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Virtually all of the commonly used microphones employed with personal computers are termed electret microphones and operate by using a permanently electrically charged material which alters its voltage when deflected by sound waves. Generally such microphones include a very small "pre-amplifier" to boost this signal and which requires application of a small external voltage. The alteration of voltage caused by sound waves (an analog type signal) travels into your PC sound card or external sound card and is converted into a digital signal which is interpreted by your PC software. There are, in addition, a variety of microphone types based on the outward design of the microphone:

• Wired headset microphones:
• Wireless microphones
• Handheld microphones

Wired headset microphones: These are the most commonly used microphone with a PC and are made by a variety of manufacturers and range significantly in quality and price. On the low end are some inexpensive microphones made by Andrea, VXI, plantronics, and other. On the high end are some notably better microphones made by these same manufacturers, as well as by Sennheiser and UmeVoice.

Wireless microphones: Wireless microphones offer greater convenience, but sometimes at the cost of affordability. Current options for wireless microphone use include:

• Using a standard wired microphone with a separate wireless transmitter
• Microphones designed with necessary wireless technology included, using either 900 MHz wireless technology or Bluetooth technology

Wireless microphones are made by several manufacturers. Our favorites are the Sennheiser BW900, Plantronics CS50-USB and CS55, which are lightweight, comfortable, hold a charge for nearly 8-10 hours, and are highly accurate. You won't be surprised, though, to learn that these are expensive microphones! The CS50-USB microphone employs a digital 900 MHz wireless technology and is ideal if you also want to use it with VoIP technology. The CS55 operates on a 1.9 GHz frequency and has a slightly greater range. The BW900 is also designed for use with both a telephone and other applications.

Bluetooth Microphones: The primary maker of this subcategory of wireless microphone, and intended primarily for speech recognition use, is VXI Corporation and their "BlueParrott" series. These microphones employ Bluetooth technology and while this tends not to allow the breadth of signal used by corded microphones, current VXI Bluetooth microphones, including their "gentex" elements, are quite accurate. A newcomer to this type of microphone is Sennheiser, who makes a highly accurate bluetooth microphone when used with speech recognition software - the BW900 (see below).

Handheld microphones: the most commonly employed handheld microphone is the Philips "Speechmike" which in addition to having a microphone and small speaker, comes with programmable buttons and an optical trackball mouse. This is a highly convenient microphone, especially for those going back and forth to the microphone and finding the headset microphone inconvenient in this regard. The one important deficiency of this microphone at this time is that it does not reach the level of accuracy and noise cancellation shown by other microphones.

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Rating Microphones: Comparing microphones is a difficult task as objective criteria for such comparisons are difficult if not impossible to develop. Further complicating matters is the likely variability of microphones based on dictation environment, user voice qualities, dictation style, and computer. What we have used to develop our rating for each microphone is admittedly somewhat subjective and is based on a series of factors, including: our own experience in using these microphones* feedback from customers comments and evaluations posted on on-line forums ratings provided by other microphone dealers** We will provide relative rating of microphones using a scale of 1-5, shown visually as follows: Fair Excellent *Our true "proving ground" for the quality of a microphone is our experience on a busy and noisy hospital ward. In significantly quieter environments the differences between microphones can be expected to be somewhat less. **Specifically, we have taken into account recommendations provided on-line by knowbrainer and emicrophones

For those new to speech recognition software, particularly the user planning to dabble with this technology but not necessarily use it regularly or in association with his/her occupation, any of the inexpensive entry level microphones should be fine. The difference in accuracy between these "low end" mic's and more expensive microphone is not huge and for the cost savings, these are very effective. And after all, should you decide to upgrade, you have not made a huge investment in that first microphone. Inexpensive microphones that we recommend and carry are shown below.

Comparison of entry level speech recognition microphones:

Microphone	Price	Accuracy	Noise Cancellation	Durability	Warranty	Overall Rating
Andrea NC 91	$ 21.95				1 year
VXI TalkPro Express	$ 42.00				2-Year
VXI TalkPro	$ 46.00				2-Year

Andrea NC91 Microphone: This is a solid entry level microphone and is often the microphone included with Dragon NaturallySpeaking. It included a speaker for only one ear and has standard 3.5 mm audio plugs for attachment to your PC or a USB sound adapter. This microphone will give solid performance with typical accuracy levels in the mid 90% range with experienced users (users who enunciate clearly). It does not have any specific qualifications in terms of external noise rejection, so the performance of this microphone will worsen in a loud environment.This is a solid microphone and in the 16+ months we've been selling microphones we have sold close to a hundred of these and not had a single complaint or return. This is a solid performing microphone at a reasonable cost.

