Comfort Fit Headset for TCA Series Cordless Landline Phones, Foldable Headset with Flexible Noise-Cancelling Microphone and Volume Control, 2.5 mm Plug, Grey/Silver KX-TCA430

These headphones have been around for years and I've been using them for just as long. I've been so spoiled for hands-free calling that when I do have to hold the phone to my ear I feel like something is very wrong. I'm getting older and my ears aren't what they used to be, but I've never had a problem hearing with these headsets. Ear buds really hurt my ears, but these are light and very comfortable. I switched to headsets back in the 90's when i realized that I was getting a rash from the phone handset and of course this set does keep the bacteria off my cheek and jaw like any other would. People never complain about how I sound. Not one pair has come out of the box defective. Not one pair has failed early or without GOOD reason. I've come to trust that any set I receive will be well packaged and will have survived the mail. Never once had reason to return a pair And good quality control is REALLY important because I've gone through a LOT of them. Why? Well, lots of reasons. I have cats who seem to find the cord particularly nice for teething. They've been sat on, dropped, and tossed on various surfaces. I must snag a cord on my kitchen cabinet handles and rip them off my head at least once a week. And, other than the cat teeth, they take the abuse surprisingly well. Without the cat teeth, each pair lasts well over a year. The price is low enough that it doesn't bother me to replace them every once in awhile. Now I never use the mute function, so I really can't attest to that one thing. But the Panasonic hands free headset works like no other and does it's job well. Great company.

I use this on a Panasonic Dect6 phone and (with an adapter) on various laptops and mobile phones. The in-line mute button is awesome -- I use it like a broadcaster's Cough Button to quickly block the sound of slurping coffee or sneezing, and use the Phone or Laptop's mute method for long-term muting in teleconferences. The in-line Volume wheel is great for fine-tuning/adjusting to people speaking at various volume levels in the same teleconference, you can quickly dial-up the timid, low-talkers in India, and dial-down the screamers in New Jersey. Listeners on the other side have always reported good sound and no one ever seems to notice any background noises whether I'm in my office, studio, car, or airport. The folding features are fantastic with strong hinges that stand-up to frequent travel and transport in luggage, computer bags, gear bags, sport bags, etc. IT'S EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED: a single headset for multiple purposes/devices that is comfortable in looooonnngggg (dull) back-to-back teleconferences, capable of travelling well, and DOES NOT have downtime or outages (like a bluetooth headset that constantly needs re-charging and [and has to travel with additional parts]). If I ever lost it or accidentally broke this great headset, I'd order another one right away, without a second wonder -- I've used dozens of headsets over the years and this is by far the all-around hands-down best one going.

