Live online learning doesn't have to mean wearing headphones

The Phoenix Duet provides audio support for 1-4 people for around $150

I know some people spend half their lives with headphones on, but I find even my cushioned, noise-cancelling kit from Bose gets tiring after a while. For Skype and web conferencing I’d love to free myself from using a headset if I could, without losing audio quality or suffering from echoes.
So I was keen to have a play with this equipment from Phoenix Audio Technologies, designed to allow one or more participants to communicate clearly online without having to be up-close to a microphone. It does some whizzy echo cancellation and noise reduction, so even in a busy environment you should be able to come over clearly.

The Phoenix Quattro provides audio support for up to 10 people for around $500

So what applications do these devices have for online learning and communications?

Use the Duet instead of a headset when you’re on Skype or web conferencing.
Use the Quattro when you want to include a whole room full of people in a web conferencing session.
Use the Duet or Quattro as a way to record interviews and discussions for podcasts and videos. Although the Quattro has four microphones, it only provides a mono signal, but that may not matter to you. The sampling rate is a maximum of 16 KHz, which is not brilliant, but this is likely to be fine for everyday online playback. For recording an individual voice, perhaps to narrate a slide show or screencast, you will definitely get better results from a specialist USB condenser microphone such as the Yeti.

I’ve tested the Quattro on Skype and was very impressed with the results. I called my Onlignment colleague, Barry Sampson, and he reported a clear and noise-free voice signal with no echo. The playback loudspeaker my end was loud and clear. Both of us have Macs with built-in mic and speakers which we could use instead, but the Phoenix devices allow you to speak without being so close to your screen and certainly handle noise and echo more effectively.

I’m going to stick with my device. I’m doing six hours on Skype and WebEx today and I’m not sure I’d be so keen to try that if I was chained to my computer by wires.