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Wireless headset that works well with NVDA? (self.Blind)
submitted by synthpopolis
Whenever I try to use Bluetooth headphones such as my Apple AirPods with NVDA on my Windows PC, the first bit of NVDA's spoken output always gets cut off. I found and installed an NVDA add-on that is supposed to fix this but it did nothing. When I use my Logitech wireless headset which uses RF instead of Bluetooth NVDA works perfectly with it, but that headset is bulky and falling apart, so I'm looking for a replacement. I'm finding it hard to find RF-based headsets that meet my needs. Can anyone recommend an (ideally single ear) headset that works well with NVDA and apps like Zoom and MS Teams on Windows? RF is preferable but if you've found a Bluetooth model that doesn't have the issue I described above, I'd be open to that too. Thanks.
ryok141 2 points 1y ago
I'm using the hyper X flight wireless headset. I'm not sure if it fits your needs though. It relies on a wireless dongle to connect to your laptop and it uses a micro USB cable to charge. It works perfectly with NVDA, and the headset doesn't feel bulky on your head.
synthpopolis [OP] 1 points 1y ago
That sounds exactly like the thing I’m looking for! Thank you for saying wireless dongle. I should’ve mentioned that in my original post. It’s basically an RF connection instead of Bluetooth and I find that it works flawlessly with NVDA. I will definitely check out that product. Thank you
SLJ7 2 points 1y ago
People say good things about a piece of software called Silencio, which is supposed to play audio in the background at low volume in order to keep the Bluetooth device from shutting off. I don't use this because I usually have music or something else playing, but I do use Airpods with Windows and other than this admittedly annoying problem, they work well.
synthpopolis [OP] 1 points 1y ago
Thanks. Yeah, my understanding is that’s what the NVDA add-on basically does too, sends a very low level signal to the headset that you can’t really hear but keeps the connection open. My concern would be excessive battery drainage. Do you experience that?
SLJ7 2 points 1y ago
You'd have to try it. I don't tend to use the same AirPods with my computer as I do with other devices, so I don't really have a good comparison. However, there are statistics for using AirPods to listen to music or other audio constantly, so the worst you'll get is that, and sending silent audio to the AirPods still takes less battery than loud audio.
gunfart 2 points 1y ago
i have a pair of sony WH-CH710N bluetooth headphones that i use with my windows 10 laptop and nvda, and have had zero issues with audio clipping or other strange anomalies. granted, i do also use the nvda addon that keeps a constant signal going to the headphones in order to avoid having the first part cut off, but i wanted to throw out there that there are bluetooth headphones that work the way you want so you aren't forced to have a wired connection
Rethunker 2 points 1y ago
I encountered a similar problem with Bluetooth headphones, though it’s been over a year now since it last happened. At the time I think I was mostly having a problem with Aftershokz Aeropex bone conduction headphones.
What I recall is that this was an OS issue. For audio output such as short text-to-speech snippets, the audio wouldn’t kick in soon enough.
Search for “sound delay” and “latency” and you may stumble across a solution. But it’s not simply a delay or lag; it’s the first part of text to speech getting cut off.
Sorry I can’t be more specific.
What I recall is that this was an OS issue. For audio output such as short text-to-speech snippets, the audio wouldn’t kick in soon enough.
Search for “sound delay” and “latency” and you may stumble across a solution. But it’s not simply a delay or lag; it’s the first part of text to speech getting cut off.
Sorry I can’t be more specific.
yourmommaisaunicorn 2 points 1y ago
Yeah, it’s a Bluetooth issue. The best I’ve ever gotten was headphones with a dongle. Wired is your only option.
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