Senneheiser BW 900

We have been using the new Hybrid Senneheiser BW 900 wireless microphone for the last 30 days.  Several of us have collaborated on testing this microphone and we are in agreement over the following: 

We found the BW 900 to be exceptionally good with NaturallySpeaking after adding the proprietary PC Switch/Cabling device that we use to convert the Plantronics CS55 and Plantronics CS70N microphones into speech recognition mics.  This microphone exhibits exceptionally high accuracy and noise cancellation.  From an accuracy point of view we found the BW 900 equivalent to the Hybrid Plantronics CS55 and Hybrid Plantronics CS70N (available around January 4).  The BW 900 surpasses the CS55 in noise cancellation and is equivalent CS70N which falls just below the Hybrid Samson Airline 77.   

One of our favorite aspects of the BW 900 is the auto-level control.  Auto-level control is commonly used on digital and analog recorders but we've never seen it incorporated into a microphone.  Many end users, including ourselves, tend to run the Audio Setup Wizard at a slightly lower volume level than we should because we are reading.  When free-form dictating we tend get a little excited (especially when writing reviews); not to mention occasionally frustrated, which results in raising our voice.  Raising your voice on a typical microphone will have drastic effects on NaturallySpeaking's accuracy but the BW 900s built-in auto-level control catches volume increases and decreases seemingly instantly which translates directly into higher accuracy.  The only other microphone we've tested with a similar feature is the Samson Airline 77 which can handle even more drastic volume changes but it incorporates a noise gate which is better but can take up to 2 seconds to register.  The BW 900 auto-level control can't handle extreme volume input changes but it is literally instantaneous.  When you factor in slight volume changes that go on throughout the day, we consider this invaluable. 

Additional perks include the best Bluetooth microphone we've ever used with a cell phone.  It seems like we have tested every Bluetooth cell phone microphone on the market and there have always been pairing issues and dropped connections.  We gave up on using Bluetooth cell phone microphones until the BW 900.  It's easy to pair, has no problem establishing a connection and is very easy to change the volume level on those hard to hear calls when driving our Jeep Wrangler, which is about as noisy as a dune buggy.  This microphone is also good in the wind where even a slight breeze will render most other Bluetooth microphones useless. 

The BW 900 works exceptionally well with standard landline telephones as well as cell phones and although you can add an optional hydraulic telephone handset lifter, you may not find it practical for use with dictation because every time you turn on your microphone, the lifter will pick up your telephone headset.  We like the hydraulic lifter so we just unplug it while dictating into NaturallySpeaking. 

Unfortunately not all the news is good.  The BW 900 has a 300 foot range but the included rechargeable battery only lasts about 4.5 hours and takes up to 3 hours to acquire a full charge.  Fortunately the unit is capable of simultaneously charging a 2nd battery in the base station.  If you plan on using this microphone half as much as much as we do, it would be highly advisable to purchase a 2nd inexpensive battery and even if your battery goes dead while you are on the phone, you can change it out without losing the connection.  Changing the battery couldn't be easier.  It's just slides in and out.   

The Achilles heel of the BW 900 is the headset itself.  Like other Bluetooth headsets, it basically clips to your ear with a clever hinged speaker that pinches the interior of your ear canal against the back of the headset which rests on the back of your ear.  We are not saying that it's overwhelmingly uncomfortable but because this microphone is clearly designed to handle all your cell phone and landline needs along with your speech recognition requirements, you could easily be wearing it continuously throughout the workday and in today's workplace, you could even wind up wearing it through lunch and dinner too.  The speaker includes 3 spacers and although the medium-sized spacer is the default ring, we suspect everyone will be a little more comfortable using the smallest ring which is how we will be shipping our units. 

Final Thoughts: Although the Senneheiser BW 900 isn't quite as accurate or noise canceling at the Samson Airline 77, it is far more universal in that it doubles as a wireless very accurate very noise canceling Bluetooth cellphone headset, landline headset and speech recognition microphone.  We would like to see the Bluetooth portion of the microphone work for speech recognition software but it currently doesn't fulfill this need.  That is why we will be including our pc switching device.  Senneheiser will hopefully work on this issue but in the meantime we will try to find a Bluetooth dongle to support tablet computers.  Our PC switch works fine on desktop computers and notebooks which are typically used in one place but is not well-suited for mobile professionals or tablet computers.  To help take care of our customers who need more portability, we'll be including a free KnowBrainer Hands-free microphone with every BW 900 we sell.

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1Thanks for the review and always being on the lookout for new products. More choices is always a good thing.

