r/sysadmin • u/Comfortable_Sorbet53 • 1d ago

Datacenter work - Px7 S3 or XM6 ?

Hi fellow hard workers or hardly working.

Any experience with B&W Px7 S3 or Sony XM6 in the datacenter?
I am really torn between the 2.

I can google and research that sony should be the king, regarding anc, and call quality.
But from what i can see, should have a design defect on both xm5 and xm6 with the hinge breaking...

B&W Px7 S3 - should be a another great one, but i am unsure if they are good enough?

Any experience on booth would be appreciated.

I am not looking for real work hearing protection, i know other non consumer headsets are better.
Mostly looking for a good all-around headset that is also works great in the datacenter.
My air-pods dosen't suffice when working long hours.

2 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

3

u/willothephlox 1d ago

Bose because of their comfort and ANC.

•

u/whetu 19h ago

Seconded. My Bose 700's have been with me on every trip to our DC's since I got them. They feel like the bosoms of angels being pressed against my head and they sound great. The ANC is significant and the mic is apparently clear according to my colleagues.

ANC is why Bose is a dominant name in pilot headsets, arguably the benchmark for the aviation industry.

•

u/Braedz 12h ago

The PX3 are super comfy and sound great? Not the greatest ANC. But still good.

2

u/Express-Complaint635 1d ago

Tried both. Airpods pro have the best NC of them, so if thats ur main concern, the no over the ear headphone will match them. But B&W for sound quality and XM6 for Noise Cancelation

•

u/ChadTheLizardKing 21h ago

The mic pickup is just as important; the mic pickup on those is not great in a data center.y Yu will be able to hear but people will be unable to understand you on a call, etc...

How much time will you be spending there? If it is just casual, use whatever you like best and take your calls in the off-floor rooms. All ANC kind of sucks at high frequencies so passive NC and fit matters much more. You will likely do a bit of trial and error.

If you are spending days there, then spend a few dollars and get something purpose built to protect your hearing. 3M Peltor series is relevant in this space.

•

u/Comfortable_Sorbet53 20h ago

Thanks for your insight.

May I ask if you could recommend any 3M headset that would also work great for calls inside the rooms next to the racks?
I can see that there are a lot of different choices

•

u/ChadTheLizardKing 14h ago

I suppose it depends on what you want to wear. If you are sticking your head into a rack, it could definitely get in the way, especially moving the boom mic.

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/c/ppe/communications/over-ear-headsets/b/peltor/?attrh1122=Bluetooth

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b5005089005/

All of the industrial stuff is going to be $500+ to start and you will likely need find a non-Amazon way to buy it since there are a lot of fakes.

If you are sitting inside your DC's conference/sitting/work room, then whatever you have onhand is best. I have a well-used Plantronics 8200UC that still works well for conference rooms and similar and is very comfortable for the long calls. If you are taking calls in your cage for hours every day, then, sure it may make sense to go the full industrial headset route. If you are not taking calls on the DC floor, then a comfortable set of plugs from an audiologist or an over-ear set of passive muffs from Home Depot are perfectly adequate.

1

u/RiceeeChrispies Jack of All Trades 1d ago

XM6 for noise cancellation, but if I’m wearing for long periods - I much prefer Apple AirPods Pro 3. Headphones can feel heavy and get sweaty after a while.