This was a conversation that came up awhile ago and I wanted to pitch in, but it took me awhile to get everything together.
You can check out the following comparison here in Desktop Chrome or Firefox: (Safari has lots of issues and IE 10 loads out of sync. mobile browsers won't have a mouse cursor, ).
You can just slide your cursor over the headsets to hear a fair-use complaint extract of a song.
One of my core principles in our LRC is to provide that which cannot be easily obtained elsewhere. The headset that we use, the Sanako SLH-07, has very poor reproduction of most sound, but works very well with voice. This is great when you are
trying to view a film, listen to music or even listen to a workbook that has "authentic" clips of conversations, complete with city or airport background noise. But this is the type of equipment that students wouldn't have on the phones, tablets or computers
and it is the type of equipment that makes an LRC a great place for language learning.
The other part of this discussion was the microphone. I don't have any complaints nor have I heard any complaints from students or faculty about hearing others too easily or distortion. I imagine this has a lot to do with the materials and the
constraints of the lab space.
Cheers,
Scott
Richard “Scott” Martindale
LRC Director
University of Vermont
Southwick Bldg Room 200A
Burlington, VT 05405
(802) 656-7856
[log in to unmask]