> pulseaudio would sometimes stop working, and periodically be broken after upgrades
Some things never change!
Why don't more people use throat mics?
21–30 of 285 posts
Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?
#22One of the most Hacker News articles ever written. A bad solution (wearing a choker) to a self-generated problem (using Arch) that costs a lot of money. In summary: this generates more problems than it solves (unless you're a navy seal).
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Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?
#23On Bluetooth audio issues: try switching from PulseAudio to PipeWire; it’s better in every way now save perhaps for one or two remaining tiny niches, and pipewire-pulse lets it act as a drop-in replacement for pulseaudio. The usual installation experience is completely uneventful: you install it, restart your session, and everything works at least as well as before.
On the throat mic itself: what does it sound like? I need a sample. I’m having difficulty finding any not-obviously-bad audio samples (e.g. not recording the microphone, but rather the output of a speaker after radio transmission!).
> Good mic sound quality, switch was not detectable to people on the other end, and was clear.
From the impressions I’m getting, I’d be surprised if “not detectable” was accurate—rather, people are used to lousy audio and are not likely to comment on it unless you ask them or it’s just too bad. But yeah, I’d rather like a sample to judge myself.
Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?
#24I have a pretty serious audio setup for WFH. I assessed throat mics and bone conduction headphones and IEMs, I then ultimately decided against these options and instead went for a front-address microphone on a boom and open circumaural headphones. In my testing, all of these technologies intended for stealth (primarily) were uncomfortable for long periods of wear/use, and traditional options were massively more comfo…
The headphones thing is very much a matter of morphology and personal preference. I know for instance anything other than IEMs is intolerable over any significant period of time for myself.
And choice of headphone! Open versus closed headphones lie much different on your head; clamp strength and weight vary hugely as well. I'm on my third set of AKG k702s as the only headphones I can wear for hours; finding the right pair for anyone takes time.
Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?
#25I should write up my solution using a parabolic dish that focuses sound from a relatively small zone where my head (usually) is, into a good cheap mic. You get good isolation (even from keyboard sounds) requires nothing on your head or throat, and ... physics! (You just need to accept a big dish in your field of view, and you also can't pace, walk around, as with bluetooth solutions.)
Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?
#26One of the most Hacker News articles ever written. A bad solution (wearing a choker) to a self-generated problem (using Arch) that costs a lot of money. In summary: this generates more problems than it solves (unless you're a navy seal).
It definitely reads as a personal project and not one claiming a superior solution (“People can hear me gulp”)
Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?
#27"but I’m going to look into whether"
article unfinished ... ?
Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?
#28I've been wondering about exactly the same thing, but for a different reason: wouldn't it be great if I could summon Siri / Alexa by subvocalisation? Does anyone know if it's feasible to reduce throat mike size, make them convenient, actually wearable & just have then listen to subvocalised commands?
Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?
#29> People can hear me gulp That's one of the biggest reasons you don't see them in business settings apart from the tacticool tackiness. The point of a good microphone is not just to clearly hear the voice and to cancel out outside noise but also not to pick up the meat sounds. Especially when using headphones, other people don't want to hear your meat sounds. They don't want to be constantly reminded that you're made…
I’m using a good headset/microphone setup + krisp.Ai and the result is amazing. Good clear voice and krisp removes all the noise. I can even eat chips without it being transmitted.
Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?
#30I have a pretty serious audio setup for WFH. I assessed throat mics and bone conduction headphones and IEMs, I then ultimately decided against these options and instead went for a front-address microphone on a boom and open circumaural headphones. In my testing, all of these technologies intended for stealth (primarily) were uncomfortable for long periods of wear/use, and traditional options were massively more comfo…
I use my Sennheiser PC38X for every work and personal call/conference I do. They have an excellent mic and great sound. I'd use them for music daily if I didn't WFH and have excellent speakers and even better headphones for just music.
https://drop.com/buy/drop-epos-pc38x-gaming-headset
A good wired microphone absolutely destroys the sound quality from bluetooth headsets.