iVoice II

[Charles Martin]

> From: David Crump <davecrump at mac.com>
>
> I've read on this list that the Griffin iMic beats the MacAlly iVoice
> hands down for USB audio input into our Clamshell iBooks, but it looks
> like the iVoice II is coming out.
> Check it out:
> http://www.macally.com/spec/usb/input_device/ivoice2.html
>
I'm not familiar with the iVoice version 1, but based on this I think 
you are little confused about the two products. They do not do the same 
thing.

The iMic, despite the name, is not a microphone at all. It has two 1/8" 
jacks -- one for sound in, the other for sound out. It has a switch 
that toggles the incoming to either "line level" or "mic level."

It is primarily used to connect other audio equipment (such as 
microphones, turntables and cassette decks) to a G4 via the USB port.

The iVoice, by comparison, is primarily a microphone. It has a "line 
in" jack for sound as the iMic does, but the description doesn't make 
clear in the line-out is stereo or not -- as they mention that it's 
intended to be used for PC headsets, it might very well not be.

The iVoice (which is $15 more expensive than the iMic) is being aimed 
at people who own clamshell iBooks or Digital Audio G4s and want to 
have a microphone and/or use a headset mic. As a side benefit, they 
offer some kind of stereo input for (for example) digitising analog 
sound sources.

The iMic is more of a pure digitiser, focusing mainly on helping people 
connect their stereo analog input and output audio equipment to the 
Mac. Recently the iMic folks introduced a free program to let you use 
the iMic as an unamplified mic-level recording source (IOW, you can 
hook a turntable to it directly, no preamp needed, and record tracks).

> I
> still haven't shelled out for my iMic, so I'm wondering if this is 
> worth
> waiting for.

Given that the iMic is a mere $35, caution seems pretty unwarranted. 
You could have been using that iMic for a year now while you were 
waiting for the iVoice, which seems to me a fair benefit for the modest 
"risk" of spending $35.

Unless the iMic is not what you need at all due to its lack of onboard 
microphone, of course.

_Chas_
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