Overall Rating:
Warranty: 1 Year
Cost: $ 21.95

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VXI TalkPro Express

This is another entry level microphone, like the NC 91, which provides very similar results. Like the Andrea NC91, this microphone will give solid performance with typical accuracy levels in the mid 90% range with experienced users (users who enunciate clearly). It does not have any specific qualifications in terms of external noise rejection, so the performance of this microphone will worsen in a loud environment. This microphone has a speaker for only one ear, has standard 3.5 audio jacks (no included USB adapter or translator), and is solidly built and durable. Although more costly than the Andrea NC91, this microphone has twice the warranty

Overall Rating:
Warranty: 2 years
Cost: $ 42.00

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VXI TalkPro

From a distance, this appears identical to the TalkPro Express. The difference is the presence of VXI's "translator". The "Translator" assures a more consistent performance of the microphone in a variety of PC and sound card environments. To learn more about the translator visit the VXI's Microphone Enhancement for Speech Recognition. This is not the same as a USB sound adapter, but does improve performance. This is a solidly performing microphone, although like the others in this "entry level" category does not show the level of accuracy and noise cancellation as microphones in the higher level categories.

Overall Rating:
Warranty: 2 years
Cost: $ 46.00

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If you plan to use your speech recognition software with some regularity, but aren't depending upon it at work or as you write your novel, you will likely appreciate the increase in accuracy seen with the following relatively inexpensive and higher quality microphones.

Comparison of Mid-Level Headset Microphones:

Microphone	Price	Accuracy	Noise Cancellation	Durability	Warranty	Overall Rating
Andrea ANC-700	$ 46.95				1 year
Andrea ANC-750	$ 55.95				1-Year
VXI TalkPro USB-100	$ 83.95				2-year
VXI TalkPro USB-200	$ 85.95				2-year
Radio Shack Sennheiser Knock Off	$ 39.95				90-days

The Andrea ANC 700 and 750 microphones are identical except that the ANC-700 is a monaural headset (speaker on just one ear) and the ANC-750 is binaural (speaker for each ear). Both employ an "active noise canceling" process to reduce the influence of ambient noise. As Andrea Electronics puts it "At the heart of the Andrea ANC technology is a pair of matched omni-directional microphone elements positioned to optimize noise cancellation and capitalize upon their directional frequency independent characteristics." Neither include a USB sound adapter. It is important to know that when used with Dragon NaturallySpeaking the signal:noise ratio may be slightly less with these microphones but this is a byproduct of the noise canceling process and is not an indication of reduced performance. To read more about the noise canceling process employed by these Andrea microphones, read Andrea Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) Microphone Technology, a white paper provided by Andrea Electronics. We consider these to be strong performing microphones and very reasonably priced. Added performance may be realized when utilizing them in conjunction with an andrea USB sound adapter rather than your PC's internal sound card.

Overall Rating:
Warranty: 1 year
Cost: ANC-700: $ 46.95 ANC-750: $ 55.95

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The VXI TalkPro USB-100 and TalkPro USB-200 are identical headsets with the exception of the -100 being a monaural headset and the -200 being a binaural headset. Both use the high quality Gentex microphone element. In addition, both include a USB sound adapter so these microphones attach to your PC via the USB port and neither depend upon your PC's internal sound card. It is the presence of this built in USB sound adapter that explains the increased cost of the VXI USB microphones compared with the Andrea microphones. By virtue of the conversion of the analog to digital signal being accomplished outside of your PC, this has the potential advantage of leaving you less susceptible to electrical interference which might affect this process if done by your PC's internal sound card - something that might be an issue in user's of laptops. Overall, we have noticed far less compatibility issue with the VXI TalkPro USB microphones compared with the Andrea ANC mics.

