IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: The NC7100 has now been made redundant by the new high definition NC181USB noise canceliing microphone by Andrea electronics. The NC181USB has been rated/tested offically by Dragon/Nuance and has been given the Maximum 6/6 Dragon Points for Accuracy.
We have independently tested the unit and are finding it up to 35% more accurate than the NC7100 ( which was our previous best microphone.) The NC181USB has 3rd Generation digital noise cancling and sound processing. It really is now the only viable choice for Dragon within a reasonable price range. You can see this NC181USB unit here.
This article is still revelant appart from the introduction of this superior new design which puts it well over the NC7100 in terms of accuracy.
To achieve the highest degrees of accuracy with voice recognition, the performance of your computer hardware is critical. Yet often it is the most overlooked aspect of achieving superior voice recognition performance. The first most critical piece of hardware is the soundcard. I will address quality soundcard selection in my next review. The second most important hardware component is of course the microphone. Many people are content with the microphone that comes with their voice recognition software. Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Software ships with the reasonable quality microphone with the standard and preferred edition. The professional edition has a much higher quality Parrott VXI microphone, the Parrott is still an analogue microphone though.
Eventually, either through the desire to seek better accuracy or through general wear and tear the microphone needs to be replaced. Selecting this critical component can be very difficult for the uninitiated. Hence, this review compiles a number of new and existing microphones that are all good choices for voice recognition. In fact all of them are designed with voice recognition in mind. The aim of this review is simple, to help users make an informed decision about the purchase of a new microphone for voice recognition.
I have not attempted to create a technical article with signal to noise ratios, db levels of any related technobable. This is a subjective tested based on my own actual use of these microphones over several weeks. If you enjoy ogling technical data on these microphones then please refer to each products respective website for details.
| Test System One |
AMD A64 3500+
Onboard Via Envy soundcard
2 gig DDR Ram
Windows XP
| Test System Two |
Dell Inspirion 8200 Laptop
Onboard Soundmax Soundcard
768mb Ram
Windows XP
Each microphone was tested using the following procedure:
1. USB microphones were plugged directly into the USB ports with other USB devices removed. If the USB microphone had an analogue input for the speaker then this was plugged into the soundcard for the audio response in the headset speaker, if one was present.
2. Analogue microphones were planned into the microphone input on the soundcard and the speaker was connected to the speaker output on the soundcard.
3. The audio quality tests were conducted using the audio quality testing program built into Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 5. They were repeated three times on each machine for each microphone.
4. The accuracy was tested by reading a 150 word paragraph into Microsoft Word. The number of errors was recorded. No corrections were made during the procedure. This was to ensure that test was even for all microphones as any corrections could have improved the accuracy of a particular microphone, hence giving an inaccurate result.
5. The construction quality was tested by using the microphones for several days each. Of course the opinion is subjective to the users own preferences.
6. The audio quality of the speaker attached to the microphone was tested by using the playback function within Dragon NaturallySpeaking and by playing back some MP3 audio files.
| Telex 531 USB Microphone / Dragon NaturallyClear USB |
| Image: Note Thin Construction/Wiring |
 |
These two microphones appear to be identical. When installed, the microphones were detected as the same device. Also, they are physically exactly the same. Hence, I have reviewed them as the same unit. Please note that I did in fact have one of each for testing, so there are two results on the ratings table.
The installation of each microphone was simple. They are plugged directly into a spare USB port. The ability to hot-swap/plug and play is highly useful as the microphone could be installed while the computer was turned on. Once detected, the microphones required the Windows Millennium installation disk for some additional USB drivers. A restart was not necessary. Please remember to never disconnect a USB microphone while Dragon is loaded, as this will crash the program. (I know!)
Initially, when the volume check was run before the quality check in the "Check Audio" wizard within Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Both microphones had the volume reduced considerably so that Dragon could run the quality check. This seems to be common with all USB microphones. They were quite loud to the audio subsystem of each computer. I do not know whether this constitutes a real problem or not. I would assume the manufacturers are aware of this.
Even though, both microphones appear to be physically identical they achieved different results with the quality check. The Telex microphone appeared to have a higher degree of noise reduction and achieved a higher score. I can only contribute this to slightly different manufacturing tolerances. They both however achieved a very similar accuracy result when reading the test paragraph. The accuracy of the microphones was average, good results were achieved but not fantastic results. Both microphones allowed the laptop computer to be used quite well, where other analogue microphones had filed on most occasions. The USB interface seems less susceptible to noise.
