Hi,

  I've had the Buddy 7g gooseneck usb mic for about 6 months now, but haven't been using it as much as I should because I find it frustratingly slow (green symbol just sitting there) or with errors.  I know that some of that will improve as it learns more about my speech.  It does at least work to some degree, but I don't know if it is the best that I can hope for.  I have that microphone at work with the pc there.

 

I just bought the Buddy Flamingo 90-degree USB for the laptop I have at home.  The first time I tried to set it up today, it said sound quality was acceptable but could be better.  Different angles and positionings (it was 1 inch away from corner of my mouth) didn't really help, and in fact it stopped picking it up at all and didn't work at all on other usb ports.  (Also, even when it was deemed acceptable but not ideal, when I tried to play back the sound quality check, nothing played back).  While I don't know much about them, looking at my computers' (lenovo x220) sound settings, they looked right. I realize that perhaps it is defective, and I'll try it out on my work computer also.

 

Is there something better to consider? Or do I just get the gooseneck usb mic for at home also.  I find headsets uncomfortable.

 

Thanks

We have always been impressed by the Buddy Gooseneck 7G which uses the same technology as the Buddy Desktop and the Buddy Flamingo. Note that if you receive a message stating that the sound quality isn't quite up to par, that's not necessarily anything to worry about because the Audio Check is more of a generic utility designed to accommodate headset microphones. That doesn't mean that you don't have a problem but rather that it doesn't necessarily mean that you have an issue even if you fail the Audio Check. However, listening to the playback should help. We have forgotten if the Flamingo has a full duplex USB soundcard or not but you should be able to right-click on the speaker icon in your Windows Taskbar, right-click on Playback Devices and select your computer speakers for playback. If you don't hear anything unusual in the playback, your microphone should be performing as expected.

As to your “is there something better?” question… YES. Our KnowBrainer TableMike Face-Off includes the details but the short answer is that if you can work with a TableMike, the SpeechWare 3-in-1 is the new king of the hill. The MacWorld 6-In-1 Review went public 48 hours ago but the bottom line is that their testers found the 6-in-1 to be the best. We recommend the 3-in-1 unless you need a speaker for sound playback or optional foot pedal because both microphones utilize the same technology.

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Hi,
Thanks for the info. I looked up the speechware 3-in-1 and the speechware 6-in-1 just now. I don't need the audio output or the foot petal from it, but I had questions about the other differences between the two.


It looks like the 6-in-1 has 2 spots where it can be bent for better positioning, and perhaps is longer. Are those effective changes? I also saw an older review that suggested that the 2-in-1 had a better microphone than the 3-in-1. Is that no longer the case (as I see you say the 3-in-1 and 6-in-1 have the same technology, and presumably the same hardware also?)?


Thanks

The 6-in-1 is 4 inches longer, but considering the range of the microphone, this might not be a noticeable asset. We personally prefer the 3-in-1 but you might appreciate the option of positioning your microphone over the top of your monitor as opposed to the side which is more traditional. In other words, you have a little more flexibility with the 6-in-1.

The old the review that you are referring to suggested that the 2-in-1 had a longer range than the 6-in-1 because of the dual microphone elements, but this refers to the 1st generation 6-in-1. The 3-in-1 hadn't been invented yet. The current 3-in-1 is in its 3rd generation, while the 6-in-1 is in its 2nd generation (same technology) but it's very different from the older microphones which have long been discontinued. 1 of our team members is still using a 2-in-1 microphone and loves the extended range but the technology has improved to the point where SpeechWare no longer needs dual microphone elements or batteries. The newer models are powered from the USB port on your computer, include a noise filtering USB soundcard, a unique circuit board with auto level and EQ along with numerous other amenities that simply didn't exist in the 1st generation units.

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Click KB 2012 REV D to Download a 30 Day Evaluation of KnowBrainer 2012