Overall Rating:
Warranty: 2-years
Cost: TalkPro USB 100: $ 83.95 TalkPro USB 200: $ 85.95

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The Radio Shack "Sennheiser Knock Off" microphone is a somewhat difficult microphone to categorize. The term "Sennheiser Knock Off" is not the Radio Shack term for the microphone, but rather a term coined within the speech recognition community because of its outward similarity to the Sennheiser ME3. This microphone has headband system virtually identical to the Sennheiser ME3 and like the ME3 does not include speakers. While it uses a different microphone element than its namesake, it enjoys surprising good accuracy and noise canceling abilities, almost, but not quite at the level of the considerably more expensive Sennheiser microphone. In our opinion, this microphone is clearly a step above the Andrea and VXI microphones in this category in terms of performance. So what's the problem with this microphone? Here are the issues:

• The microphone boom (the flexible rod extending from the headband to which the foam covered microphone element is attached), is a bit long and not as simple to keep positioned as the Sennheiser microphone.
• The foam cover on the microphone element attaches a bit less securely.

On the positive side, this microphone comes with a long cord and is wired ready for use with a PC and does not need to be used in conjunction with a USB sound adapter (a good idea nonetheless but a necessity with the Sennheiser ME3).

Our take on this microphone? For $39 bucks it's a steal. But if you need the performance, you're better off buy the "real thing" - the Sennheiser ME3.

Special Note: Radio shack has changed their source for this microphone. Although it still carries the same product number, it is a different microphone and does not include the high quality element the previous version carried. The version carried at this site and at Knowbrainer.com is the standard, high quality microphone. Be careful about obtaining this microphone from Radio Shack.

Overall rating:
Warranty: 90 days
Cost: $ 39.95

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For those that truly depend on speech recognition software and who have the need to absolutely minimize the presence of recognition errors, there are several microphones that we believe to be truly superior for use with speech recognition software. The difference in accuracy and sound cancellation among the microphones in this category is minimal.

Comparison of High Quality Wired Speech Recognition Headset Microphones:

Microphone	Price	Accuracy	Noise Cancellation	Durability	Warranty	Overall Rating
Sennheiser ME3 Combo*	$ 178.00				2-year
theBoom V4	$ 149.95				1-Year
theBoom "O"	$ 105.00				1-year
theBoom "C"	$ 146.00				1-year
theBoom Quiet	$ 275.00				1-year
Radio Shack Sennheiser Knock Off**	$ 39.95				90-days

*Sennheiser ME3 Price shown is for combination package including Sennheiser ME microphone, 6" or 72" plug adapter, Andrea USB Sound Adapter, and Nylon Drawstring carrying bag.

**The Radio Shack "Sennheiser Knock Off" is included in this comparison table since it is very close in quality to the microphones in this category.

Sennheiser ME3: The Sennheiser ME3 is our personal favorite although we often switch to the Plantronics CS50-USB or CS55 for the freedom from wires. The Sennheiser ME3 is manufactured in Germany and is made for use with their "Evolution Wireless" transmitter and primarily for stage entertainers. Because it is not made for use with PCs, it has a non-standard wiring arrangement and non-standard audio plug. We sell a specially manufactured ME3 which is made with a standard audio plug which is compatible with the USB sound adapters and plugs into standard PC microphone jacks, although it is not compatible with all sound cards. We recommend using the Sennheiser ME3 with either the Andrea USB sound adapter (our first choice) or the Buddy 6G adapter. The Sennheiser ME3 can be used with other sound adapters (Buddy 5G and VXI Two-way adapter) only when used in conjunction with an Andrea P-100 power plug adapter. Attending to the plug issues and when used with an appropriate sound adapter, this is a superb microphone which is truly the leader of the pack in terms of accuracy and ability to ignore extraneous noises.

One thing to keep in mind regarding the Sennheiser ME3 is that it does not include any speakers - it is purely a head-mounted microphone.

The Sennheiser ME3 is highly durable and has been kicking around the back of the author's backpack for nearly two years now and is still going strong! It comes with a 2-year warranty from Sennheiser.

Overall Rating:
Warranty: 2-year
Cost: $ 178.00

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TheBoom "O": this is a headset microphone made by UmeVoice. It is light, comfortable and enjoys accuracy and noise canceling qualities extremely similar to the Sennheiser ME3. Because it is designed for use with standard devices, there is not the requirement for use with a sound adapter, although this might be a good idea if you have uncertainties about the quality and shielding of you on-board sound card. We recommend this and other microphones by UmeVoice with any sound adapter except the Buddy 5G and Buddy 6G. In other words if you want to use this with an external sound adapter, we recommend you purchase the Andrea USB adapter or VXI 2-way adapter.

