Life on back-to-back calls can be taxing.
Noisy environments, poor audio, drop-out: they can all take their toll.
Everyone knows that hybrid working is here for good, so the challenge is to ensure those virtual meeting experiences are as high-quality – and easy on the ear – as possible.
It’s an opportunity for hardware to shine: the selection of speakers and microphones is just as important as the software that connects it all together.
It’s about ensuring everyone feels heard and listened to; unscrambling all of the possible frequencies in the voice’s natural range and delivering a dramatically more powerful audio experience.
“Sound clarity is fundamental when looking to ensure all employees feel included in hybrid meetings,” says Aurangzeb Khan, Senior Vice President for Collaboration Solutions at global unified audio and video vendor Jabra, whose just-launched Speak2 range of speakerphones does just that.
“Hybrid work has shifted the way we meet, with 80% of all meetings now being either fully remote or hybrid. Employees need a speakerphone that is built to handle anything a busy hybrid working day throws at them – whether it be conference meetings, direct calls, streaming media, or presentations.”
To that end, Jabra’s Speak2 range features advanced full duplex audio, creating natural 2-way conversation, as if everyone speaking was present in person.
The plug-and-play products come equipped with four beamforming microphones with innovative background noise reduction technology; Voice Level Normalisation technology so there’s no need for raised voices; and, in the case of the Speak2 75, is engineered with super-wideband audio.
Professional and portable, the devices are packaged up in a stylish, contemporary design and, in the case of the Speak2 75, feature a world-first 360 degree ‘ring light’ Microphone Quality Indicator (MQI).
It shows users at a glance the extent to which their voice is being picked up. When clear, the MQI is illuminated bright green; where the user’s voice is not being picked up properly or is muffled, the MQI pulses orange.
Proactive adjustments can then be made by users, as opposed to being advised to do so by others in the meeting or conversation.
Each Speak2 product is designed to work with all leading virtual meeting platforms, meaning users can participate confidently in calls and meetings from any location, without the worry of poor audio quality or connectivity issues.
“Some speakerphones don’t allow both sides to speak and be heard at the same time, but we think conversations are better when they flow naturally,” says Khan.
“Four beamforming microphones and cutting-edge digital signal-processing algorithms allows them to effortlessly harness every change in voice tone and to detect every nuance; because it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. That means users are heard whether they speak with quiet confidence or enthusiastic energy. They can be themselves and speak in the way that’s most natural for them.”
Design is important too, of course.
Jabra’s iconic and much-loved ‘puck’ shape of the original Speak Series has been given a makeover.
Modern and minimal, and, in the case of the Speak2 75, with brushed aluminium detailing and custom-designed speaker fabric, the range looks sleeker than ever and is small and durable enough for use in a messy kitchen or to throw into a deep work bag.
Importantly, the plastics used in the products are sourced from post-consumer recycled sources (PCR) – demonstrating Jabra’s strong and ever-evolving sustainability credentials.
And, the entire Speak2 range is also the first in its category to have both USB C and USB A connectors on the same cable – a seriously-under-rated feature in today’s busy world and one which makes it future-proof too.
No more searching the office for a correct adapter and, when you get a new device, it all just works.
Now that sounds good..!
To learn more about how Jabra can help your and your customers’ businesses leverage the power of hybrid working, visit Jabra.
