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Technical forums » Speech recognition »
Recommended microphone for Preferred 9
Thread poster: Mark Nathan
Mark Nathan
Mark Nathan  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 23:12
Member (2002)
French to English
+ ...
Jul 24, 2008

Hi everyone,

As a comparatively slow typist I am on the verge of buying the UK English version of NaturallySpeaking Preferred 9.

A few reviews suggest that it is worth upgrading the microphone.

I would be very interested to hear any comments on this, and if this is the case can anyone recommend a good microphone?
Is it better to use a headset or a stand alone microphone?

I had a look at the Plantronics range and quickly became lost - the... See more
Hi everyone,

As a comparatively slow typist I am on the verge of buying the UK English version of NaturallySpeaking Preferred 9.

A few reviews suggest that it is worth upgrading the microphone.

I would be very interested to hear any comments on this, and if this is the case can anyone recommend a good microphone?
Is it better to use a headset or a stand alone microphone?

I had a look at the Plantronics range and quickly became lost - there are so many of them... ▲ Collapse
 
Claire Cox
Claire Cox
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:12
French to English
+ ...
Logitech Internet chat headphones Jul 24, 2008

Hi Mark,

Definitely worth upgrading from the headset supplied! I went for the Logitech internet chat headphones which were about £20 just over a year ago and have found them excellent.

See review:

http://reviews.digitaltrends.com/review/248/logitech-internet-chat-headset-review

I did also buy a stand-alo... See more
Hi Mark,

Definitely worth upgrading from the headset supplied! I went for the Logitech internet chat headphones which were about £20 just over a year ago and have found them excellent.

See review:

http://reviews.digitaltrends.com/review/248/logitech-internet-chat-headset-review

I did also buy a stand-alone microphone for £6 or so, but found that it defeats the object of being able to relieve RSI in that you have to stay fairly upright within distance of the microphone on your desk. The Logitech headphones have a really long cable, so I can lean right back in my chair or even get up and move around the room to a certain extent if it's been a very long dictating session!

Hope you find Dragon as beneficial as I have. I got it to combat chronic wrist ache, but I was amazed by the increase in productivity all round. I used to dictate my translations for the typing pool when I first started translating and if you're on straightforward text in a subject you know, it's much quicker (as a very slow two-finger typist!) than typing. I do find Dragon slows down towards the end of very large, memory-intensive documents, but that's easily resolved by splitting the file.

Good luck!

Claire ▲ Collapse
 
Peter Linton (X)
Peter Linton (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 22:12
Swedish to English
+ ...
Pros and cons Jul 25, 2008

I have also upgraded, in my case to an Andrea NC-91, recommended by experts (which I am using at this moment).

It is undoubtedly better, but not by a great margin because I get remarkable accuracy from the standard headphone that come with Dragon Preferred. The key to success with Dragon is clear enunciation plus training, and I suspect that is more important than the brand of microphone.

A possible disadvantage of the better microphones is that they tend to be heavier... See more
I have also upgraded, in my case to an Andrea NC-91, recommended by experts (which I am using at this moment).

It is undoubtedly better, but not by a great margin because I get remarkable accuracy from the standard headphone that come with Dragon Preferred. The key to success with Dragon is clear enunciation plus training, and I suspect that is more important than the brand of microphone.

A possible disadvantage of the better microphones is that they tend to be heavier, and slightly less comfortable than the very lightweight standard mic. However, both are comfortable enough to be worn all day.

I tend to use the better microphone at home and the standard microphone when travelling, and as a reserve. ▲ Collapse
 
Claire Cox
Claire Cox
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:12
French to English
+ ...
Opposite experience Jul 25, 2008

Peter Linton wrote:

It is undoubtedly better, but not by a great margin because I get remarkable accuracy from the standard headphone that come with Dragon Preferred. The key to success with Dragon is clear enunciation plus training, and I suspect that is more important than the brand of microphone.

A possible disadvantage of the better microphones is that they tend to be heavier, and slightly less comfortable than the very lightweight standard mic. However, both are comfortable enough to be worn all day.


Interesting - I found the opposite to be true. Whilst I managed to get Dragon up and running within the 30 minutes it says, I found the supplied microphone very uncomfortable. Possibly because my hair is very straight and shiny, it kept slipping off unless I had it very tight, in which case I soon felt as though I was in a headlock! The Logitech one is one of those like spectacles in reverse - it goes round the back of your head and hooks over your ears, so I find that much more comfortable. It's obviously a case of personal preference, but it is hard to try before you buy as they all come packed up in plastic.

I do agree that training is important, but you can achieve very good results in just a short time. My son's girlfriend was panicking the other day because she'd accidentally deleted a file from her A'level coursework amounting to several pages of text. I suggested she dictated it with Dragon rather than retyping it. She'd never used Dragon before, so she duly did the brief initial training, then successfully dictated her text - one very happy customer!
 
Tom Fennell
Tom Fennell
United States
Local time: 16:12
Russian to English
+ ...
Nuance Approved Microphones Aug 7, 2008

You can find a list of Nuance approved and rated microphones by following this link:

http://support.nuance.com/compatibility/default.asp

Good luck.
 


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