Bluetooth or TWS for office calls

[depakjan]

I need a solid TWS for office calls , i don't know why its so difficult to get the mic right in the Bluetooth headsets ,i currently use Plantronics voyager 3200 since 2 years and wanted to upgrade

I have tried below so far

1. Oppo enco w31
2. Soundccore lifenote
3. Plantronics voyager 3200
4. Samsung galaxy buds live
5. Jabra elite active 7

All except my Plantronics have the same issue suddenly people don't hear me in the call, I have to pause and speak again , they keep saying your voice is breaking a lot and so on. its very strange why only Plantronics does not have this issue, I have tried a different Bluetooth adapter its the same , I have tried recording my voice and strangely the recording does not have drop outs not sure if its the network or skype causing drop outs , if its case I don't know why the Plantronics does not have this issue at all

Any suggestions? , audio is secondary , primary is call quality

 

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I have tried below so far

1. Oppo enco w31
2. Soundccore lifenote
4. Samsung galaxy buds live
5. Jabra elite active 7

All have good call quality.

All except my Plantronics have the same issue suddenly people don't hear me in the call, I have to pause and speak again , they keep saying your voice is breaking a lot and so on. its very strange why only Plantronics does not have this issue, I have tried a different Bluetooth adapter its the same ,

Are these calls made via a PC? Zoom, Teams like calls or are there breakups with cell calls also

Which adapter are you using because the ones provided by Plantronics have something more in them like modded BT drivers for better stability.

With such an adapter only the Voyager will work the best because it's custom made for it.

I have tried recording my voice and strangely the recording does not have drop outs not sure if its the network or skype causing drop outs , if its case I don't know why the Plantronics does not have this issue at all

Ensure whichever TWS used has the latest firmware updated. Many times these updates are to do with stability.

I used to have this problem with my LG V20 and BT. Just using the mobile only and BT.

YT playback would be choppy. So people would say I was breaking up in calls. It drove me crazy for a while. The only fix was to restart the phone and things were fine. That is until I disconnected BT and then reconnected again the day or so after. So I just left BT on permanently after that but the issue still persisted if less frequent.

Then I figured it out without having to reboot the phone.

After connecting with BT, what I did next was switch off wifi on the phone, wait a few secs and then back on again and the BT connection was fine after.

The fix didn't even have anything to do with BT

I was using 2.4Ghz wifi. BT operates on the same frequency and there can be interference.

Another possibility is to try shifting to 5Ghz wifi if you can.

 

[Mann]

I have a more than a few tws earphones for comparison and I feel the Jabra active 65 are really good with calls. Better than Sony or Samsung. If tws is not a necessity, something with a boom mic will make a night and day difference.

 

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I have a more than a few tws earphones for comparison and I feel the Jabra active 65 are really good with calls. Better than Sony or Samsung. If tws is not a necessity, something with a boom mic will make a night and day difference.

His issue isn't to do with the mic. Assuming he is making calls in a relatively quiet environment.

 

[Mann]

His issue isn't to do with the mic. Assuming he is making calls in a relatively quiet environment.

My suggestion was with respect to his first line.

I need a solid TWS for office calls ,

I have seen wifi/BT cards malfunction on laptops, and simply replacing them can do the trick. But once we start suspecting hardware we don't know how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Good luck.

 

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I have seen wifi/BT cards malfunction on laptops, and simply replacing them can do the trick.

True. There can be a driver issue between cards. Different card and all could just work swell. Wish there was more clarity as to why one works and another does not.

But once we start suspecting hardware we don't know how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Good luck.

I don't suspect hardware at this point. I think this is a configuration thing.

None of the TWS he mentioned should have any issues with call quality. This assumes calling from a cell phone. Because these TWS are designed to work more with cell phones.

But once they get used with PC's more variables enter the equation. See here for an example

Where was the problem ? not with Skype but with an incorrect driver

Users pretty much have to figure it out on their own. In theory, all TWS should work, but practice is different.

That even the Jabra has the same problem makes me think the fix won't be difficult if just a bit obscure.

Whereas the voyager has no problem because more work was spent to make it work with PC's and even landline phones.

 

[depakjan]

Thanks for your inputs, I have tried too many things myself and on the verge of giving up but I cant do wired headsets, I am always in meetings and back is already worn out, I keep walking during my calls

The Plantronics one I have also is connected to the same Bluetooth ( my laptop has intel Bluetooth 5.1 , and I personally bought a tplink 4.x ) both have problems. I don't have any special adapter from Plantronics.

Also I have not extensively used these TWS with my phone as I don't use it much in phone neither I have long calls in phone so I cant say if its happening there

After trying so many TWS even I feel its not the hardware it has do something in my setup which I cant figure out, at this point I feel its a driver issue being a work laptop I cant upgrade the drivers

Also one more thing could be these voice cuts happens when there is additional noise coming from the other end. so some software is blocking I guess.

