EPOS|Sennheiser IMPACT SDW 5066 Duo Wireless Headset

EPOS|Sennheiser IMPACT SDW 5066 Duo Wireless Headset

Pronounced – SENN- high-zah. Everyone struggles with this so we thought we’d pop that in first up!

Available now. The 3-in-1 wearing style has been out for a while, we’ve been waiting for the headband only mono and duo versions of this series. It’s been a long time coming and we here at Simply Headsets are very happy to see Sennheiser fully enter the ‘Trifecta’ headset arena.

The SDW5000 models come in 3 variants. All are also compatible with Skype for Business and all major softphone applications: You’re looking at the DUO version which has a comfortable headband wearing style with a flexible microphone boom for perfect positioning. The headband is a little broader than the 3-i-1 version so if you have a sensitive head but do prefer a headband, this is probably the best wearing style for you. It also has a better battery life than the 3 in 1 model – max 14 hours (in narrowband mode) as opposed to max 10 hours. The 5016 has 3 wearing styles and the 5036 is the mono option (only 1 ear covered).

As a company we’re proud to be able to offer the new SDW range to our clients and we challenge anyone to find a better headset range. Plantronics had dominated the Australian market for such a long time but you can certainly argue that Jabra and Sennheiser are now in full competition and competition is a good thing! The headphone and microphone gurus at Sennheiser have used their 60+ years of audio experience and R&D to create headset perfection. As we always say, the golden rule of headsets is to buy the best you can afford and, we hope your boss has given you the ok to buy any model in the new SDW range.

As with all wireless headsets you will need an accessory to answer calls from the desk phone when out of reach. We know, it seems crazy that even such a sophisticated headset as this can’t perform this apparently simple task but there are so many different phones all with different requirements that this functionality just can’t be built into the headset. We call it a RAD (remote answering device). It could be a standard handset lifter or a special ‘electronic hook switch’ (EHS) cable that runs from the base unit to the telephone – it all depends on which make and model phone you have. If your phone has a USB headset port you may not need this but at time of writing, those phones are as rare as hens’ teeth.

If you use Lync, Skype for Business or Microsoft Teams you’ll be pleased to know the 5066 is optimised for your program. If you don’t, it won’t affect you in the slightest, you can ignore that last sentence, sorry to have wasted 5 seconds of your life.

So whats so good about this headset?

Connections – The SDW 5000 Series will connect to Desk phone ( of course), it has 1 USB interface (to connect to a PC for Softphone or other applications or indeed desk phone with USB headset port). It also has 2 Bluetooth connections for mobile phone or tablet. Handy if you have a couple of mobiles that you want to always be answerable on your headset.

Sound quality – Sennheiser has this NAILED. The DW range has the best quality sound we’ve experienced and we expect the SDW range to be the same. If you’re looking for the best quality sound in and outbound, you can stop looking – this is your new headset. Most of the Simply Headsets staff already use Sennheiser headsets. (Sophie loves her Sennheiser so much her hubby gets jealous!). The SDW5000s have SUPER wideband to ensure a natural sounding voice no matter what device you’re using it with and it has High Density Wideband to ensure best call clarity in offices with many users (such as call centres). If density is a concern for you you should also have a look at the .

Microphone quality – Sennheiser are keeping the ULTRA noise cancelling microphone (they have 2 noise cancelling mics!) which is VERY good news for anyone in an noisy office who wants to sound like they’re in their own private office. Nothing is less professional that customers hearing the hubbub around you, so this, along with the older DW series remains the best option option for you if you don’t fancy sounding like you’re in a call centre or have crazed colleagues around you!

BYO BT headset – The 50×6 models come with a USB dongle (the BTD800) so you can use your favourite Sennheiser Bluetooth headset with the base unit (useful for Sales reps popping into the office for a bit wanting to use their headset with the desk phone and computer.

Busy light – There’s an inbuilt online indicator light – a flashing blue light on the ear to show colleagues when you’re on a call. Anyone who has ever had to show a colleague ‘the hand’ when they interrupt them on a call or has gone through the over-exaggerated ‘are you on a call???’ mime will know that this is a brilliant feature. There’s also an external online indicator available as an accessory that you can put on your desk for a more obvious indicator that you’re busy / free. This more obvious light is perfect for receptionists or anyone who greets the public. Just a little to sign to say ‘If this light is flashing please take a seat, I’m on a call but will be with you in a moment’, saves all the uncertainty and puts clients at ease.

Range – The line of sight range is advertised as up to a staggering 180 metres, better even than the new Jabra Engage series BUT as with all headsets this will diminish with interference from electronic devices and also if you’re going though doors, partitions etc. Stairs and concrete walls will have the greatest impact but also glass partitions and anything that enters line of sight between your headset and it’s base unit. Of course if you start with the longest range possible you know you’ve got the best chance of maintaining signal. Sennheiser reckon that on an average busy office their range is 55m. (We’ve found it to be a bit better than that).

