Question about headphones

[WSKY567]

I have a couple of radios now with external speaker jacks, specifically the Radioditty CB606 pro and the DB20-G.  I would like to use headphones with these units.  Obviously the first hurdle is that the external speaker is mono or TR jack and the headphones are stereo or TRS.  I can fix that with an adapter.  Now the elephant in the room.  Obviously the power out and the intended impedance are quite different.  

Has anyone tried using headphones via the ext. speaker output and if so was it necessary to use either a step down transformer, and impedance matching adapter or both?  I've looked high and low and can't find any fully qualified specifications to help with this concern.  

[AdmiralCochrane]

I wish sort by date was default.

[WRYS709]

Years ago, I connected my “high-fi” headphones to my ham radio and realized that ham radio audio needs ham radio specific headphones! 

There’s no “high-end” in ham radio audio, and my high quality headphones emphasized a high-end that shouldn’t exist!

[marcspaz]

I just bought a set of mono headphones with the right impedance. 

[WRYS709]

15 minutes ago, marcspaz said:

I just bought a set of mono headphones with the right impedance. 

How much; from where? Included mic?

I was thinking about getting a set for POTA

[WRYZ926]

6 hours ago, WRYS709 said:

How much; from where? Included mic?

I was thinking about getting a set for POTA

What type of mic the radio uses will determine what headset we can recommend. Some brands like Yaesu and copies of Yaesu radios use a dynamic mic while Icom, Kenwood and Xiegu an electret condenser mic. The two types are generally not compatible without modification.

I'm not sure which type of mic the Radioddity radios use.

I use a Heil BM-17 headset (discontinued) with my Xiegu radios and my Icom radios. I did have to buy adapters to connect to the different radios. The Xiegu radios and my Icom IC-2730 use the same RJ45 adapter while my IC-7300 uses a round mic connecter. 

You will need to use a female stereo to male mono 3.5mm adapter if you want sound in both headset speakers if the radio does not have a dedicated headphone jack. This works fine with the IC-2730 using one of the external speaker jacks. My Xiegu radios and IC-7300 have a dedicated headphone jack that I use and do not need the stereo/mono adapter.

Some like to use Koss headsets. You will have to figure out if your radio uses a dynamic or electret mic and buy the correct headset.

[nokones]

There are plenty of compatible headsets available with the correct impedance for two-way radios. I have five headsets and I use them regularly with my portables. I also have adapter cables to use so I can use the same headsets with the different model radios I have in my cache of radios without buying a specific headset for each model radio. 

I have numerous radios that uses the M1, M2, M3, and M7 accessory connectors.

Stereo headsets are not the correct headsets to use with a two-way radio.

[WRYZ926]

Most dual speaker headsets, to include one specifically made for amateur radio, come with a stereo jack on them to get sound in both speakers. Radios with a dedicated headphone jack will also be stereo.

I know for a fact that if I connect my Heil BM17 to any of my radios where I have to use an external speaker port, then I must use a stereo to mono adapter in order to get sound in both speakers.

I have only used the Heil BM-17 and Heil Handi-Talkie (K1) headsets with different radios.

[WRTC928]

In my experience, a speaker or headset sold for CB radio will usually have the correct impedance for other radios as well, although I don't know if the same applies to a headset with a mic, although it seems likely. They're easy to find. Perhaps you could use a Bluetooth adapter and headset. I know there are some Bluetooth radio headsets.

[WRYZ926]

Icom, Wouxun, and Xiegu radios use 4 ohm speakers. I have no idea what the impedance is on my Heil headsets are but they work with all three brands of radios.

I received a counterfeit Icom SP-35 speaker that is 8 ohms. I only get half the volume out of it when I try to use wit with any of my Icom, Wouxun, and Xiegu radios. Which is normal if you use an 8 ohm speaker which requires a 4 ohm speaker.

[dugcyn]

i use a blue tooth adapter that plugs into head phone jack. in my case stereo works great for two mono radios. set each to specific chanels and then I know what chanel i am picking up. ie radio set to chanel 18 on left ear, radio set to chanel 16 right ear.

