The IPEVO VOCAL AI Beamforming Bluetooth Speakerphone is a conference speakerphone that claims to be the first speakerphone with two-way AI noise reduction. The speakerphone has Mic mute/unmute, Power switch, Bluetooth pairing button, volume knob, microphone mode switch – directional/omni, AI Voice for Mic, AI Voice for Speaker buttons on the unit. It is compatible (Plug & Play) with Mac, Windows, and Chromebooks and can connect to PCs, mobile, and Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Package Contents:
- IPEVO VOCAL
USB Type-C cable (3.94 ft / 1.2 m)
Quick Installation Guide
Features:
Controls:
Compatibility and Output Connectivity USB Type C, Bluetooth 5.1
Compatibility (Plug & Play) Mac, Windows, and Chromebooks.
Connectivity Can connect to PCs, Mobile & Bluetooth Enabled Devices
Setup:
The Setup is standard in terms of connection to a Laptop via USB C cable or Bluetooth to a Laptop or phone etc The setup worked as required while when turning on the IPEVO VOCAL this played music but did not advise connect or not. On occasion having connected to 2 phones and 2 laptops, it was hard to distinguish what the IPEVO VOCAL was connected to as does not have multimode technology and was slow to connect even when the other devices were switched off. The option of Omni-directional: 360° voice capture or Directional: 120° voice capture was the change of a button which worked seamlessly allowing the whole room to talk or filter out to only one person speaking.
Niggles. The IPEVO VOCAL was tested on numerous conference calls, WhatsApp calls, and traditional calls. During the calls, the peak output power of the 5W speaker was low in terms of sufficient volume to hear for one person in a room, or a small group but a larger room would be difficult to hear with the volume turned up Max. The unit while connected to the various technologies via Bluetooth has worked but switching off and on struggles to automatically connect to the specific device, which resulted in manually connecting again. On occasion having connected to 2 phones and 2 laptops, it was hard to distinguish what the IPEVO VOCAL was connected to as does not have multimode technology and was slow to connect even when the other devices were switched off.
Warranty: 2 years from the date of purchase.
Conclusion:
The IPEVO VOCAL came with Two digital MEMS omnidirectional microphones with a Pickup distance of 5 m, which on paper may not compare well to many other brands which have more microphones. The 5w speaker volume is lower than many others tested in the past.
Ignoring all the above niggles, and specs this is a WOW conference speaker, wow in terms of using the best equipment in the past, conference, or earphones this outshines them all, When the AI Mic option was switched on, with a dog barking and a robotic vacuum running in the background, all the noise was drowned out. The other end of the call could not hear the noise through its artificial intelligence noise filter which used distinct data to capture natural sound while removing noise. The Omni-directional: 360° voice capture or Directional voice capture works flawlessly during calls (This can be heard in the video review when enabling the AI features.)
In conclusion, the IPEVO VOCAL AI Beamforming Bluetooth Speakerphone is a conference speakerphone that claims to be the first speakerphone with two-way AI noise reduction. While it has some niggles such as low speaker volume and slow Bluetooth connectivity, its AI noise reduction feature works flawlessly during calls. This is a product that often-marketing teams exaggerate their claims of “It removes background noise on both ends of the call and delivers crystal-clear conferencing free of hassle.” On this occasion, this statement is correct with a sensation feeling of this technology for the future. This is a product that must be tried /heard to believe it’s so good.