Cyber Acoustics AC-304C: 30-second review

 The Cyber Acoustics AC-304C promises to be the ideal headset for call center workers or anyone who works from a busy home environment, all while keeping reasonably priced for what it offers. 

We’ve tested out loads of the best headphones with mics and best headsets for conference calls, with the Cyber Acoustics AC-304C fitting squarely into the work-focused category. These won’t be headphones for listening to music and enjoying anything other than a neutral experience. However, for taking calls and being heard clearly even if chaos is reigning around you, the Cyber Acoustics AC-304C are exceptional. In particular, the headset is a good option for anyone who works from home and has the challenges that come with that.

Inline controls make it simple to adjust the volume or mute your mic without having to fumble for it. There’s also a long cable for ensuring there’s a bit of flexibility with how you move although it won’t compete with wireless options, of course.

The Cyber Acoustics AC-304C is also very lightweight so you hardly notice it on your head during the working day. However, we did find the earcups a tad uncomfy after extended periods of use and a little adjustment was needed. It’s no deal-breaker but if you’re used to memory foam cushioning your ears, you may want to spend more. In this price range though, it’s hard to fault the Cyber Acoustics AC-304C as we’ll soon see.

Cyber Acoustics AC-304C: Price & availability

• $99.99/£99.99 
• Available now

The Cyber Acoustics AC-304C is available directly from the Cyber Acoustics website or you can buy it on third-party retailers like Amazon US. It’s available both in the US and UK with seemingly no stock issues right now. 

• Score: 5/5

Cyber Acoustics AC-304C: Design & fit

• Lightweight build
• Inline controls
• Leatherette material

The Cyber Acoustics AC-304C headset looks fairly unassuming. We’re talking super lightweight headset with a drop-down mic on one side and soft leatherette earcups to keep your head snug. The headset is sufficiently slender, one would think it would be fragile but it seems fairly robust when tossed around a little or simply plonked on a desk frequently. 

Inline controls reside about three feet down. There are two volume adjust buttons with a large mic mute button in the middle. It changes between red and green depending on if the mic has been muted or not. It’s also suitably large enough that you can easily tap it even while midway through a call or video chat. The only extra it’s missing is that while the buttons are divided up, there’s no tactile feeling to help remind you of what you’re about to tap without looking. In particular, that can be problematic when trying to find the volume up or down button while not looking down.

Five feet further down the line is the USB-C connection with the Cyber Acoustics AC-304C coming with a USB-C to USB-A adapter if you prefer or need to use an USB-A port. 

The mic can be swung up or down depending on if you need to be heard, while the headset overall can be adjusted to accommodate larger heads.

The fit is simple but mostly effective. Easy to slip on with adjustable parts on the headset, the only issue arises with the earcups. These start out comfortable but over time, can start to press on your ears a tad. I found moving the earcups around did help so some of it comes down to the size of your ears and arrangement, rather than deliberate clamping force. 

• Score: 4/5

Cyber Acoustics AC-304C: Sound quality

• Environmental noise cancellation
• Neutral sound profile
• No sidetone

Designed with video conferencing and work in mind, the Cyber Acoustics AC-304C focus on providing a neutral sound profile rather than elevating bass or similar like your regular headphones may do so. That means that you get a crisp and clear experience each step of the way but not one that lends itself to listening to music during your breaks. 

Crucially, the Cyber Acoustics AC-304C uses AI-based microphone noise cancellation to eliminate background noise around you. Appropriately, it sounds too good to be true but in our time using it among construction noises nearby and a yelling cat, anyone we spoke to didn’t hear what was going on in the background. It works far better than your average microphone and perhaps more importantly, provides good peace of mind as you don’t have to worry about disruptions. It’s professional and due to it being tied into the headset, it works with all the audio and video conferencing tools you could plan on using it with.

With home working remaining popular for at least some of the week, the Cyber Acoustics AC-304C instantly proves more useful than in the past. For regular calls such as call center support, there’s no sidetone. Sidetone allows you to hear some of your own voice to check that you’re connected but also potentially proving irritating too. So, the lack of the feature is going to be good and bad news depending on how you feel about it. It’s also a feature we’d typically see on pricier headsets so it’s hardly surprising that the Cyber Acoustics AC-304C lacks it.

• Score: 4/5

Cyber Acoustics AC-304C: Final verdict

The Cyber Acoustics AC-304C gets straight to the point and is a useful USB-C headset. With its environmental noise cancellation, it easily blocks out irritants around you while you’re trying to speak. More importantly, you don’t need to install separate software to do so which is timesaving as well as practical for anyone using a heavily locked down work machine. 