Key point being the voice recorder does not have these breaks its very clear , use this website https://mictests.com and the built in voice recorder , both don't have any drop outs

 

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Thanks for your inputs, I have tried too many things myself and on the verge of giving up but I cant do wired headsets, I am always in meetings and back is already worn out, I keep walking during my calls

Sure

The Plantronics one I have also is connected to the same Bluetooth ( my laptop has intel Bluetooth 5.1 , and I personally bought a tplink 4.x ) both have problems. I don't have any special adapter from Plantronics.

Plantronics or Poly as they call themselves these days have one. The only problem is the price. It's too damn high !!

What does it offer? More control over your mic for muting, accepting and ending calls. Better range maybe.

Here is a demo with an equivalent Jabra adapter.

Do you think it makes a difference in terms of call quality? I could hear her slightly breaking up towards the end and they weren't even talking all that long.

Now listen how they sound when they use their mobile. Much better isn't it

We have to accept that mobile is the better sounding solution here.

Also I have not extensively used these TWS with my phone as I don't use it much in phone neither I have long calls in phone so I cant say if its happening there

What software do you use for these calls? Skype and Microsoft teams are also available on Android. Could you use your phone to take these calls instead of the PC.

Why don't you experiment with the mobile platform?

Something like Samsung's Dex where the phone can be used with a larger display could be a better solution.

After trying so many TWS even I feel its not the hardware it has do something in my setup which I cant figure out, at this point I feel its a driver issue being a work laptop I cant upgrade the drivers

That means you won't be able to try those adapters either. Take it up with IT and see what they have to say.

Also one more thing could be these voice cuts happens when there is additional noise coming from the other end. so some software is blocking I guess.

So that is a clue there. It is sound from the other side that is affecting your voice?

Nothing wrong with your setup in other words. This needs more testing to confirm though.

Key point being the voice recorder does not have these breaks its very clear , use this website https://mictests.com and the built in voice recorder , both don't have any drop outs

Excellent site for mic testing. Thx

Another idea i had was whether you use other BT devices at the same time. There could be interference from them.

If the phone has BT on then disable it.

 

[depakjan]

Sure

Plantronics or Poly as they call themselves these days have one. The only problem is the price. It's too damn high !!

What does it offer? More control over your mic for muting, accepting and ending calls. Better range maybe.

Here is a demo with an equivalent Jabra adapter.

Do you think it makes a difference in terms of call quality? I could hear her slightly breaking up towards the end and they weren't even talking all that long.

Now listen how they sound when they use their mobile. Much better isn't it

This adapter is just too costly and not worth it i feel, i wonder why the brands don't think about people wanting to use their Bluetooth headphones with windows, the officially supported ones are too overpriced in india , its just not worth it.

We have to accept that mobile is the better sounding solution here.

What software do you use for these calls? Skype and Microsoft teams are also available on Android. Could you use your phone to take these calls instead of the PC.

Why don't you experiment with the mobile platform?

Something like Samsung's Dex where the phone can be used with a larger display could be a better solution.

That means you won't be able to try those adapters either. Take it up with IT and see what they have to say.

Being a work laptop is the major problem and as I am working for a bank, I cant take any calls outside of that laptop, I mostly use skype for business and teams as well .

So that is a clue there. It is sound from the other side that is affecting your voice?

Nothing wrong with your setup in other words. This needs more testing to confirm though.

Excellent site for mic testing. Thx

Another idea i had was whether you use other BT devices at the same time. There could be interference from them.

If the phone has BT on then disable it.

Yes it feels its the disturbance from the other end causing my voice to be muted or something, that's what I have noticed , I do have my phone Bluetooth always on I could try to turn off and see

 

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This adapter is just too costly and not worth it i feel, i wonder why the brands don't think about people wanting to use their Bluetooth headphones with windows, the officially supported ones are too overpriced in india , its just not worth it.

They do, AFAIK only Jabra, Poly and Microsoft offer a UC type solution. UC means universal communications. Mobile + PC + BT landline sets. And those adapters are streamlined to work with their headsets only.

See the list of TWS you used. Oppp, Samsung, Soundcore are mobile only. No guarantee their headsets will work with PC for your use case, if at all. They have no UC option available.

That you were audible to the other side and could hear them is a bonus. Other brand's headsets may not even make it that far.

Being a work laptop is the major problem and as I am working for a bank, I can't take any calls outside of that laptop, I mostly use skype for business and teams as well .

Expensive for an individual but not for a company that will buy in larger quantities. If this continues you will have to raise the issue with your company. If they expect you to get work done then you need the right tools.

One workaround I see people using is to have a separate mic. This way the audio comes over in better quality but they do not use the mic in the headset.

BT does not have sufficient bandwidth for two way communications. If a mic is used then the bandwidth gets halved. That is the primary bottleneck. So these adapters by Jabra, Poly are doing something extra here to make it work.

The problem with this solution is it ties you to the desk since you can't take the mic with you.

Yes it feels its the disturbance from the other end causing my voice to be muted or something, that's what I have noticed , I do have my phone Bluetooth always on I could try to turn off and see

Move your wifi to 5Ghz if that is possible.

Let us know how you get on