Inexpensive USB adapters
Submitted by Matt Chambers on Sat, 06/09/2007 - 17:25.
One of my Andrea USB pods gave up the ghost a few weeks ago, and the other has a cable that isn't in great shape. (I've used both for many years.)
I was curious if any Andrea pods were on eBay, so I did a search, and found hundreds of inexpensive adapters.
I was wondering if anyone had tried them for speech recognition. Obviously, you wouldn't want to use the sound effects they purport to offer, and you might want to use a USB cable to connect them. I'm skeptical about them, and I'm sure the usual microphone experts will weigh in here, but I'd really like to know if anyone has tried them, and avoid uniformed speculation.
Matt Chambers wrote: One of
One of my Andrea USB pods gave up the ghost a few weeks ago, and the other has a cable that isn't in great shape. (I've used both for many years.)
I was curious if any Andrea pods were on eBay, so I did a search, and found hundreds of inexpensive adapters.
eBay Listing
I was wondering if anyone had tried them for speech recognition. Obviously, you wouldn't want to use the sound effects they purport to offer, and you might want to use a USB cable to connect them. I'm skeptical about them, and I'm sure the usual microphone experts will weigh in here, but I'd really like to know if anyone has tried them, and avoid uniformed speculation.
Matt,
Avoid getting any of these adapters from eBay like the plague. There are any number of USB pods/adapters out on the market, but most of them do not work well or work at all with DNS.
I would contact Marty and get either another Andréa or a Buddy USB 5G. I really like the Buddy USB 5G because it has a mute switch and it is a duplex USB pod. Also, I personally think that it works better than the Andréa USB pod.
Regardless, if you buy on eBay, your very likely to get a pig in a poke and there's a high probability that it won't work or won't work properly.
Chuck Runquist
Former Dragon NaturallySpeaking SDK & Senior Technical Solutions PM for DNS
"Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them." – Albert Einstein
I totally agree with Chuck
I totally agree with Chuck and not just because I sell USB sound adapters.
The really cheap USB sound devices have a high "noise floor" and one or two of them overheat so much that they are of more use as a "drinks warmer".
Some expensive USB sound devices such as the SoundBlaster are also not satisfactory for speech recognition so that it is better to purchase one specifically designed for the purpose.
Both the VXi Two-Way USB and the Buddy USB 5G are excellent.
I have just finished testing the prototype of a new Buddy USB sound device that is compatible with most headsets including the modified Sennheiser ME3-N. Parmod Gandhi, who designs the Buddy range, has supplied innovative speech recognition products for more than 10 years. Unfortunately it will be some weeks before the new Buddy USB is available from manufacturing.
Graham
IT Speaking
IT Speaking wrote: Some
Some expensive USB sound devices such as the SoundBlaster are also not satisfactory for speech recognition ......
I have been using a Sound Blaster Live (the cheapest version) for many years on my desktop without any problem, using a serial SpeechMike 6124.
Quentin
Thanks. I really wasn't
Thanks. I really wasn't asking for advice on where to buy. As a long-time reader of this and other speech recognition sites, I know who the main vendors are.
I was simply curious if these adapters worked. Graham's explanation is enough for me on that point, and I find it interesting that Chuck rates the Buddy USB 5G as slightly better than the Andrea. The mute button is a nice feature. I'd note that one vendor suggests that the Buddy doesn't play as well with the Sennheiser ME-3 (which I use when traveling) as the Andrea.
Quentin, I think you misread Graham's post. He's referring to a Creative USB device, not an internal soundcard.
Well, I couldn't resist. I
Well, I couldn't resist. I bought on eBay a "USB KEY SIZE 5.1 CHANNEL AUDIO SOUND CARD ADAPTOR USA" for 99 cents plus cheap shipping.
It seems to work just fine, although I have only used it briefly. (Dragon insists that I need to prepare the user for dictation when I use this card, which creates some complications when I want to use the Andrea pod.) In my initial usage, it certainly passed the audio settings test, and the actual dictation experience seems indistinguishable from using my Andrea pod. In addition, when I played back my dictation, the audio sounded perfectly clean. (It shows up as "C-Media USB Audio Device" in the window in NaturallySpeaking when you select a dictation source.)
It did not seem to generate any significant heat, but I only used it for a few minutes. I suppose I could leave it plugged in.
Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not interested in generating controversy here, and I greatly appreciate the advice that Chuck and Graham give. I expect that many of the USB adapters for sale on eBay won't work with speech recognition. Nevertheless, I couldn't resist experimenting.
Hooray for the guys in the
Hooray for the guys in the cheap seats!
Bruce