Conference Room Audio Guide: Mics, Speakers and Echo

Good conference room audio comes down to two rules: get a microphone within its rated pickup range of every seat, and keep echo down with good echo cancellation and some acoustic treatment. In practice that means a speakerphone for focus rooms, a video bar with built-in mics for huddle to medium rooms, a bar plus expansion mics for long tables, and ceiling or table mic arrays with a DSP for large rooms and boardrooms.

Audio setup by room size

Room	Seats	Typical audio	Example	Price guide
Focus	1-2	USB/Bluetooth speakerphone	Jabra Speak2 55	$192
Huddle	2-4	Speakerphone or video bar mics	Jabra Speak2 75, Poly Sync 60	$366-$471
Small	4-6	Video bar built-in mics	Logitech MeetUp 2, Poly Studio X32	$1,079-$1,638
Medium	6-10	Video bar + 1-2 expansion mics	Logitech Rally Mic Pod, Poly Studio Table Microphone	$210-$450 per mic
Large	10-20	Bar or PTZ + several table mics, or ceiling mics	Poly Studio A2 Table Microphone, AVer FONE700	$339 per mic; $2,039.99 ceiling unit
Boardroom	16+	Ceiling/table arrays + DSP + ceiling speakers	Poly IP Ceiling Microphone with Poly G7500	Several thousand dollars

Our prices; they can change. Installation and display not included.

The core components

1. Microphones: pick up voices. Built into speakerphones and bars, or separate table, boundary and ceiling mics. See conference room microphones.
2. Speakers: play remote voices. Built into bars, or separate speakers for large rooms. See conference room speakers.
3. Echo cancellation (AEC): stops remote people hearing themselves. Built into bars and speakerphones; handled by a DSP in custom systems.
4. DSP / processor: mixes many mics, applies AEC, noise suppression and gain. Needed in large custom rooms.
5. Room acoustics: hard walls and glass create reverb no mic can fully fix.

Mic pickup: the number that matters

Every device has a rated pickup distance. Measure from the mic to the farthest seat.

Device	Rated pickup
Jabra Speak2 75	Up to 2.5 m (8 ft)
Poly Sync 60	About 9.8 ft (3 m)
Poly Studio R30	Up to 15 ft (4.6 m)
Logitech MeetUp 2 / Rally Bar Mini	Up to 7 m (23 ft)
Poly Studio X72 / V72	Up to 25 ft (7.6 m)
Neat Bar Pro / AVer VB350	10 m (33 ft)
Logitech Rally Mic Pod 2	7.2 m (24 ft) diameter
AVer FONE700 ceiling unit	Up to 3.5 m radius per unit

Rated ranges assume a reasonably quiet, treated room. In echoey rooms, plan for less.

When to add expansion mics

Add mics when people at the far end sit beyond the bar's rated pickup, or when the far end of the table is noticeably quieter. Place one mic per 6 to 8 seats along the table. See how to use multiple microphones and how to set up conference room microphones.

Ceiling vs table mics

	Table mics	Ceiling mics
Pickup	Closer to talkers, usually clearer	Further away, relies on beamforming
Clutter	On the table, cable or grommet	Clean table
Install	Easy	Ceiling work, often PoE
Best for	Fixed tables	Flexible layouts, design-led rooms

More in ceiling microphones and boundary and table microphones.

Controlling echo

• Use one device for echo cancellation. Don't run a speakerphone and a video bar's speakers at the same time.
• Keep mics away from speakers.
• Add acoustic panels on parallel hard walls. See conference room acoustics and fix room echo.
• Fix remote echo on calls with how to fix echo on a conference call.

Designing an AV system

For larger rooms, plan audio together with camera and display:

1. Map seats and table shape; mark the farthest talker.
2. Choose the platform (Teams Rooms, Zoom Rooms, BYOD).
3. Pick the camera or bar, then check its mic range.
4. Add mics to cover the gaps; check how many the bar supports.
5. Decide speakers: bar speakers are fine up to medium rooms; large rooms may need ceiling speakers.
6. Plan cable runs and power. See conference room wiring.
7. Treat the room's acoustics.

See conference room AV systems explained, large conference room audio and best conference room audio systems.

Send us a floor plan and seat count and we'll design the audio for your room.

Related guides

• How to Reduce Echo in a Conference Room (Reverb Fixes)
• Teams Rooms Audio: Mics, Noise Suppression and AEC
• Best Conference Room Audio and Sound Systems by Room Size
• Large Conference Room Audio and Microphone Systems
• Conference Room Acoustics: Design and Treatment Guide
• Meeting Room Audio Recording: Mics and Recorders

All room planning →