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Why don't more people use throat mics?

vadosware.io

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Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?

#181
Someone on hacker news recommended this mic before and it's much better than this sample (and sounds closer to podcast quality).

https://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-BoomPro-Microphone-Gaming-Comm...

I use it with ATH-M50x which can be modded to use it if you add a 3.5mm female to 2.5mm male adapter.

Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?

#182
Because modern mics are good at cutting out background noise, so the only people who make tactical chokers these days are chinese companies doing it for larpers. As everyone has already said, they sound horrible as a result.

They made sense for people who need to talk over gunfire and explosions back in the day, but even they have moved onto normal microphones.

Edit: Shockingly 3M makes a thoat mic. That said, I've never heard of anyone using it, and the only reason to use it they state is for when you physically can't use a boom mic due to PPE.

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/v000083105/

Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?

#183
post #164

I'm curious as to why the author even thought that a throat mic would have good audio quality. Throat mics are designed for loud, high intensity situations. For the use case of a throat mic, "good audio quality" means the receiver can actually understand what you're saying, something that is pretty easy to achieve in a home office environment. And I'm sure that it's possible to make a throat mic that has great audio…

> Throat mics are designed for loud, high intensity situations. For the use case of a throat mic, "good audio quality" means the receiver can actually understand what you're saying, something that is pretty easy to achieve in a home office environment. I've only configured a handful of throat mics, but they actually are designed to be used when you're speaking at a whisper. That's one of the main features, you're not…

Isn't it basically the same situation from a signal processing point of view? i.e. the SNR is bad but you can localize and pull out signal.

Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?

#186

I thought this was a satire. It looks like this is not. I like the fact that the author loves experimentation and tried this setup. I'm someone who still thinks Apple has not even solved the design of the AirPods/Pro. So, anything else that makes us like "Batman with a utility belt" is something I would find a more aesthetic alternative. For most of the video call needs, I have tried boom/condenser and XLR microphone…

> These days, I drive past busy social hangout areas or visit diners with the family; I see people wearing AirPods or AirPod-like knockoffs as an always-on ornamental addition even while not talking (on phone). My brain always cries in silence, "Batman." Could they be listening to something?

Or just dampening the ambient sound?

Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?

#187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One you follow the fourteen step instructions, it's as reliable as any non-Android Linux Bluetooth stack. I've been using Arch at home for half a decade now, and it's been absolutely boring in a good way. I had a glitch plaguing me for a week on my work laptop. The left mouse click would get stuck. It turns out a Bluetooth mouse was powered on in my backpack! At least Ubuntu was reliably connecting with it...

I have a 7 year old laptop running the same installation of Arch I put on it when I first bought it. Bang up to date and solid as a rock.

About 7 years ago I built an Intel Baytrail based server with no moving parts other than two hotswap HDD bays. I keep it in my garage and synchronize other computers' storage to it. Same deal, I put Arch on it and I just SSH in every few months and update it.

The rolling release is great exactly because there's never a disruptive distribution update. Of course there's the occasional update glitch that requires manual intervention, but the community is very quick to document the solution.

I just wish pacman was smart enough to update the keyring package before trying to validate signatures on other packages.

Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?

#188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are definitely better. ANC can't beat physically blocking the soundwaves from hitting your eardrums.

Is this based on your experience having tried both? Because that reasoning is questionable. IEMs don't block all sound from hitting your eardrum, some of that sound will hit your eardrum via bone conduction. And ANC headphones do block some sound passively, the inner ear ANCs can often create an airtight seal.

Yes, I have tried both. However the only ANC I have experience with is AirPods Pro, so that's all I have to go on. But I can definitely say that IEMs do a better job than the AirPods.

Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?

#190
post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you provide samples? Maybe it works for you in particular, but all the throat mic tests I've seen on youtube have absolutely abysmal sound quality.

Hey the article has been updated with an example! Direct link below https://vadosware.io/audio/hn-throat-mic-test.ogg (also .mp3 and .mp4 are there, praise be to ffmpeg)

I would not call that good quality. To my ears it sounds like you're trapped in a mayonnaise jar with somebody eating cheetos.

Which is about what I'd expect from a throat mic given how much of the human voice is produced above the throat. And for those who want a refresher, play around with Pink Trombone a bit: https://dood.al/pinktrombone/

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