Headphones with switchable microphone

Switchable

— the ability to turn off your own headphone microphone using a special button or switch.

This feature is relevant mainly for phone calls, Skype, etc. It is useful in situations where you need to distract from the main conversation and say something that the interlocutor does not need to hear. Disconnecting the microphone is easier and more reliable than covering it with your hand or disconnecting the headphones entirely.

Note that the ability to turn off the microphone may be provided in the communication programme itself (the same Skype, for example). However, again, using the switch on the headphones is more convenient.