Andrea Communications NC-181VM USB On-Ear Monaural Computer Headset with Noise-canceling Microphone, in-line Volume/Mute Controls, and Built-in External Sound Card and USB Plug, Black, Grey, Silver

This prodcut delivers high-qulaity performance, allowing for easy and enhanced operation of vocal recognition applicatioins. Has USB plug-in (so one might need to go to Radio Shack for a USB "multi-port cluster," if your computer has limited USB sockets). Works very well with my Drangon 12 (Nuance product).voice recognition with my writing on Microsoft Word Overall, price is quite reasonable for the expectatoins of the device with voice recogntion software. Highly recommended as a peripheral device which enhances the software package one is using.

Performs flawlessly. It's comfortable on my head, the audio is clear and I haven't had one issue with the mic or the speakers. (Word to the wise - if you use this, or any other headset, with Skype or a similar app, you may want to set the microphone volume to a static setting instead of letting the application control the volume automatically. If you cough, or even sniffle for example, the app may compensate by dropping the mic volume low for several seconds and your callers can't hear your immediate subsequent speech.)

I purchased the Andrea NC-181 VM USB headset for use with Dragon Naturally Speaking Premium 12. So far, it has worked flawlessly. There are only a few relatively minor quibbles I have with it that prevent it from being a full 5 stars for me. They are: 1) It has not one, but TWO very bright blue LED lights on it. As a general rule, I am not normally bothered but such things, but in this case the LED that is near the USB port flashes as you speak, which is quite annoying. The LED near the volume control doesn't bother me much since it's usually below my line of sight and dangling down under my chin. 2) As you can see from the picture, one side is the earphone and the other the temple piece or pad. I find that the temple piece is quite uncomfortable for me for any kind of extended session. I haven't been able to find a better way to place it that doesn't cause this discomfort. Perhaps after I fuss with it a little more I can resolve this complaint, but for now it's another annoying probem; not insurmountable or anything and certainly not enough to not want to use the headset, but something that makes it less than ideal to use. 3) This is really not such a "bad" thing and has also been mentioned by another reviewer, but that is that the manual talks about installing the software when, in fact, no software is included with the package. But this is a VERY tiny quibble because all you have to do is go the website that is listed in the manual and download the software. I've found that the majority of items that I have purchased over the years require me to go to their website in order to upgrade the included software to the latest and greatest. The only difference here being that you simply have to go directly to download. Just not a big deal at all. So, that's the "bad" stuff. The good stuff is that this headset is, when all is said and done, quite a bargain; at least for what I am using it for and that is, as I have said, for use with Dragon. Although I have done only the preliminary training sessions with my new DNS software, the results have been almost flawless so far. I'm also using it for some 3D graphics tutorials that I listen to. Again, the headset is very clear and allows me to work on my tutorials or listen to whatever any time of day or night without worrying about disturbing anyone else. A further plus for the Andrea NC-181 is the long cord; there's nothing more frustrating to me than buying a product that needs to be plugged into my computer that comes with a too short cord. There have been several negative reviews about this headset looking and/or being "cheap" or flimsy. I guess I have to respond to that by saying that we're talking here about a headset with mic that works very well for under $50. To me, that's a bargain. Of course, time will tell if this holds up over time or not. I will find out and let you know if it breaks down on me in the long haul, but so far so good. I can easily recommend it as an a very good tool to use in a variety of situations.

This headphone with integrated microphone, earpiece, and mute button works beautifully with the Dragon Dictate/Naturally Speaking program. I am using it with Dragon Dictate 4 for the Mac platform, and with very little training I was experiencing a very high level of precision in the transcription. This particular model is a bit more expensive than one of the other headsets that also works well with Dragon, but this one offers a bit sturdier construction and a VERY long cord which allows you to dictate while you move about in the room. It is a USB interface, and the mute button is directly on the cable itself. A blue light comes on when the mute is enabled, and there is also a mechanical volume control on the wire, as well. Comfort is reasonably good. In truth, none of these headsets are going to be truly "comfortable," but as you break this one in and take time to adjust it, it's not bad. The mic swivels so that you can use the headset on either your right or left ear, and the mic is placed on a gooseneck part that allows precision positioning of the mic so that you can set it up to work without having to speak loudly. Build quality seems good. I was a bit disappointed to receive mine in a sealed, plastic bag (no box), but I suppose it is not that big a deal, since the item was obviously new and received in good condition (but this will also depend on how the unit is boxed before being sent to you. Most reviewers rate this headset highly for Dictate, and I have to concur, based on my own experience. I would rate it five stars for it's intended purpose and its price/quality ratio.

Comes in a plain vanilla package and at first glance appears to be cheaply made. The minimalist manual refers to software that is not shipped with the device and apparently must be downloaded. Windows 8 and Windows RT recognized the headset without the need for additional downloads. Once the microphone volume was manually adjusted, the headset worked reasonably well when using Windows Speech to Text software on our tower PC and Asus Windows RT tablet. It is comfortable enough for long sessions. The inline volume control has a bright blue led that is so distracting I cover with black tape. Bottom line is that the device works but looks and feels cheap.

I bought this headset to work from home and use VOIP on my computer. When I first tried it, my voice sounded crackly to other people and was very distracting. I did some research and discovered that it's not caused by the headset, but rather because my computer isn't grounded. (My computer plug has 2 prongs rather than 3.) I found some wire, connected one end to a screw on the bottom of my laptop and the other to a metal vent that went down to the basement. That did the trick! Now this headset works great! I previously tried a headset that covered both ears, but it was strange to talk and not hear myself. I definitely recommend the one-ear design.

