[AG-TECH] ClearOne AccuMic PC Desktop Echo-Cancelling Microphone

[R. P. Channing ["Rick"] Rodgers]

Pat,

Your mention of super-cheap echo-cancelling audio options (see below) is
highly intriguing.  It would be good to see fuller reports of their performance.
In particular, are any suitable for larger scale applications beyond a single
desktop?  In visiting the  the web sites for the miniVox MV100
(http://www.mvox.com/mv100.html) and VoSKY Chatterbox
(http://www.vosky.com/product.php?pid=8) I don't see mention of echo
cancellation, though there is mention of a "DSP voice processorz' on the latter.
They may be avoiding technical data due to the interests of the consumer market
they are clearly aiming at, but it remains unclear to me as to what capabilities
these units really have with respect to the echo problem, or whether  one could
use more than one of these USB units at a time...

Best Regards, Rick Rodgers

> From: "Patrick Bristow" <pbristow at microsoft.com>
> To: "Rodgers, Richard \(NIH/NLM/LHC\) [E]" <rodgers at nlm.nih.gov>, 
<ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov>
> Cc: <cxpcomm at list.research.microsoft.com>
> 
> We've had great success using this with ConferenceXP.  The audio quality
> is quite good, the AEC is great, and the AGC is excellent.  I don't know
> how well the daisy-chaining works, though, so hopefully someone else can
> jump in with that.
> 
> The output from the mic is a little high, though, so make sure you have
> a good sound card that doesn't distort easily (anything other than
> bottom-of-the-barrel is probably sufficient).
> 
> I heard that they've updated the firmware on these recently, and the new
> ones work even better.
> 
> But just to keep things interesting, there's been a thread on the CXP
> mailing lists about the new super-cheap contenders in this arena, and
> there are apparently a number of them:
> 
> >>> "Chris Moffatt" <chrismof at microsoft.com> 11/09/05 9:16 AM >>>
> If you are tired of using a headset for Conferencing, but don't want to
> shell out $100's for an echo-cancelling mic...the miniVox MV100 is a
> great little echo-cancelling mic that works great for desktop
> conferencing.  (http://www.mvox.com/mv100.html). It is a USB device that
> doesn't require any drivers - just plug and play (er talk). I have
> tested it with ConferenceXP, and it works great, and have heard the same
> from a number of other people.
> 
> >>> Jonathan Tregear [jtregear at salud.unm.edu] 11/26/05 12:47 AM >>>
> The miniVox is the best deal at $20, but if Sharper Image stops selling
> it at that price (it lists for $40) then the VoSKY Chatterbox at $30 is
> better:
> http://www.vosky.com/product.php?pid=8
> It also has DSP enhanced full duplex (probably the same internals) and
> also has Volume Up, Volume Down, and Microphone Mute keys, which the
> miniVox doesn't have.
> 
> HTH,
> -pb
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov [mailto:owner-ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov] On
> Behalf Of R. P. Channing ["Rick"] Rodgers
> Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 1:20 PM
> To: ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov
> Cc: rodgers at nlm.nih.gov
> Subject: [AG-TECH] ClearOne AccuMic PC Desktop Echo-Cancelling
> Microphone
> 
> Dear AG Colleagues,
> 
> I am working with some collaborators to set up a set of AG nodes.  At
> least one
> of these will be in a small conference room.  They are understandably
> hesitant
> to invest in a $3000 Clearone (formerly Gentner) echo canceller
> (XAP400),
> and have pointed out an interesting echo-cancelling microphone, the
> ClearOne
> "AccuMic PC Desktop Echo-Cancelling Microphone", viewable at:
> 
>    http://mcsnetzone.com/clmifa.html
>    
> I'd feel happier about advising the purchase of this $600 unit if I
> could talk
> to one or more folks who have used it successfully in an AG setup.  Does
> anyone
> out there have experience with this unit?  If so, I'd be delighted to
> hear
> from you...
>    
> Thanks in advance, Rick Rodgers
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
> R. P. C. Rodgers, M.D. * rodgers at nlm.nih.gov * (301)435-3267 (voice,
> fax)
> OHPCC, LHNCBC, U.S. National Library of Medicine, NIH
> Bldg 38, Rm. B1N-30F2, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda MD 20894 USA
> http://lhc.nlm.nih.gov/staff/rodgers/rodgers.html

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
R. P. C. Rodgers, M.D. * rodgers at nlm.nih.gov * (301)435-3267 (voice, fax)
OHPCC, LHNCBC, U.S. National Library of Medicine, NIH
Bldg 38, Rm. B1N-30F2, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda MD 20894 USA
http://lhc.nlm.nih.gov/staff/rodgers/rodgers.html