External Speakers and Microphone
External speakers and microphones are plug-and-play accessories. You can connect an external PC-type
microphone and powered speakers (with amplifier) on the Cisco Desktop Collaboration Experience phone
by using the line in/out jack. Connecting an external microphone disables the internal microphone and
connecting an external speaker disables the internal phone speaker.
Using poor-quality external audio devices, playing loudspeakers at very loud volumes, or placing the
microphone very close to the loudspeaker may result in undesirable echo for other parties on your
speakerphone calls.
Note
Headsets
Although Cisco performs internal testing of third-party headsets for use with Cisco Desktop Collaboration
Experience phones, Cisco does not certify nor support products from headset or handset vendors.
The phone reduces some background noise that a headset microphone detects, but if you want to further reduce
the background noise and improve the overall audio quality, use a noise-cancelling headset.
Cisco recommends the use of good-quality external devices, for example, headsets that are screened against
unwanted radio frequency (RF) and audio frequency (AF) signals. Depending on the quality of headsets and
their proximity to other devices, such as mobile (cell) phones and two-way radios, some audio noise or echo
may still occur. Either the remote party or both the remote party and the Cisco Desktop Collaboration Experience
phone user may hear an audible hum or buzz. A range of outside sources can cause humming or buzzing
sounds; for example, electric lights, electric motors, or large PC monitors.
In some cases, using a local power cube or power injector may reduce or eliminate hum.
Note
These environmental and hardware inconsistencies in the locations where Cisco Desktop Collaboration
Experience phones are deployed mean that no single headset solution is optimal for all environments.
Cisco recommends that customers test headsets in the intended environment to determine performance before
making a purchasing decision and deploying on a large scale.
Related Topics
External Device Use, on page 58
Audio Quality
Beyond physical, mechanical, and technical performance, the audio portion of a headset must sound good to
the user and to the party on the far end. Sound quality is subjective and Cisco cannot guarantee the performance
of any headsets. However, a variety of headsets from leading headset manufacturers are reported to perform
well with Cisco Desktop Collaboration Experience phones. For details, see the headset documentation.
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Cisco Desktop Collaboration Experience Phone Components