The inline controls cover all your needs while being clearly laid out. If only, they were a little more tactile and the headset itself was a touch more comfortable. Minor quibbles aside however, and the Cyber Acoustics AC-304C is a well-priced option for anyone taking many calls.

Should I buy the Cyber Acoustics AC-304C?

How I tested the Cyber Acoustics AC-304C

I reviewed the Cyber Acoustics AC-304C over a period of 10 days. In that time, I predominantly used the headset on Microsoft Teams and Zoom calls. I also used it to record audio for personal projects. For testing the audio in other contexts, I watched Twitch streams and YouTube videos, as well as listened to music through Spotify. During my time with the headset, I had to handle a noisy cat and near constant construction noises going on nearby.

I have extensive experience in making video and voice calls through my PC and I’ve used many headphones and headsets over the years.

• ^ Back to top

Sihoo has introduced a new "gravity-defying" office chair that aims to redefine what it means to have the best ergonomic chair in the market. 

I've had the opportunity to test many of the best office chairs, including simple, cheap, and high-end chairs. The Sihoo Doro S300 is their most advanced ergonomic chair yet, designed to provide a weightless experience, full-body support, and dynamic lumbar support.

Sihoo Doro S300: Unboxing & first Impressions

Upon opening the box, I immediately noticed that this chair was unlike any other I had encountered. Some chairs come in one piece, while others require only a few main pieces to connect. However, this one was exceptional in every way. 

The back pieces were distinct, the chair was pretty heavy, and there were significantly more springs and adjustments than I am used to seeing in chairs. Additionally, there felt like quite a large number of pieces to assemble, taking me about 45 minutes to assemble, which is quite long.

Once I had finished assembling everything, I agreed with the marketing promotion that this chair appeared to defy gravity and resembled a space chair. The chair has a great look and a sophisticated design, making it highly customizable to suit the preferences and dimensions of virtually any user, which is excellent. Most chairs with lumbar support have a single lumbar section that spans the width of the backrest. 

This chair uniquely has two sections that hold your lower back in place on the left and right. I spent a few minutes dialing in my preferred tension settings and other height and armrest settings while getting used to the lower back support. In full transparency, it took a moment to get used to it, but I loved it once I got used to the feeling of this dual dynamic lumbar support.

Sihoo Doro S300: Design & build quality

This chair's overall design is unique, futuristic, and highly adjustable. The main selling points that Sihoo totes for this chair include their Anti-Gravity Mechanism, Dual Dynamic Lumbar Support, Cloud-like Mesh with Italian Velvet, and Premium Independent Backrest. In short, these incredible Aerospace-grade materials make the Doro S300 stand out, even among other Sihoo chairs.

Besides the design, game changers are two main elements that stood out to me. Firstly, the dual lumbar support provides lumbar support and helps align you with the center of the chair. This helps to cradle your back in the best way possible. It's as though you have some helping hands cradling the area of the back that usually hurts people like me the most, and it is highly appreciated. Secondly, the spring seat support significantly improves over column-based or no suspensions. Like a car, this chair has suspension, cushions my drop as I sit down, and adjusts, helping support my weight even if I sit unevenly. Most chairs I have tested have no suspension like this or a simple column-based solution that is far from as good.

Sihoo Doro S300: In use

I've used this chair daily at one of my workspaces for a few months. In that time, I have gotten comfortable and used to how this chair feels and how I feel using it, and I have firmed up a pretty solid feeling about it overall. 

The backrest and back support are among the best I have experienced. This chair holds me while I sit without forcing me to sit a certain way, which is truly impressive. It supports my lower back and mid-to-upper back very well.

The armrests on Sihoo chairs have always been a problem for me. I am used to armrests that can lock in place, but the Sihoo chairs I have reviewed, including the Sihoo Doro-C300, have highly movable armrests. While this is great for adjusting them to the perfect position, the problem is that they need to stay in place. This makes it difficult to lean on them because the armrest moves the second I add weight with a slight angle to the pressure I am adding.

One more note, neither positive nor negative, is that this chair could have a headrest. If you like head support, this chair gives upper back support but stops around the neck area on me. For this workspace, I am okay with having a chair without a headrest; however, I would miss having one in my home office, where I relax and kick back to read. 

