Bluetooth speakers are great for playing music and providing a little background noise at work. It’s also nice to have some tunes when you’re cooking dinner or cleaning up around the house. But what if you need to make a call and want your speaker as well? Sometimes people wonder if these wireless speakers have a microphone but do they?
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Do Bluetooth speakers have a Microphone?
Most Bluetooth speakers don’t have a microphone. These little gadgets are made solely to play music and might be small enough to fit in your hand but they’re not usually manufactured to include that kind of technology. However, you can find models that have built-in mics but expect them to be more expensive.
The lack of a microphone in a Bluetooth speaker has always been one of its major drawbacks. As earlier stated, Bluetooth Speakers are mainly used for playing music and providing music at home or office. However, when you need to make a call and want your Bluetooth speaker as well then the only option would be either using hands-free Bluetooth headsets or using smartphones with voice commands inbuilt in them for making calls.
Do you need a Bluetooth speaker with a Microphone?
If you’re using a Bluetooth speaker at home or the office then probably not, as mentioned above most Bluetooth speakers don’t have built-in microphones. This is one of its major drawbacks.
However, if you’re looking to use this speaker for your outdoor activities like boating or hiking where there is no internet connection available and you need hands-free communication for emergencies then a Bluetooth speaker with a microphone would be a great choice.
Is the mic from Bluetooth speakers good?
To answer this question, let’s look at the Bluetooth speaker mics. It is very rare to find Bluetooth speakers with built-in microphones of good quality. Even Bluetooth earpieces aren’t of such quality.
The mic built-in Bluetooth speakers are low quality and the Bluetooth speaker mics may only be good for answering quick phone calls or voice memos but it’s not recommended to use for voice recordings or for making long conversations via phone calls. Therefore, Bluetooth speakers with mics would not be a great choice if you’re looking to use them for hands-free talking over the phone.
Do Bluetooth speakers with mic differ much in terms of price?
Bluetooth speakers with a microphone will cost you more than Bluetooth speakers without a microphone. The price of Bluetooth speakers with microphones is significantly higher than Bluetooth speakers without microphones.
The Bluetooth speaker mics are not very expensive and they can range from $20 to $30 in the market, but it would be difficult to find good quality Bluetooth speaker mics at this price range. If you want Bluetooth speaker microphones that offer good sound quality then it may cost well over $100 for a Bluetooth speaker mic setup that offers better sound quality.
Benefits of using Bluetooth speakers with Mic
Bluetooth speakers with a microphone come with several benefits if you compare these Bluetooth speakers with Bluetooth headsets or Bluetooth earpieces.
The built-in microphones of these Bluetooth speaker mics make it quite easy for you to receive and make hands-free phone calls without the need of taking out your smartphone from your pocket.
So if you’re looking to use Bluetooth speakers for your outdoor activities like boating or hiking then using Bluetooth speakers with a mic would be advantageous.
You can use the speaker as a remote control for playing music on your laptop, tablet, or smartphone. You can use them to use smart devices that have voice activation controls. So, Bluetooth speakers with a mic can offer you several features that Bluetooth earpieces and Bluetooth headsets cannot.
Is a Bluetooth speaker microphone good for calling?
Bluetooth speakers microphones are not designed to be used for making calls via voice commands as they do not have built-in noise-canceling technology. The low-quality mic may make it quite difficult to answer the phone call and make a conversation without needing to shout or speak very close to the mic and still having difficulty in understanding what the other person is saying on the other end of the phone call. It’s advisable to use Bluetooth speaker mics only for quick phone calls and voice recording rather than making long conversations via Bluetooth speaker.
Conclusion
Bluetooth speakers on their own don’t have a microphone. For Bluetooth speakers with a microphone, the Bluetooth speaker mics are not of good quality and they can cost you more as well. If you need to make hands-free calls over Bluetooth, then Bluetooth earpieces or smartphones with voice commands built in them would be a better option.
It’s best to look for Bluetooth speakers that don’t include Bluetooth speaker mics if all you plan on doing is listening to music from it or use Bluetooth headsets/earpieces if all you need is for calling purposes only.
FAQ’s
Does the JBL Bluetooth speaker have microphone?
Most JBL speakers don’t have Bluetooth microphones inside them. You would have to opt for JBL Bluetooth speakers that are known to have microphones inbuilt in it like JBL Flip Bluetooth speaker from JBL which is a great Bluetooth speaker with good sound quality and also features a built-in microphone.
Can I connect the mic to JBL Speaker?
Yes, you can connect the microphone to any Bluetooth speaker that has Bluetooth connectivity with your smartphone or laptop. It basically just plugs and plays without any software installation required on your device.