Review for: Panasonic KX-TCA430 Headset for Cellphones and Cordless phones OVERVIEW: ----------- This is a comparison of 6 light, inexpensive, mono-aural headsets for use with cellphones, cordless phones, and Skype like services to replace my old headset. The winner was the Panasonic KX-TCA430 combined with the Headset Buddy 2.5mm to 3.5mm gold plated adapter. - Panasonic KX-TCA430 Comfort-Fit, Foldable Headset - Headset Buddy Gold Plated 2.5mm to 3.5mm Adapter for iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry - Convert 2.5mm Headset to 3.5mm Jack (01-PH25-PH35G) This Panasonic KX-TCA430 headset was considered quite comfortable and got clear sound without electrical noise or clicks from the mike and into the earpiece. For an under $40 headset, in fact an under $20 headset, this appears to be a very good value. Here below are the results of the subjective test by 4 people. The headsets are ordered by perceived microphone sound quality. MICROPHONE SOUND QUALITY (Scale 1-9, 9=Super): ----------------------------- (1) Panasonic KX-TCA430 rated 8 - Comments: "Sounds a little better than the rest" (2) NoiseHush NX70-11825 rated 7 - Comments: "Sounds good" (3) Cellet EP350 rated 7 - Comments: "Sounds good" (4) Rocketfish RF-HF22 rated 7 - Comments "Sounds good" (5) Plantronics M214C rated 3-5 - Comments: "Clearish but more clickie and electrical sounds after repeated tests" (6) Dynex DX-HP01 rated 2-3 - Comments "No good" EARPIECE SOUND QUALITY (Scale 1-9, 9=Super): ------------------------- (1) Panasonic KX-TCA430 rated 7-8 - Comments: "Clear, not too loud" (2) NoiseHush NX70-11825 rated 6-7 - Comments: "Really quiet, clear" (3) Cellet EP350 rated 4-6 - Comments: "Seemed too loud, clear though" (4) Rocketfish RF-HF22 rated 6-7 - Comments "Little loud, understood better than Dynex, though" (5) Plantronics M214C rated 7 - Comments: "Quiet, clear" (6) Dynex DX-HP01 rated 5-6 - Comments "Comfortably loud, clear enough" COMFORT (Scale 1-9, 9=Super): ------------------------------- (1) Panasonic KX-TCA430 rated 6 - High quality cushion - Swively on the ear and head for better fit - Non earpiece side has unusual pillowy shape (2) NoiseHush NX70-11825 rated 5-6 - Cushion is simply foam - Swively on the ear and head for better fit (3) Cellet EP350 rated 3-5 - Cushion is simply foam - Someone said, "feels cheap, tiny, and pokie" - Not much swiveling on non ear cup side (4) Rocketfish RF-HF22 rated 2-5 - Cushion is simply foam - A lot of head squeeze (5) Plantronics M214C rated 6-7 - High quality cushion - Swively on the ear and head for better fit - Non ear cup side has small contact spot on head (6) Dynex DX-HP01 rated 2-5 - Cushion is simply foam - A lot of head squeeze MISC FEATURES: ------------------ (1) Panasonic KX-TCA430 - Volume control: Y - Mute button: Y - Hangup/Answer button: Y (2) NoiseHush NX70-11825 - Volume control: Y - Mute button: N - Hangup/Answer button: Y (3) Cellet EP350 - Volume control: N - Mute button: N - Hangup/Answer button: Y (4) Rocketfish RF-HF22 - Volume control: N - Mute button: Y - Hangup/Answer button: Y (5) Plantronics M214C - Volume control: Y - Mute button: Y - Hangup/Answer button: N (6) Dynex DX-HP01 - Volume control: Y - Mute button: n/a* - Hangup/Answer button: n/a* *button didn't work (quality issue I assume) SUMMARY: ---------- Keep in mind a bad test experience can be due to just bad luck in a quality control roll of the dice. If you have a favorite brand that didn't do well here, you'll probably want to just consider this buyer beware and get the brand you are most comfortable with and exchange it if you need to. The Rocketfish and Dynex did very poorly for comfort. The Cellet didn't do as well on comfort and didn't do quite as well as some others on the earpiece sound quality. The Plantronics M214C didn't do as well as many of the others on microphone sound quality. This leaves the Panasonic KX-TCA430 and NoiseHush NX70 as best overall so far. Between the Panasonic KX-TCA430 and NoiseHush NX70, the Panasonic clearly has the higher-end ear cushion, possibly a higher-end microphone, certainly a higher end looking, less distracting microphone, and seems to have a slight edge in earpiece quality, as well. The surprise for me here was that Plantronics didn't have an entry or mid level option here that beat the others, given their reputation in high-end office and call center headsets. I'm assuming Plantronics didn't want to eat away at their high end product by offering too much quality at the lower-end. Note that all 2.5mm male plug headsets like the Panasonic KX-TCA430 were paired with the following to connect to the cellphone: - Headset Buddy Gold Plated 2.5mm to 3.5mm Adapter for iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry - Convert 2.5mm Headset to 3.5mm Jack (01-PH25-PH35G) THE WINNER: Panasonic KX-TCA430 WHAT IF I WANT TO BLOCK OUT THE NOISE AROUND MY EARS?: ------------------------------- Needless to say, don't drive around with a set-up like this. Many PC gaming headsets with microphones have closed ear cups to block out noise to you. We need an adapter to get from what is usually the two 3.5mm male plugs of the gaming headset (one for the microphone and one for sound in) to what is usually a 3.5mm outlet in the cellphone. One such adapter I've used below: - Headset Buddy:(01-PC35-PH35) PC Headset to 3.5mm Smartphone Adapter: Convert Dual 3.5mm to 3.5mm, PC Computer Headset to iPhone, Blackberry, Droid, Palm, Samsung, LG, HTC If your cellphone takes 2.5mm plugs, here is one such adapter: - Headset Buddy Adapter: PC Headset to Phone Adapter PC35-PH25 - Use Computer Headset with Home/Cell Phones - Convert Dual 3.5mm to 2.5mm An example gaming headset, the one I tested with: - SteelSeries Siberia V2 Full-Size Gaming Headset (White) WHAT IF I HAVE A GREAT OFFICE QUALITY HEADSET WITH A RJ9 PHONE HANDSET PLUG?: -------------------------------------------- To plug one of those, like the headset that comes with the Plantronics S12, into a cellphone or cordless phone with a headset jack you'll need an adapter like these (tested): - Headset Buddy 3.5mm Smartphone Headset To RJ9 (PH35-RJ9A) - Headset Buddy: 2.5mm Headset to CISCO Phone Adapter - 2.5mm to RJ9/RJ10 (01-PH25-RJ9Cisco) WHAT IF I HAVE A GREAT OFFICE QUALITY HEADSET WITH A PLANTRONICS MODULAR ADAPTER PLUG?: ---------------------------------------- HW301N, HW291N, HW261N, and HW251N are all example Plantronic headsets that need adapters like these below to connect to a cell phone or cordless phone with a headset jack (I haven't tested, I don't know how critical the amplifier is for this purpose): - Plantronics 18straight Cable - Quick Disconnect To 2.5 Mm Plug - - Plantronics Cable Assy 3.5 Mm Right Angle Plug with qd I hope this helps someone shop for headsets to work with cell phones or cordless phones (many of the Panasonic cordless phones have jacks for headsets).

This headphone with mic set has high quality sound and mic. Very comfortable. I work from home on the phone for 6 hours at a time, so comfort is a must! No sweating in the earpiece, light, cool, mic is flexible, can be positioned however you like, worn on right or left ear, and feels much more sturdy than Panasonic's previous model. The mute control on the cord is very handy, as is the volume control. The one thing I do not like is that the volume control does not add onto my phone's volume. Won't go louder than my phone's setting's, but I would gladly buy this model again and again. The set being corded also is a benefit as I don't have to worry about static, dead air, etc. Plugs into my Panasonic landline phone.

Looking for a better price

Clear voice, comfortable but mute button not working with two line corded set KXT2378JXW and single line corded set 880MX. Value for money.

Nice feature,

These are so lightweight and sound adjustable