Lastly, the build quality of this chair has been fantastic over the last few months. I used tours heavily for a while to get a complete picture of how they work and what I do and don't like about them, and this chair has given me zero problems outside of the armrests being a bit too mobile. They have improved the armrests since my Doro-C300, but they are still too mobile for my liking. Outside, this chair has not creaked, slipped, worn, or shown any other sign of poor assembly or design.

Sihoo Doro S300: Final verdict

The Sihoo Doro S300 is a high-quality ergonomic office chair. As mentioned, I have one frustration with this chair: the armrests do not lock in place. Other than that, this chair has been incredible for my workspace. It provides all-day comfort, supports me well, and looks gorgeous.

Sihoo promotes this chair as a space-like gravity-defying chair, and after trying it out for a few months, I can agree. Especially for the money, this chair is worth considering for your workspace.

Kitting out the office? We put the best standing desks to the test. 

The Bluetti AC200L promises an expandable power station solution. Boasting a 2400W AC output (or 3600W in Power Lifting Mode), does it provide the ideal back-up power supply? We put the Bluetti AC200L power station to the test.  

Bluetti AC200L: Packaging

The Bluetti AC200L came in a large plain looking cardboard box with wrap-around plastic straps and additional cardboard edge protectors.

You couldn’t exactly call this a portable power station. In total the Bluetti AC200L including packaging weighed in a hefty 33kg, so would need two people to move it comfortably and safely.

Inside the outer box was another, equally plain looking cardboard box only with the product name attached to it. Note that you must keep this second box in order to honour the warranty, also getting this second box out of the first was a task in and of itself.

Opening the main box revealed the documentation and small sack of accessory wires.

The Bluetti AC200L itself was wrapped in a plastic sheath and sandwiched between two large polystyrene bumpers, top and bottom. Once out I was able to take stock of what was provided other than the Bluetti AC200L and documentation.

• AC power cord with UK plug to charge the Bluetti AC200L
• A 12v car cigarette plug to XT90 connector
• A MC4 connectors to XT90
• XT90 connector to DC plug;
• A small grounding screw

Bluetti AC200L: Fit & feel

The Bluetti AC200L came with a 55% rate which is normal for its LiFePO4 chemistry for storage and transport.

The Bluetti AC200L weighs in at around 28kgs, it is made of a dark grey plastic material with a pretty stripey like texture all around, it comes with large rubberised feet to allow it to feel planted on any relatively flat surface.

Part of its design (and it does need it) are two very large carry handles on either side to ease with transportation.

The front and left side are the main working parts of the battery that consumers would interact with various sockets and ports for charging and using.

At the front of the unit are the following:

4 x UK sockets providing 230v with a total combined sustained output of 2400w

2 x USB-C both capable of outputting 100w each

2 x USB-A 18W max each

1 x 12v (max 10A) car charger port

1 x 48v DC (max 8A) normally used for RVs

Power on/off button and;

Lastly the large information LCD display screen

At the side are the following ports:

AC input (proprietary socket)

DC Input (proprietary socket)

And a Battery expansion port

Also on this side are the circuit breaker and a grounding pole

All sockets have captive rubber gaskets over them however the Bluetti AC200L itself does not have an IP rating. 

Bluetti AC200L: In use

Having taken receipt of the Bluetti AC200L the first thing I wanted to do was charge it to 100% and here is where I spotted the first design flaw. The AC and DC charging ports are proprietary sockets, so don’t go losing those charging cables. Furthermore when trying to plug the AC cable in which has three pins corresponding to live, neutral and earth, the socket and plug is keyed to prevent crossing the lines but without a clear indication as to which way “UP” is supposed to be, I spent a good few seconds twisting the plug to get the key right before plugging the AC cord it.

There are numbers embossed on the AC, corresponding to each pin and socket, but they are very small and hard to see, especially in low light conditions. Scroll through the gallery below to see the AC example.

I also noted that the DC input has a proprietary socket, again keyed to prevent crossing the negative and positive without a clear indication as to where up is on the plug itself. The plug has a single piece of cable attached to it terminating in a XT90 female connector. From that you then plug in a male XT90 terminating with either the Solar Panel MC4 connector or 12V car charger plug. 

I found Bluetti’s decision to use proprietary plugs and sockets for the AC and DC charging on the ACC200L an odd choice. If you were to lose either or both cables then you would have to source them directly from Bluetti. At my last look the AC power cable for the AC200L isn’t available on Bluetti’s UK website, but one for the AC300 retails at £29.99.

