I've been trying out some headsets for my smart phone. Some of these are cheap, but got good reviews on Amazon. For instance, this Panasonic $9 headset (yes, I meant nine dollars), which requires a 3.5mm male to 2.5mm female adapter to use with a cell phone (as opposed to a cordless phone). I use headsets when talking on the phone at my desk to keep my hands free. I like the ones with microphones that wrap around right in front of my mouth, so that I need not disturb others when in my collaborative workspace.
I've tried some other headsets too, including a bluetooth set that people complained about constantly. I simply don't want people staining to hear what I'm saying. I've found myself asking other how my voice is coming through when I speak on my cell phone (through the phone itself or using a headset). People will give vague answers, such as "It sounds OK." I've been wondering what my cell phone really sounds like on the other end. I think I've found an answer. I found a phone number that plays back your voice: 909-390-0003 . That's all this phone number does. When you call this number, you don't even hear a phone ringing. But you can immediately speak into it and hear what you sound like. Excellent. Problem solved.
I'm going to recommend it to others. For instance, a friend of mine sounded all muffled. I told him about this a couple years ago. He eventually got a new phone and his voice quality immediately improved. I wondered whether fuzz or dirt got into his phone's microphone. Now his new phone sounds muffled. I can't hear his consonants. I'm going to give the test number to him, so he can hear it for himself.
It turns out that my Panasonic $9 headset "sounds OK." No, really. It's a keeper. It sounds great.
