Dave, I use VoIP because it's much less expensive than standard phone service. There's no lag, latency or strange noises associated with using any of the alternatives for PC to Phone. Not to mention you can wire your entire house, so it's as seemless as switching between phone companies.
However, there is a program out there that has saved me hundreds of dollars so far on
international and sounds much better than any telephone. It's called
Skype. It's truly an amazing piece of software. If anyone is interested in downloading and trying it, email or PM me for my Skype ID and I will show you how good it sounds. Right now it's in the top 10 things first installed after a fresh install
