No single brand wins, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing. We could not find a neutral, like-for-like public test that records Jabra, Yealink and Poly business headsets in the same noisy room. SourceIT has not made recordings of its own either. What you can compare is how each headset's microphone is designed and which models carry Microsoft's "Premium Microphone for Open Office" designation, the only cross-brand benchmark for open-plan noise. Then you can run a 20-minute test with your own office noise before you buy in volume. In practice, how close the microphone sits to your mouth and how well it is positioned usually matters more than the logo on the ear cup.
What do Jabra, Yealink and Poly actually say about their microphones?
| Model | Microphone design (manufacturer's description) | Active noise cancellation | Open-office claim | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jabra Evolve2 85 | 10 call microphones (4 analogue + 6 digital MEMS) | Yes, 4-microphone hybrid | "Meets Microsoft Teams Open Office requirements" | jabra.com |
| Jabra Evolve2 75 | 8 microphones; boom arm 33% shorter than the Evolve 75 | Yes | Meets the requirement in "Performance Mode" (boom down) | jabra.com |
| Jabra Evolve2 65 | 3 digital MEMS microphones | No | "Meets Microsoft Teams Open Office requirements" | jabra.com |
| Jabra Engage 55 SE (DECT) | Dual microphone; 100 Hz–7.3 kHz microphone range | Not applicable | "Meets the Premium Microphone for Open Office standard" | jabra.com |
| Yealink BH72 | Dual microphones with a beamforming boom | Listed as a feature | "UC certified" (no named open-office designation on the page) | yealink.com |
| Poly Voyager 4320 MS | Not confirmed for this article (Poly's spec pages could not be checked) | Check the datasheet | Teams-certified variant (MS) | SourceIT listing title |
Source: Jabra and Yealink product pages and Microsoft Learn's Teams USB peripheral requirements, checked 8 Nov 2026. All microphone counts and claims are the manufacturers' own and are not independently verified. SourceIT has not tested or recorded any of these headsets.
Why is there no definitive microphone ranking?
Three things make a fair ranking hard. First, the models are not like for like. A 10-microphone ANC headset at the top of Jabra's range should not be compared with an entry Yealink, and each brand's line-up starts and stops at different price points. Second, microphone performance depends on the wearer: head shape, boom position and how loudly someone speaks all change the result. Third, the meeting software processes the sound after the headset does. Microsoft Teams and Zoom both apply their own noise suppression, which narrows the gap between good and very good microphones.
Independent reviewers such as RTINGS publish microphone recordings and noise-handling scores, and they are worth listening to model by model. But they don't test every business variant, and their test bench is not your office. We cover the brand-level value question separately in Jabra vs Yealink vs Poly: which brand gives the best value, and our picks for open-plan floors in the best headsets for noisy Singapore offices. This article sticks to the microphone evidence.
What does Microsoft's "Premium Microphone for Open Office" mean?
It is a designation within Microsoft's Teams device certification. According to Microsoft Learn, it identifies headsets that pick up the wearer's voice without transmitting the sound of people nearby. That is exactly the noisy-office problem. It is useful as a shortlist filter because the same programme applies to every brand.
It has limits. Microsoft does not publish the numeric thresholds a headset must meet, so you can't tell whether a model passed comfortably or only just. Some Jabra models meet it only in a specific mode: the Evolve2 75 qualifies with the boom lowered into "Performance Mode". And the designation applies to the Teams-certified (MS) variant. If you buy the UC variant of the same headset for Zoom, check which certifications that SKU carries.
Does more microphones mean a better microphone?
Not on its own. Extra microphones let a headset run beamforming, which focuses on the direction of your mouth, and feed the active noise cancellation that protects your ears. On the Jabra Evolve2 85, Jabra says four of the ten microphones serve the ANC. The design that most consistently helps in an open office is a boom that puts the microphone close to the mouth, because your voice is then much louder than the room at the microphone. Boomless headsets and earbuds rely more heavily on processing, which we compare in boom mic vs boomless headsets. Placement also explains why a cheap headset can sometimes sound better than an expensive one worn badly.
Rule of thumb: a spec sheet tells you how a microphone was designed, not how it will sound at your desk. Test with your own office noise, your own voice and your own Teams or Zoom setup before you buy fifty.
How do you test headset microphones yourself?
A fair comparison takes about 20 minutes per headset and needs no special equipment. Teams has a built-in "Make a test call" option under Settings › Devices that records you and plays the result back.
- Control the setup. Use the same laptop, the same Teams or Zoom version and the latest firmware for every headset, updated through the vendor's own app.
- Recreate your noise. Play a recording of office chatter and keyboard noise from a speaker about one metre away at a fixed volume. A free sound-level app on a phone helps you keep the level the same for each run (around 60–65 dBA is a reasonable busy-office example).
- Record the same script. Read the same 30-second passage with each headset, with the boom positioned as the manufacturer instructs.
- Keep software settings equal. Set Teams noise suppression to the same level for every run, or switch it off for one round to hear the hardware alone.
- Listen blind. Have a colleague play the recordings back without telling you which headset is which, and score voice clarity and how much background leaks through.
- Repeat with a second wearer. One person's result does not always carry over to another.
Score the call-centre or open-plan scenario you actually have. A headset that wins in a quiet home office can lose on a busy sales floor. If nearby voices are your main problem, also read our companion piece on why AI noise cancellation isn't enough in open offices. If a headset sounds fine in Zoom but not in Teams during the test, see why a headset works on Zoom but fails on Teams. That is usually a settings issue, not the microphone.
So which brand should you choose?
Shortlist by form factor first: wired USB, Bluetooth or DECT. Then pick models that carry the Open Office designation for your platform, and compare one model per brand at the same tier. Jabra documents its microphone designs in the most detail. Yealink tends to be the lower-cost option at each tier. Poly's Voyager 4300 series sits between them in our listings. Let the blind test decide between them.
Buying in Singapore
For a like-for-like trial, these tier-matched pairs are listed in stock (listed 8 Nov 2026). Wired USB: Jabra Evolve2 40 SE MS stereo S$195, Poly EncorePro 525-M S$152.14 and Yealink UH35 Dual MS S$70. Bluetooth stereo: Jabra Evolve2 75 MS S$480, Poly Voyager 4320 MS S$218.85 and Yealink BH74 MS S$186.30. DECT: Jabra Engage 55 SE mono MS S$360 and Yealink WH64 mono Teams S$237.60. The new Jabra Evolve3 range, such as the Evolve3 75 MS, is price on request. Prices change; ask for a current quotation. Browse the full business headset range, then use Request for Quotation on the product page, call (65) 6978 3502, email Sales@sourceit.com.sg or use our contact page.
Frequently asked questions
Which brand has the best headset microphone for open offices? No neutral like-for-like test covers all three brands, so no brand can honestly claim the title. Shortlist Teams Open Office-designated models and run a blind test with your own office noise.
What is the Microsoft Teams Premium Microphone for Open Office designation? It is part of Microsoft's Teams device certification and identifies headsets that pick up the wearer's voice without transmitting nearby sound. Microsoft does not publish the numeric pass thresholds.
Do more microphones make a headset better in noisy rooms? Not by themselves. Extra microphones enable beamforming and ANC, but a boom positioned close to the mouth is usually the biggest factor in how clearly your voice comes through.
Has SourceIT recorded or tested these headsets? No. The microphone details here are the manufacturers' published claims, and we recommend testing shortlisted models in your own office.
Can I try a headset before buying in bulk? Ask us about buying one of each shortlisted model for a pilot before you place a volume order, and we can quote the full rollout afterwards.
