Microsoft Life Chat3000 USB Headset

Published April 12, 2011

A few months ago I purchased a Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 USB headset. I needed to replace my old Logitech headset which crapped out on me. I used the headset with my voice recognition software. The old Logitech headphones worked okay in the beginning but after a while, I noticed that I had to do more manual editing to my documents.

Apparently, the increase and manual editing was the telltale sign that my Logitech headset was dying. The Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software couldn't understand what the heck I was saying. It got to a point where I retrained my voice recognition software thinking maybe my old profile was corrupt.

After retraining the software, rebooting the system a couple of times and wondering why the heck my transcription was going from bad to nonexistent, it finally dawned on me that the headset was crapping out.

Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 Headset

I went to the store and picked up another headset. I wasn't too particular about the brand just as long as it worked. After the Logitech crapped out I decided to switch brands and ended up with the Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000.

The headset is comfortable and adjusts easily. The microphone seems to work just fine as the software can understand what I'm saying and seems to have improved accuracy quite a bit. The biggest issue I have with the Microsoft headset is that the volume control/mute button is located on the cord that leads from the USB port to the headset (the volume control/mute on the Logitech headset was conveniently located on the earpiece).

For my purposes, the location of the volume/mute control is a small problem. It's not a problem if you sit in one spot while dictating. However, if you get up from the chair, the volume control is located in the exact position to hit the table every time I get up (I tend to pace back and forth when I dictate). There’s nothing worse than pacing back and forth dictating several paragraphs of work to my Naturally Speaking software program only to find out that the mute was on.

Aside from that, the Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 works just fine. It's comfortable and appears to have a noise reduction feature that my voice recognition software likes quite a bit. Only time will tell.

USB Headset Longevity

The old Logitech headset cost almost twice as much as the Microsoft LifeChat headset. For the $20 investment, we'll see how long this headset lasts. If it lasts for a year and I’ll feel that I’ve got my moneys worth. That's how long my old headset lasted.

All in all, I'm pleased with my inexpensive buy as my software seems to work accurately with it. I don't use it for gaming or anything interesting just dictating text. As a matter of fact, I used my headset to dictate this post.

Update: 12/1/17: I'm still using the Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 headset and it's going strong!

Another Update: 2/4/22: Still going strong!

Last Modified: 10 February 2023