Decent sounding USB/Bluetooth headphones with a mic?

[charltjr]

I'm looking for a recommendation for a decent set of headphones which I can also use in the office. Don't mind if they're USB or Bluetooth but these are the criteria:

Good sound quality for listening to music
Lightweight and comfortable for extended use, I could easily be wearing them three or four hours in a day and a couple of hours at a time
Must have a decent mic for voice calls and videoconferencing
Not "leaky", i.e. those around you can't hear what you're listening to when you're using sensible volume settings
Not be some garish gaming thing covered in LEDs as they're at least partially for a business environment

I've currently using a Plantroics USB headset which fails big time on the sound leak and sound quality front so I'm looking for an upgrade. Happy to spend a bit of money, say max budget of £100, as I'm looking for something that'll last me a few years.

Any suggestions?

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

Bose QCs or Sennheiser PCX550 tbh. Well over budget but buy once, buy right. Noise cancelling and will last for a decade. Used my senns on planes and offices all over the world for the last 3 years, still absolutely perfect. Do the job NC against car polishers too....

Sennheiser HD 4.50 will do the job too, but cheaper and less fancy..

Try before you buy !

 

[McGherkin]

I have a pair of Skullcandy JIB Wireless, I’m actually pretty impressed. You may want to top them up at lunchtime but otherwise they’re punchy and isolate sound well.

 

[Ex-User (72296)]

Jabra Elite

 

[charltjr]

Thanks guys, will take a look at those options

 

[Andy.]

My Bose QCs are utter shite for conference calls. Great sound, noise cancelling is also great but the mic pics up voices on the other side of the room and drives everybody else in the call mad.

It’s worth checking that the mic on whatever you’re looking at is suitable for a noisy environment.

 

[Ex-User (72296)]

I use mine sometimes for calls in the gym, music and people in the background and never had the caller complain

 

[charltjr]

Just picked up a set of Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 wireless for £175. Blew the budget big time but they’re supposed to sound slightly better than the 550s (although miss out on touch sensitive controls etc) and although the noise cancelling isn’t as good as the QCs again the overall sound is supposed to be better. Plus the 2.0s were a fair chunk cheaper than either of them.

Will report back once they’ve arrived and I’ve broken them in!

 

[charltjr]

Really, really happy with the momentums. They're not what I'd call broken in yet by any means, but they sound awesome even over bluetooth. Tried a few hands free calls and people say they can't tell I'm on a headset.

Expensive but they are a league ahead of any headphones I've ever had before, well worth it I'd say.