You’re required to use a pair of headphones when you teach online. You must also use a headset for online classes as a student. So what are the best headsets for online classes? The ideal pair will be one that is on the smaller side, preferably “over the ear” style with an attached microphone.
You don’t want pair of oversized headsets made for gamers. You want a minimalistic pair of headphones because, as a teacher, you want to look professional in your online class. So what should you look for when it comes to headsets of teaching online?
Non Bulky
Quality headphones for listening to music, watching streaming movies, or playing video games tend to be big and bulky. This is fine for most instances but not for an online teacher. You want the student to be focused on you and the lesson instead of being distracted by your oversized headphones.
Good Audio
High-quality headphones provide good, adequate audio for an online class. We don’t need excellent audio but good audio because we’re doing video calls. For this type of setup, you don’t need a top-of-the-line pair of headphones, but you also want to avoid super cheap headphones where suddenly, the left side of your headphones breaks, and you can only hear out of one ear.
Included Microphone or use a USB mic
Audio is essential for online teaching; you want to ensure you get a pair of headsets that include a microphone with noise-canceling features to make for a high-quality, enjoyable online teaching experience.
If you don’t like the design of a headset with an included mic then, make sure you get a USB microphone for online teaching. The onboard audio of your laptop is mediocre at best and for a low price you can get a quality microphone.
Is noise canceling important?
Noise canceling is very important for us teachers because we can’t always control our external environment. As such, we want to minimize distracting sounds like dogs barking, people talking, or cars driving by.
So all the pairs our teachers have used all have noise canceling microphones. If a pair does not include a microphone that means we suggest using a quality USB mic.
Not too expensive
You can get a good pair of microphones that can do the job at an affordable price. We will show you what most teachers approve of, as well as different options from below. If you are willing to spend a bit more, the build quality of more expensive headphones is much better and will last much longer.
Comfortable
You will be wearing these headphones for hours each day when you’re teaching online. Because of this, I prefer “on-the-ear” style headphones instead of “over-the-ear” headphones. The choice is up to you, of course.
Best Headsets For Online Classes
So you need some headphones for online teaching or your online class. The following are the 6 best headphones and headsets for online teaching.
- Logitech H390
- Jabra Evolve
- Jaba Nectar
- Plantronics Blackwire
- Jabra Evolve Wired Headsets
- Cyber Acoustic
- Dechoyecho Bluetooth Headset
- Marshall Major III
- Sony Noise Cancelling
- AirPod Max
Logitech H390 – Cheap, budget friendly headsets
Need a pair of headsets? Only want to spend a little? Just using them for an online class, and that’s it? The Logitech H390’s are our top choice for online teaching.
Logitech H390
A good, cheap headset that’s perfect for video calls.
These Logitech headsets are a solid choice used by call center professionals worldwide. Ideal for Skype calls video chat, and online teaching. Don’t expect stellar quality audio for music.
What makes these headsets useful for teachers is the attached microphone and mute button. The microphone is not noise cancelling, but it does a decent enough job of blocking ambient noise given the price point.
Pros:
- Good audio and a solid, reliable microphone.
- Small form factor. This pair of headsets won’t be distracting in the online class environment.
- Comes with an attached microphone and a mute button.
Cons:
- Only useful for video calls.
- Can become uncomfortable when worn for long periods of time.
- Mediocre sound overall.
- Logitech products have poor build quality and tend to break after a year or so usually.
Jabra Evolve – Good professional headset
These Jabra Evolve headsets make our list due to their overall quality of sound and noise canceling ability. Excellent audio for both voice and music, as well as a very effective noise-canceling microphone, is what you can expect.
If you’re looking for something that’s a step up in terms of quality from the Logitech, these are a solid choice.
Jabra Evolve
Professionally made headset with microphone. Stylish and provides good audio.
These headphones are also wired, which we here at Teach and prefer for online teaching as there is no risk of a wireless connection giving out. Last, these headsets have an “on the ear” design, are not too big and bulky looking, and come.
