Are you looking to take your meetings a notch higher? Buying a good-quality conference microphone can enhance the quality of your speeches and boost your audibility when talking to large audiences.
There are several factors that you should consider when selecting the best mic for conferences. These include room size and acoustics. It's also important to think about the microphone's sensitivity and polar pattern.
Boundary mics are affordable and great for small/medium-sized teams. Omnidirectional boundary mics have a flush design and can be placed onto the meeting table to capture everyone's voice.
Gooseneck mics, on the other hand, are standalone microphones meant for individual speeches.
Ceiling mics are ideal for large teams with big meeting rooms. They capture sounds from everyone inside the room, making them audible. Participants can freely move around the room, which provides the best range of motion.
Boundary conference mics
MXL AC404 USB Conference Microphone
Sound quality and noise rejection
The MXL AC404 USB Conference Microphone delivers remarkable sound quality even in the noisiest environments.
Participants can comfortably sit and converse in any arrangement: on a roundtable, in a meeting room, and in conference halls. In fact, this mic has the potential to turn any location into a conference room.
The AC404 has excellent noise rejection capabilities and can capture crystal-clear speech in a variety of scenarios.
It's an excellent Zoom microphone that allows intelligible conversation in web conferencing, court reporting, and podiums.
Build and design
The MXL AC404 is a boundary microphone that delivers an outstanding 1800 pickup pattern.
It captures sound from a relatively wide radius of 25 ft. which makes it useful in wide-ranging scenarios.
The best position to place this microphone is in the middle of your conference table. It can simply rest on any flat surface, thanks to its flush design.
The MXL AC404 also has an automatic gain control and custom circuitry that allows it to deliver quiet, smooth, and professional-sounding speeches.
This mic is USB-powered and works well with a variety of echo canceling software.
Pros
- Outstanding sound quality
- Portable and lightweight
- Durable and sturdy all-metal construction
- Relatively affordable
Cons
- This mic picks up every signal within 25 feet, including background noise
- It doesn't have a mute button
Bottomline: The MXL AC404 USB Conference Microphone works best for large teams consisting of 25 people or less. It can also be used for court reporting and Zoom meetings.
TONOR Conference USB Microphone
Sound quality and noise rejection
The TONOR Conference USB Microphone captures very subtle signals and amplifies them sufficiently, allowing team members to listen in and contribute in meetings and teleconferences.
This mic is specially designed for conferences – it's perfect for small or medium-sized meetings consisting of around 25 individuals.
You can use this portable microphone and speaker for presentations, Skype calls, court reporting, online classes, and more. Team members can hear each other clearly without having to raise their voices.
This mic has powerful noise-canceling capabilities, blocking out ambient noises to deliver crisp-clear speeches.
Build and design
The TONOR USB Microphone is a boundary conference mic with a beautiful flush design.
It has a soft mute button that comes in handy whenever you want to mute the microphone. In addition, this omnidirectional mic receives sounds from all directions (3600 angle) within a pickup distance of 11.5 ft. which makes it ideal for meeting room scenarios.
This mic can be placed in the middle of your conference table. It has a plug & plays operation, meaning you don't need to install any drivers – simply plug the microphone to start recording.
Pros
- The excellent omnidirectional pickup pattern
- Great noise rejection capabilities
- Easy setup and amazing voice clarity
Cons
- The mute button sometimes requires several clicks to work
Bottomline: The TONOR Conference USB Microphone provides remarkable value for money. Despite its short pickup range (11.5 ft), this condenser mic delivers speeches loudly and clearly. It's best for conferences, offices, court reporting, and Skype calls.
Movo MC1000 Conference USB Mic
Sound quality and noise reduction
The Movo MC1000 Conference USB Microphone effectively captures sound within a 20-foot radius. It also blocks out unwanted background noise to deliver crisp-clear audio.
However, this mic provides 1800 coverage. It doesn't pick up sounds emanating from the back as perfectly as sounds originating from the front.
Rather than sitting around the conference table, your team would need to sit on one side of the table in order to communicate effectively using the Movo MC1000 Conference USB Mic.
Alternatively, you can constantly change the position of the mic to amplify the speaker's voice. The Movo MC1000 is perfect for web conference calls, Skype meetings, and more.
Build and design
The Movo MC1000 is a boundary mic that provides a remarkably wide pickup range (20' radius).
This omnidirectional mic can accommodate as many as 15 team members. However, it might not be suitable for large teams since it only amplifies sounds within 180 degrees.
The best position to place this mic is flush on your conference table facing the team. This USB mic is easy to set up – simply plug it into your PC. It's plug & play.
Pros
- It's an excellent zoom microphone
- Sturdy and easy to use
- Long pickup range
Cons
- Its USB cord is short
- It doesn't have a mute button
Bottomline: The Movo MC1000 Conference USB Microphone is a decent boundary mic that provides great value for money. It's perfect for online classes, and Skype calls.
