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[John L Nobile]

Has anyone come across an "affordable" mic array for meeting rooms? The name ones are running from 4 to 8 grand.

And if you have used them, how well do they work?

What works for me is a 17 dollar Behringer headset but management are too vain to wear headsets.

[Craig Hauber]

Has anyone come across an "affordable" mic array for meeting rooms? The name ones are running from 4 to 8 grand.

And if you have used them, how well do they work?

What works for me is a 17 dollar Behringer headset but management are too vain to wear headsets.

Due to the technology involved -the number of elements and the DSP that matches it along with the comparatively fewer sold I doubt you'll find much for "cheap" in that category.
Look instead at tabletop conferencing solutions from names you don't normally see in the "pro audio" category -like Polycom
Or the "consumer" all-in-one videobar type systems (Bose, Logitech etc..)  -although those tend to be intended more for the "huddle" room type layout with everyone facing a common TV.

I've only had experience with the Shure ceiling array and it works unexpectedly good -and seamless if the system is designed and installed properly.  Just remembered that they also have the smaller smaller tabletop MXA310 that works great too and may be within your "affordable" category at just over $1k

[Stephen Beatty]

 We use the MXA310s in a number of rooms. They work really well. Though you need to have Dante.
 I have also recommended and used the Jabra Speak 750 units. Maybe more in your price range and they work really well for small to medium conference rooms. They will connect to Zoom or Teams with wired USB or Blue Tooth. Find a dealer and try them out.

 What kind of room and what is the table layout like? Is there an installed sound system? Are you looking for something to mount in the in the ceiling instead of on the table? Do you have a network to connect too?

[John L Nobile]

 What kind of room and what is the table layout like? Is there an installed sound system? Are you looking for something to mount in the in the ceiling instead of on the table? Do you have a network to connect too?

Thanks for that Craig and Stephen

I'm starting to notice how bad people at head office sound in Google Meet sessions. We have a boardroom here that could benefit from that as well. That Shure mic looks like it's in the ballpark and it has a lot of good features.

[Brian Jojade]

I'm starting to notice how bad people at head office sound in Google Meet sessions.

What works for me is a 17 dollar Behringer headset but management are too vain to wear headsets.

People in executive positions are less likely to be the gamer type that likes the look of a headset, especially in a group meeting session.

Of course, the economic reality starts to kick in when you're trying to improve quality.  You can sorta get picture and some audio for pretty much next to nothing.  Increasing the quality exponentially increases the cost per step up in quality you are striving to achieve.  The good thing is that the novelty and newness of remote meetings is starting to wear off and people are now willing to spend significantly more money to do it well so the poor quality is less of a distraction.

[[email protected]]

We use the MXA310s in a number of rooms. They work really well. Though you need to have Dante.
 I have also recommended and used the Jabra Speak 750 units. Maybe more in your price range and they work really well for small to medium conference rooms. They will connect to Zoom or Teams with wired USB or Blue Tooth. Find a dealer and try them out.

 What kind of room and what is the table layout like? Is there an installed sound system? Are you looking for something to mount in the in the ceiling instead of on the table? Do you have a network to connect too?

You don't necessarily need to have Dante. MXA310 works also on AES67...

But you need to have a PoE capable switch and something that can accept either Dante or AES67. This could be a DA-adapter, laptop, system matrix...

Br,
-Minka-

[Mike Caldwell]

Do you intend for the mic to also be use sound reinforcement in the room of just for broadcast audio to the receiving end?

[Tim McCulloch]

The acoustics of the conference room also play a significant roll in how speech is picked up by a microphone.

Have the executive staff hold a conference/meeting without the CEO, who then joins remotely.  "Yes, that's why you sound like".  Cheques will be written.  Trust me.  Might be worthwhile to address cameras and lighting, too.

Little story - was on a Zoom call last year with another local production vendor and various stake holders for a large fund-raising event for an NFP.  The other vendor rep and I were consistently asked about "important stuff" that we had nothing to do with.  I believe that was mostly because we looked and sounded better than the others.  Good framing, lighting, clear and clean audio, no "nostril shots", etc.

[John L Nobile]

Do you intend for the mic to also be use sound reinforcement in the room of just for broadcast audio to the receiving end?

It would only be for group meetings in the room

[John L Nobile]

The acoustics of the conference room also play a significant roll in how speech is picked up by a microphone.

Have the executive staff hold a conference/meeting without the CEO, who then joins remotely.  "Yes, that's why you sound like".  Cheques will be written.  Trust me.  Might be worthwhile to address cameras and lighting, too.

Little story - was on a Zoom call last year with another local production vendor and various stake holders for a large fund-raising event for an NFP.  The other vendor rep and I were consistently asked about "important stuff" that we had nothing to do with.  I believe that was mostly because we looked and sounded better than the others.  Good framing, lighting, clear and clean audio, no "nostril shots", etc.

I am also suggesting that they hang some artsy fabric things on the wall as well as the mic. The flutter echoes were horrible.

The importance of presentation during a remote meeting is easily seen during talk show interviews during Covid. Some celebrities just showed up in their sweats and used the cheap camera and mic that came with their laptops. Looked and sounded horrible. Then there was Dolly Parton. Very impressive (as always). She was dressed and made up as if she was in the studio with pro lighting, sound and a
 good camera. She even had a large beautiful vase of fresh flowers on a table.

I don't have a camera on my desktop but I do use a headset so I know I'll sound good and background noise won't be ab issue.

[ProSoundWeb Community]