Best Conference Speakers

A standalone speakerphone matters when more than one person needs to be heard on a call from the same room — a single laptop mic struggles to pick up voices from more than a couple feet away clearly. For solo home office use, a good headset usually beats a speakerphone; this category is specifically for shared or multi-person calls.

What actually matters

• 360-degree microphone pickup so voices are captured clearly regardless of seating position
• Echo cancellation, which prevents the speaker's own output from feeding back into the mic
• USB and Bluetooth connectivity, so it works across different laptops without reconfiguring each time

Room size changes what you need

A compact speakerphone works fine for a small home office hosting two or three people around a desk. Larger rooms with more attendees need a unit rated for a wider pickup range, or multiple linked units — check the manufacturer's stated room size rating rather than assuming one size fits all spaces.