If you can hear yourself in your headset the instant you speak, the headset is probably doing it on purpose. That feature is called sidetone. On a Windows PC, a Microsoft Q&A answer marked helpful by more than 300 people points to a microphone option called “Listen to this device”. Check the Windows option first, then decide how much sidetone you actually want.
The background below comes from Wikipedia’s article on sidetone, and the Windows steps come from a Microsoft Q&A community answer. EARSOLE has not tested any headset for this article.
Key takeaways
- Wikipedia describes sidetone as sound from the microphone fed instantly, at a low level, into the earpiece of the same handset.
- Wikipedia says the absence of sidetone can make users speak loudly, and too much sidetone can make them speak softly.
- On Windows 10, a Microsoft Q&A answer marked helpful by more than 300 people says to uncheck “Listen to this device” on the microphone’s Listen tab.
Two things that sound alike
According to Wikipedia, sidetone is sound picked up by a telephone’s microphone and instantly introduced at a low level into the earpiece of the same handset. Anti-sidetone circuitry brought it under control in the early 20th century, leaving enough to assure the user that the telephone is working. Headsets that play your voice back are borrowing that idea.
The other cause sits in the computer, not the headset. In the Microsoft Q&A thread, the person asking said they heard themselves through their headset and that it was not an echo but “live & without delay”. The most helpful answer, which more than 300 people marked as helpful, pointed to a Windows option called “Listen to this device”.
If you are on Windows, look at that option first. It takes a minute and tells you whether the computer is involved at all.
Why headsets play your voice back on purpose
Wikipedia says sidetone is expected behavior for telephone systems. It also says the absence of sidetone can make users believe the call has been dropped or make them speak loudly, while too much sidetone can make them speak softly. The article cites usability experts who believe a lack of adequate sidetone causes some people to shout when using a cell phone.
Timing matters as well. Wikipedia notes that an announcer who would otherwise hear their own voice coming back late from the loudspeakers may use a headset with instant sidetone to remove that distraction. Instant playback is what sidetone is meant to be; a late copy of your own voice is the distracting kind.
Wikipedia also says sidetone is disabled when a telephone runs in speakerphone mode, to prevent feedback from the speaker to the microphone that results in howling.
Turning off “Listen to this device” on Windows
The Microsoft Q&A answer gives these steps for Windows 10:
- Right-click the volume icon and click Sound.
- Go to the Recording tab.
- Right-click your microphone and open its properties.
- Go to the Listen tab.
- Uncheck “Listen to this device” if it is ticked.
Those steps are for Windows 10. This guide does not cover other versions.
Should you turn sidetone off?
Owners disagree. In a Reddit thread asking why a headset had sidetone on by default, one owner said they naturally start yelling if they cannot hear themselves and that sidetone really helps; another wrote that “everyone hates hearing themselves”.
Given that Wikipedia warns about both too little and too much, a low level is usually a better target than none. If you notice you are talking louder after switching it off, turn it back up a little.
Where the control lives, if a headset has one, depends on the headset and its software. The sources read for this article do not document settings for specific brands, consoles or phones, so this guide does not list them.
What the EARSOLE headset listings say
The Wireless Gaming Headset with Boom Microphone listing describes a white and black headset with a boom microphone and padded earcups, says the supplier lists Bluetooth and wired listening options, and shows a cable with a 3.5 mm plug.
The Purple Mesh-Cup Wireless Gaming Headset listing names a boom microphone, a padded headband, mesh outer panels and purple accents.
If hearing yourself matters to you, look for a listing that names a sidetone or microphone monitoring control before you buy.
What this guide does not cover
It does not give steps for macOS, consoles or phones, or exact Windows 11 menu names, because the sources read for this article do not cover them. The sidetone background is an encyclopedia summary written about telephones.
How do I stop hearing myself in my headset?
A Microsoft Q&A answer for Windows 10, marked helpful by more than 300 people, says to uncheck “Listen to this device” on the microphone’s Listen tab. If that box is not ticked, what you hear is more likely sidetone, which is changed in the headset or its software, if the headset offers a control.
Is hearing myself in my headset a fault?
Usually not. Wikipedia says sidetone is expected behavior for telephone systems and leaves enough of your voice in the earpiece to assure you the line is working. Headset owners disagree about whether they like it.
