WIRELESS HEADSET MICROPHONE FACE-OFF
1 WIRELESS HEADSET MICROPHONE FACE-OFF Samson Airline 77, Samson Stage 55, Samson Airline Micro, VXi BlueParrott Xpressway II, Revolabs xTag, Plantronics Savi 440, Andrea Electronics WNC-1500, Shure PG14PG30, Sennheiser ew152G3 Evolution & Plantronics Calisto Pro Last Update: January 31, 2015 Introduction: Attempting to select the best wireless headset microphone for speech recognition is nothing short of a daunting task because there are so many excellent choices. For obvious reasons, this review does not cover every wireless headset microphone that can be used for speech recognition but we have spent several years compiling this information from the most popular speech recognition forums like the KnowBrainer Speech Recognition Forums and working directly with numerous microphone manufacturers. The following review consists of 3 parts: (1) My personal take on the evolution of speech recognition microphones (2) The Pros and Cons of what a general consensus of many top speech recognition experts believe to be the top seven wireless headset speech recognition microphones (3) My personal assessment of what the numbers mean If you wish to skip past the brief microphone history, click Pros and Cons. If you wish to skip further ahead to my conclusions, click recommendations. Note that while only one of these microphones could achieve the 1st place overall rating, each is still an excellent choice for speech recognition. 2 Evolution of Speech Recognition Microphones When we first began using DragonDictate speech recognition software in the 1980’s it seemed to be incredibly impressive technology. Never minding the very deliberate pause after each and every word, we waited with baited breath to see another (hopefully correct) word miraculously appear on our somewhat blurry little screens. It was fun! It was frustrating! It was not very practical. Back then, the couple of wired headset microphone choices available to us were more than adequate. In 1996, NaturallySpeaking continuous speech recognition was released. With the emergence of this new technology, we had a viable tool for professional as well as personal use. That being the case, we needed microphones designed to better utilize this increasingly more sophisticated software. Microphone manufacturers responded. They designed wireless systems. They designed combination headset microphones that could additionally be used with cell phones, landlines and even hydraulic lifters which picked up our handsets for us. While noise canceling and accuracy continued to improve, ultimately many of us still were not happy with our headset microphones, finding them to be rather inconvenient and/or uncomfortable. Physicians and other professionals were often forced to don and then remove their headsets every few minutes, between patients or clients. Other end users, needing to take verbal notes while talking on the phone, put their callers on hold, which was both inefficient and impolite. While microphones such as the Philips SpeechMike Premium (LFH-3500) USB Handheld/TableMike now allow concurrent use of both a microphone and a telephone, they don’t solve all problems for all end users. Some of us simply need to cut the cord. Fortunately, microphone manufacturers have also been busily designing high quality wireless microphones. A wireless headset microphone just might be your best option if: You You You You don’t like to be tethered to your computer are tired of the wheels of your chair severing your headset cable need to keep both hands free are tired of pushing the microphone cable out of your way 3 Pros & Cons Sennheiser ew152G3 MSRP: $650 Accuracy: 100% Range 300 ft Noise Cancellation: 9 out of 10 Overall Rating: 9 out of 10 Sennheiser ew152G3 Pros: 8 Hrs with 2 AA batteries UHF frequency Dual diversity antennas Multi-channels to prevent interference from other units Mute button 1 year manufacturer warranty Sennheiser ew152G3 Cons: Expensive Requires wearing a separate wired belt pack Not ideally portable because of requiring an AC outlet Shure PG14/PG30 MSRP: $349 Accuracy: 100% Range 250 ft Noise Cancellation: 9 out of 10 Overall Rating: 9 out of 10 Shure PG14/PG30 Pros: 8 Hrs with 2 AA batteries UHF frequency Mute Button 1 year manufacturer warranty 4 Shure PG14/PG30 Cons: Consumer Grade Construction Quality 250 foot range as opposed to 300 foot range of other units Not ideally portable because