Overall Rating:
Warranty: 1-year
Cost: $ 105.00

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TheBoom "C": This new headset microphone is almost identical to the "O" but includes a speaker for each ear. It offers very high accuracy and noise cancellation. Unlike the other UmeVoice microphones, this particular microphone is compatible with the Buddy 5G and 6G USB adapters, although for those wishing to use it with a USB adapter we have the most confidence in the VXI 2-way adapter for use with UmeVoice microphones in general.

We find this microphone headband to be sized somewhat on the small size, so if you have a large head, you might find it too tight. For individuals with small or medium sized heads this should not be an issue.

Overall Rating:
Warranty: 1-year
Cost: $ 146.00

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TheBoom V4: this microphone uses the same accurate and noise canceling microphone element as the "O" model, but is ear-mounted. It is extremely lightweight and comfortable. Please see the note about compatibility with sound adapters described with the "O". We recommend the use of a VXI 2-way USB adapter and not the Andrea or Buddy adapters with this microphone.

Overall Rating:
Warranty: 1-year
Cost: $ 149.95

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TheBoom Quiet: This is a unique microphone is this category. It is a significantly larger and more expensive microphone that is useful in two ways. First, it employs very comfortable binaural speakers which include an active noise cancellation system, so it is particularly well suited for listening to music. Second, it includes a microphone boom which is essentially identical to the boom used in the V4 and "O", so it doubles for an excellent speech recognition microphone. In addition, this is a beautifully packaged headset microphone that comes with both a hard and soft case. That it has a relatively hefty price tag should not be surprising!

Note: Unfortunately this microphone is no longer being manufactured and UmeVoice is no longer shipping it. They tell us that a replacement is being designed and will likely be available sometime in late 2008.

Overall Rating:
Warranty: 1-year
Cost: $ 275.00

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There are currently two handheld microphone suitable for use with speech recognition software. They both provide the convenience of being hand-held and having programmable buttons.

Microphone	Price	Accuracy	Noise Cancellation	Durability	Warranty	Overall Rating
Dictaphone PowerMic II	$ 489.00
Philips SpeechMike	$ 279.00

Nuance/Dictaphone PowerMic II: This is an extremely high quality handheld microphone manufactured by Dictaphone and now owned by Nuance, the maker of Dragon NaturallySpeaking. This is considerably more expensive than it's rival microphone made by Philips (see below). Is it worth the extra cost? Here are three reasons to think it might be:

1. It appears to be more accurate than the Speechmike
2. It is notably more noise canceling than the SpeechMike
3. It is specifically designed for integrated use with NaturallySpeaking and this integration and added functionality is expected to increase with future versions of NaturallySpeaking.

The downside? At this point there is virtually no ability to program complex scripts and assigned them to keys, as is the case with the Philips microphone.

Overall Rating:
Warranty:
Cost: $ 489.00

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Philips SpeechMike: A special category of the advanced user might be those that require the convenience of a hand held microphone. In this category the Philips SpeechMike is the only true alternative. This is an excellent microphone but unfortunately does not enjoy the accuracy or noise canceling abilities of the other microphones in this category. In these regards we consider it more in the category of the "mid-level" user type of microphone, but at a huge price. In a quiet environment, however, this mic works quite well. We rate this microphone highly in terms of convenience, but downgrade our overall rating due to the lack of good noise canceling quality.

Overall Rating:
Warranty:
Cost: $ 279.00

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Although all of the wireless microphones are high-performing and are discussed in the section above on microphones for the advanced user, we separately review them here to provide further comparative information for those contemplating purchase of a wireless microphone.

	Price	Performance		Comfort	Stability	Talk Time	Range	Warranty
		Accuracy	Noise Cancellation
Airline 77	$ 329.99					14 hr		2-years
Jabra 9350	$ 250.00					9 hr	300 ft	1-year
Plantronics CS70N	$ 295.00					6 hr	300 ft	1-year
Plantronics CS50-USB	$ 239.95					8 hr	200 ft	1-year
Plantronics CS55 with rocker switch	$ 269.00					10 hr	300 ft	1-year
Plantronics CS55H	$ 255.00					10 hr	300 ft	1-year
Revolabs Xtag	$ 249.00					8 hr	60 ft	90-days
Sennheiser BW900	$ 285.00					4.5 hr talk 70 hr standby	300 ft	2-year
VXI B150- GTX	$ 145.95					6 hr talk 100 hr standby	33 ft	2-year
VXI B1000-GTX	$ 228.99					6 hr talk 100 hr standby	75 ft	2-year

Comfort: This parameter is obviously extremely subjective and variable from user to user. In general we weight headsets with typical over-the-head mounting arrangements a bit higher than ear mounting (BW900) given that most users are accustomed to the feel of a typical over-the-head arrangement.

