Whether for virtual family gatherings or if you’re still working remotely, we’ve all been inducted into the Zoom/virtual meeting power-user hall of fame. For the most part, I’ve been making do with the speakers and mic from my Macbook Pro and it’s done fairly well but I’m always looking for ways to establish a better connection (pun intended) with whomever I happen to be speaking with. Enter the CyberAcoustics Essential Speakerphone.
Perfect for the new normal of co-working spaces, shared offices and desks, and the ability to work from anywhere the form factor is great; small enough to fit in my bag without taking up too much and still packing a punch.
The setup process is pretty standard for a Bluetooth device (Settings>Bluetooth>CA Essential Speakerphone) and once it’s connected you’re good to go. A good portion of my day is spent on Zoom and my audio input flipped right over to the speaker without an issue.
The speaker works great. Within close proximity, I never had to turn it up higher than 30% (but I’d anticipate in a louder area or with more people it would carry its own just as well). The mic was not as well-received as most folks I spoke with said I sounded worse than I did with my internal mic. That said, for a quick collab around the table and conferencing folks in, it definitely does the job well.
This speaker works great for folks who are working remotely but get together with teammates to collaborate and need a quick and easy solution to get people who can’t meet in-person in the conversation.
$69.99 at CyberAcoustics.