[Elecraft] Inrad W1 Headset and K3

[Jim Brown]

On 2/18/2019 5:02 PM, Dick Dievendorff wrote:
> I used mine this weekend, I am very happy with them.  The headset has a 1/4 stereo phone plug that is quite robust when compared with a 3.5 mm plug and an adapter.  The cable is long and seems sturdy.  Very comfortable over the ear phones with good isolation.

If I had $195 (headset plus mic plug adapter) to spend and needed a good 
boom-mic headset, I'd buy a CM500 and a couple of bottles of a REALLY 
nice single malt. The only reason I can think of to spend that kind of 
money is if the headphones have REALLY great isolation from room noise, 
and then only room noise was a problem for me (like in a SSB multi-op 
contest station). And I'd do the A/B comparison before plunking down the 
bucks.

There's BS in the product description too -- "1 1/2 feet coiled cord for 
RF suppression" is nonsense. If anything the added length makes it a 
better receiving antenna for radios with RF problems! And there is zero 
magic to 600 ohms -- we haven't matched impedances in audio for nearly 
50 years!  It's simply a low impedance mic, and virtually all mics used 
in ham radio have been low impedance for at least that long.

I've been using a CM500 for about ten years, and the only thing that 
breaks is the cable, because I'm really a klutz with headsets. It's not 
replaceable, and I don't see a note that the cable in this one is 
either. If I'm not mistaken, the excellent Sennheiser headset DOES have 
a replaceable cable.

73, Jim K9YC