There are many different microphones that work well with Dragon NaturallySpeaking. The Andrea NC-91 headset that comes with Professional, Medical, or Legal works OK in a quiet environment if you have a good sound card on your PC. But typically a better microphone results in better accuracy.
There is no "BEST" microphone. Your voice, how you use the microphone, your environment, and your PC are a few of the variables that determine what is a good microphone for you.
Sorry, but we can not tell which microphones you will find comfortable, as that is a personal preference, much as trying on shoes. So if you have a local Dragon or microphone reseller who will let you come and see and try various microphones, contact them and buy from them!
On the phone, we can discuss microphone alternatives and provide the microphone along with the software. Or, if you are in metropolitan Phoenix and need a microphone in a hurry, we keep a variety of top-quality microphones on hand. You can even feel them on your head before you buy if you visit us!
You'll have a tough time finding these microphones in retail stores. For more information about microphones, see our Microphone Hints.
The USB Audio Adapters substitute for a high-quality sound card. Some PC's have high-quality sound built-in. These are getting more common, but in our experience no more than 20% of the PC's bought commercially today have such sound cards built-in. Most persons have no idea how to tell the difference, so you may have to try your audio system with NaturallySpeaking (or any other speech recognition product) to determine if it is "good enough". The typical test is to record, then play back and listen to the sound. If it is crystal clear, better than a telephone sound, then it should work OK. OR, buy one of these USB Audio Adapters with your DNS Professional, Medical, or Legal Software and if you decide you don't need it then ship it back and we'll refund the cost of the adapter.
We carry 2 different brands, Andrea and Buddy. VXi makes good adapters too, and we'll sell you theirs if you prefer it for some reason but it may take extra shipping time. The Buddy 6G Audio Adapter has a mute switch and comes in two styles, distinguished by the length of the USB cable. It is a full-duplex Audio Adapter, so both headphone and microphone jacks go into it. It is our preferred adapter. The Buddy 5G model is great too, unless using the Sennheiser ME3 microphone in which case the 6G or the Andrea adapter is required.
If you don't have the physical ability to use the mute switch that is included on the Buddy adapters, then the Andrea adapter may be preferred. But keep in mind that the mute switch can be handy during training or other sessions with someone who may be able to use the mute switch.
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Other USB Adapters: Andrea full-duplex, VXi full-duplex adapters. Some Sennheiser headsets come with a Sennheiser USB adapter.
Microphone accuracy can vary based on many factors. The following are ordered based on our perceived accuracy of these microphones when used with suitable sound cards or USB Audio Adapters.
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Many people must transport microphones, either from room to room or pack them up into laptop bags. These microphones are relatively easy to transport. The Buddy Stylus is by far the lightest of these microphones and is aimed at the Tablet-PC market.
Philips SpeechMike Pro Manufacturer Information
Insync Buddy Flamingo Manufacturer Information
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For general dictation purposes, we find that the VXi TalkPro USB-100 microphone is an excellent headset. Comfortable to most persons, has a mute switch, and produces good clean audio in most office environments. 2-year warranty from VXi if you register it upon receipt.
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If you want a wireless microphone, beware! There are good, expensive (hundreds of dollars) ones with fixed base stations. If you are just looking for one of these, talk to one of the companies that only sells microphones as they will serve you better. Several of these work well, but all are more difficult to set up than wired microphones. There are models with fixed base stations (receivers, with antennas) which work fine and produce quality audio. If you will have multiple users, beware as some of them suffer from interference once you have multiple people in an office using these. The better ones can handle multiple users simultaneously.
Bluetooth microphones can be obtained. If you are moving a PC from place to place several times per day, the convenience of a Bluetooth microphone is attractive. (If your computer stays at the same place all the time, by all means look at conventional wireless microphones before even thinking about Bluetooth!) The best of breed of the Bluetooth microphones today seems to come from Sennheiser, in 2007 the best seemed to come from VXi, but neither is solid enough that we choose to sell it, except under the condition that YOU will deal with problems, YOU will deal with the vendor for resolving problems, etc. Some people report they work fine, so if you have a high value for being wireless, it may be fine for you. We'll advise you to order two of them so you'll have a spare while the other is being repaired. You'll have to ask us via email to supply these.
The inexpensive (under $100) Bluetooth microphones that are used for cell phones DO NOT WORK WELL FOR SPEECH RECOGNITION! That is, unless you consider 80% accuracy "well" in which case your standards are low enough that you could consider them. I've tracked Internet newsgroups every day for years waiting for someone to find such a microphone and it hasn't happened yet.
I strongly urge you to think about why you want to get rid of the wires. Are you allergic to wires? Do you just want to look cool? Do you trip on the wires? Are the wires too heavy to carry? Do you have your own audio engineer on the payroll who needs something to do? Unless you have a strong reason to go wireless, I'd advise against it. Look at it this way -- go into a recording studio and ask what wireless equipment they have. They will likely laugh and tell you that wireless is for stage/performance usage, not for usage where quality is of utmost importance.
There are microphones that sit on a desk, ready to be used. They work best in very quiet settings. Many lawyers, doctors, and those working at home have such quiet settings. If debating between these and wireless microphones, I'd choose these as they are much more reliable.
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Cost is often a factor. Some microphones are used in environments where they get damaged faster than normal (e.g. schools). Others are used where infection control is a factor (e.g. dentistry) so the microphones need replacement often. Whatever the reason, some need to consider cost first and get a good microphone at low cost instead of paying for a better microphone at a higher cost.
These microphones aren't the best, but work well. They may be the best for the money for some applications.
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