of requiring an AC outlet Requires wearing a separate wired belt pack Samson Airline 77 MSRP: $300 Accuracy: 100% Range 300 ft Noise Cancellation: 10 out of 10 Overall Rating: 10 out of 10 Samson Airline 77 Pros: 14 Hrs with 1 AAA battery Rugged Built-In Compressor UHF frequency Dual diversity antennas Beltpackless (as in no headset cord) Rated #1 in Noise Canceling Rated #1 in Accuracy Samson Airline 77 Cons: Heavier headset then other units (to accommodate the micro transmitter) Not ideally portable because of requiring an AC outlet Stage 55 MSRP: $130 Accuracy: 97% Noise Cancellation: 7 out of 10 Overall Rating: 7 out of 10 5 Stage 55 Pros: Inexpensive Dual diversity antennas Can turn any existing analog headset into a wireless microphone The included headset is almost invisible 1 year manufacturer warranty Stage 55 Cons: Rubber band on headset can be uncomfortable and is slightly outdated Turning on/off the microphone requires an additional step of opening a hinged door Higher traffic VHF frequency Requires outdated 9 volt battery Not ideally portable because of requiring an AC outlet Not as noise canceling or accurate as other microphones Requires wearing a separate wired belt pack Samson Airline Micro MSRP: $250 Accuracy: 97% Noise Cancellation: 8 out of 10 Overall Rating: 8 out of 10 Samson Airline Micro Pros: Small footprint UHF frequency Doesn’t require AC power Built-in rechargeable batteries for the base station and headset Batteries can optionally be charged from a USB port Comfortable Samson Airline Micro Cons: Only $50 lower-priced than it’s big brother, the Airline 77 which is substantially more accurate and noise filtering 6 VXi BlueParrott Xpressway II MSRP: $120 Accuracy: 97% Noise Cancellation: 8 out of 10 Overall Rating: 7 out of 10 VXi BlueParrott Xpressway II Pros: Best bluetooth microphone we have tested Wideband bluetooth Doesn’t require AC power Includes 3 wearing styles Light weight Doesn’t require separate soundcard on Bluetooth enabled computers Inexpensive Bluetooth also works well on cell phones 1 year manufacturer warranty VXi BlueParrott Xpressway II Cons: Can be difficult to sync No USB bluetooth computer adapter Plantronics Calisto-Pro MSRP: $120 Accuracy: 95% Noise Cancellation: 6 out of 10 Overall Rating: 6 out of 10 Plantronics Calisto-Pro Pros: Wideband bluetooth Light weight Doesn’t require AC power Easy to sync with included USB Bluetooth adapter Inexpensive 1 year manufacturer warranty 7 Plantronics Calisto-Pro Cons: Didn’t meet our minimum speech recognition accuracy requirements Minimal noise filtering Revolabs xTag MSRP: $249 Accuracy: 95% Noise Cancellation: 5 out of 10 Overall Rating: 8 out of 10 Revolabs xTag Pros: Very light and comfortable Easy to put on and take off Doesn’t require AC power 1 year manufacturer warranty Revolabs xTag Cons: Virtually no noise cancellation Suffers from minor dropouts Barely met our minimum speech recognition accuracy requirements Plantronics Savi 440 MSRP: $249 Accuracy: 97% Noise Cancellation: 6 out of 10 Overall Rating: 8 out of 10 8 Plantronics Savi 440 Pros: Includes 3 wearing styles Light weight Includes wireless USB Detect 6 soundcard 300 ft Range Easy to sync with included USB Bluetooth adapter Inexpensive Doesn’t require AC power 1 year manufacturer warranty Plantronics Savi 440 Cons: Detect 6 USB wireless soundcard is 3 times larger than competition Minimal noise filtering Andrea Electronics WNC-1500 MSRP: $100 Accuracy: 98% Noise Cancellation: 7 out of 10 Overall Rating: 8 out of 10 Andrea Electronics WNC-1500 Pros: Least Expensive Includes low profile wireless USB High fidelity stereo speakers 60 ft Range Doesn’t require AC power 1 year manufacturer warranty Andrea Electronics WNC-1500 Cons: Consumer grade construction Stereo speakers can be somewhat uncomfortable after a period of time 9 Conclusions Wireless Nady, Sennheiser, Shure and Samson UHF and VHF vocalist microphones have been around since the late 90s. While these microphones were designed exclusively for entertainers, many of them worked better for speech recognition then there wired speech recognition specific counterparts; especially in the 90s. Beginning in the late 90s, telephone headset microphone companies such as GN Netcom and Plantronics started turning out decent wireless microphones that also rivaled dedicated wired speech recognition headsets but these microphones were primarily designed for 1.9 GHz, 2.4 GHz