Audio Quality Subjective To The User; Wired Headsets; Usb Headsets - Cisco 8961 Administration Manual

Understanding the Cisco Unified IP Phone Components
Cisco recommends that customers test headsets in their intended environment to determine performance
before making a purchasing decision and deploying en masse.

Audio Quality Subjective to the User

Beyond the physical, mechanical and technical performance, the audio portion of a headset must sound
good to the user and to the party on the far end. Sound quality is subjective and Cisco cannot guarantee
the performance of any headsets. However, a variety of headsets from leading headset manufacturers are
reported to perform well with Cisco Unified IP Phones. See manufacturer's sites for details.

Wired Headsets

To connect a wired headset to the Cisco Unified IP Phone, plug it into the Headset port on the back of
the phone. Press the Headset button on the phone to place and answer calls using the headset.
You can use the wired headset with all of the features on the Cisco Unified IP Phone, including the
Volume and Mute buttons. Use these buttons to adjust the ear piece volume and to mute the speech path
from the headset microphone.
If the headset is analog, see the
the wideband codec.
Disabling a Wired Headset
You can disable the headset by using Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration. If you
do so, you also disable the speakerphone.
To disable the headset from Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, choose Device >
Phone and locate the phone that you want to modify. In the Phone Configuration window (Product
Specific Configuration layout portion), select the Disable Speakerphone and Headset check box.

USB Headsets

Wired and wireless USB headsets are also supported. You can connect a USB headset (or the base station
for a wireless headset) to either the Back USB port (if your phone has this port) or the Side USB port.
(The Cisco Unified IP Phone 9951 and 9971 contain both a back USB port and a side USB port, while
the Cisco Unified IP Phone 8961 contains only a side USB port). For more information about wireless
headsets, see the
You must enable the applicable USB Port (either the Back USB Port parameter or the Side USB Port
parameter) in Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration (in the Product Specific
Configuration layout portion on the window). Also, for the Enable/Disable USB Classes parameter in
Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, make sure that "Audio Class" is selected.
These parameters can be enabled on either the Phone Configuration window (Device > Phone), the
Enterprise Phone Configuration window (System > Enterprise Phone Configuration), or the Common
Phone Profile window (Device > Device Settings > Common Phone Profile). Also check the
corresponding Override Common Settings parameter in the configuration window.
For more information about parameters that can be configured in any of these three configuration
windows, see the
Cisco Unified IP Phone 8961, 9951, and 9971 Administration Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.6 (SIP)
3-6
"Analog Headsets" section on page 3-7
"Wireless Headsets" section on page
"Configuring Product Specific Configuration Parameters" section on page
Chapter 3 Setting Up the Cisco Unified IP Phone
for the procedure on configuring
3-8.
8-26.