Microphones

[Camner]

I thought I would add  my own two cents' worth, based on my experiences,
concerning the effectiveness of different microphone setups.

I have worked extensively with three different microphones, and just
recently started work with a new microphone.

Initially, I use the Andrea ANC-7100 mic that came with of ViaVoice.  It did
not work terribly well.

For a long time, I was using the Andrea ANC-650/750 models (which have
identical microphone elements), along with an Andrea USB pod.   This set up
was recommended by Martin Markoe, who frequents this list.   Accuracy  was
significantly improved over the ANC-7100.   However, the gain was always a
problem.  These models do not have very good gain.

For a time, I switched to the Plantronics DSP 400 microphone.  It comes with
its own USB connection, so it does not require the use of the USB pod.
Gain was much improved.  However, I do not think that on balance, overall
accuracy  was any better than with the Andrea mics.  In fact, I think it was
probably just a little bit worse.

Martin's current recommendation for a good microphone is the Parrott TalkPro
Xpress,  which also requires a USB converter (either the Andrea USB pod or
the Griffin iMic seem to work).  Right out of the box, accuracy was notably
improved over either the Plantronics or the Andrea microphones.  The gain is
excellent. This improvement occurred even though I was using a voice model
that was based on a different microphone.  If I take the time and trouble to
read those blasted stories yet again, I suspect accuracy will get even
better.

I have also tried all these microphones with iListen. Only the Parrott
microphone seems to work well. The Andrea ANC-650/750 microphones simply do
not have enough gain to allow IListen to work.   The gain is sufficient with
the Plantronics mic, but accuracy is not as good. Once again, right out of
the box, the Parrott microphone worked well with iListen.

My thanks once again to Martin for an excellent recommendation.