The What: ClearOne has expanded its audio conferencing product line with the introduction of its Ceiling Microphone Array Dante, a tri-element ceiling microphone array with built-in Dante audio networking for conferencing and sound reinforcement applications.
The What Else: Up to four ClearOne Ceiling Microphone Array Dantes (12 channels) can be daisy-chained to cover one to four rooms, and the microphone elements in each array are numbered for easy identification. ClearOne will offer package pricing for one to four arrays to maximize cost effectiveness and offer integrators improved margins.
The array is compatible with Dante DSP mixers from ClearOne and third parties, and features shielding against RF interference to provide consistently clear, static-free audio with wide bandwidth and high signal-to-noise ratio. Integrators can use multiple interfaces to add as many microphones arrays as needed, up to the capacity of the Ethernet switch or DSP mixer.
Installation made easier due to the expandable nature of the room solution, and each array is adjustable to hang anywhere from zero to seven feet from the ceiling. Power is supplied through Power Over Ethernet (PoE), and onboard LEDs indicate power status and mute status of each array. It is available in black or white to match a variety of decors and ceiling types.
“As businesses increasingly rely on remote collaboration, it is more important than ever that they have access to sleek, easy-to-use microphone arrays that deliver crystal-clear sound,” said John Nygren, ClearOne's director of business development for microphone solutions. “The Ceiling Microphone Array Dante offers businesses and integrators a superior solution that provides full 360-degree coverage through hardware and software optimized for speech intelligibility, ensuring smooth meetings and simple operation for superior performance in a wide variety of rooms. Our package pricing for one to four microphone arrays makes Dante systems cost-effective, and the simple Ethernet-based installation saves time for integrators by reducing the amount of cabling needed compared to single-element analog ceiling microphones.”
The Bottom Line: Each Ceiling Microphone Array Dante utilizes three premium-quality microphone elements to deliver 360-degree room coverage for boardrooms, conference rooms, telemedicine facilities, and more. Dante networking technology offers simple installation with Cat-5 or Cat-6 cabling, and delivers uncompressed, multi-channel audio with near-zero latency and sample accurate time synchronization throughout the network. The microphone array measures 1.5 inches by 3 inches, making it one of the smallest and most unobtrusive multi-element microphone arrays available today.
ClearOne’s Ceiling Microphone Array will be showcased at ISE 2019 from February 5-8 at Stand #D-130 in Hall 11 at the RAI Centre in Amsterdam.