Stability: This refers to the tendency of this microphone to remain in place in reference to the user's mouth during movement of head and potentially when assuming a supine (laying on back) position

Price: Prices represent current prices for the microphone, with basic additional hardware if required (both the Plantronics CS55 and Sennheiser BW900 require the GN Netcom rocker switch in order to work with a PC and prices include this). With the exception of the VXI and Revolabs mics, all of these microphones work best when used with an external USB sound adapter. The cost of this is not included in the prices listed above.

Sennheiser BW900

This is one of the most exciting products to have been introduced in years. It is an ear-mounted wireless bluetooth microphone which includes a highly accurate and noise canceling microphone. It communicates via bluetooth with your PC, with a base station which can connect either to your telephone or PC (the pc connection requires an extra cable) and is also capable of connecting to your bluetooth equipped cell phone. Unlike most ear-mounted bluetooth microphones, the BW 900 has a full length boom and places it's noise canceling microphone adjacent to your mouth.

Unique to this unit is the following:

• Bluetooth wireless connection
• Extremely accurate, noise canceling microphone
• Capability of pairing directly with base unit, bluetooth equipped PC*, and bluetooth cell phones
• Hot swappable battery

If it isn't enough that this microphone is lightweight, comfortable and includes lots of unique features, it is among the most accurate headset microphones we have tested and is every bit the match for it's wired Sennheiser rival - the ME3. We were absolutely astounded by the results we got using this microphone with Dragon NaturallySpeaking.

*The current firmware included with this device leaves it unable to reliably link to a bluetooth equipped computer using current vintage bluetooth drivers. It can connect if you install older bluetooth drivers, but we do not recommend this. Sennheiser is expected to have updated firmware in the near future, but in the mean time we recommend using this with your pc only with a wired connection between the base and your pc. This can be done in a number of ways and we provide detailed instructions and several packages based on your needs.

Overall Rating:
Warranty: 2-year
Cost (with SeleCT Switch for PC & phone use): $ 315.00

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Jabra 9350

This is the latest addition to our wireless microphone offering and is a unique microphone in many ways: First, it is the only microphone specifically designed for both telephone and general computer use, without the need of additional cables and switching devices. Second, it provides for 3 different mounting methods, including a traditional headband, a neckband, and ear mounting method. Further, it is extremely lightweight and comfortable.

How does it perform? We are extremely impressed with the accuracy of this microphone. It appears to be every bit as accurate as our best performing wireless microphones. If it has a weakness it is a noise canceling ability which is slightly less than the BW900 and Plantronics CS70N. Does this mean it has terrible noise canceling properties? Absolutely not! We have found this microphone works absolutely fine with a radio or television playing softly in the background, so in ordinary noise situations it works well. We wouldn't recommend it for use in a loud office situation.

Features:

• Talk time: 9 hours
• Standby time: 120 hours
• Weight: 0.92 oz
• Range: 300 ft.
• Future-proof investment: single headset for traditional and PC phone calls
• DSP and IntelliTone™ for superb sound quality and greater hearing protection
• Noise-canceling microphone for reduced background noise
• LCD display for easy set-up of personal sound preferences
• Lightweight design and three wearing styles: headband, earhook and neckband
• Multi-unit conferencing capability

Overall Rating:
Warranty: 1 year
Cost: $ 250.00

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Revolabs Xtag: This unique device is revolutionizing the way we use microphones. It is a wireless microphone which communicates with a small base station which connects with and draws it's power from your PC or Mac computer using an available USB port. The microphone itself measures only 2.5 inches x 0.9 inch and weighs only 0.05 lb (less than one once). It has a range of 20 meters, and uses a rechargeable lithium polymer battery with an 8 hour talk time. The big advantage of this microphone is extreme comfort - you will forget you are wearing it - and a surprising high level of accuracy. The only disadvantage (other than price!) is the relative lack of noise cancellation resulting from its positioning relatively distant from your mouth. This is an outstanding microphone to use in a quiet environment but will provide disappointing results in settings with anything other than mild background noise.