What I really like is that you thoroughly test everything and you give everyone your honest opininons about it, so we can make the best purchasing decisions to fit our needs.

Can't wait for the Plantronics CS70N review.

And as usual when you have time please update the KnowBrainer Microphone Comparison Matrix.

I for one find over the ear type microphones extremely comfortable. Not perfect, but pretty darn good considering I may wear it for up to 8-14 hours per day.

A long, long time ago I use to manage a call center. Plantronics really makes good stuff for the commercial telephoney market, especially the over-the ear units with the "thin clear tube style" microphone boom. I see that this Sennheiser has the same type of boom. I find these booms extremely light-weight, comfortable, and just plain sexy.

 I just Googled some pics of the BW 900 and CS70N, they don't exactly have the "thin clear tube style" but the small form factor is a plus. They do both look kinda big compared to the CS50/55. But I'm sure this is due to the necessary improvements in electronics.

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1111MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, or Mac Mini --> OS X Leopard --> VMware Fusion --> XP SP2 Home --> KnowBrainer 2007 Command Software, DNS 9.5 Preferred, Steelcase Leap Chair. Current: Revolabs xTag. Previous: KnowBrainer Hybrid Plantronics CS55.

The CS70N is definitely smaller and notably more noise canceling then the CS50 and CS55 but we don't think it's worth the price to purchase this product when you already own a CS50 or CS55 unless you need the additional noise cancellation because the accuracy is the same.

The Achilles heal of the Microphone Comparison Matrix is that it isn't easy to edit so it may take our web designer a while to get these 2 microphones into the mix but it's on his job list.

The CS70N review shouldn't be more than a day or 2 away but it's not as comprehensive as the BW 900 because in most ways, the CS70N is identical to the CS55 which is fairly well known at this point.

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Thanks for the very helpful review.  I had expected to order one as soon as I read your review but now the decision is not quite as clear cut at I hoped.  I guess I'll wait a little longer.
 


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-- Julian

Julian Nott www.NOTT.com DNS 12 Premium KnowBrainer 2012 Windows 7 16 8GB memory Ivy Bridge i7-3770K

A company that has nothing but good things to say about all the products they sell probably isn't going to be trusted for very long.  We were impressed enough by the BW 900 to add it to our website, which speaks for itself but nearly every product we sell has an Achilles heel and you have to point it out if you want to maintain a healthy level of trust.  We love this microphone but like the Samson Airline 77 and the Revolabs xTag, it's definitely not for everyone.

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1Interesting microphone. Impressive. Seems to be able to do so much, so well.  Don't know about the fit and comfort though.

Some pics and reviews I found if anyone is interested. Not about voice recognition, but still nice info and pics:

iLounge pre-review with pics  

cool pics towards very bottom of web page 

some more nice pics 

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1111MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, or Mac Mini --> OS X Leopard --> VMware Fusion --> XP SP2 Home --> KnowBrainer 2007 Command Software, DNS 9.5 Preferred, Steelcase Leap Chair. Current: Revolabs xTag. Previous: KnowBrainer Hybrid Plantronics CS55.

Lunis,

In the last para of your review of the Sennheiser BW900 you said:  

'We would like to see the Bluetooth portion of the microphone work for speech recognition software but it currently doesn't fulfill this need.  That is why we will be including our pc switching device.  Senneheiser will hopefully work on this issue but in the meantime we will try to find a Bluetooth dongle to support tablet computers.' 

I am a tablet pc user and wondered if you'd had any luck in finding such a dongle by chance? 

Thanks greatly

Guy

Unfortunately, that animal simply doesn't exist. The only microphone we can currently recommend for tablet computer use is the just released Buddy StylusMic which includes good noise cancellation, mouse buttons USB soundcard, mute button and Wacom support. Unfortunately it's not wireless but it does offer features that aren't available on the BW 900. The StylusMic might be worth a look at for now but we will keep pestering Senneheiser until they include the updated Bluetooth II drivers J

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Thanks Lunis, very much.  I'll certainly order a Buddy StylusMic and give it a go.  Have you had a chance to do any organised testing of it yet for accuracy I wonder, as to how it compares to other mic models?  Or, if not, your impression would be of great interest.

With the two Hybrids, the Senn BW900 and Plantronics CS70N, if, like me, you only want to use them for SR and don't want any linkage to (or the presence of) a cellphone, could you just confirm for the ignorant whether that's possible and if so what attachments would be needed on the pc/laptop (and does the base station unit need to be connected to the pc all the time for example?)?  Thanks.  Generally muddled on the config.  There aren't any photos/diagrams i suppose?

