Audio Conferencing Buyer's Guide

Do you need to connect offices on opposite sides of the country for a company meeting? Or do some of your employees work from the road or home and need to call in to hear a presentation? Audio conferencing, or conference calling as it is commonly known, allows people in different places to hold meetings and training sessions together by using phones or computers to communicate. This is a cost effective way to communicate with people who are spread out by distance. These calls can have a small handful of participants or even thousands.

There are two primary types of phones: multi-phone and single-phone. And the difference between the two is exactly as it sounds. A single-line system consists of just one phone line, sometimes with several telephones connected to it in different rooms. A multi-line phone system utilizes several different phone lines, so it’s capable of holding a number of different lines during a conference call.

Depending on the make, multi-line phones can conference in up to five other calls at a time. These days, most corded phones have at least two lines. Multi-line systems are generally preferable for businesses, especially the mid-sized and larger companies.
When shopping for a phone system, there are different specs and needs to consider.

Microphones
Coverage
Connection
Speaker Output

Audio Conferencing Microphones

First, consider how many people will bespeaking during your call, the size and shape of the room where you are speaking, and the number of people in the room.

Your phone set will likely come with a built-in microphone, but you might also want to use an additional, separate external microphone if presenting in a larger room or a room with an irregular layout. If you’re the main presenter, you’ll need just one microphone. However, if there are several speakers, each will require their own.

For a scenario with one speaker, you’ll want to use a unidirectional microphone, such as a headset, which picks up sounds only from the area directly in front of the mic’s head. However, if there is a group of presenters in the same room, you’ll want to get each speaker a multidirectional microphone, which can pick up sounds from several different directions at once. These can also be set up in a daisy chain and placed around conference room tables to pick up every person in the room.

There are even professional conference microphones specially designed for larger conference rooms. They’re programmed to automatically adjust to the levels and frequencies of whoever is speaking for the best possible sound.
Here are a few tips for setting up your microphone for conference calls:

Microphone position: For the best sound and to avoid projecting loud breathing, hard consonants and hissing, make sure your unidirectional mic or headset is located to the side of your mouth.
Location of presenters: Smaller rooms, insulated or with carpeted walls, are great for projecting the best sound over audio conferencing.
Number of people in the room: Less people in the room with the presenter will cut down on extraneous noises that affect sound quality.
Mute: Most multi-line phones come equipped with a mute button. Make sure everyone calling in who isn’t speaking is muted during the presentation.

Audio Conferencing Coverage

Speakerphones provide a microphone and loudspeaker separate from those in the handset itself, but don’t always offer maximum coverage. They’re best used at a short distance. However, they are ideal in a small group setting, say, in an average-sized conference room, or if you’re behind your desk and need to keep your hands free while on the phone. External microphones and loudspeakers will increase your coverage in larger rooms.

There are two types of speaker phone functionality: half-duplex and full-duplex. Half-duplex means only one person can speak at a time and those on the other end can’t be heard until the first person is finished talking. More commonly, businesses will opt for full-duplex speaker phones, where both parties can speak and be heard at the same time, much like a normal landline.
Phones with 360-degree microphone coverage are ideal for conferences rooms and group meetings. These phones provide 360 degrees of coverage for offices and small conference rooms, meaning the clearest, highest quality sound for your conference call.

Audio Conferencing Connection

A good, clear connection is imperative when participating in a conference call. VoIP lines –voice-over-Internet-protocol – and cell phone lines are major advancements in technology that come in handy for many things, but when it comes to conference calls, you want to avoid using them. The same goes for cordless phones. All three offer unstable connections, meaning you’re more likely to miss important information as it’s conveyed.

For the best connection during an audio conference call, you’ll want to make sure you’re using a standard, wired landline. These corded phone sets are best suited for call consistency and quality.

Audio Conferencing Speaker Output

Multi-line phones come with built-in speakers, but can also utilize external speakers. Both these internal and external speakers are similar to the speakers connected to your stereo system or computer. They’re composed of woofers, which handle lower frequency sounds – as low as 40 Hz – and tweeters, which reproduce the higher frequency sounds. The larger the range in frequency your phone’s speakers can reproduce, the higher the quality of the sound being projected.

You’ll also want to make sure your speakerphone is properly calibrated to the acoustics of the room where it’s set up to avoid distracting feedback during your conference call. This can be done automatically or manually, but most sets will automatically adjust as soon as power is provided to them.