V-Moda BoomPro Microphone for Gaming & Communication, Black

I use a cheap 3.5mm-accepting headphone set [0] if travelling, or a pair of AKG K550 [1] modified to accept a 3.5mm replaceable cable, with a V-Moda boom mic [2]. The boom mic is what makes this combo. It's really cheap, and crazy resilient. I have been travelling with it for the past year and trip over it all the time. It's still going strong, and it's also the best headphone cord I've ever had as well.

[0]: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TADC6CS/ref=twister_B011QQ1W4E?... [1]: https://www.amazon.com/AKG-K550-Closed-Back-Reference-Headph... [2]: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BJ17WKK/ref=s9_acsd_hps...

It's also really easy to have high quality audio! The author recommends a "podcasting" microphone, but a $35 standalone headset mic[1] is almost as good and much easier to use. If you want to hear a comparison, I got kind of obsessed with this problem at one point and took some comparison recordings here[2].

(You need a standalone mic since most headsets, even really nice ones, have really bad mics because most headset buyers don't care about or even know how good their mic sounds. The one I linked is wired because wireless is evil[3] and in particular, Bluetooth will silently degrade your audio quality. If you want a pair of wired headphones, I like these[4] which are "open back" and therefore sound more natural + cool your ears better, although the open back also means they "leak" sound and are only suitable for working without people next to you. But you shouldn't be having calls with people next to you anyway!)

[1]: https://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-BoomPro-Microphone-Gaming-Comm...

[2]: https://www.benkuhn.net/vc/#get-a-better-microphone

[3]: https://www.benkuhn.net/wireless/

[4]: https://www.amazon.com/Philips-SHP9500S-Precision-Over-ear-H...

Someone on hacker news recommended this mic before and it's much better than this sample (and sounds closer to podcast quality).

https://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-BoomPro-Microphone-Gaming-Comm...

I use it with ATH-M50x which can be modded to use it if you add a 3.5mm female to 2.5mm male adapter.

> WH1000-XM6

These (and others?) actually have a wired option (even provide the cable) for listening. Sadly the built-in microphone doesn't work in 'wired mode' (though ANC does).

You could get at at "cable boom microphone", e.g.:

* https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W3GGRF2

* https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJ17WKK

Maybe the XM7 will have it (along with wired audio controls) via a CTIA/AHJ TRRS plug:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_connector_(audio)#TRRS_s...

or via USB audio.