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Why don't more people use throat mics?

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

#221

Post by nomel »

clint wrote: post #220

Best headphones/mic combo I've used for running AND video meetings are the AfterShokz (now "Shokz") AeroPex/OpenRun. I've not tried the `OpenComm` but its probably also good too. Bone conduction so there's nothing touching your ears, long ~8hr battery life, super duper light (26g).

> Bone conduction so there's nothing touching your ears

I have a, possibly irrational, fear of bone conduction. I don't like the concept of the outer layer of my brain being subjected to the significant vibrations.

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

#222

Post by krnlpnc »

Why not? Because it sounds sh*t and requires wearing a collar.

A decent dynamic mic on a boom and a bit of compression will approach broadcast quality sound and can be done using affordable commodity parts (that will hold their value at resale if selected wiesely)

Arguably a good mic setup adds credibility to the speaker. Partly because they sound clearer and more professional, and part because it looks like a professional pod/broadcast setup.

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

#223

Post by deepspace »

jasonpeacock wrote: post #197

For WFH, if you have your own space for working, then get a desktop conference speaker/mic, like the Plantronics Calisto 7200: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DCDKB2C (Jabra makes something similar). It has HW buttons for volume, answer, hangup, and mute - no hunting for the correct window to click a button. It has noise filtering, good mic, and decent speaker quality. I've had many compliments on the audio qu…

Totally concur. I have been using a generic/cheap "USB Conference Boundary Microphone" from Amazon for a few years, and the results are excellent.

The thing is chucked away under my monitor, about 2-3 feet away, and yet the sound quality is about the same as what I get with my semi-pro boom mike. My (clicky mechanical) keyboard is also about 6: from the unit, and I have had no issues with typing sounds. The only downside is that the mike does not have any control buttons.

For use in a group setting in a conference room, I use the Anker Powerconf Bluetooth speakerphone, which does a fine job.

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

#224

Post by krnlpnc »

aidenn0 wrote: post #196
digitallyfree wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Marketing has pushed a lot of Youtubers towards LDCs like the Blue Yeti, which are great in a studio setting but pick up lots of background noise. For some reason everyone considers the SM7B as the way around that (despite being overkill and overpriced for their applications), which is a broadcast dynamic. Dynamics can handle fan noise and busy streets no problem. There are less expensive handheld dynamics which are…

I think a big part is the looks. The SM58 is not visually distinct from a $10 mic for a karaoke machine. The integrated pop filter means you don't even get to have the "super professional" look of a pop filter a few inches in front of your LDC. I considered making a box that accepts inputs from dynamic mics, adds some warmth, and has a USB output, to make it easier to get the LDC sound from something like an SM58, bu…

An SM57 with foam pop filter (sure a2ws-bk) looks similar to an SM7B for about 1/5th the price. Sounds good too

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

#225

Post by winReInstall »

ARandumGuy wrote: post #31

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…

But have you considered all the possible markets? The adult movie industry for example, a spearhead when it comes to new technology..

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

#226

Post by sails »

pinum wrote: post #165

Honestly, your sample doesn't sound very good. It's a bit better than the other samples that have been linked in this thread, and you're perfectly audible, but it's very muffled and there are noises that sound like the throat-mic equivalent of cable noise. If I head this on a call I'd assume you were using a particularly bad laptop mic or gaming headset. Not bad enough that I'd comment on it, but if I knew you'd gone…

It sounds really bad.

I'd definitely comment that you need to move your mic from your clothes or something if I was on a call with you and had to suffer that cable noise.

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

#227

Post by post_break »

javajosh wrote: post #25

I 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.)

I used the crappiest $5 mic I had with a large steel salad bowl to listen to normal conversations 100 feet away. It's incredible what you can pull up. A normal sized bowl mounted on a little tripod on your desk would work great. Add some head tracking with a webcam and you can go mobile. Or just have someone point it at your mouth the whole time like in the NFL: https://imgur.com/a/hyN9V

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

#229

Post by numpad0 »

hackerlight wrote: post #172
numpad0 wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Passive IEMs are better, ANC is always weaker and more selective. I was once using Etymotic IEM and frantically searched for the source of a loud wind noise that hit my ears upon removing the earphones, only to realize it's just an air conditioner on the ceiling. That don't happen with ANC headphones, partly due to technology and partly for product safety concerns.

Have you compared passive IEMs to Apple's noise cancelling headphones? I compared Apple's products to properly inserted earplugs and Apple's ANC was better for low to medium frequency sound, so I wonder how you arrived at the opposite conclusion when it comes to IEMs

With properly inserted hardcore isolating earphones, and with music playing at low volume(important), I just don’t notice any other sound. Including landline ringing. Perhaps fire alarms too. It’s an auditory anesthesia. Like if I’ve put on a VR goggle, but for my ears.

And that is natural, after all it’s 40dB advertised isolation with ~15dB? sound on top. There’s no way those ANC earphones with small drivers powered from a toothpick batteries and thin rubber cap sealing the ear canal can beat that.

I also have a SONY WF-1000X, and an SE215 for that matter, both with Comply tips. They are nice, but no match against proper Etymotic dead silence.

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