Quote from: N7AS on September 15, 2014, 08:53:37 PM
Quote from: SteveInWA on September 15, 2014, 08:12:35 PM
You can also buy a good quality DECT 6.0 cordless headset to use with your IP phone if you want to walk around and talk. This is what most office phone users do. I use the Jabra PRO 9470 model.
Steve,
Do you know if the Plantronics CS530 would work with the OBi1032? Would I be able to answer calls without having a mechanical lifter? Or would I need something like a Yealink EHS36 to do the job? I like the CS530 design as an over the head headsets gives me a headache.
TL;DR answer: yes, the OBi 1032 has a dedicated headset audio jack, and it has a separate button on the phone, to answer the call and send the audio to the headset, without an adapter. So, yes, the CS500 series will work great. BUT, you need to be right at your desk to push the button. No, you can't buy an EHS adapter yet for the OBi (you can't use a Yealink gizmo with a OBi phone; they're all proprietary).
Background:
The concept is: on any desk phone, you either need a dedicated headset jack and a button on the phone to answer the call using the headset (the 1032 has this), or you need to plug the headset into the phone's handset jack, and then plug the handset into the headset (in a chain). The headset then has a switch, to select either the handset or the headset use. The higher-end, office class-headsets are designed for another option: they may have a separate aux jack that uses a special (custom) cable, called an Electronic Hook Switch, or EHS cable, that connects the headset's amp or base to the corresponding jack on the phone. These cables have to be designed to interface between whatever brand of headset you have, and whatever brand of phone you have -- there isn't a universal standard, unfortunately. When you push a button on the cordless headset, it tells the phone to go off hook and send the audio to the headset. The headset makers sell these cables separately for the various brands of phones (like Cisco, Avaya, Polycom, etc.), for a handsome markup. The cables can also plug into electromechanical gizmos called remote handset lifters (RHL). They attach via double-sided sticky tape or clamps between the desk phone base and handset, and comically lift up the handset to answer the phone (using a solenoid) when you push the button on the headset. I've used one for years on older analog desk phones.
Now, that's a bunch of yada yada blah blah blah, you say... yes, but here's the 1032 answer: Obihai is still working on the firmware and circuitry for the EHS function. It isn't ready yet. And, I have no idea if they will try to emulate some competitor's model (say, Cisco), so that Plantronics, Sennheiser and Jabra can just sell you their Cisco EHS cable...that would be ideal, vs. waiting and hoping that the headset makers make a Obihai cable. Of course, you can buy the RHL instead, OR, you can just push the headset button on the OBi phone to answer and send the sound to the headset. The cool thing about the EHS/RHL function is that you can be in another room and answer a call by simply tapping the button on your cordless headset.
So, you can go ahead and buy your headset of choice now, and it will work, without EHS/RHL extra convenience.
While you are shopping, check out the one I just bought (upgrade to my long time, older model), the Jabra PRO 9470. It has an amazing firmware-based setup system that calls a special phone number at Jabra and does spectrum analysis and automatically calibrates the headset's impedance, sound level and equalization to the phone. The sound quality is incredible. It also comes with over-the-head, behind-the-head, over-the-ear and ear-loop adapters, all in the box; you pick which one you want to snap on.