Bluetooth range is a different entity. The connection is from the base unit to your mobile phone(s), not directly to the headset so if you leave the phone on the desk you’ll get the same headset range as above. However if you cannot bear to be parted from your mobile when you leave your desk then the range from mobile to base is ‘up to 25m’ BUT this is also dependent on your phone – most will be approx 10m (ie the distance that you can take the mobile from the base unit and still maintain a connection to that base). This is the same with all headsets. If you want a headset that you can also use out of the office, this is not it. We recommend a separate BT headset for out of the office use.

Is that your phone ringing or mine? – If you’re familiar with the old DW range you’ll know that they have 6 little white ‘dipswitches’ on the back of the base unit. The new SDWs have 8 and each one has 3 positions instead of just 2. This has greatly increased your ability to tailor the headset to your requirements in terms of range (great for dense usage or to extend the battery life), sound quality of both music and calls & sound limiter to ensure hearing protection. You can also set the base unit to ring and chose from different volumes and ring tones. This is particularly useful if you have a softphone so you can tell when it’s ringing and distinguish between your calls and a colleague’s!

Other stuff we thought was nifty: </h2

* You can conference up to 3 additional headsets onto one base unit – great for conference calls or training. You can add a Sennheiser USB corded headset too – again super for training. Or even a Sennheiser speakerphone (USB).

*The base unit has a USB port so you can plug in a Sennheiser USB headset for training purposes or a speaker such as the SP20 for calls when you want a few people to get in on the phone call (assuming they don’t have wireless headsets that you can conference to the base unit!)

* You can plug in a Sennheiser USB dongle and connect a Sennheiser Bluetooth headset into it. So staff who use an MB Pro UC at home or Presence on the road, can come in & use the same headset when they hotdesk AND potentially the boss can get away with just purchasing the base unit on its own.

* All wearing styles and versions of the headset use the same style base unit so no matter what headset style you opt for (when the other versions are available that is) it will work on any SDW base unit/ Of course if you have a USB only base it with only work with a USB device but means you don’t have to invest in top of the range headsets across the office when some only need limited connections.

* You can merge calls coming from 2 devices eg mobile and desk phone into 1 call. You can also switch between calls coming from different devices with either the base unit or the headset.

* The super fast charge is SO handy when (not if) you forget to dock it overnight. Most headsets take an hour or more to charge to 50% but with a DW in just 30 minutes you’ll have enough battery to see you up to lunchtime.

The Not-So-Good

This trifecta headset is a very clever piece of kit and as such it takes a little bit of time to really get the most out of it. We’d recommend spending some time reading the extensive manual and just playing around with the base unit to get used what the lights mean, how you hold one a call on the desk phone or mobile so you can take a call from your PC etc etc. Don’t buy this (or any!) headset the day before a huge launch that will send a flood of calls into your business. Give yourself or your staff some space to get to know the SDW – she has a slightly complex little personality but once you get to know her she will absolutely wow you.

If you’re a Mac user please note that like all headsets from time to time you’ll need to update firmware of the headset. Sennheiser (at time of writing, April 2019) don’t have a Mac version of their firmware update. The headset will work FINE with your Mac BUT you’ll need to access a PC or non Mac laptop to update firmware.

The Verdict

The Sennheiser SDW 50×6 finally brings Sennheiser into a growing competitive space; the multi-function headset for all devices in the office. We fully expect the best sound quality on the market and some simple but useful features.

Other Headsets To Consider Before Buying

Don’t want to go with a Sennheiser? Another worthy contender is the latest It’s an excellent unified communications option for computer + office + mobile phone with some ingenious features. Alternatively, the is their current model in this space. It has a little less flair but some may find it simpler to use but comes with the added benefit of Active noise cancelling. One thing’s for sure: all these models will look after all avenues of communication that the modern office could need.

Specifications
SKU	1000630/1001026
Manufacturer	EPOS | Sennheiser
Product Type	Computer Wireless, Office Bluetooth, Office Wireless
Standby Time	Up to 44hrs
Wireless Technology	DECT, Digital Encryption
Talk Time	9-14 hours dep on settings eg Up to 14 hrs (narrowband), Up to 9 hours (Super wideband)
Warranty	2 Year
Wearing Style	Over the head (two ears)
Connection Type	Base unit Bluetooth, Base unit to phone RJ (handset/headset port), USB
Software Compatabilty	Apple, Dragon Naturally Speaking, MacSpeech, MOC & Lync, Skype, Unified Communications, Voice Recognition Software, Windows, Skype For Business
Ear Cushion Material	Leatherette
Speaker Frequency Response	100-11,500 Hz
Ear Cushion Size	54.5mm
Mic Frequency Response	Super Wideband 150-11000 Hz
Headset Weight	136g
Coverage Range	Bluetooth Range, Wireless Range
Charge Time	0-50% in 30 mins, 100% in 1hr.
Charger Type	Base Unit
Coverage Range [Bluetooth]	Up to 25m dependant on your mobile
Conference Additonal Headsets	3
Coverage Range [Wireless]	180m line of sight, 55m in a busy office
Best Use	Noisy Office, Quiet Office
Application	Desk Phone + Computer + Mobile Phone (inside only)
Audio Qualities	ActiveGuard Acoustic Protection, Enhanced (DSP) Digital Sound Processing, HD Audio, Mono sound, Noise protection, Soundguard Digital, Ultra Noise cancelling mic, Wideband Audio, Wideband mic
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