The microphone matters less than people expect and more than they hope. A modern laptop microphone in a quiet room beats an expensive headset in a noisy one. But the wrong device — or the right device that your operating system silently switched away from — is the single most common cause of "recognition got worse".
Pick your input device
Open Settings → General → Input Device. You get:
- Automatic (system default) — Sprecho follows whatever your operating system currently treats as the default microphone, unless it is a Bluetooth device. If the default is a Bluetooth headset such as AirPods, Sprecho records with the built-in microphone, or else a wired one. USB headsets, USB microphones, dictation microphones and microphones in a dock or monitor are followed as usual.
- A specific device — Sprecho pins to that microphone and stays there.
The macOS menu-bar icon and the Windows tray icon also have a quick microphone picker, so you can switch without opening Settings.
Pin a device if you plug things in and out. On Automatic, connecting a webcam, a monitor with a built-in mic or a headset can move your system default without any visible sign, and your next dictation is recorded through whatever won.
If a pinned device is unplugged or stays silent, Sprecho records that dictation with the built-in microphone and tells you in a notice, so dictation never simply fails. When the device is back, Sprecho automatically returns to your choice between dictations.
On your phone (iOS and Android)
The Sprecho app has its own microphone setting under Settings → General → Microphone. By default it uses the phone's built-in microphone, even when Bluetooth headphones are connected. That keeps your music and podcasts at full quality while you dictate.
Android lets you choose:
- Automatic — the phone microphone, or a wired headset if one is plugged in. A Bluetooth headset is never used here.
- Phone — always the built-in microphone, even with a headset connected.
- Bluetooth headset — the microphone of your connected headset (for example Poly or Jabra), the same one your phone calls use.
- Wired headset — a headset on a cable or USB-C.
While you are recording, the dictation bar shows which microphone is in use. If the device you chose is not connected, Sprecho uses the phone microphone so the dictation still works.
iPhone has one switch: Use AirPods microphone. Turn it on to record with your AirPods or another Bluetooth headset instead of the iPhone microphone.
With either Bluetooth option, sound in your headset switches to call quality for as long as you are dictating and goes back to full quality as soon as you stop (see the Bluetooth caveat below). When Sprecho is not recording, your headset is free for your other apps.
What each type of microphone is good at
| Device | Strengths | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in laptop mic | No setup, always there, surprisingly good in a quiet room | Picks up keyboard clatter and room echo; poor at more than an arm's length |
| Wired headset or earbuds with a boom | Consistent distance from your mouth, excellent in noise, the best value by far | Cheap ones can be muffled; keep the boom to the side of your mouth |
| USB desktop microphone | Very clear, comfortable for long sessions | Fixed position — you have to stay in front of it; picks up desk knocks |
| Audio interface with an XLR mic | The best raw quality available | Overkill for dictation; gain has to be set correctly or it clips |
| Bluetooth headset or earbuds | Wireless, convenient | See below — the real trade-off |
For most people, a €30 wired headset is the biggest single accuracy upgrade available, and it beats a €300 wireless one.
The Bluetooth caveat
A Bluetooth headset has a music mode without a microphone and a call mode with one, but never both at once. The moment Sprecho opens the microphone, the headset has to switch. As a result, the first words can be lost, the recording is only phone quality, and any music playing sounds like a phone call in the meantime.
That is why Automatic skips Bluetooth microphones. If you select a Bluetooth headset explicitly, Sprecho opens it only while you are dictating; wait about half a second after pressing the key before you speak. All the details are in Bluetooth microphones and dictation, and concrete recommendations in Which microphone we recommend for dictation.
What actually hurts accuracy
In rough order of impact:
- Distance. Beyond about 50 cm, the room contributes as much as you do. 15 to 30 cm is the sweet spot.
- Reverberation. A hard-surfaced room with no soft furnishings smears consonants. Even a rug or curtains help.
- Other voices. Background speech is the hardest interference of all, because it is exactly what the model is looking for.
- Steady noise — fans, air conditioning, traffic. Less damaging than speech, but it eats the quiet parts of your words.
- Popping and handling noise. Speak across the microphone, not into it, and do not hold a laptop while dictating.
Music, keyboard noise and a distant colleague are all far more damaging than the price of your microphone.
If Sprecho records nothing
| What you see | What it usually is |
|---|---|
| Recording bar appears, no level | Microphone permission is off for Sprecho |
| Level moves, "No speech detected" | Input gain is far too low, or you are too far from the mic |
| It worked before a reboot or a wake-from-sleep | The device changed. Reselect it under Settings → General → Input Device |
| Only the built-in mic ever gets used | Input Device is on Automatic and your headset is a Bluetooth device (skipped on purpose), or the system default did not follow your headset. Select the headset explicitly |
For macOS specifics see Microphone not working on macOS.