If you’re using Skype with a computer I generally recommend USB headsets. The earphones prevent echo from the computer speakers and the mics are generally much better than the mics that come with computers. Placing the mic closer to your mouth also helps the audio quality. I prefer USB to analog because they tend to be less susceptible to noise from electrical interference.

One of the nice things about Skype is the higher-fidelity audio you can get from the service — while regular telephone is compressed down to 8 kiloHertz, giving it that tinny, hollow quality, Skype can send audio across the Internet in CD-quality sound. While you can use a regular phone handset for making Skype calls, if you use an adapter like Actiontec’s Internet Phone Wizard (http://www.vosky.com/modules/product/prodetial.php?c_id=2&p_id=13), you’ll be limited to the quality of your phone. So it definitely pays to get a higher-quality headset.

If you’re planning to be right at the computer, one of the cheapest solutions for higher-quality audio is a USB headset, like Logitech’s Premium USB Headset 350 (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/CA/EN,CRID=103,CONTEN...), which runs $50–60 and gives you full fidelity sound; the company also has a If your prefer a cordless phone style of connector, you can take a look at RTX’s DualPhone solution (www.dualphone.net), which also connects to your regular land line and allows you to choose what type of call you’d like to make.