What do you look for in a headset? When I'm headset shopping (which is probably more often then your average geek) I always look for three characteristics: reliability, comfort and good sound. Quite often you only get two out of three--I've seen headsets a plenty that have been reliable and good sounding but not comfortable, or comfortable and good sounding but not reliable.

So it was with some anxiousness that I opened up the .Audio 625 USB Headset that Plantronics recently sent me to try out. Would this headset meet my high headset standards? Fortunately yes, the .Audio 625 is indeed reliable, comfortable and good sounding (great sounding, even), and it's quickly become my regular, go-to headset. Why? Read on to find out.

I've become a big fan of the .Audio 625 mostly because it's so flexible--flexible in the ways you can adjust it on your head and flexible in the ways you can use it with your computer.

###Over My Head

This headset fits very well on my head, and I bet it would fit well on yours too. It's easy to adjust the length of the overhead band as well as the length of the microphone boom (so you can put it far enough from your mouth that it won't pick up your breathing but close enough that it will hear you clearly and cancel environment noise). The boom also folds up and out of the way when you don't need it. Speaking of speaking into the mic, on the headphone cord there's a mute button and volume dial for quick adjustments.

The .Audio 625 also fits well because the earpieces flex to the shape of your head. It also doesn't hurt that the headset is so light--you can wear it for hours and barely notice it.

###Plugged In

Another nice thing about the .Audio 625 Headset is that it has both standard mic and headphone jacks as well as a USB adapter, so you can use whichever connection you prefer. The USB connection is especially good for a computer without a sound card (or one like my old laptop where the sound card broke). It's also good for easier access if you have a desktop computer with headphone / mic jacks in the back and USB ports in the front.

###Bottom Line

The Plantronics .Audio 625 has quickly become my primary headset because it's such a solid performer: great sound, great comfort, great reliability. If you're in need of a new headset, or if your headset is only good for two out of sound-comfort-reliability three, think about giving the .Audio 625 a shot. It's available now in the Skype Shop for £31 in the UK, 39.99€ in the rest of Europe, and $34.99 in the US.