Dear Friends,
As we close in on the upcoming Holiday Season, I have been checking my stocking over the fireplace and it’s still empty! I guess my hints in the last newsletter have been ignored, or, if you are like me – you’re waiting for the last minute to do your shopping. That’s why I am again including a link to the Holiday Specials in the hopes that we can all get what we wish for.
In addition, this issue includes information and links concerning:
- Holiday Gift Suggestions
- Headphones vs. Headsets: Which is right for you?
- Conference Microphone Systems
- AudioMan’s responses to customer questions
- AudioLink Services Catalog
Holiday Gift Suggestions
There’s still time to get that audiophile in your life a gift that will bring a smile to his or her face. Organized by price, from under $25.00 on up, our list just about does the work for you! I am sure there is a gift on that list just right for your favorite niece or nephew (or yourself).
CLICK HERE to learn more
Headphones vs. Headsets: Which is right for you?
I can remember a time when headphones fulfilled a very specific purpose in my life - being able to play my favorite music as loud as I wanted without disturbing anyone else around me.
My presently diminished hearing is testament to the fact that I liked my music VERY loud and that headphones of that day were heavy-duty mini isolation booths. No one ever told me to "turn that music down!" when I had those beauties wrapped around my ears. Of course after two album sides, those monsters had to come off or else serious ear cramping would occur. But as far back as I can remember, "headsets" were skimpy, delicate looking units reserved for telephone operators, air traffic controllers and NASA flight directors - generally not among the "Stairway to Heaven" crowd.
Now, headphones have largely gone the way of the rotary phone. In today's world, headset varieties vastly outnumber headphones in both style and functionality. However, there are still specific applications for which traditional headphone technology is more suitable, e.g. DJs, audio professionals, aviators, aerospace engineers and factory workers. Let's see if I can dispel some of the confusion by going over the three major differences between headsets and headphones:
1. The main divergence between headphones and headsets is in the earpiece speaker itself.
- Headphones are typically of the circumaural type, with a speaker style that covers the entire ear, blocking out outside sounds.
- Headsets are mainly of the supraural type, with a speaker style that rests on the outside of the ear, allowing monitoring of surrounding sound.
2. The second major difference between headphones and headsets is speaker configuration, specifically single or dual ear speaker styles.
- Single ear types (monaural) are more useful for those who need to be aware of their environment and can be of the over-the-head or around-the-neck variety.
- Dual ear models (binaural) allow a higher degree of concentration, despite outside distractions.
3. The third difference between headphones and headsets is connectivity to an external device like a computer or telephone. Headsets have become highly specialized and usually a separate type is needed for a variety of current applications, among them:
- corded or wired telephones
- cordless or wireless telephones
- cellular or mobile phones
- USB (Universal Serial Bus) type connector (for connecting many users at once)
- computer (PC or Mac) type connector
By the way, there is a technological advance currently in its infancy known as "BlueTooth" which is working towards unifying all of these platforms by use of one universal connection. However, at this stage that world is still largely one of the future.
When deciding which headset is right for you, it is most important to consider the environment in which it will be used, the equipment you will be connecting to and, of course, your budget.
To check out our current offerings for a product that best meets your needs Click Here or Contact us for a free consultation.
Conference Microphone Systems
AudioLink Systems currently offers the most advanced conference microphone technology for your next meeting.
Our state of the art equipment includes an easy to use chairman console and virtually unlimited number of delegate microphones that facilitate audience participation. Ideal for delegate roundtables, boardroom discussions, and multi-party negotiations, our system is available for rental as well as purchase.
Here are some of my favorite things about this system:
- Easy set-up (as an audio engineer I place this as my number one benefit – you however may prefer the second point);
- Convenient speaker controls from the chairman’s console (so the discussion leader can direct the flow of the conversation);
- High fidelity individual loudspeakers at each station (with centralized volume controls);
- Adjustable gooseneck microphones (so individuals can adjust their unit for maximum comfort)
- An on/off indicator light to alert audience members when their microphone is live (you can imagine why I like this as I have been known to sometimes say things sotto voce!);
- And, for that all important recording & transcription of your meeting (you did know that we do transcription didn’t you?), the system allows linking to external audio sources.
Manual or automatic operation with delegate and chairman microphones ensures trouble free reliability. And, by placing the optional Microphone Control Unit (remote tech-pad) in a convenient location, it can be unobtrusively operated by our qualified audio engineers.
Take advantage now of the superior sound and top quality components this system has to offer, and while you’re at it check out the other equipment we currently rent!
Learn more
Responses to Customer Questions
Here is another question asked by a NewsLetter subscriber:
Eileen F. asks "We have a PA system in our dance studio and the speaker cables are becoming a problem. Is there such a thing as a wireless PA system?
We replied:
Dear Eileen,
Thank you for contacting AudioLink Services!
Until recently, for anything but a small audience, the answer to your question would have been no. However, thanks to the folks at Califone, we can now offer you a state of the art solution with great features at a very reasonable price!
Designed for any venue, the Califone PowerPro PA-916 is the first portable PA system to offer wireless transmission to any number of its powered companion speakers, meaning it has significant expandability to handle most situations. It’s a completely self-contained sound system with true AC/DC operation, rechargeable battery, up to two built-in wireless receivers, a CD player, a variable speed cassette recorder/player and it features 90-watts RMS of power with a single unit - easily covering crowds up to 1000 people.
This is the ideal system for those who require an easy-to-use, portable sound reinforcement solution but do not have the budget, technical know-how or time required to operate a multi-component system. (And for those who do not wish to become entangled in speaker wire after landing a perfect pirouette).
We hope this is helpful!
If you're in the market for a solution to your presentation requirements, here’s a link to our current Specials
AudioLink Services
You already know that AudioLinks.com is the premiere source for audio equipment discounts, but are you aware of the other services we provide?
Conference & Meeting Planning, Equipment Rental, Interpreting, Recording & Transcription as well as Voice Over Production are just some of the other areas of the industry we can help you with.
Let us give you a Free Consultation and you'll find out just how versatile we really are!
Well, that's about it for this edition. In future issues we plan to offer reports and updates on different types of audio equipment, links to useful sites and to answer questions posed by you and other readers. We hope you will find this newsletter useful and we welcome your feedback.
Looking for something that's not on our web site? Contact Us and we'll respond as quickly as possible, or, visit AudioLink's product pages and see for yourself why we are known as: "The Home of Sound Solutions"
Until then,
That's sound advice...
Regards,
Audio Man
SiteManager@audiolinks.com
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