Guy 

Other than testing the Buddy StylusMic for accuracy and noise cancellation, we haven't compared it against other microphones but haven't been in a rush to do so because the StylusMic has no competition in its highly specialized field. But we would only recommend this microphone for tablet computer use.

Quote: With the two Hybrids, the Senn BW900 and Plantronics CS70N, if, like me, you only want to use them for SR and don't want any linkage to (or the presence of) a cellphone, could you just confirm for the ignorant whether that's possible and if so what attachments would be needed on the pc/laptop (and does the base station unit need to be connected to the pc all the time for example?)?  Thanks.  Generally muddled on the config.  There aren't any photos/diagrams i suppose?

The attachments (PC switching device) would still be necessary because neither of these microphones natively include a PC soundcard interface. As far as not using the Hybrid Senneheiser BW 900 with your cell phone is concerned, if you don't take the time to pair the BW 900 with your cell phone, there will be no link. Between the BW 900 and the Hybrid Plantronics CS70N we have a slight preference for BW 900 but that is because it doubles well as a Bluetooth cell phone headset, landline headset and computer headset. We also like the fact that it is virtually impossible to run down the batteries if you purchase an extra battery because while you run one down, you can be charging another within the base station. The disadvantage of the CS70N is that it's six-hour battery is housed inside the unit and cannot easily be changed so if you spend a lot of time on your telephone and your computer, you could conceivably run down the battery but it is a quick charge unit and in most cases, would fully charge if you take a lunch break. The CS70N also has a comfort advantage over the BW 900. Other than the pictures on our website we don't have photos of the wiring we use but both of these units are pre-wired so that all you have to do is plug in the handset of your telephone (if you wish to utilize these headsets with your landline) and connect the other to your computer soundcard (as you would any standard microphone).

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Thanks Lunis, very much indeed.  Fully noted.

Guy

This review about BW900 and CS70 helps but I am still sorting out whether to order one of these or the CS55.  I will use it only for DNS on my desktop computer and am looking for accuracy and comfort in something wireless.  I have a fairly quiet environment although not quite quiet enough for the Revolabs xTag which I tried.  What are the pros and cons about BW900, CS70, and CS55?

Denny P.

Dell Optiplex 745 SFF desktop Core 2 Duo E660; 2.4 GHz; 4M; 1066MHz FSB; 4 GB RAM; XP Pro SP2; Office 2003 Pro; DNS 9.5 Preferred; VXI BlueParrott B-1000 GTX bluetooth

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Focusing on your needs, we would rule out the Senneheiser BW 900 for comfort reasons but should point out that the Senneheiser is 1st rate in quality construction.

Comparing the CS55 to the CS70N... the CS55 is moderately noise canceling and is very comfortable because it's a traditional headset. It also has a 10 hour battery life. The CS70N is similar to the Jabra Bluetooth systems in that it is very comfortable but it still goes around your ear and inserts a gel cap into your ear canal which not everyone is comfortable with. However, we found it to be quite comfortable. The CS70N also only features a 6 hour battery life but the noise cancellation aspect and the appearance are both impressive.

Judging from what we've heard from you, we find ourselves leaning towards the Hybrid Plantronics CS55.

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Thanks Lunis, I think I will order the Hybrid CS55.  Can that be worn over the head with a microphone on the left side instead of the right side like in the picture?

 
Denny P.

Dell Optiplex 745 SFF desktop Core 2 Duo E660; 2.4 GHz; 4M; 1066MHz FSB; 4 GB RAM; XP Pro SP2; Office 2003 Pro; DNS 9.5 Preferred; VXI BlueParrott B-1000 GTX bluetooth

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The CS55 headset microphone is universal and can be worn on either side of your head.

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 Lunis, Based on what you said, I am going to order your Hybrid CS55.  Would it be better to use this with my buddy 5G external soundcard pod instead of plugging directly into my desktop computer (I do not know what kind of sound card I have)?

Denny P.

Dell Optiplex 745 SFF desktop Core 2 Duo E660; 2.4 GHz; 4M; 1066MHz FSB; 4 GB RAM; XP Pro SP2; Office 2003 Pro; DNS 9.5 Preferred; VXI BlueParrott B-1000 GTX bluetooth

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Whenever you use an integrated soundcard you're playing Russian roulette because internal soundcards often produce substandard results from a general lack of shielding but whenever you use an external USB sound card you know that the quality is as good as it can get so we recommend using your existing Buddy 5G.

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