The construction of the two microphones was poor. Cheap, low quality plastic is used with a metal band for adjustment. The only good thing about the construction was that it was very light and hardly noticeable once worn. The cabling was very thin and easily damaged. One or two run overs with the office chair would see the end of the cabling for sure. To make matters worse, halfway through the testing procedure the Dragon NaturallyClear microphone snapped at the plastic joint. I have included the picture above for your enjoyment. The USB soundcard converter is attached towards the end of the cabling and this is where the digital to analogue conversion takes place, as I understand it.
| Image: Broken Plastic Arm |
 |
Generally, the microphone is a reasonable choice for voice recognition, decent results were achieved but the poor design/construction is a definite downside. I would not expect these microphones to last more than six months of normal usage, less if you're carrying the microphone around in laptop bag. (As I was when the Dragon version broke)
| Parrott VXi TalkPro Express Analogue Microphone |
| Image: VXI TalkPro Express |
 |
The Parrott VXI Talkpro Express is a high quality microphone that is bundled with Dragon Professional. It has noise canceling built in and is a very lightweight and comfortable headset. Its not as durable as the NC7100, but its lighter weight means it can be worn for longer periods of time. The accuracy of this headset is greatly determined by the quality of your soundcard. With a high quality soundcard like a Soundblaster live or Audigy it returned very good results. Even better results were obtained when using an Andrea USB Pod/Adapter. When used with lower quality onboard soundcards the results degraded significantly. Of course a USB Pod adapter would sove this problem inexpensively. All in all an excellent microphone for someone wanting a step up for the standrad dragon microphone. We still prefer the NC7100 because a USB pod is not needed (nor the extra expense) as the NC7100 has the USB built in. However, if you after after a lighter weight unit, this will serve you nicely.
| Andrea Electronics NC7100 USB Headset |
| Image: NC7100 USB |
 |
This is a first time I have had the opportunity to use and Andrea USB microphone. Andrea shipped it to me for testing a few weeks ago.
The quality tests showed that the Andrea microphone was filtering the noise just as well as the Telex and Dragon NaturallyClear microphones. It achieved a very similar result in the quality tests. It also was capable of filtering out the noise generated by the laptop quite effectively. I achieved very good accuracy on both the laptop and the desktop, as can be seen by the rating chart at the end of this review. I decided to use the Andrea USB-NC 7100 to write this particular review due to both the accuracy achieved during the testing and because of the levels of comfort with its particular design.
The construction of the microphone is excellent. It is constructed of high quality plastic and metal components. The microphone boom is very firm and easy to position. I had no trouble with the microphone boom moving at all when it was not meant to. Also it was fully adjustable and fitted my head. An additional feature that comes with the Andrea microphones is the ability to snap in different coloured inserts. The microphone comes with fluorescent green, orange pink and blue inserts. These would be excellent if traveling on the Starship Enterprise or if you were to be an extra on Austin Powers film. However, I would have preferred a black or graphite insert to suit my particular taste (update: I just found the graphite inserts, they fell into the bottom of the box. They look very swish!). Nevertheless, this is a free additional feature and will be prized by some. You do not have to put the inserts in as you can just leave it as a plain semi transparent headset microphone. Generally, the microphone was of good instruction and seemed to be highly durable.
The Andrea USB-NC 7100 also came with a good quality headset speaker that returned good results when playing back audio. Of course, his mono speaker is really only designed for voice playback and it performed this task well.
Overall, a quality microphone that would represent a sensible purchase for anyone who wishes to improve their voice recognition accuracy. The solid construction should ensure years of faithful use. Great fr carrying around in a laptop bag due to it durable construction.
| Andrea Electronics NC95 Stereo Analogue Headset |
| Image: NC95 Stereo Analogue Headset |
 |
This particular microphone is designed to have a multipurpose use. It has a high quality microphone and good quality stereo headset speakers.
The performance of this microphone on the desktop computer was good. The microphone returned a high score in the quality tests on the desktop computer. It even surpassed some of the low end USB microphones. The accuracy was good on the desktop computer as can be seen by the results table. The microphone did not perform well on the laptop and was unable to filter out the internal noise sufficiently to achieve acceptable results. I did not expect any analogue microphone to filter out the internal noises generated by the laptop and this proved to be case with the NC-95. USB Microphones are better choices with laptops or low quality onboard sound cards. You could however use a digital USB pod.
The microphone was constructed very sturdily. It was solid and had an excellent boom for the microphone. Like all the microphones I tested from Andrea it was highly adjustable and stayed in position once adjusted.
