Panasonic KX-TCA88HA Hearing Aid Compatible Cordless Phone Headset
Hearing aid compatible headset
The Good
There aren’t many hearing aid compatible headsets out there, and at this price, this one’s a great deal. Solid performance makes for a great headset.
The Bad
The KX-TCA88HA has an exceptionally short cord – just 4 ft. I would’ve liked to see basics like in-line volume and mute controls. Additional finishes would’ve also been nice.
The Hearing Aid Compatible Cordless Phone Headset
If you need a hearing aid compatible headset, this is a good option.
The KX-TCA88HA isn’t made for only those who wear hearing
aids. It’s just optimized so that this
headset is beneficial for those who do.
It has decent audio quality on the headphone, and good microphone
recognition. I didn’t use the same dictation test on this headset because it
appears to be the same microphone unit used on other Panasonic headsets (which
all handle dictation well). I did, however, take the KX-TCA88HA on a VOIP run
and the person on the other end of the conversation was able to hear me
clearly.
An in-line volume control and mute button with the headset have
always been features I’ve greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, this model doesn’t
come equipped with one. It’s also stuck
with the same 4-foot cord that all other Panasonic headsets have. This isn’t a
useful length at all, especially if you’re tall or like to move around a lot
while talking.
I had a friend talk to me over VOIP and had his
voice channeled from the Panasonic earpiece through another microphone and in
to an AUX port of my computer. When I played back the sound file I was actually
impressed. I expected to hear something worse than a cheap bootleg but that
wasn’t the case. I think it performed
admirably in my impromptu test, but I'm sure it works even better on an actual
hearing aid.