Network Computing is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Review: Four VoIP Headsets: Page 5 of 6

The Superbeam Array Mic has a flashy, intimidating name and is shaped like a Star Wars pod racer, but it's essentially a high-powered PC microphone with a long, focused "reach." In theory, this means that the mic should pick up your voice clearly without having to be positioned directly in front of your mouth like most PC mics.

The Superbeam has a standard PC audio connector, but also comes bundled with a USB adapter. You can plug the mic directly into your sound card or microphone jack if you wish, but the USB adapter makes for easier installation thanks to Windows plug-and-play functionality. (If you plug it into your sound card, you have to manually install software and toggle the settings.)

In addition to the audio-in jack, the USB adapter also has an audio-out jack, so you can plug your own headphones in if you wish. This makes the Superbeam array work similarly to the other headsets reviewed here, with the key exception that you can position the mic anywhere on your desk. Again, theoretically.

My fantasy was that I would position the mic on top of my PC monitor, where it would clearly and easily detect my voice. Then I would use my speakers for audio. This worked fairly well, although I was disappointed with the sensitivity of the mic. Even when my mouth was 16 inches away from the mic, I had to boost the input volume to 100 percent in the VoIP software to compensate. And even then, the recipients of my calls complained about low volume levels and a sound quality that resembled a mediocre mobile phone connection. On the positive side, the Superbeam mic picked up no echo effects whatsoever from the speakers, and actually picked up less ambient sound than Motorola’s H500 Bluetooth headset.