(Well, almost.) These compact devices combine the functions of a conference-call microphone and a portable Bluetooth speaker. Did you just agree to proofread a contract for the boss-or to take care of their basset hound for a week?įortunately, new, sophisticated Bluetooth speakerphones aim to make conference calls sound as if they were produced by Quincy Jones. What should be a productive conversation can turn into a frustrating exercise in lip reading, clairvoyance, and disambiguation. The causes are manifold: cheap webcam microphones, noisy conference rooms with terrible acoustics, and most annoying of all, TED Talk wannabes who wander the room when they speak.

With many meetings now combining employees in a conference room with colleagues on Zoom, office workers who can barely figure out their home stereo often struggle to get everyone coming in loud and clear. As if freeing up printer jams and troubleshooting Wi-Fi problems weren’t enough, audio engineering has now joined the list of frustrating technical tasks that office workers are expected to master.

Zoom conferance call