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Advice for purchasing a WH30 headset mic

I am an avid and fast typist, but this has unfortunately led to arthritis. So I am making the move to a well known dictation system, called Dragon Naturally Speaking.

The Shure WH20 came as highly recommended for its very clear audio, and noise elimination qualities. Not to mention it is supposed to be very comfortable for all day usage.

Before taking the plunge and purchasing one, I would love any advice on the following:

  • Need a 3.5 mm connection option for my laptop & mobile devices

    • Whether I get the 6.3mm or XLR option, I will still need an adapter

    • I am unfamiliar with XLR, but it seems to be superior, so tempted to go that route

      • Looks like I could also use it to extend the cord, should I ever want to

  • Will be wearing this all day, which means that I will be drinking water, etc.

    • If I follow the manual, the recommended mic location will probably interfere with drinking from my metal water bottle

    • Will this mic still function well if I have the mic further from my mouth than suggested?

      • Being a cardioid mic, I would think it would still work great for my purposes

  • Given its cardioidal nature, I am assuming that it won't pick up sounds from my speakers, since they will be somewhat behind and to the of the mic

  • Any recommendations for buying this online in Canada?

Thanks!

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Wow, thanks so much u/chrisatshure. I almost didn't post, as I did think that these were some simple questions. Glad I went ahead with it.

Good catch on the WH20 vs 30. I was looking at the WH20, but mistyped the title of my post and apparently I cannot correct it now.

It seems that I can still get the WH20 in Canada as long as I go with the XLR option, but I am not keen on buying a discontinued model if I can help it. I've taken your advice and emailed your Applications Engineering team and see what they suggest. Picking the ideal microphone is definitely a difficult decision, with no clear winner. All about balancing your needs & expectations.

Thank you for your help!

PS

I love your USB solution and will definitely keep that in mind, depending on which product I end up choosing.

[deleted]
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You're welcome. I wouldn't hesitate on buying a WH20 if you like it. They are very affordable & very reliable, and seemed to be the standard recommendation for Dragan NS for many years. That mic cartridge was already in use in the SM10/12/14, and SM1/2 headsets when I started at Shure 36 years ago. It's a solid product. What probably killed the demand is that so many people want condenser headsets nowadays.

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This is actually much more complicated than you probably know.

Are you considering the WH20 or the WH30? You mention both, but I'm guessing the WH20 because it was available with either a quarter-inch (6.3mm) or XLR connector. Both the WH20 and WH30 appear to be discontinued (in the US at least; not sure about Canada) although resellers may have some in stock.

Assuming you can get a WH20, it is not so simple to connect it to a laptop or mobile device, even if it is equipped with a 3.5mm input jack. Laptops and mobile devices are notorious for having low input sensitivity, and usually will not work well with a low-output dynamic microphone like the WH20. Also, there are two different wiring standards for the 3.5mm inputs on laptops and mobile devices; if you get it wrong, the mic won't work. To order a 3.5mm adapter cable, you will need to know how the jack on your model of device is wired, and if the adapter cable is wired the same way. This information is almost never available. If you know specifically that the WH20 will work with your model of laptop, that's great.

Another approach is to connect the headset to a USB interface like the MVi, and connect the MVi to the USB port on your laptop, a Micro-USB port on your Android device, or the Lightning port on an Apple iPhone or iPad. The MVi accepts any standard microphone (dynamic or condenser) with an XLR connector, and even supplies phantom power for condenser mics. You could use the WH20 (dynamic), WH30 (condenser), PGA31 (which replaced the WH30), etc. etc. Note that with the PGA31, you'll also need the optional RPM626 inline preamp.

To address your original questions: yes, with an XLR connection you can easily add extension cables if you want to. Yes, the mic will be in the way when you drink; you'll need to move it out of the way. No, you can't place the mic farther away from the mouth; with a cardioid headset it needs to be close to the corner of your mouth. But the mic may still pick some sound from your speakers, depending on how loud they are and how reflective your room is.

Lastly, I'm sorry but I'm not familiar with online sources in Canada. If you have additional questions, I'd contact our Applications Engineering group via [email protected]. Our distribution center in Canada -- S.F. Marketing in Ontario -- also has excellent customer service and can help you find a reseller.

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