The only issue we experienced with using the headsets was the build quality. For the price, these are less durable than we would expect. If you pull on the wire incorrectly, we noticed the audio dropped on one side of the headsets (but quickly came back).
Pros:
- Excellent design, audio and microphone.
- Stylish and they provide a wired connection.
- Comes in stereo or mono version. The mono only has one ear speaker.
Cons:
- A bit expensive and not ideal if you’re looking for a cheap headset.
- No bluetooth.
Jaba Nectar – Budget price with good performance
Any online teacher knows the brand Mpow. They were cheap, but well built headphones with excellent audio for the price, and on top of that they also included noise canceling microphone.
One issue, Mpow engaged in a fake review scheme and has been removed from numerous online retailers. However, we found an excellent replacement in Jaba Nectar.
Jaba Nectar
Excellent budget headset with the right mix of sound and a microphone.
We stumbled across these Jaba Nectar headphones and they are pretty much the same build and quality and price point as our previous top choice, Mpow.
So if you’re strictly looking for a great wired headset with a noise canceling microphone and great audio then the Jaba Nectar series are perfect for you. These headphones are designed with the online teacher in mind.
Pros:
- Affordable price.
- Good build quality.
- Surprisingly good audio
- Noise canceling mic to it does not pic up too much of the background.
Cons:
- Made for work first and foremost and is not intended for multi-media use.
- Build quality is mediocre.
Plantronics Blackwire – Small and stylish
The Blackwire from Plantronics ticks all the boxes we, as online educators, need in a pair of headsets. Small and stylish with a portable noise-cancelling microphone. They also have a wired connection for long-term reliability.
Plantronics Blackwire
A solid mid-range headset option. Small, stylish and noise-cancelling.
These headphones’ main selling point from our testing is the microphone’s noise-canceling ability. It’s particularly effective at blocking out almost all external sounds, including dogs barking and cars. High-pitched noises in the background do get picked up a bit.
In general, if you need noise canceling of sounds from your teaching environment, these are perfect for your online class.
Pros:
- Very comfortable.
- Excellent sound for multi-purpose use.
- Useful nose cancelling.
Price:
- The microphone audio is good for chat but not any type other type of voice work.
Cyber Acoustic – Budget noise-cancelling headphones
These headphones have a built-in microphone and provide some of the best noise canceling we’ve heard at this price point. What’s also quite helpful about the built microphone is its adjustable position in relation to your mouth.
Cyber Acoustic
A budget friendly headset with good noise-cancelling.
Last, these headphones are designed specifically for the online classroom and teaching environment. The Cyber Acoustic headphones are a great choice for online teachers with a durable build, built-in volume control, and a plug-and-play design.
Pros:
- Small and lightweight.
- Comfortable design with good audio.
- Noise cancelling microphone for clear audio.
Con:
- They are not made for listening to music or YouTube. The sound is tinny with no base.
Dechoyecho Bluetooth – A good alternative, minimalistic option
The Dechoyecho Bluetooth headset includes a simple, noise-cancelling microphone and a charging port similar to Apple Air Pods. They have a unique design in that they offer only one headphone that fits over the ear, allowing your other ear to listen to ambient noises in your home.
Dechoyecho Bluetooth
The small, minimalist choice for online teaching.
Overall, we like the quality of the headsets and the clear, noise-canceling audio they produced for students. The Bluetooth connection is also quite good, and we can switch between connecting to our laptop devices and phones easily.
It takes some time to get used to the “one ear” design, but if you’re looking for a chat-oriented headset, these are ideal. Could you make sure to charge them for your blinks on online classes?
Pros:
- Minimalistic design.
- Effective noise cancelling microphone.
- Strong bluetooth connection.
Cons:
- The design of these may not appeal to you as a teacher.
Marshal Major IV – Stylish and functional
Marshal Major is an iconic brand in the music industry. These headphones are a little small and are very stylish overall. They provide excellent sound and last for 5+ hours on a full charge.
