Interview: Rob Klegon Presents MXA710 Linear Array Microphone

The Shure Ecosystem for Conferencing covers the complete audio signal chain from microphone to DSP to loudspeaker, providing networked audio solutions for environments of all types, from small meeting rooms to large conference spaces.  Rob Klegon, Product Manager, discusses the Microflex MXA710 Linear Array Microphone. 

Chris Lyons:  Rob, lots of people have experience with the MXA310 Table Array or the MXA910 Ceiling Array microphone.  Do we even need a third form factor?

Rob Klegon:  The MXA710 was really developed to be another part of the portfolio along with the MXA310 and MXA910.  The 310 provides a great solution right on the table.  The 910, of course, is a premium ceiling solution.  But we had a lot of customers come to us over the years and ask, "Hey, is there a way I could maybe put the 910 on a wall?" or "I really wanted to use it, but it was too big, I didn't have the right kind of ceiling or the architect didn't like that shape.  Do you have anything else that maybe would work for a different kind of room and maybe a different kind of budget?"  And so we developed the MXA710 to be a premium array solution that can go anywhere in the room, whether that's on the table, on the wall, or on the ceiling.

The MXA710 comes in two lengths: one is a 2-footer, roughly 60 cm, and the other is around 4 ft or roughly 120 cm long.  Both microphones come in 3 colors: black, white and aluminum.  Both microphones have a fully configurable, multicolor LED that can also be disabled.  And in terms of lobes, with the 2-foot, you get 4 steerable lobes that you can aim to pick up the room.  And with the 4-foot you get up to 8 steerable lobes that you can add to cover the room.

Chris:  Now, what type of mounting options do I have with the MXA710?

Rob:  The MXA710 was designed really to go anywhere in the room, and so we've developed a full suite of mounting accessories to go along with the microphone.  Included in the box, you actually get a wall mount that allows you to attach the 710 directly to a drywall application in either horizontal or vertical orientation.  You also have a couple eyelet screws that come in the box which can be screwed to the back to allow for suspension mounting with wire rope.  And then in terms of optional accessories, we also have a flush mount accessory for both lengths that allows you to install it directly into a table or into a drywall or hard ceiling.  For more temporary applications, we also have a desk stand that allows you to put it on a credenza, table, or podium, for example, as well as a microphone stand adapter that allows you to mount the microphone directly on a microphone stand.  And lastly, we're also developing a tile bridge as well.  And that will allow you to actually mount the MXA710 directly to an acoustic ceiling tile or hang it below the tile ceiling.

Chris:  Now, once I get it all mounted and installed, what about cable connections?  What do I need to deal with there?  And then, how do I get it set up and configure it with the other AV devices in the room?

Rob:  So the cabling is very simple. It's just like the MXA310 or 910. It's a single category cable that carries the standard network audio, PoE power, and all the control. And then in terms of actually doing the configuration, it's really simple and easy. We designed the MXA710 to really be ready to go right out of the box. If you do need to go in and configure anything, you're going to use our Designer software where you can configure the whole ecosystem of Shure products all from one place. So with the MXA710, it's really easy. When you open up Designer, it'll ask you "how have you installed it?" You can just choose whether that's wall-horizontal, wall-vertical, ceiling or table, and it will automatically optimize the microphone for those orientations. And then with just one click, you can do all your routing to the Shure ecosystem. Turn on Encryption, if you want, turn on your Logic Control, the LED, and it's all really fast and you're ready to go very quickly.

Learn how the University of Southern California uses MXA710’s to deliver hybrid learning for students. 

Find out more about how the MXA710 Linear Array Microphone integrates seamlessly with Shure’s ecosystem of networked hardware and software to provide high-quality speech reproduction for AV conferencing applications.