I've got a Jabra 9470 wireless mic that I use for the phone and DNS.  It works great when it is quiet and picks every little bit of ambient noise when it's not.  The noise canceling is either non-existent or I've got it setup incorrectly.

 

Anyone have any advise?

That really depends on your definition of “noise cancellation” in case you're experiencing a Bill Clinton flashback .

The GE Netcom’s black noise claims are more hype than substance but the microphone does a better job at noise filtering than any other telephone headset we have tested. All Sennheiser models were completely unacceptable while other Jabra models, like the 9350e, were barely acceptable. The Jabra Pro 9470 did the best job of any telephone headset microphone we tested in our KnowBrainer Telephone Microphone Face-Off but we would have to say that the noise filtering is moderate. However, is sounds like you might have a defective unit from what we can see. You may want to consider contacting Jabra Support 800-826-4656.

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I have just purchased the Jabra 9470 and tend to agree that the noise cancellation is not that great but certainly appreciably better than the Jabra GN9330 it is replacing. In the PDF brochure I have attached it states that the Jabra pro 9460 duo is intended for very noisy environments as opposed to moderately noisy for the Jabra 9470, does this mean the 9460 is in fact better at noise cancelling even though it doesn't have the "noise blackout" technology?

Lunis, I think I remember it advertised as a Flex boom on your website when in fact the 9470 is a midi not a Flex. Have you tested the 9460 duo? Just wondering whether I have made the right decision considering the 9460 is apparently suited to very noisy environments and has a flexible boom which also appears longer? It is possible for me to change so I would appreciate your input please.

jphelps2630, the unit I have is certainly good at cancelling consistent background noise such as a noisy air-conditioner but not at stopping particular background voices. Some of the background voices in my environment may not appear to be loud and but I find their tone effects this microphones ability to cancel it whereas others are loud but have no effect on it. I just wish it had a longer flexible boom that I could get closer to my mouth.

Cheers
Steve

 

Although we offer the Jabra Pro 9470 (w/KB PLUS PACK) 1.9 GHz DECT 6 + Bluetooth wireless microphone on our website, we don't currently recommend the 9460, which includes a flexable microphone boom, because we suspect that you may have difficulty getting the microphone out of your mouths wind path. Additionally, there is no mention of the Black Noise cancellation technology and we suspect it may actually be less noise canceling. We further suspect that the advertising may be unintentionally misleading. We believe they are referring to the dual speakers blocking out office noises as opposed to the microphone. You probably have the right model for speech recognition but as it so happens, we just happen to need a new wireless dual speaker telephone headset for work so we are going to go ahead and pick up a Jabra Pro 9460 duo from distribution next week.

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Lunis

Thank you for your reply. It's good to know in all likelihood I haven't made the wrong choice. I suspect you are correct with your analysis of Jabra marketing the 9460 as being suited to a noisy environment because of the dual speakers. They might also say this because the microphone being flexible can get closer to one's mouth. I look forward to hearing what you think about this particular microphone though.

The Jabra pro 9470 I have purchased may be expensive but it is a quality product, it just looks and feels solid and could only be improved with a flexible boom with slightly more length in my opinion. Overall I am very happy but I didn't have unrealistic expectations having had the Jabra GN9330.

Cheers
Steve

Steve,

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again for everyone's benefit, noise canceling is an overused marketing tool that, like Shakespeare's Hamlet says is "... full of sound and fury signifying nothing."

 

The best example of true noise canceling is your car muffler. This is referred to as Active Noise Canceling. However, only Andrea has ever used ANC and it requires a very special and applied technology to make it work effectively with microphone is used in speech recognition. Noise canceling is not a one-size-fits-all. In most cases what is referred to as noise canceling is really noise suppression or noise filtering. Simply because the manufacturer claims that their microphones or noise canceling doesn't make them good for use with speech recognition. Some noise suppression/noise filtering techniques are too aggressive. Some are not aggressive enough. And still others are applicable to different types of background noise not necessarily good for speech recognition.

 

The bottom line is that if a manufacturer claims are microphone is "noise canceling" beware of geeks bearing gifts. You may very well be buying a pig in a poke and wasting your money. Pay attention to what Lunis says regarding microphones and noise canceling relative to microphones that are best adapted for speech recognition, and never assumed that noise canceling absolutely applies to speech recognition.

 

Chuck Runquist
Technical Project Manager
VoiceTeach LLC
Home of VoicePower®: We don't make Dragon NaturallySpeaking, We make it better!

Be careful what you ask for. What you get might not be what you expect, or want. - Aesop (620 BC - 700 BC)

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