How To Choose The Right Ceiling Mic Or Speakerphone For Your Office Space

Conference calls began with one or more table-mounted speakerphones resembling a typical telephone. As time progressed and digital options for calling became more practical, the form of conferencing technology changed to increase the efficacy and convenience of this new and improved method of communication.

While table microphones continue to be essential in the array of conferencing devices, innovative alternatives have emerged. These include bar-shaped, boundary, and ceiling-mounted conference microphones, each serving a unique purpose in the modern conference room.

Ceiling microphones, in particular, have developed dramatically over the past decade to increase the quality of audio pickup and deliver a seamless conferencing experience. Ceiling array microphones can be customized to pick up different zones of coverage to isolate singular or groups of speakers. For small to medium-sized rooms, ceiling speakerphones can even act as standalone conferencing devices, delivering all of the audio your room needs while remaining out of sight.

This begs the question: Which ceiling microphone or speakerphone is right for my conferencing space? To answer this, we need to review the strengths of each ceiling conference mic in the Shure lineup and determine which will work best for your application.

MXA920

The MXA920 ceiling array microphone is a conference room ceiling microphone that can be combined with other devices in the MXA ecosystem to provide a complete conferencing package. The device can cover up to a 30 by 30 area, meaning it provides optimal coverage for all but the largest conferencing spaces.

The device's Automatic CoverageTM technology captures participants’ words without all of the background noise you’d expect to find in a busy office environment. MXA920 also has an onboard IntelliMix DSP, which applies automatic sound mixing that eliminates disruptions like echos and reverberation while amplifying human voices.

The MXA920 also has adjustable coverage areas, which work with the Q-SYS Designer program to allow for camera tracking. This means that the device can recognize the direction the speaker is in relation to its position and send a signal to the room’s camera to focus on that position.

MXA901

The MXA901 conferencing ceiling array microphone is a sleek yet powerful networked microphone designed to work as a part of a larger audio ecosystem. This option is smaller than the MXA920 and the microphone can either be hung from the ceiling or installed flush utilizing a standardized mounting platform.

Able to cover 20 by 20 feet, the MXA901's coverage area is smaller than that of the MXA920. However, its simplified design allows it to be easily networked with multiple MXA901s and other audio endpoints in the MXA ecosystem to improve the coverage area and deliver full conference audio.

Much like the MXA920, the 901 comes with onboard IntelliMix DSP, which automatically mixes and filters the sound. Unlike the 920, it uses Single Zone Automatic Coverage technology, which can capture multiple voices concurrently from different parts of the coverage area while avoiding stray audio pickup from outside that range.

Stem Ceiling

Stem Ceiling is a ceiling array microphone that acts as an element of the innovative Stem Ecosystem, a fully customizable conference audio system comprised of mix-and-matchable audio endpoints. Ceiling can be combined with other Ceilings or any of Stem’s other audio endpoints to create a seamless conferencing experience.

Ceiling comes with three array modes - narrow, medium, and wide - that can be selected via the Stem Ecosystem Platform to provide the appropriate area of coverage for your room. The device also comes with audio fencing, which means that outside noises will be eliminated or reduced to minimize interruptions.

The Stem Ecosystem is designed to be installed by anyone in minutes using a streamlined three-step process. It comes with onboard room adaption settings, so you don’t need to spend the extra time and effort to perform a complicated integration.

MXA902

The MXA902 is a combination ceiling array microphone and loudspeaker that is designed to be the ideal low-profile standalone audio device for small to medium-sized conference rooms. The 902 is a top-of-its-class ceiling-mounted speakerphone, creating an ideal touch-free conferencing experience for users.

Similar to the MXA901, the 902 uses Single Zone Automatic Coverage to pick up several voices simultaneously while eliminating outside noise. The onboard IntelliMix DSP recognizes the outgoing audio and eliminates it from the audio mix, meaning you never have to worry about distracting echoes during your conference calls.

Which Ceiling Microphone Works For Me?

Determining which ceiling array microphone or speakerphone you should use for your room depends on its size, the application it will be used for, and the resources you have at your disposal. Depending on the room, you may need one or more of these devices to provide the appropriate level of audio coverage and get the most out of your conference system.

The MXA920 provides top-tier sound quality and a robust configuration that supports camera tracking through the use of the Q-SYS plugin, and its wide coverage area makes it ideal for medium- to large-sized rooms. However, the 920 requires integration with the room, which means the setup will take more time.

The MXA901 is specifically designed to be networked with other MXA Ecosystem devices to create a full conference audio system for rooms of any size. This device also requires an integration process to get the best audio quality possible once the room is up and running.

Stem Ceiling is similar to the MXA901 in that it is designed to function as part of a larger audio ecosystem, working in tandem with devices like Stem Speaker, Table, and Wall. The Stem Ecosystem is designed to have a quick and effortless installation and setup process that anyone can perform, and its customizability means that it can provide full coverage for rooms of nearly any size.

The MXA902 provides both the high-quality audio pickup you’d find in the 901 with the addition of a built-in speaker. This makes it an ideal standalone device to be used in small- to medium-sized rooms

Interested in learning more? Check out these ceiling microphones and more by visiting our solutions page here!