Earphones for the first time story: Useful in Clubhouse !? Find earphones with good microphone sound

For those who want to take this opportunity to get their first or new fully wireless earphones, this series will answer any questions you may have when choosing a smartphone manufacturer's completely wireless earphones. This time, the second time, I would like to highlight the "hands-free call function" of Bluetooth wireless earphones.

Attention again at Clubhouse, hands-free call quality of earphones

In 2020, many people may have created an environment where they can work remotely at home. I hear that Bluetooth wireless earphones and headphones that allow hands-free calling with the built-in microphone have also sold well as an indispensable item for video conferences.

This year (2021), I thought that the momentum had settled down, but the voice SNS service "Clubhouse", which has been popular since the beginning of the year, also wants to deliver a clear voice using a good-sounding microphone. , Excellent earphones / headphones with hands-free calling function are attracting attention again.

There are many wired earphones and headphones with a built-in microphone that allows hands-free calling, but the good thing about Bluetooth-compatible wireless devices is that you can move freely while keeping your smartphone on your desk during a call. That is.

Based on the presence or absence of the hands-free call function, Bluetooth earphones and headphones are roughly classified into the following three types.

As far as I know, Bluetooth wireless type products that support "music playback only" are so common that it is difficult to find them anymore, and they support hands-free calling. On the other hand, there are many wired type earphones that are not equipped with a microphone / remote control, which is also a point to be aware of when purchasing.

For products that are categorized as one-ear style Bluetooth headsets, there are also products that support "hands-free calling only". If you want to use Bluetooth wireless earphones / headphones for music playback, check the "Supported Profiles" item in the product specifications list.

In addition to "HFP (Hands-Free Profile)" and "HSP (Headset Profile)", "A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile)" and "AVRCP (Audio / Video Remote Control Profile)" are required for the hands-free call function. If you choose a product that supports all of the profiles ")", you can use it for both music playback and hands-free calling.

Technology to improve Bluetooth hands-free call quality

As for the call quality of wireless earphones and headphones, it is difficult to experience it with a demo machine in the store before purchasing the product because the other party to call must also evaluate it.

However, there are also clues to know that the product you want is also particular about the quality of hands-free calling.

In order to improve the quality of hands-free calling with Bluetooth audio devices, Qualcomm has developed a technology called Qualcomm cVc (Clear Voice Capture) to attenuate noise around the calling environment and deliver the voice of the speaker clearly. It offers.

Qualcomm's wireless earphones and headphones equipped with audio SoCs (system IC chips) use this technology in a relatively large number, and are described as features on product packaging and websites.

The type of microphone built into the earphone and the placement of the microphone related to the structure of the housing also affect the quality of hands-free calling. As far as I've tried, manufacturers of microphones, broadcasting equipment, telephones, etc. are also good at manufacturing know-how in this area, so I think there is a high probability that they will come across products with stable call quality. increase.

Functions to improve the calling environment have also been enhanced.

For wireless earphones and headphones, the technology for improving the quality of hands-free calling is also accelerating the evolution and spread.

For example, "active noise canceling," which eliminates noise around the call environment by electrical processing, is a feature that is in the limelight with popular models such as Sony's "WF-1000XM3" and Apple's "AirPods Pro."

In addition, if there is a "function to capture ambient sound with a built-in earphone microphone" called "external sound capture" or "hear-through", it is convenient to be able to respond to calls from people around you even during a hands-free call. ..

Recently, some products have realized a function that automatically switches to external sound capture when the user starts a conversation while active noise canceling is turned on. Sony's wireless headphones "WH-1000XM4" are equipped with "Speak to Chat" and Samsung's left and right independent wireless earphones "Galaxy Buds Pro" are equipped with "Intelligent ANC".

Both basically claim that you can seamlessly switch to hands-free calling even while listening to music, but if you apply it, earphones and headphones will automatically mute the microphone while you do not need to speak during the video conference. It seems that the function to do is also realized.

As an item that makes voice communication comfortable, I think there is still a lot of room for evolution in wireless earphones and headphones.

Journalist and writer. She became a freelancer after working as a web editor and reporter for an audio-visual magazine. Since he has been interviewing the electronics show "IFA" held in Berlin, Germany every year, he is particularly familiar with the latest situation related to smart home appliances and IoT in Europe. He has a deep knowledge of audio-visual fields and covers a wide range from high resolution to music distribution, 4K and VOD. Taking advantage of his fluent English and French, he handles many events and interviews with developers from Japan to overseas.