I purchased this headset with a built in soundcard to use in conjunction with my Dragon Naturally Speaking voice recognition software. On the positive side, I like the long cord and the fact that you can swivel the headpiece around so the single earpiece can be worn on either ear. On the negative side, the plastic piece on the other side of the head is uncomfortable and rubs painfully against the ears (at least on my head). Oh yeah, and the fact that I received the item on September 12th and it completely died without warning on November 12th. It didn't last 60 days. I babied these headphones, I handled them with such care, it was unbelievable. They weren't abused. I never grabbed the headset by the cord, I always pulled them off by grasping both sides of the headpiece and removing it gingerly. I never put anything on top of the headset or the cord. When not in use, the headset was placed across the top of my computer screen to keep it off the desk. I never got it wet, never yanked it, the closest thing to any abuse it ever received was one I sneezed above the microphone when I couldn't get the headset off before the sneeze happened. (The problem wasn't the microphone.) The headset was in use, working fine, when I had to get up to deal with something. I returned and the unit was dead. No sound was coming through the headset, the voice recognition software was no longer recognizing the hardware was attached to the computer. No one, not even a pet, came in the room while I was gone. It just died, and nothing I tried could get it to work again. I took a set of iPod headphones and plugged them into the computer, and the sound was working fine. Obviously, there is something wrong with the headphones, either something was loose and came out, or the soundcard was defective and died. I don't blame Amazon or the third seller party for this. I blame Andrea Electronics, particularly since they did everything they could to avoid replacing the defective unit. I immediately contacted them on November 12th to request a replacement under the warranty, I explained to them in great detail what happened, or didn't happen, and then they proceeded to email me questions, one at a time, for the next couple of days. Did I check the sound? I had already told them that, but I answered yes. Then I'd have to wait for the next question to come in the next email. It was clear they were trying to drag it out and make me give up, since there was no reason they couldn't ask all the questions at once, or in several emails, instead of one per email. This questioning went on for several days. Then they wanted the Amazon invoice. I sent them a PDF, got back an email, no that's the wrong invoice, we need a different invoice, we need the one they emailed you. So I sent them one of the emailed invoices from Amazon. No, that's the wrong one, there's another one that has information that we need, this one doesn't have it. So I forwarded them every single email I received from Amazon regarding this order and asked them, do any of these contain all the info you need? Because I have nothing else to send you. That email went ignored for a number of days. So I emailed them again this morning to ask if they needed anything else and were they going to accept the return and send me a replacement. I then received an email telling me where to send the headphones at my own expense, and I was expected to insure them, again at my own expense. I was also told that I'd have to wait for them to receive it, then I'd have to wait up to ten days for them to test the equipment and see if there was indeed in their opinion a manufacturing defect, and then, only then, if they decided that, would they send me a replacement. Basically, between the delays and the holidays, it could easily be a month before I would see a replacement. They obviously were trying to throw as many roadblocks in the way as possible to deter me. So I was forced to contact Amazon and ask what they could do about it. Even though I was outside the normal return period, they graciously agreed to accept the return and refund my money so I could buy a replacement product from a different manufacturer. I'm not exactly impressed with the quality of the merchandise, given how absurdly carefully I treated it and it still broke with no warning. THAT is how you treat customers who have had a product die while under warranty, not the ridiculous amount of work Andrea Electronics made me go through to return a $30 item. If you purchase this item, be aware, they've demonstrated something less than customer friendliness and cooperation, and if you have a problem they're really going to drag it out to try to make you throw up your hands and surrender. After reading the rest of the negative reviews, which I now wish I had done BEFORE purchasing this item, it seems obvious that a number of people have had problems with the unit dying after 2 - 3 months of use, sometimes less, and at least one other person has had difficulty with Andrea customer service, so take that into account before purchasing this headset. You do so at your own risk.

This is a very good headset and has a good microphone too. UPDATE: The mic just failed after about 2 years. Spoke to Andrea Communications, they don't provide anything more than a 1 year warranty. Super disappointed in the quality.

I use Dragon dictation regularly and find it very accurate but had worn out a microphone and therefore replaced it with this one. I find it just as accurate as the previous ones but at half the cost. The quality of the audio seems excellent and on replay has little background noise. This is a product I will enjoy using and would recommend as an alternative to the more expensive models. It also appears well constructed very sturdy metal components for choir and a wire rubber strain protection on the USB input which is always a weakness with wired products and good to see that they thought about protecting damage in the wire at junctions both the USB and the microphone. This review was done entirely and uncorrected DragonDictate.

comfortable and quick to adjust to my needs. Unlike my other headsets, it has only one ear covered, which lets me hear more of what's going on around me. I generally have difficulty getting a good fit from headphones but these are snug but not tight.

I will say it is the best headset for Dragon Speaking Software. I curse Dragon 15 Legal India version. Errors are minimal Build quality is good. Nice product for affordable price

I've been using voice recognition software for several years with the microphone headset that came with the software. It gave acceptable but not great results. I purchased this headset when it became necessary to replace the original one. It has consistently given substantially better results, increasing my productivity and user satisfaction.

Generally an all-round good experience. The headset worked well for both of my requirements - Dragon voice-recogntion, and Skype. The voice-recognition performance was particularly encouraging when compared to my previous two headsets, one of them being a Plantronics DSP 400. Positive features include the mute and volume control - the mute is especially useful with Dragon as the often the sleep/wake-up commands can be mis-recognised and/or take too much time when consolidated over a session much to the users annoyance. Would recommend!