And there is such a device – or rather a whole family. It’s called “Poly” and we took a look at the “Sync 20-M”. Poly – which is now part of HP – develops and builds audio devices (and webcams and so on) for conference rooms and business applications. So it’s not a “gamer tool”, but rather “the guy from accounting has to be able to use it”.

And what can it do? It’s a speaker and a microphone (with excellent echo cancellation) that can be recognised by virtually any computer or Bluetooth-enabled device. Software is included – but it stays discreetly in the background and is updated regularly, it takes care of firmware upgrades for the dongle and Sync 20 – which worked wonderfully in the test.

If we’re talking about audio, then we have to talk about the sound – and at first it’s very flat with the test music – the Dire Straits test album (yes, I’m old!) sounds very much like a “telephone”. Wait, that’s what it’s supposed to be – “conference” audio! A controllable array with three microphones is available for the audio input, which can be operated up to a distance of 2 metres – up to 4 metres in quiet rooms – and is designed for rooms of approx. 4 x 4 metres.

The frequency range of the microphones is between 100 Hz and 6.7 kHz. For the audio output, we have a 40 mm speaker with a frequency response of 80 Hz to 20 kHz and two passive diaphragms for the bass reflex. About the battery life: We simulated 6 hours of “conversation” and were only at half that – we didn’t have to charge it “extra” during the test period, and when it went back to HP, it was still at 30 per cent. But we also had it on the computer most of the time or with a cable – according to Poly, the 3200 mAh battery should provide 20 hours of talk time and charge from zero to one hundred in four hours.

In & Out

There are basically three options for the connection: Firstly via Bluetooth (as built into every laptop and mobile phone – Bluetooth v5.0, – A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP and BLE), secondly with the dongle. Which is actually also just Bluetooth, but tailored to the Poly – and if the tooth doesn’t bleed, you can simply connect it via the built-in cable. However, there is a small stumbling block here: The Poly 20 is available in a version with USB-A and USB-C, so check what slots you have available beforehand. The cable can even be neatly rolled up and secured on the underside of the device, but cannot be replaced. In the test, the device was mostly connected to the computer via cable – practical because it always stays charged and the cable is strong enough to prevent the editorial team from kicking the Poly off the table.

Everyday life

After the initial playing around, the Sync 20 is connected by cable somewhere on the table – and is selected as the “communication standard” in Meet, Teams and Zoom – this is easily done via the Win11 control panel, or wherever it is hidden in the OS.

After the “what is that anyway” phase, we had it ready to hand next to the table – when it sounded in the communication platforms, just switch it on and start chattering – and it worked every time without a hitch – no “reconnect”, no “where was that again”. It was connected by cable because the Bluetooth connection was “reserved” for the mobile phone – no more hot ears and headsets, and the volume is perfect for the workspace. If you talk to whisperers or howler monkeys, you just have to turn the volume up and down.

It’s also fine for listening to music or podcasts – but it’s when the melody kicks in that you realise what Poly was thinking: It is designed for the vocal range and sounds good there – the rest is more or less background noise. So if your manager always answers by singing, then… Phew, then it’s too late anyway. The voice assistant – which can call up Siri, Google Assistant and Cortana if you use it with your mobile phone – is certainly practical, but as we are trapped in the other ecosystem (three guesses which one), we only did it “for testing purposes”.

One more thing: The software has the additional feature “Soundscapes” – so if you want a bit of noise in the background to help you concentrate better, there are three “water variants” to choose from – built right in. Caution: “Babbling Brook” is close enough to organic splashing that it triggers the toilet reflex. So don’t switch it on quietly and see who jumps up in the open-plan office! That wouldn’t be funny! Really not! If you want real soundscapes, we recommend mynoise.net – an impressive selection of well-recorded sounds. But for travelling, the Poly easily drowns out the most annoying ambient noises.

Conclusion

Is the Poly Sync 20-M a vocal microphone and the secret weapon of podcasters? No, certainly not – but that’s not its job either. Its job is “video conferencing” – and it fulfils this perfectly. If you don’t have in-built hardware or such miserable hardware as is unfortunately still standard and need a “talking aid”, you’re well served. The ecosystem is generally designed for the “conference room” and you can see that in every nook and cranny.

Stable, no “bells and whistles”, and what you can control are things that you find in the office – or would like to find there. Everything is so easy to find that you don’t have to click around in the dialogue and then get lost in the head controls. The sound – even in profile – is geared towards conversations, and anyone looking for a simply functional and solid device to make themselves understood in a call should definitely take a closer look at the Poly 20 – the street price is around EUR 90, and if you look in the used category, you can expect to pay around EUR 60.

The post We need to talk.. first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.