Overall rating:
Warranty: 90 days
Cost: $ 249.00

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Samson Airline 77 Wireless Microphone: This is a unique and highly accurate wireless microphone that provides the best accuracy in the wireless category. It does not include speakers and the transmitter sits on the back of the microphone, essentially near the base of your skull. This includes a good sized transmitter which, in turn, is connected to your PC with a supplied cable. The advantage of this microphone is the freedom from wires and the high accuracy. The disadvantages include 1) It requires daily replacement (or recharging) of the AAA battery in the head-worn transmitter and 2) it is a bit rigid and not the most comfortable microphone we have tried.

Overall rating:
Warranty: 2 years
Cost (with needed cable for PC): 329.99

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Plantronics CS50-USB: This is a comfortable, ear-mounted, wireless microphone which communicates with a base unit which, in turn, is attached to your computer via an available USB port. Although we were skeptical that this microphone would perform so well, it is truly outstanding in both noise cancellation and overall accuracy. The main advantage of this microphone over its rival, the Sennheiser ME3, is the freedom of the wireless connection. It has a 200 ft range and the battery lasts a full 8 hours. The disadvantage, if any, is that it attaches to the ear and based on your ear shape, it may or may not be comfortable. It includes a variety of different ear-pieces and the option of using it as a typical over-the-head headset microphone (follow some of the links below to see options). The battery in the mic unit charges when in the base unit which in turn receives it power either via the USB connection or the supplied AC adapter. Overall, we find this to be an extremely good, albeit pricey, microphone.

Overall rating:
Warranty: 1-year
Cost: $ 239.95

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Plantronics CS55: This is another extraordinary microphone for speech recognition and in this case, masquerading as a microphone to use with your telephone. It is, in fact, designed for use with your telephone, but it turns out to have a number of features that make it perfect with speech recognition software. There's one catch, though: this microphone has a modular telephone jack rather than standard audio output cord compatible with a personal computer or other audio device. The answer? Combine it with an inexpensive GN Netcom SeleCT switch, which provides a standard microphone and speaker plug, but also includes a rocker switch which allows you to alternate your connection between PC and Telephone. In other words you can you this for both your PC and a wireless connection to your telephone.

This microphone operates on a 1.9 GHz frequency, has a 300 foot range, has a battery standby duration of 50 hours and talk time of 10 hours. While not specifically noise canceling, it filters to select human voice frequencies and this has the result of filtering out a lot of the noise.

Overall Rating:
Warranty: 1-year
Cost (with rocker switch): $ 269.00

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Plantronics CS55H Wireless Microphone This is essentially the same microphone as the CS55 shown above. In fact the base and headset are identical. The only difference is that this microphone is bundled with a unique telephone adapter that allows the microphone to tap into a phone connection without being physically wire to a telephone. For those with a typical wireless home microphone this is an essential property.

Overall Rating:
Warranty: 1-year
Cost (with rocker switch): $ 255.00

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Plantronics CS70N

This is a high quality wireless microphone designed for telephone use but easily adapted to use with a pc and with speech recognition software. It somewhat similar in function and performance to the CS55, but rather than using simple frequency filtering has a high quality noise-canceling microphone. Unlike the CS55, this microphone is designed for use only while mounted to the ear. It does not include over-the-head (typical headset) mounting options. It is, nonetheless, highly comfortable and designed for all day use. It works extremely well with speech recognition when used with the bundled GN Netcom SeleCT switch or Zoom Switch. When set up in this way, it can be used alternately with both your corded telephone and PC with a simple push of a switch. This set-up is not recommended for use with home wireless phones. This is the identical microphone set-up sold elsewhere at a considerably higher price!

Overall Rating:
Warranty: 1-year
Cost (bundled with SeleCT Switch): $ 295.00
Cost (bundled with Zoom Switch): $ 325.00

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VXI B150-GTX: This is a high quality bluetooth microphone manufactured by VXI and is our best selling wireless microphone. It is comfortable, accurate and durable. It has reasonably good noise canceling qualities. This microphone does not come with a bluetooth receiver, so you should purchase this only if you have a PC with built in bluetooth or plan to use it with a bluetooth dongle attached to your PC. Please not that many customers have difficulties pairing this with their bluetooth enabled PCs and this is particularly a problem with the new Vista Operating system. While this is our best selling wireless microphone, it is also the microphone (in all categories) that is returned the most.