I set this up in my shack so I can listen in the house. has worked great for my wife that does not like the chatter.

also set this up in my truck so when camping I can listen and not bother other campers. have not tested this one yet but in theory think it will be a good solution.

[WSKY567]

Well I gave it a shot and with an old pair of Sony 7506's it worked fine.  Evidently the tip and sleeve span the connector inside the radio as I get both ears.  Just need to be real careful with the volume know as it is real easy to over drive them.  Not an eloquent solution, but a solution nonetheless.  

[marcspaz]

17 hours ago, WRYS709 said:

How much; from where? Included mic?

I was thinking about getting a set for POTA

 

I didn't buy a headset, I got headphones. I move them between all of my radios, so having a mic built-in was not an option. 

I do have a dedicated headset for my HF radio, but they were over $500. If you want details on either, let me know. 

[SteveShannon]

18 hours ago, WRYS709 said:

How much; from where? Included mic?

I was thinking about getting a set for POTA

 

1 hour ago, marcspaz said:

 

I didn't buy a headset, I got headphones. I move them between all of my radios, so having a mic built-in was not an option. 

I do have a dedicated headset for my HF radio, but they were over $500. If you want details on either, let me know. 

 

1 hour ago, WRYS709 said:

What made you think I asked you about a “headset?”

Some days you come across as schizophrenic.

[Northcutt114]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NJ2M33I?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

I use these in my POTA kit. Activated today in 10+mph winds and heard everything just fine. Kept my ears warm too! Obviously there are nicer ones out there but I'm not trying to throw $100 headphones in the bottom of my POTA bag.

 

[marcspaz]

18 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

 

 

Some days you come across as schizophrenic.

 

I was thinking the same thing. LoL

[WRTC928]

7 hours ago, WRYS709 said:

Do me a favor and don't communicate with me, refer to me or otherwise categorize me again here in the future and I promise not to ever ask you any more questions again!

That goes for your buddy, too!

First day on the internet? 

[WRYZ926]

Sad to see the thread devolve into this. 

And by the way, the ignore feature is pretty well useless. You won't see posts made by the person that you are ignoring BUT they will still see your posts and can still quote your posts.

On topic

I had to look up the specifications for Heil headsets. They use much higher impedance speakers. The impedance can be 200 - 600 ohms, or as high as 1.5k Ohms depending on the model.  According to the specs, the BM-17-IC uses 1.5K Ohm speakers. The BM-17-D uses 500 Ohm speakers. The IC version is for Icom and other radios that use an electret condenser mic while the D model is for Yaesu and other radios that use a dynamic mic.

From what I could find, the higher the speaker impedance, the less hiss noise you will hear when using headsets with amateur/GMRS radios.

[WSKY567]

We need a forum named Parking Lot so conversations like this one can be taken there.  

[marcspaz]

10 hours ago, WRYS709 said:

Do me a favor and don't communicate with me, refer to me or otherwise categorize me again here in the future and I promise not to ever ask you any more questions again!

That goes for your buddy, too!

 

You asked if my headphones included a microphone, which by its very nature makes it a headset.  Then asked what made me think you asked you about a headset.  Now you are upset because Steve is teasing you a bit because of it.  Just my opinion, but I think you may be overreacting a bit.  We're genuinely contributing to the conversation...

 

2 hours ago, WRYZ926 said:

Sad to see the thread devolve into this. 

 

After all these years, I expect nothing less.  It's almost every thread.

 

2 hours ago, WRYZ926 said:

And by the way, the ignore feature is pretty well useless. You won't see posts made by the person that you are ignoring BUT they will still see your posts and can still quote your posts.

 

Same in most forums... plus, if someone quotes a person you are ignoring, you can see their post in the quotes.

 

2 hours ago, WRYZ926 said:

On topic

I had to look up the specifications for Heil headsets. They use much higher impedance speakers. The impedance can be 200 - 600 ohms, or as high as 1.5k Ohms depending on the model.  According to the specs, the BM-17-IC uses 1.5K Ohm speakers. The BM-17-D uses 500 Ohm speakers. The IC version is for Icom and other radios that use an electret condenser mic while the D model is for Yaesu and other radios that use a dynamic mic.