and DECT 6 telephone use. Eventually, speech recognition specific wireless microphones are created like the Blueparrott Xpressway II and the WNC-1500 but even today’s speech recognition specific wireless microphones fall short of being as accurate or as noise filtering as Sennheiser, Shure and Samson vocalist microphones. Unfortunately, with the exception of the Samson Airline 77, all other UHF and VHF wireless vocalist headsets include a wire that runs from the headset to a belt pack transmitter which is not popular with speech recognition endusers. Because Samson owns a patent on UHF belt packless transmitters, they have a competitive edge. 1st Place ~ Samson Airline 77 (Click to See) Note: This microphone works best USB external soundcard. This contest wasn’t hard to call. Besides being the only UHF system that requires 1 AAA battery that runs longer than similar wireless systems requiring 2 AA batteries, the Airline 77 includes a micro headset transmitter making it the only completely truly wireless system in the UHF group. All other UHF systems include a corded headset which runs to a belt pack transmitter. The Samson Airline 77 also came in 1st place for both noise filtering and accuracy. The Airline 77 additionally includes a built-in compressor which acts as a professional auto gain control meaning that if you speak softer or louder, it will level out the volume of your voice which makes it ideally suited for speech recognition. Note that although Samson Airline 77 is MAP priced, the units that are sold in music stores are not fully adapted for speech recognition. For this reason, like most speech recognition microphones, it is best to purchase the Airline 77 from a qualified speech recognition solutions provider. It should be 10 additionally noted that because the Airline 77 requires a base station that needs to be plugged into an AC outlet, it should be considered better suited to a workstation environment as opposed to a mobile situation. Additional manufacturer information available at www.Samsontech.com/ 2nd Place ~ Andrea Electronics WNC-1500 (Click to See) The WNC-1500 is a consumer grade headset that produces remarkable accuracy. One of the reasons for its high accuracy is that this is the only consumer microphone with built-in auto gain control. The accuracy stays the same from .5 inches to around 6 inches which means that the microphone can optionally be worn around your neck. The only other microphone with auto gain control is the Airline 77. The WNC-1500 is not only less than $100 but even includes a wireless USB soundcard. The WNC-1500 additionally includes high fidelity stereo speakers but because it is consumer quality, the speakers can sweat your ears after a few minutes. One of the most remarkable features about this this headset, is that it doesn’t require an AC outlet. Because this is a consumer unit, you cannot change out the battery as you can with the Airline 77 but it can be charged (and even used while charging) from a USB port. This unit would be recommended for those on a budget or someone who simply needs a portable wireless solution. Additional manufacturer information available at http://www.andreaelectonics.com/ 3rd Place ~ Samson Airline Micro (Click to See) Note: This microphone works best USB external soundcard. The Samson Airline Micro is the baby brother to the Airline 77 (1st Place winner). The Airline Micro doesn’t include a compressor, isn’t quite as accurate or quite as noise filtering as the Airline 77 but it’s more comfortable to wear and very mobile because it doesn’t require an AC outlet. The Airline Micro includes a portable base station and a wireless ear worn headset which both include a rechargeable battery which can be charged off from the included AC adapter or USB port. Additional manufacturer information available at www.Samsontech.com/ 4th Place ~ Plantronics Savi 440 (Click to See) The entire Plantronics Savi line microphones look like Bluetooth microphones but are not. From a speech recognition perspective, they are considerably 11 better because there are no syncing issues, they are not limited to a 30 foot range and they are DECT 6 which means you don’t have to set up a special Dragon Bluetooth user profile. The included USB wireless receiver is about 3 times larger than a traditional flash drive but this is a good microphone choice for end-users on the go. The reason why we rated the SAPI 4 in 4th place., instead