headsets are way cheaper than their wireless competitors. This headset is a great example. For under a hundred bucks you get almost the same quality that you’d get with a two-three times more expensive wireless headset.
Of course, they’re not exactly as good as Sennheiser MB Pro 2 UC for example. But hey, you need a headset for dictation, right? This piece of hardware does its job flawlessly.
We are interested in getting good quality recordings and this mic does not let you down in this regard. Cyber Acoustics Stereo Headset offers a super clear noise canceling microphone. It’s rotating so it can be positioned for optimal performance with the mic close to your mouth.
It is designed to be comfortable, so you can wear it for hours without feeling discomfort. If you wear headphones for a long time, you should get used to noise cancelling ones, if you do not want to suffer from a headache afterwards.
2. Jabra EVOLVE 40 UC Mono USB Headset
Jabra EVOLVE 40 UC is a great alternative to the previous headset if you not only want to use it for Dragon Natutally Speaking but also are planning for music.
It is a professional headset designed for productivity and comfort. You can use it for both music listening and dictation with Dragon Naturally Speaking software. It provides incredible sound quality. The adjustable headband and soft earpieces cushion the ears without being too tight.
The microphone also has noise-cancelling capabilities. It shows good accuracy and catches your speech with very low error rate in any environment.
Jabra EVOLVE 40 UC also has great design. And the price is reasonable for a high-quality product.
Are wireless headsets good for Dragon Naturally Speaking?
I mentioned that wireless headsets may not be the best option for dictation writing. And I meant it. There are some drawbacks that make wireless headsets less suitable for dictation than regular USB wired microphones (more on this later).
But hey, it doesn’t mean they won’t work.
They work great! And sometimes wireless Bluetooth headsets are more preferable than the regular ones. Here’s why:
Often people are getting into dictation when they start having health problems with wrists: CTS (carpal tunnel syndrome) or RSI (repetitive strain injury). But even more often these people also have back pains and neck pains for sitting too long in front of their laptops or PCs. They’ve learned to tolerate the pain, but it’s still there and their health is getting worse.
In this case, wireless headsets not only make your hands free but also let you do your work without having to sit still for hours. You do the work and your hands are free and your back and neck are relaxed (depends on your position though).
So, if the superior quality stands above all of your priorities, go with the regular wired microphones. But if you have issues with your back or neck, I suggest you choose from a wide range of wireless Bluetooth headsets.