From what I could find, the higher the speaker impedance, the less hiss noise you will hear when using headsets with amateur/GMRS radios.

 

I just got a cheap set of Stereo/Mono  headphone from Avantree with 32 ohm impedance.  They work really well for my mono out radios, like my GMRS and VHF/UHF radios, as well as my mobile HF radios.  I just use the mic that goes with the radio, for all of those uses.

 

However, I got a Heil Pro Headset for my IC-7300.  The headphones have fantastic audio and the mic is the same element that is in my PR-781G boom mic.  It's a fantastic set.  It does have the 1.5 k ohms impedance for the output.  I will also use my Avantree headphone with my IC-7300 when I am using my boom mic and monitor.

[tweiss3]

Those external speakers are designed to try to get louder than the internal speaker, so they will likely be "too loud", what about using a KES5 external speaker, the clarity improvement would be huge.

[WRYZ926]

1 hour ago, marcspaz said:

I just got a cheap set of Stereo/Mono  headphone from Avantree with 32 ohm impedance.  They work really well for my mono out radios, like my GMRS and VHF/UHF radios, as well as my mobile HF radios.  I just use the mic that goes with the radio, for all of those uses.

 

However, I got a Heil Pro Headset for my IC-7300.  The headphones have fantastic audio and the mic is the same element that is in my PR-781G boom mic.  It's a fantastic set.  It does have the 1.5 k ohms impedance for the output.  I will also use my Avantree headphone with my IC-7300 when I am using my boom mic and monitor.

A decent seat of headphones will definitely work if you plan on using a separate mic. I happen to use a female stereo to male mono adapter with radios that do not have a separate headphone jack so that I get sound in both speakers. The adapter works well with my Icom IC-2730 and my Wouxun KG-1000G +.

I like the Heil BM-17 since they are light weight. The same adapter cable works for my IC-2730, Xiegu G90, and my Xiegu X6200.

Using the BM-17 with the KG-1000G is a bit more complicated. I have to use the Heil Icom round adapter to a Heil Icom to K1 adapter which is plugged into a Buy Two Way Radios K-1 adapter with gain control. The setup works well with the BM-17 headset.

The stereo to mono adapter is needed with the 2730 and KG-1000G to get sound in both headset speakers since they do not have a dedicated headphone jack. No adapter is needed when using the BM-17 with the G90, X6200, or the Icom IC-7300 since they have a headphone jack. 

I bought a Heil Handi-Talkie headset to use with the KG-1000G. The downside to them is there is no way to easily use a foot switch.

I did find a couple of KOSS headsets on Amazon that people use for amateur radios. You just need to make sure to get the correct microphone type for your radio.

Koss SB40 Computer Headset with dynamic microphone

Koss SB-45 Communication Stereophones with electret condenser microphone

 

@WSKY567 from what I could find, the Radioddity DB-20G and the CB-606 both use electret condenser microphones. You could give the Koss SB-45 headset a try.

[WSKY567]

8 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

from what I could find, the Radioddity DB-20G and teh CB-606 both use electret condenser microphones. You could give the Koss SB-45 headset a try.

Thanks for this!!!  Looking into them right now.  

[WRYZ926]

You're welcome

[tcp2525]

On 1/11/2026 at 10:39 AM, WRYZ926 said:

Icom, Wouxun, and Xiegu radios use 4 ohm speakers. I have no idea what the impedance is on my Heil headsets are but they work with all three brands of radios.

I received a counterfeit Icom SP-35 speaker that is 8 ohms. I only get half the volume out of it when I try to use wit with any of my Icom, Wouxun, and Xiegu radios. Which is normal if you use an 8 ohm speaker which requires a 4 ohm speaker.

How did you determine it was counterfeit?

[WRYZ926]

2 minutes ago, tcp2525 said:

How did you determine it was counterfeit?

One was the 3.5mm plug. The counterfeit was not only undersized but it's a 90 degree plug. The real Icom speaker plugs are straight. The other tell tale sign was looking at the actual speaker once I opened the case. Icom uses 4 ohm speakers where the counterfeit speakers have 8 ohm speakers.