A Customer Review
"Dual wear option compromises sound quality & comfort"
I was looking for a convienent way to speak with colleagues and clients from my home office without being tied down to my desk. I have a Panasonic cordless phone and decided to stick with the same brand.
This KX-TCA98 seemed to fit the bill. Unfortunately, the over-the-ear option does not allow for use of the enclosed padded "ear muff" - instead, a plastic ring fits behind your ear and a hard plastic speaker enclosure sits directly against your ear ... it's the only way it works, trust me. This arrangement is OK but isn't very comfortable. Also, when used like this, the sound volume is much lower than listening through the telephone itself (yes, even with the volume on headset and phone both up).
The headband wear option utilizes the "ear muff" and offers acceptable sound quality, loudness, and comfort against the ear. Unfortunately again, a compromise in the headband option reveals itself in the mirror ... one side lays flat and snug against your head while the speaker and microphone side push the headband out and away from your head so far that it looks absolutely ridiculous! (Hopefully you work alone)
The in-line volume and mute features work well.
In hindsight, I should have bought a headset-only model which probably fits better, has a better ear muff, sounds better and looks less hodgepodge. Just to top it off - the packaging is sooo difficult to open (even when carefully cut) that it is destroyed in the process - negating any possibility for exchange!
The morale: Don't try to be everything to everyone, just be really good at something.