Don't mistake this microphone for the VXI B150. We sell only the B150-GTX which includes the higher quality Gentex microphone element. The ordinary B150 is less expensive, but also a drop in quality.

Overall Rating:
Warranty: 2-year
Cost: $ 145.95

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VXI B1000-GTX: This set-up includes the exact same microphone as the B150-GTX, but includes a docking station with which the microphone communicates via bluetooth and the docking station in turn attaches to your PC with a USB connection. The big advantage of this microphone, therefore, is that you can enjoy the freedom of bluetooth wireless without needing a bluetooth enabled PC and with the need for a bluetooth dongle. The disadvantage is higher cost and the bulk (particularly for laptop users) of the docking station. It boasts the same good quality of the B150-GTX.

Overall rating:
Warranty: 2-year
Cost: $ 228.99

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If you are in this category and your computer is an essential tool that you can't compromise, you may be particularly sensitive to issues of attachment site, comfort, and connectivity. You may find some of the following characteristics important when you choose a microphone:

• The Sennheiser ME3 attaches fairly rigidly to your head. While this results in a very secure attachment and little likelihood of the microphone element moving away from its proper position, some users find it to be slightly stiff and uncomfortable. Another potential disadvantage of the ME3 is that it does not include speakers, so if you're using it for a telephone substitute, recognize that the sounds will be coming from your PC speaker and not the headset. The Sennheiser ME3 is, however, the leader in terms of accuracy and highly durable.
  
• The UmeVoice theBoom V4 is highly accurate, lightweight, and comfortable. It takes a bit of manipulation to get it attached properly to your ear, but once in position is secure.
  
• The Plantronics CS50-USB has many great features, including excellent accuracy, a wireless connection, and the ability to mount it to your head in a variety of ways. It comes with several different ear mounting schemes and also a traditional "over the head" headset attachment system. As an ear mounted microphone we don't consider it quite as comfortable as the theBoom V4, but the lack of wires is a definite plus!
• The Plantronics CS55 Hybrid microphone is unique in being compatible with both a personal computer and telephone. Like the CS50-USB, it allow multiple means of attachment.
• The Revolabs Xtag is the most comfortable microphone we sell and is the only one that does not actually attach to the head. Rather, it sits either in a breast pocket or hangs from a lightweight lanyard which goes around your neck.

For more information, we suggest you visit some of the following sites:

• Ability Hub: Assistive Technology Solutions: A limited source of microphones, but a great source of information.
• Assistive Technology Solutions: Interesting site which provides plans for do-it-yourself devices to assist persons with disabilities
• Compucare, Inc.: A variety of information and products for those in need of assistive technologies

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External Sound Cards:

Traditionally, a PC mic is plugged into the microphone input jack on a computer and the analog signal is sent to the computer sound card where it is converted to a digital signal and then used by your software. On some computers, particularly laptops where the sound conversion circuitry is typically integrated directly onto the motherboard, it is thought that other electrical devices in close proximity of the sound conversion circuitry may lead to interference and degradation of the signal and reduction in accuracy. An external sound adapter accomplishes the analog to digital conversion outside of the computer and imports the signal via an available USB port.

The need for an external sound card is variable and depends upon your equipment, the quality of your PC's sound conversion device (sound card) and the extent of shielding within your PC. In most instances a good sound card will serve you fine and you needn't consider an external device. There are a few exceptions.

First, if you are using a Sennheiser ME3, you are using a microphone that was wired for a different purpose and only a few sound cards can deal with the unusual wiring pattern. We know of only one external sound card which will reliably deal with the unusual wiring of the Sennheiser ME - this is the Andrea USB sound adapter.

The second situation in which an external sound adapter should be considered is if you are not using one and don't feel you are getting the accuracy which would otherwise be expected with your selection of equipment.

When considering an external sound adapter, also consider whether you need a full duplex (sound going in and out) or a monoplex device that simply needs to input your microphone signal into the PC.

These are the external sound adapter we carry and recommend:

Read Wikipedia article on Electret Microphones.

Knowbrainer Microphone Comparison Guide

Emicrophones.com Microphone Comparisons

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