Q & A: Conferencing Solution
A reader sends in a question regarding wiring a large room with an audio-only teleconferencing system.
Q: I’ve been tasked with wiring a 250-seat company theater with an audio-only teleconferencing system. The room requires an easy-to-use system with audience participation during conference calls. We’ve tried many of the popular desktop conferencing solutions, but these systems are just too small for the room. I anticipate that we’ll need to hang mics from the ceiling and tie into our existing sound system. Any ideas for a solution?
A: ClearOne’s XAP Series of audioconferencing products would be a good solution for this problem. The XAP 400 has built-in amplifier, a telephone interface, and four-microphone input capability. The XAP 800 has eight microphone inputs, but requires the XAP TH2 to interface with telephones. Once you’ve selected one of these products, it’s just a matter of integrating them with your existing sound system (mixer, amplifier, etc.). You’ll also have to decide how many models you’ll need, and whether wired or wireless configurations will work best. One thing to remember is to stay away from ceiling microphones that pick up too much background noise.
— Sam Chavez, president, Professional Business Systems Inc., Albuquerque, NM