Even though the purpose of this review is not to benchmark stereo headsets, the stereo sound provided by the NC-65was very good considering that it is a bonus for those interested in voice recognition. MP3 music sounded quite good through the headset and even positional 3D audio in games sounded quite accurate. For my own personal use I found the NC-95 to be excellent as it allowed me to switch from voice recognition to music and games without changing headset's or audio connections. A top-quality multipurpose unit.
Highly versatile, and highly recommended.
| Andrea Electronics NC91 Mono Analogue Headset |
| Image: NC91 Mono Analogue Headset |
 |
The NC 91 from Andrea is low-cost standard voice recognition headset.
I did not expect this microphone to achieve very high results. I was surprised however to find that the microphone returned a high score in the quality tests on the desktop computer. I was even more surprised to find that this was the first analogue microphone ever that returned reasonable results with my noisy laptop. The NC 91 was able to filter out the noise quite effectively. It was not as good as the USB devices and made more errors. However, considering the massive amount of noise that the onboard soundcard generates, the microphone was able to filter out the noise enough to return an acceptable result with the laptop computer. I was very pleased with this.
It would seem that this microphone has a higher degree of tolerance when using poor quality soundcards. Of course a USB pod may need to be used if the soundcard quality is very poor.
The construction was very similar to the NC-7100 USB, tough durable semi transparent plastic and an easily adjustable design. The microphone boom held in position quite well and did not move easily. The cabling seemed quite good also. I expect this microphone to be quite durable in the long-term.
This microphone that would constitute an excellent choice for anyone wishing to upgrade or replace their voice recognition microphone. It is a low-cost high-quality unit that should go the distance. I was very suprised at the high performance of this unit.
Before I began this review, I expected the parrot USB microphone to return the highest results. My experiences with the Parrott VXI analogue microphones, as bundled with the professional edition of NaturallySpeaking, were very positive. However, proper testing proved to me that this USB Parrott microphone has not been developed long enough. The accuracy was poor, the design was not well thought out and the fault with the whining in the earpiece indicates poor quality control. Hence, until Parrott improve upon this designed I cannot recommend this unit.
The Telex/Dragon USB microphone is a reasonable choice for those wishing to switch to a USB interface. In did not have the highest degree of accuracy, but generally it was quite good. The lack of a headset speaker could be seen as a negative depending on your desired use for the headset. The flimsy design needs work as I do not enjoy gluing my microphones back together on a regular basis. Nevertheless, if this microphone can be obtained for a good price it would be a reasonable purchase.
The Andrea microphone surprised me with the high-quality construction and voice recognition accuracy. Generally, they have more features than the other microphones. The USB NC 7100 microphone is clearly the best USB microphone out of the units tested. It had no major faults like breaking parts or noisy speakers. This construction was solid and invoked confidence. It was more accurate than the other USB microphones and as an overall package it is a superior unit. Highly recommended.
The NC-95 is a great choice for those wanting to mix in a little multimedia content with good voice recognition performance. The stereo speakers, padded earpieces and self adjusting comfortable headband make it a great all round unit. The bass response in games and muic was excellent.
The NC-91 would be excellent choice for those wishing to upgrade their existing voice recognition microphone to a superior unit for minimal cost. It high-quality construction, mono speaker and excellent performance mean that you cannot really go wrong with this microphone. As I stated before, this was the only analogue (the NC 7100 digital unit microphone easily filtered out the noise for an excellent response also) capable of filtering out the noise generated by the laptop computer. This alone is a testament to its noise filtering capabilities. This microphone is highly recommended. With a good soundcard and the NC-91, you could not go wrong.
| Final Words |
Choosing a microphone really depends on examining your needs. If you simply need microphone to replace your old analogue unit then the NC-61 is the best choice. If you need a Digital USB microphone to filter out noise generated by a noisy laptop then the NC 7100 USB microphone is clearly the best choice. The NC 7100 is also the best choice if your computer does not have a soundcard or if the onboard soundcard is unsuitable all of poor quality. Remember, you need to have a USB equipped operating system the use any USB device, this includes Windows 98, Windows XP/2000 and Windows Millennium. There is currently no native USB support in Windows NT to my knowledge.
If you would like to switch between voice recognition, music and games then the NC-95 is the best choice. Nice sounding speakers and good accuracy.
It looks like Andrea microphones have made a clean sweep here over the Telex/Dragon and Parrott units. I invite Telex and Parrott (or any other company for that matter) to submit a better/newer design for review, and perhaps give the Andrea microphones a better run for their money.
I hope that my readers found this article/review interesting and informative. This is the first of a series of articles from voicerecognition.com.au that will examine the various hardware components of your computer that will improve voice recognition accuracy.
Click here to see the final scorecard that this review was based on.