It would have made more sense to just have a common AC power socket like those found on common desktop computers such as the IEC C14 and for DC just to incorporate the XT90 plug in the body of the battery, other competitor batteries and battery brands do it.

I noted that at left on normal charging mode the unit drew down 1200kWh, it charged the unit within an hour with a quiet yet audible fan whirr. There are other modes of charging, Turbo for when you want the unit ready as soon as possible and Silent which keeps the internal fan off at the cost of a slower charging speed.

The Bluetti AC200L can be charged from multiple sources and even allows through charging where it can provide power to a device whilst itself is charging. Of course, it can be charged from the grid using the provided AC charging cable, it can be charged via DC using the provided cable and the plugging into the female XT90 connector the appropriate DC input, be it the DC car charger or Solar Panels from the MC4 connectors provided. Alternatively, it can also be charged from a car battery with a separately available cable with crocodile clips.

Once fully charged I was able to use it, the first task I performed with it was to use it for one of the most mundane household tasks, which also draws the most electrical energy, Ironing.

It was then I noted a major flaw. It is evident that the 230v socket section was designed with either US or EU style plugs in mind where the cord comes straight out unlike UK plugs where the cord comes out the bottom. This means that whilst the bottom two sockets and their rubber covers fit UK plugs without issue, the top sockets won’t. The rubber cover for the top sockets are positioned above the sockets, the sockets are turned 180 degrees so that the earth pin is now at the bottom and this means that where the cord would normally come out the bottom, it now goes upwards causing it to foul with the rubber cover. Whilst you could force it in this may place undue stress on the cord or the rubber cover.

Using a power Steam Generator iron, I completed a one and a half hours’ worth of ironing with the iron drawing up to 2200W at times. This brought the battery from 100% to 40%, the Bluetti AC200L was able to do this without breaking a sweat. 

Charging the battery back up again, I was then able to use it to cook various food stuffs in our air fryer, again the Bluetti AC200L provided the energy needed to run such a high demand item. It ran our under-counter freezer no problem however I was unable to test the duration but in an emergency power outage it would be a good go-to product.

With regards to its combined 2400W output, according to the documentation it can actually (albeit briefly) output 3600W and a “power lifting” mode for use on high resistive loads such as kettles, this must be set manually using the buttons and is not to be on default.

I noted that one of its useful features would be to charge it up overnight on cheaper electricity, then use it about the house during the day (weight withstanding) to reduce the dependence on peak price electricity.

The large LCD display screen was very useful in monitoring live energy input/output from all sources, the screen displays percentage of battery remaining, roughly in time how much is left depending on the discharge as well as what the battery is dis/charging at and where.

There is an app available for the battery allowing you to monitor DC in/out, AC in /out and various other features to configure. The AC200L has a Bluetooth connection for local use and even Wi-Fi for remote use. Some will like the app functionality; others won't and frankly it's just another app in the catalogue of apps on most phones. 

Also of note is a battery expansion port which can be used to extend the capacity of the AC200L, there are separately available Bluetti B210, 230 and 300 expansion batteries available. Sadly, whilst the AC200L does have the expansion port which can have current flowing both ways for dis/charge, it cannot be used as part of an excess Solar store system for a residential home, despite Bluetti having a Solar micro inverter and battery charger (the A80 and D100S respectively), these are not compatible with the AC200L.

A shame really and possibly a missed opportunity, competitor products such as the EcoFlow PowerStream allows you use most of their battery line ups to do just this, though not yet available in the UK, rumours are it’s coming soon.

A noted and useful feature is that this battery can be used as a UPS providing power to equipment in the event of a grid power loss with near instant switchover and true sine wave output as some equip is sensitive to stepped wave inputs.

Should I buy the Bluetti AC200L

• ^ Back to top

The big Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 is a wide-format inkjet printer that uses vivid DURABrite Ultra pigment inks to churn out a high volume of glossy color pages at print-shop quality. With two 250-sheet input trays and XXL-yield ink cartridges available, it could suit a microbusiness or SMB with a busy and varied workflow. 

Despite its impressive capacity, the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 is competitively priced at around US$250 (about £210). There’s no fancy touchscreen interface, but it does have 5GHz Wi-Fi with AirPrint compatibility, a rapid print rate of 25ppm (pages per minute) and the ability to print on any size of paper or card up to A3+. But is it one of the best small business printers? Can it produce just about any kind of brochure or handout with a professional finish? We put it to the test.  

