I'm currently working in an open plan office using an Andrea NC-181VM USB. It picks up a lot of noise from behind me and when the office is full I really struggle. I went to an RSI action support group a few weeks ago and they suggested "the boom" microphone. Unfortunately, the only supplier I seem to have found is the company that produces the microphone, who are in the US and haven't had great write-ups in terms of turnaround time for delivery. Additionally I'm employed by the NHS and it takes a little while to get things ordered anyway so I could do without the delay. However, if that is significantly better than the rest I would wait. I'll be happy to hear your opinions!

I own multiple models of "theBoom". When it first came out, it was my daily microphone for dictation and we still use it as our offices primary telephone headsets. However, the best microphone for recognition and noise rejection is the Airline77 which I'm using to dictate this reply in a noisy office, with music in the background, as well is another conversation going on nearby behind me. Not only is it excellent for noise canceling but also since it can be worn tightly it stays in one place. However it is expensive and is a wireless mic.

I also own Audio-Technica Pro 8HEmW microphone which is more noise rejecting than theBoom and has replaced theBoom is my travel headset. Carefully positioned, it very immune to noise. Neither the Airline77 or the Audio-Technica Pro 8HEmW are particularly comfortable out of the box and you need to fiddle with them a lot to get a comfortable fit. Once fitted, I wear them for 8+ hours a day including under theBoom if I need play back.
Phil Schaadt

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DNS12 Pro BM V Large Vocabulary plus KB or Voice Computer running Win7 64 bit machines with i7-2640M to i7-3960x and i7-3770K processors plus a Sony VAIO Windows 8 machine. DBX Audio Gate with Allen&Heath mixer/USB Audio; Andrea PureAudio USB  usually with Airline 77 or Audio-Technica but also Sennheiser MD431 II, theBoom, et. al.

We carry the entire line of boom microphones but the most popular model, theBoom "O", has been out of stock for months and will remain so through the unforeseeable future.

The NC-181VM includes a great PureAudio USB soundcard. Unfortunately, it is soldered onto a very mediocre microphone element which features very little noise cancellation.

We essentially agree with Phil Schaadt. While we believe that the Sennheiser MD 431 II Desktop Microphone (over $500) is #1 at noise filtering, it's expensive and not very practical for many environments, because you have to be within 2 inches of the microphone element. The 2nd most noise filtering microphone (which is very close to the Sennheiser MD431 II) is the Samson Airline 77 wireless microphone but note that you will additionally want to add a USB soundcard which brings the price in at about $340. If you don't need wireless connectivity and don't mind a wired headset, the Audio-Technica Pro 8HEmW microphone is a good choice at $169 (includes the price of a USB soundcard). Because we work in a quiet environment, we can get away with using the SpeechWare 3-in-1 TableMike but when our partner takes a cell phone call, from the shipping station (about 20 feet away), we have to plug the Pro 8HEmW into the microphone input 3-in-1 for the additional noise filtering.

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I agree with those above who have said that the boom O and the audio-technica headsets are great for using speech recognition in an open office environment. Accuracy and noise cancellation are definitely important in any environment.

The one thing I would like to add to the discussion is that with both the boom O and the audio-technica you are able to dictate very quietly, even in a noisy environment. I think this is important when you use speech recognition because it allows you a great deal of privacy while you are dictating and it ensures that your dictation will not bother other people. It's just my opinion but if I were looking for and microphone to use in any office environment I would definitely consider if I need to be able to dictate privately or not.

Depending on the microphone you choose certain soundcards will work better with a softer voice. If dictating softley issomething that appeals to you, you might want to consult with Lunis one on the forum to see when soundcard will work best for you. Just my two cents but I like being able to dictate without bothering anyone.

Thank you very much for your replies - that's really helpful. Dictating quietly is definitely something I want to do as I do work with mental health patients and although we have a confidentiality agreement in the office, I don't think it's really necessary for everybody to hear what I am saying! Also, it's rather anxiety provoking! The Audio-Technica Pro 8HEmW is my best option for that then? Should I stick with the USB soundcard that it comes with or is there a better one that I should buy?

I'm having trouble deciding which microphone is better for quiet dictation. It seems to me that the audio technica microphone is slightly more accurate. But I think the boom does a slightly better job with quiet dictation.

It seems to me that you do have to dictate a little bit louder with the AT microphone but I'm not really sure if it's that much louder that it would make a tremendous difference.

As far as which soundcard should be used about halfway down this thread there is a discussion of which soundcard will go best with the audio-TECHNICA microphone.

http://knowbrainer.com/forums/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=6&threadid=14220&highlight_key=y