I’m used to more exciting sounding technology, but it turns out this little understated box is incredibly helpful. Sure, you’ll never boast about it to your friends in the same way you would a new smartwatch, but you’ll find it a fantastic time saver while you work. It’s a small box that offers USB and Bluetooth connectivity so you don’t have to keep it near your PC, but you probably will anyway. Hook it up in seconds and all your calls can go through it instead of worrying about your laptop or phone’s microphone quality. It only connects to one device at a time, but one button press switches the input. In a busy home office, it really comes into its own.
Work Keeps on Changing
Over the past 18 months, many working practices have changed. Some continue to be very different from before. I’ve always worked from home, but now I have many more meetings and calls to make, too. Due to ongoing health problems, I’ve also needed to phone medical institutions at the same time as I’m trying to work. Since getting the Cyber Acoustics SP-2000, I’ve realized I was doing things the hard way. I’d leave the call on speaker on my iPhone, waiting for the hold music to finish and for me to get to speak to someone. Because I’m no fan of the iPhone’s speaker mode, I’d switch it off quickly to take the call. It’s all an extra moment or two, but these things add up. Once I got the Cyber Acoustics SP-2000 set up, I felt far more in control. Secretly? I felt way more professional, too. That trend continued with work calls. Thanks to the speakerphone, I could wander around my home office walking and talking like the big shot that I’m really not. It was convenient and felt better than being stuck near my laptop the whole time. The Cyber Acoustics SP-2000 has a noise-cancelling microphone, and I checked in with the people I spoke to. They were happy with how I sounded and those who had spoken to me beforehand reckoned I sounded clearer than before, too. The Cyber Acoustics SP-2000 has a voice pickup range of 3 meters, so you’re fine to wander a little without worrying about its voice enhancement magic going wrong.
Switching It Up
I mostly had the Cyber Acoustics SP-2000 hooked up to my MacBook Pro via Bluetooth. It’s possible to use USB (and you’ll need to for maintaining its 12-hour battery), but Bluetooth was simpler for me. It took seconds to pair up. The downside here is you can’t easily pair it up with two devices at the same time, but that’s hardly an issue unique to this device. Most Bluetooth headphones don’t offer multipoint technology—the tech that means you can have two devices connected at the same time. Instead, you switch between devices by holding down the Bluetooth button for a few seconds. It’s not hard, but I’m lazy, so I mostly kept it paired with my most commonly used thing. Granted, if I’m in a work meeting on my laptop, it’s incredibly unlikely I’d want to take a call on my iPhone at the same time, so this is far from an issue for me. What I do like, buttons-wise, is that the Cyber Acoustics SP-2000 has some clear buttons on top. These correlate to taking a call, adjusting volume, and muting the microphone. The latter being the best button ever when you’re on a busy call or about to sneeze.
Simply Practical
The Cyber Acoustics SP-2000 is one of those gadgets you’ll underestimate until it becomes a key part of your living space. I certainly did. For calls, it’s quickly become an invaluable part of my arsenal. It’s dull to talk about with your friends, but its simplicity is so useful. It even works as a regular Bluetooth speaker for music, although I wouldn’t particularly recommend it if you’re a big audio fan. Ensuring you sound clear on calls and vice versa is where the Cyber Acoustics SP-2000 excels most, and it truly does. It’s a little box of wonders in the corner of your office, kind of like a router for your voice.
