Abox Mk2 - Microphone sensitivity

The unique Audio sensation....the ABox. How to get the best out of your ABox, and ABox Mk2
Post Reply
stapelton
Newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2021 3:31 pm
Location: UE

Abox Mk2 - Microphone sensitivity

Post by stapelton »

I would have a question: can an external microphone be connected to Abox Mk2? I'm asking because I already had two e-stim Systems 2B in which the built-in microphone worked so poorly that it did not fulfill its function at all. I thought that this function was broken in the first copy, but in the second one the built-in microphone didn't work either. I wouldn't want this to happen again in the Abox mk2, and I recently read a review that the built-in microphone in the Abox 2 does not work well and has poor sensitivity. I care about the microphone function, can anyone recommend a device in which this function works well?


User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 2191
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:14 pm
Location: Watford,UK
Contact:

Re: Abox Mk2 - Microphone sensitivity

Post by admin »

Only if you use an external amp and take your mic to line level for the ABox input. Both the 2B and the ABox have internal microphone and both respond to sound, but sometimes people expect them to perform miracles - voice with the TV on from 30 ft away. The 2B also has the ability to increase the gain on the microphones, (x1 x2 x4) which does improve things, and the current beta goes even higher.


Si
E-Stim Systems Ltd
stapelton
Newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2021 3:31 pm
Location: UE

Re: Abox Mk2 - Microphone sensitivity

Post by stapelton »

As I wrote: I had two 2Bs and the microphone in both cases did not work even from a distance of 5 cm with x4 gain. Only when I spoke loudly into the microphone jack or blew into it could I get poor response, but this has nothing to do with the advertised microphone function. The glowing indicator on the device barely moved.
Also the audio function didn't work. After connecting the smartphone to 2B, it hung up and stopped working. Only after a long break (about 20 minutes) could the smartphone be turned on again. This repeated every time I connected the smartphone to 2B.
After connecting 2B to the laptop, 2B also did not work properly. I used rock music and music files available on the manufacturer's website. With small and medium amplification, the 2B did not respond to the signal from the laptop at all. After further amplification, 2B suddenly responded with a powerful and constant signal that was very painful. The 2B reacted only to very short and loud fragments of songs with great force, without differentiating the sound at all.
My last 2b was originally new, bought last year in a store in Germany. Even though I paid a lot for it, I threw it in the trash. I did not sell it because I thought that using it was harmful to the user's health.
My question is, does Abox Mk2 respond to voices from a distance of 1 meter? Does it differentiate sounds: quiet, loud, high tones, low tones, etc.? From your answer, I assume that an external microphone cannot be connected to the Abox MK2?
I would like to finally buy a device with a working audio function, maybe you can advise me what to buy?
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 2191
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:14 pm
Location: Watford,UK
Contact:

Re: Abox Mk2 - Microphone sensitivity

Post by admin »

Given the number of people on this forum, and the 1000s of users using the 2B for audio I would suggest your experiences with the 2B are quite un common, and I would ask why you did not contact us directly for us to look into the issue - Its hard to diagnose an issue with a unit without it being in front of us. All of our power units react to sound in varying ways, If you want purse sound then the ABbox is a contender, but I would also suggest looking at the ElectroPebble with its dual channels and sound input.

As to does the ABox respond to sound from 1M? and will it respond differently to different tones? the answer is it can but it does depend on the loudness of the sound, the pitch and also the ambient sound all of which combine to give a better or worse response.

None of our units currently offer an option to use an external microphone directly.

Hope that helps

Si
E-Stim Systems Ltd
stapelton
Newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2021 3:31 pm
Location: UE

Re: Abox Mk2 - Microphone sensitivity

Post by stapelton »

I mean normal sound intensity as during a conversation.
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 2191
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:14 pm
Location: Watford,UK
Contact:

Re: Abox Mk2 - Microphone sensitivity

Post by admin »

stapelton wrote: Tue Mar 12, 2024 7:25 pm I mean normal sound intensity as during a conversation.
Again it depends, but in my normal office/workshop environment both are picking up my voice from more than 2M away.

Si
E-Stim Systems Ltd
Post Reply