of 3rd place is because it’s more consumer grade quality and features very little noise filtering. While this microphone is exceptionally mobile and low-profile, it only works well in a relatively quiet environment. Additional manufacturer information available at www.plantronics.com/ 5th Place ~ Revolabs xTag (Click to See) The xTag has the distinction of being the only non-headset microphone in the group. The 3 advantages of the xTag is that it is a lapel microphone, completely portable and includes its own USB soundcard (the charging base). The disadvantage is that it has almost no noise filtering and only works well in a quiet environment. Additional manufacturer information available at www.revolabs.com/ 6th Place ~ VXi Blueparrott Xpressway II (Click to See) We found the VXi Blueparrott Xpressway II to be the best wideband Bluetooth microphone we’ve ever tested. Unfortunately, like other Bluetooth microphones, it is plagued with syncing issues, requires making a unique NaturallySpeaking Bluetooth profile and has lower than optimal accuracy. The major selling points on a Bluetooth microphone is low-profile, doesn’t require a USB dongle and doubles as a wireless headset for your cell phone. Additional manufacturer information available at http://www.vxicorp.com/ 7th Place ~ Samson Stage 55 (Click to See) Note: This microphone works best USB external soundcard. The Samson Stage 55 is an affordable consumer grade microphone with some professional features, like the Airline 77, such as dual diversity but transmits on the less interference free VHF band. Perhaps the biggest advantage of the Stage 55 is that it includes the unique capability of turning any analog microphone into a wireless microphone because of the 3.5 mm (1/8 inch) input jack on the belt pack transmitter. This allows the end user 12 to turn an existing headset microphone, such as an Audio-Technica Pro 8HEmW, into a professional wireless system at little cost. The Stage 55 also includes a decent Samson SE10 low profile microphone which costs almost as much as the entire Stage 55 by itself. The disadvantages of the Stage 55 is that it utilizes a belt pack transmitter and you have to swing open a hinged door before you can toggle the microphone on and off. Additional manufacturer information available at www.Samsontech.com/ Honorable Mention: We found the Shure PG14PG30 and Sennheiser ew152G3 Evolution microphones to be of outstanding quality but did not include them in our top 7 because they are essentially too similar to the Samson Airline 77 and they both include a belt pack which we consider to be unacceptable for speech recognition. While both units were very accurate and very noise filtering, they were not quite as accurate, as noise filtering or featured as long a battery life as the Airline 77. Unacceptable: We only included the Plantronics Calisto Pro because it is manufacturer recommended. Unfortunately, it wasn’t good enough to meet our minimum speech recognition recommendations and was therefore not included in our Microphone Comparison Matrix. Note that we recommend against the use of any Bluetooth microphones unless it is your last option. 13 Previous Reviews: If you would like to see some of our previous reviews check out the following: KnowBrainer KnowBrainer KnowBrainer KnowBrainer KnowBrainer KnowBrainer KnowBrainer TableMike Face-Off Handheld Microphone Face-Off Headset Microphone Face-Off Telephone Microphone Face-Off Digital Recorder Face-Off Wireless Headset Face-Off USB Soundcard Face-Off Current Gold Standards: The following is a list of microphones, USB soundcards and digital recorders that we consider to be #1 in their respected categories: Best Wireless Microphone = Samson Airline 77 Best Combo Telephone Wireless Microphone = Sennheiser SD Pro1 Best Handheld USB Microphone = Philips SpeechMike Premium (LFH-3500) Best USB TableMike = SpeechWare 3-in-1, 6-in-1 & 9-in-1 Best Wired Headset Microphone = FlexyMike DEC Best USB soundcard = SpeechWare MultiAdapter Best Bluetooth Microphone = VXi VoxStar UC Best Digital Recorder = Philips DPM-8000 Best Speech Recognition Application = Dragon 13 Lunis Orcutt - Developer of KnowBrainer 2015 and founder of KnowBrainer Speech Recognition Forums (the world's largest speech recognition forum) Chat Live w/a Nuance Gold Certified Speech Recognition Solutions Provider ©KnowBrainer 1996-2015
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