Marshal Major IV
Sleek minimal design, excellent audio. Can connect via Bluetooth or a wired connection that has a microphone.
The Major III offers both a wired connection, which we suggest using when teaching online as you don’t want your headsets running out of battery. They also have Bluetooth enabled, so you can connect to your phone or laptop without issue.
Pros:
- Excellent audio. You can use them for class, music or movies.
- Cool design. Not big, bulky or nerdy looking.
- Easy to pack up.
- Connects via blue tooth or a wired connection to your laptop.
Cons:
- The microphone is found on the included wire. It’s acceptable for casual use but in no way will it replace a proper USB microphone.
- If you go with these headphones you’ll need a USB microphone for your laptop.
Sony WH-1000XMS – High-end headphones
These are by far the most effective noise-canceling headphones we’ve used. They look sleek and modern and are pretty stylish. However, they are low on the list because the noise canceling is so good you can’t hear yourself talk.
Sony WH-1000XMS
The best noise cancelling headphones on the market.
You’ll also need a USB microphone for quality audio unless your laptop has an excellent onboard noise-canceling microphone. These headphones last about 30 hours when fully charged and offer a unique fast charging feature where you plug them in for 5 minutes, and they are suitable for 3 hours.
Pros:
- The best noise canceling of any headphones we’ve tried.
- Stylish and modern looking.
- Fast charging.
- Excellent audio, voice pickup built in, and designed for hands fee calling.
Cons:
- The audio quality for the voice could be better. The onboard audio for your laptop will sound better. As such, you’ll want to use that or a dedicated USB microphone, if you don’t mind.
- It’s difficult to hear yourself talk.
Sony ZX – Wired, affordable headphones
If you need a pair of cheap headphones for online work or to listen during a Zoom class and don’t need a microphone because you already use a proper external USB mic, then you’ll love the Sony ZX.
Sony ZX
Cheap, wired (no Bluetooth) on the ear headsets. A budget friendly choice for teachers.
They are lightweight and cheap and produce quality sound far superior to what you would expect given the price point. These headphones are wired, on-ear headsets that have comfy padding. They are simple, but if you’re looking for the mostcost-effectivee, budget product, look no further.
Pros:
- Excellent sound quality out of these affordable headphones.
- Small, black design that does not stand out (a good thing if you’re a teacher).
- Padding, on the ear design.
Cons:
- No microphone. You need to use a USB mic with these.
- Wired connection with no option for Bluetooth.
AirPod Max – Excellent audio and a good microphone
Last on our list is the AirPod Max headphones. These are fabulous headphones and probably the best headphones for consumer use. However, for someone looking to teach an online class, they’re a bit excessive in terms of price, and they do lack a quality microphone, so you’ll need a USB mic.
AirPod Max
The best consumer headphones we’ve used. Excellent audio quality with a decent noise-cancelling microphone built in.
However, one great feature of these headphones is the “transparency” mode, where you have noise canceling for ambient sound but can still hear yourself talk. You need to experience this feature personally to get it.
So if you’re looking for headphones that are noise canceling, provide outstanding audio, and are well-built, then you’ll love the AirPod Max headphones. Just to let you know, the built-in microphone is muffled and doesn’t seem to be treble. It’s about as good as what you can expect from the built-in microphone on your laptop.
Pros:
- Small, foldable and expendable.
- Surprisingly good audio for the price point.
- Comes in multiple colors.
Cons:
- Pretty average built-in microphone but still better than your laptop.
- Quite expensive, these are a great pair of headphones but may not be right for the online teaching professional.
Conclusion and final thoughts
So there you have it. These are some of the best headsets for online class. Like we stated earlier, if you get a headset with no mic then definitely checkout our guide on the best USB mics for teachers.
Otherwise most will find the Jaba Nectar headsets to be perfect if all you need are a cheap pair of headsets for online teaching.
