The Best Microphones for Dictation in 2024
By investing in the top-of-the-line microphones for dictation, you can get clear recordings every time to make speech recognition or transcription more accurate. These microphones, despite being the best available, are not always the most expensive – and often have additional features such as configurable buttons. Find the microphone below that best suits your dictation needs.
Handheld dictation microphones
Most handheld dictation microphones have configurable buttons that can be used to perform functions on your device. When paired with speech recognition, handheld microphones can also reduce manual clicking and typing.
Philips Speechmike Premium Air SMP4000
Philips consistently delivers with high quality dictation microphones, and the Speechmike Premium Air is no exception. The microphone is built for dictation, with built-in noise reduction, configurable buttons, and a long battery life. Beyond that, the Speechmike Premium Air is wireless – meaning you can dictate and use configurable buttons to run macros without being tied to your computer.
Olympus RecMic II RM-4110S
This microphone is specifically optimized for speech recognition software. As with other microphones on this list, the Olympus RecMic II has noise cancelling, configurable buttons, and a long battery life – all at a competitive price. This microphone is wired, with an 8 ft. cable that provides you with flexibility as you work and dictate. The trackball in the center of the microphone allows it to move around the mouse cursor.
Headset dictation microphones
You can make sure your microphone is always nearby by wearing it. With a headset dictation microphone, you can begin your dictations with the press of a button. There are headsets built specifically for dictation, but there are also many standard headsets, including wireless headsets, that are compatible with speech recognition software.
These are some of the best standard headsets and dictation headsets available today. Configurable buttons, noise cancellation, and ease-of-use are all qualities you should consider when determining which is the best headset for dictation for you.
SpeechOne Wireless Dictation Headset
The SpeechOne Wireless Dictation Headset is designed for dictation, especially medical dictation. The headset is wireless, has a long battery life, and is less cumbersome than some other headsets. This makes it a perfect headset to wear all day long. This headset also has powerful noise reduction that ensures your voice is captured clearly, making it a great option for transcription or speech recognition.
This headset is unique in that it also has a remote control device with configurable buttons available. With this remote control, you can perform more actions without needing to use a full handheld dictation microphone.
Sennheiser SD Pro 2
This headset is not designed specifically for dictation, but has all of the features that a good dictation microphone needs. The SD Pro 2 is a standard wireless headset that doesn’t do anything too out of the ordinary – instead, it excels in the categories that matter most.
The headset has great voice clarity and noise cancelling, a long battery life, and a high range for a wireless headset. Your comfort also counts – the SD Pro 2 has both single speaker and double speaker versions available.
Tabletop dictation microphones
Headset microphones are great, but you might need to take the headset off when you’re done dictating and put it back on when you’re ready to make another dictation. Tabletop dictation microphones stay in one spot, and once they’re set up you just need to get close to the microphone to dictate.
If you have a good spot for a tabletop microphone, you can get a lot more out of it than if you have to go out of your way to use it.
SpeechWare 3-in-1 Tablemike
The SpeechWare 3-in-1 Tablemike is a feature-rich microphone that works as advertised. If you’re looking for a stationary microphone, the 3-in-1 Tablemike is a great solution. This microphone has built in noise cancelling, programmable volume buttons, and a flexible and detachable mic boom. To make the audio quality even better, this microphone automatically adjusts volume as you get closer to or further away from the microphone.
Other microphones for dictation
Some speech recognition solutions, including Fusion Narrate, let you use your phone to dictate. By downloading the Fusion Narrate Keyboard app, you can start dictating with just your smartphone – giving you a mobile voice recognition microphone. The limitation to this, of course, is a lower vocal clarity in your dictations. You can still make high quality dictations using your phone through Bluetooth dictation microphones like the Impact MB Pro listed above.
We’ve put together a list of the best medical dictation apps currently available if mobile dictation makes the most sense for your organization.
Paired with a powerful speech recognition solution, any of these microphones can change the way you dictate – making documentation easier and saving you time. It’s important to find the best medical dictation microphone for you. As you make your decision, consider what you need most out of the microphone; does it need to be mobile, or offer background noise cancellation, or have configurable buttons?
If you’re looking for a powerful speech recognition solution to go with your new dictation microphone, check out Fusion Narrate. It’s fast, accurate, reliable – and it works with each dictation microphone listed above.
View a full list of microphones supported by Fusion Narrate here.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the best dictation microphone?
The best dictation microphone will differ for each organization and even for each individual.
Handheld microphones are a convenient option with high utility through programmable buttons, and can provide high quality recordings for accurate speech recognition – and may be the preferred device for many healthcare professionals.
Those who cannot actively hold a microphone while dictating may prefer a tabletop or wireless headset microphone instead.
- Can an iPhone be used as microphone for dictation software?
An iPhone or Android device can be used to make dictations – but two important considerations must be made.
First, the audio recording quality of a mobile phone will be much lower than that of a device dedicated to dictation recordings – which can lead to difficulty for a transcriptionist or speech recognition software in converting the audio to text.
Second, when dealing with PHI, a secure voice-recording or dictation app should be used to maintain HIPAA-compliance.