Comparing the Polycom Soundstation, Soundstation 2 and Soundstation Premier
The Polycom SoundStation was the first full-duplex speakerphone available for an audio conference environment.
Polycom has been the world leader in the “full-duplex” speakerphone market since 1989, and by far offers a superior conference room solution.
It began with the release of the Polycom SoundStation and to this date, no competitor can even come close. With a unique triangular shape, it’s futuristic look made it a speakerphone product ahead of its time.
The Polycom SoundStation was the first full-duplex speakerphone available for an audio conference environment. It provided echo canceling and 360-degree microphone pickup. This allowed someone to speak while an audio conference participant on the far-site was talking - without a break or pause in the conversation. Four to six audio conference participants is a good number for the Polycom SoundStation.
“You mean I could actually interrupt someone during conversation with a speaker phone without listening to their rant?” This in fact, was a major selling point for the Polycom audio product line.
After Polycom’s initial foray into the audio conference market, Polycom released the SoundStation Premier, a higher-end product for a larger audio conference setting.
The Polycom SoundStation Premier features a greater coverage area designed for a larger audio conference room, and introduced auto-switching mics. The SoundStation Premier had three microphones, which could be switched off and on depending upon the direction of the sound in the room – following the current speaker. With the other microphones switched off, background noise was reduced - leading to clearer and improved sound quality. The SoundStation Premier was designed for an executive professional office, and was a better fit for the higher requirements of their corporate customers. The SoundStation Premier can ideally handle ten to twelve audio conference participants.
Nearly fifteen years later, the Polycom SoundStation 2 product was released. The Polycom SoundStation 2 addressed many of the technical issues of it’s predecessor. A display window was added to support caller ID, as well as phone book, to enter frequently dialed far-sites. Polycom claimed that the SoundStation 2 microphones were fifty percent better at detecting conversation and sound; this is about equivalent to the SoundStation Premier.
All Polycom audio conference phones offer EX models, which allows for the addition of two external microphones to be added which increases the room coverage area. Refurbished Polycom SoundStations are a great entry-level product for new audio conference users. But if your budget allows, the Polycom SoundStation 2 is great choice to fully maximize your conference room and increase your company’s productivity.
