Hi Jason, I have used both the Accumic II and the ClearMic extensively, and I think they are both capable systems. The Accumic is made by ClearOne (formerly Gentner), which is a leader in the industry. It is actually 3 independent unidirectional microphones with three independent noise AND echo cancellers. It has an excellent response--even for sounds that are farther away. If you use an Accumic, be careful with the pins on the plug. They bend easilly.
GlobalMedia's ClearMic is a single omni-directional microphone with no noise-cancellation (only echo-cancellation), and it is intended for single users (or very small groups.) It tends to distort when there is a lot of background noise or in large rooms when sounds are far away, and it loses definition when you have several people speaking at once. If you use a ClearMic, I would advise that you be careful with the attached plugs on the back because I have heard that they can detatch from the internal printed circuit board with enough force. Also, GlobalMedia has a version of the ClearMic with a convenient built-in USB camera for your PIG. Of course the Accumic is more expensive, so there is a trade-off between quality and price. There are no *working* software echo-cancellation apps available at this time. There was a project at U Queensland, but nothing in production yet. (http://www.acmc.uq.edu.au/Projects/GeoffEricksson.htm I hope this helps John Harrison inSORS Integrated Communications www.insors.com 713-828-5672 On Mon Nov 8 15:34 , Jason Soohoo <jsoo...@haystack.mit.edu> sent: >Greetings all, > >I'm sure this question has been asked many many times, >How well do echo cancelling mics work? Is a Vortex or other echo >cancelling hardware still needed with along those mics? > >I'm looking at an AccuMic II and a ClearMic, any thoughts on those? > >Any information on hardware or even software related to echo cancelling >would be great. > >Thank you all for you time, > >Jason SooHoo >