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310: Design & build

What looks like a very large black box is actually a reasonably compact inkjet printer, given that it can handle A3+ size paper and store a whole ream of it in its twin paper trays. To load Tabloid or A3 sheets, you need to extend the paper drawers so it actually gets bigger, but it’s still way smaller than any wide-format laser printer. 

Above the paper trays is the output tray and then the tilting control panel with its 6.1cm color LCD. Unfortunately, that display is not a touchscreen, so you’ll have to press the buttons alongside to operate it. At the back are connections for USB and Ethernet cables and a flap on top at the rear reveals the multipurpose input tray. This is especially useful for one-off print jobs because the paper path from here is quite flat, making it possible to print onto quite thick card. 

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 hinges open to reveal the four DURABrite inkjet cartridges. The supplied setup carts do not contain much ink, as is so often the case, but you can buy XXL carts which contain enough to yield up to 2,200 pages. 

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310: Features & specifications

Being a mid-price print-only device, the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 doesn’t bother with premium features like a touchscreen interface, NFC connectivity and a front USB Host port, but instead concentrates on specifications that will boost productivity and performance, such as the dual paper trays, rapid print speed and high print resolution. 

The PrecisionCore printhead has a more dense nozzle array than cheaper Epson printers, with 256 nozzles per color and 800 for black. They deliver an image resolution of 4,800 x 2,400 DPI. And unlike Epson’s EcoTank range of ink tank printers, which uses soluble dye inks, the inks in this WorkForce printer are all pigment based. That makes printouts more durable and faster drying to better suit a busy office.

There are three paper trays in all, with the two main trays each holding up to 250 sheets of Tabloid or A3. Being an inkjet, it can print on a very wide selection of media, including coated photo paper, envelopes and thick card. 5GHz Wi-Fi is built in, with Wi-Fi Direct and AirPrint compatibility.

It prints quite quickly for an inkjet, with the rate for simplex monochrome pages given as 25ppm (pages per minute) and 12ppm for color pages. That’s slower than a laser printer of course, but the heat-free inkjet technology means there is no warm-up time so the FPOT (first page out time) is faster than your average laser.

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310: Setup & operation

The bundled setup instructions are very clear, but you won’t need them because when you turn on the printer for the first time, messages will appear on its display telling you exactly what to do. Setting the date and time is a bit tedious using the buttons and operating this printer would certainly be quicker with a touchscreen interface. 

However, I didn’t have any problems working with the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310, and its three convenient paper trays and prompt printing made it very easy to use. There’s also a decent companion app called Epson Smart Panel for monitoring and controlling the printer remotely.  

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310: Performance

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 performed well in all of our tests. It printed as quickly as advertised with no paper jams or misprints. In fact, it managed to print on considerably heavier paper than Epson recommends. Thanks to the relatively flat paper path from the rear multipurpose tray, I was able to feed through some pretty thick card with satisfying results.

Pages of plain text emerge at a steady rate in auto duplex mode and the bold black pigment looks very professional on plain paper. Turning to mixed color documents, the results are similarly striking. Using pigment-based C/M/Y inks in suspension instead of the more usual soluble dye-based inks, means the pages dry faster and the colors stand out more. The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 is great for eye-catching brochures. It’s also pretty good at photographs. Feed it some glossy photo paper and you’ll get some near print-shop quality snaps back. It can’t match Epson’s photo printer range for image quality, which tend to use five or six dye-based inks to achieve a more natural finish than this office printer can manage, but it’s still impressive. 

Best of all, it can print on A3+ paper, so turning out vivid posters is quick and easy. However, we burned through the ink in our setup cartridges pretty quickly, so while the performance was undoubtedly strong, it comes at a cost. 

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310: Final verdict

This cartridge inkjet printer might not suit every small business, it’s not the absolute best printer we’ve ever tested, and it’s never going to be competitive when it comes to CCP (cost per page), but for those that need to print large professional-looking brochures on a regular basis, it could be ideal. The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 prints quickly and well. Those fast-drying DURABrite pigment inks look great on a wide variety of media, including the kind of thick card that would choke most printers. 

With two separate paper trays, each of them able to hold 250 sheets of A3/Tabloid paper and another multipurpose tray at the rear, this high-capacity printer is very convenient to use. It’s a pity there’s no touchscreen interface, or NFC reader, but that won’t stop us from highly recommending this capable color inkjet.  

We tested the best A3 printers and these are our favorite models