Gooseneck Conference Mics
Shure CVG18-B/C Gooseneck Condenser Microphone
Sound quality and noise rejection
The Shure CVG18-B/C delivers crystal-clear sounds with outstanding ease: that's because it is tailored for speech.
This mic is equipped with CommShield Technology that effectively protects it against RF interferences emanating from phones, laptops, and other portable devices.
The Shure CVG18-B/C provides a wide frequency response that allows it to capture fast transients in a myriad of locations. These include conference halls, podiums, churches, and desktops.
This mic serves one person at a time. Its 18-inch gooseneck provides the ideal height for optimum sound pickup.
Build and design
The Shure CVG18-B/C is a gooseneck microphone that's equipped with a cardioid polar pattern.
It features a superior rugged design and durable construction, which is a Shure trademark.
Ideally, this microphone should be set up on a podium or church pulpit. Speakers can then take turns standing on the podium and speaking into the mic.
The Shure CVG18-B/C uses phantom power. However, it's also equipped with one Lithium-ion battery. Each mic includes a mounting flange and windscreen.
Pros
- Delivers crisp sound and fantastic pickup range
- Durable construction
- Provides great value for money
Cons
- Distinct pop sounds
- Doesn't have a mute button
Bottomline: The Shure CVG18-B/C is a remarkable gooseneck condenser mic that relies on phantom power. It's perfect for church pulpits, daises, and conference podiums. It's also ideal as a zoom microphone.
MXL AC-400
Sound quality and noise rejection
The MXL AC-400 provides outstanding voice clarity, allowing intelligible communication among teammates.
Its sound clarity is so crisp that you feel like you're having a face-to-face conversation with other participants.
Although the AC-400 is designed to function as a standalone microphone, you can connect it with three optional AC-40EXT units. This provides each member with their own mic.
Its noise rejection is good but not perfect – you can still hear loud background noises when using the mic. However, ambient noises are attenuated pretty well. It's perfect for quiet offices and serene neighborhoods.
Build and design
The MXL AC-400 is a gooseneck mic that's ideal for web conferencing. It's equipped with a flexible 15'' gooseneck that can be adjusted with ease.
It utilizes a unidirectional cardioid pickup pattern that effectively captures the speaker's voice and blocks external noise.
This mic is equipped with a single mute button that supports private conversations. You can easily connect three AC-40EXT mics when holding a physical meeting with your team.
It comes with durable all-metal construction and even features a headphone jack. In addition, the MXL AC-400 delivers a relatively large frequency response ranging between 40Hz and 16kHz.
Pros
- Delivers high-quality speeches with exquisite bass
- Durable build
- Easy to set up and utilize
Cons
- Picks up loud background noises
- Quite costly
Bottomline: Although the MXL AC-400 is a great gooseneck mic that delivers excellent speech quality, it has mediocre noise rejection capabilities. This pricey microphone can be used in offices and conferences.
Ceiling conference mics
Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2
Sound quality and noise rejection
The Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 utilizes beamforming technology to transmit clear voice messages in a meeting room.
This hanging microphone delivers outstanding sound quality that perfectly fits into your meeting culture.
It can comfortably accommodate large teams of 30+ members. In addition, participants are free to move around the room. This provides more flexibility.
All team members within a conference room that's equipped with the Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 hanging microphone are clearly audible when making their speeches.
This mic has exquisite noise rejection capabilities, thanks to its patented beamforming technology.
Build and design
As its name suggests, the Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 is a ceiling mic.
It's equipped with a 28x Sennheiser KE 10 pre-polarized Condenser capsule that allows it to efficiently pick up voice signals originating from your meeting room.
You can easily control and monitor this ceiling mic using the Sennheiser Control Cockpit software that can be downloaded onto your tablet or smartphone.
This hanging microphone setup and installation are relatively easy, thanks to its Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) capability. Simply secure it onto the ceiling – preferably in the middle of your conference room – using its illustrative user guide.
Pros
- Provides the largest pickup range
- Easy to integrate into your conference system
- Perfect for big teams
Cons
- Overly expensive for SME businesses
Bottomline: The Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 is the perfect ceiling microphone for zoom meetings and conferencing. However, be prepared to pay a pretty penny when purchasing this mic.
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Conclusion
Investing in a good conference microphone can potentially elevate your meetings and improve your confidence when making speeches.
If you're looking for an excellent boundary microphone for meetings and web conferences, the MXL AC404 USB Conference Microphone is your best bet. This mic is very sensitive and delivers clear sound outputs. Its noise rejection is also excellent.
Those interested in getting a gooseneck mic can't go wrong with the Shure CVG18-B/C Gooseneck Condenser Microphone. This versatile mic delivers a wide frequency range, making it ideal for a wide range of environments. It's perfect for conference podiums, churches, and more.
Finally, the Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 takes the crown as the best ceiling microphone in the market. Despite its expensive price, this hanging microphone utilizes special patented beamforming technology to capture all sounds emanating from the room. Members are free to roam around without compromising speech quality.