8 Mic Array vs 16/32 Mic Array: Why 8 Mics Are Enough for IWB Devices?

What is a Sound Pickup Microphone?

"Sound pickup microphone" is actually a very broad industry term.

It can refer to:

• A single condenser microphone
• A dynamic microphone
• A desktop conference microphone
• A lapel mic or gooseneck mic

It has only one core feature:

👉 A single microphone unit that passively picks up sound.

It captures sound from wherever it comes; background noise, echo, and reverberation are basically resisted by its physical directivity.

This type of microphone performs well in near-field sound pickup (such as podcasts, interviews, and personal recording), but once it enters scenarios like:

• Multi-person meetings
• Far-field speech
• Conference rooms with complex spatial reverberation

Problems immediately arise:

• People sitting far away sound too quiet
• Environmental noise is fully captured
• Speaker echo is severe

It’s not that the product is bad – it’s a mismatch of application scenarios.

What is a Mic Array?

Essentially, a mic array is:

**A system where multiple microphone units work together with acoustic algorithms (DSP).**

The focus is not on the "mics" but on the "array" and "algorithms."

By having multiple microphones receive the same sound source at different spatial positions, the system can calculate:

• Where the sound is coming from
• Which is human voice and which is noise
• Which sounds should be enhanced and which should be suppressed

That’s why mic arrays can achieve features like:

• Beamforming
• Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC)
• Noise Suppression (NS)
• Direction of Arrival (DOA) estimation

These are capabilities that sound pickup microphones simply don’t have.

So when we discuss "8-mic vs. 16-mic arrays," we’re not debating whether to use an array or not. Instead, we’re asking:

👉 On the premise that an array is already used, does increasing the number of microphones really bring proportional improvements in user experience?

The answer is usually no.

1️⃣ From an Acoustic Perspective: 8 Mics Already Cover Mainstream Conference Distances

In typical use cases for all-in-one devices:

• Conference room area: 20–60㎡
• Speaking distance: 1–6 meters
• Core goal: Clearly pick up human voices, not "capture every sound"

Within this distance range, an 8-mic array can already form a stable, controllable beam direction and effectively distinguish between:

• The main speaker(s)
• Background noise
• Spatial reflected sound

Adding more microphones won’t suddenly make "human voices clearer." On the contrary, it may introduce:

• More reflected sound
• Heavier algorithmic load
• Harder-to-calibrate acoustic models

2️⃣ From a Physical Structure Perspective: More Mics Are Not Better

This is a part hardly mentioned in market promotions.

What does adding one more microphone mean?

• Extra holes need to be drilled in the front frame
• Reduced structural strength
• Increased difficulty in dustproof, waterproof, and anti-static protection
• Damaged overall appearance integrity

For all-in-one devices – which feature:

• Large-size panels
• Ultra-narrow bezels
• A focus on consistent industrial design

Mic holes are an extremely constrained design element.

When you see some products claiming to have a "32-mic array," you might as well ask:

👉 Where are these holes drilled?

👉 On the front? Sides? Bottom?

👉 Will they affect the overall reliability of the device?

In real-world engineering, 8 well-placed microphones with clear acoustic paths are far better than 16 microphones that are forced into the design.

3️⃣ From an Algorithmic Perspective: Mic Count ≠ Algorithmic Capability

Many marketing copywriters imply a logic like this:

More microphones → Stronger algorithms → Better sound pickup

This is a very dangerous oversimplification.

In reality:

• Algorithm models are fixed
• DSP computing power is limited
• Acoustic environments are highly uncertain

When the number of array microphones exceeds the optimal design range of the algorithm, the system may instead experience:

• Increased latency
• Muffled sound
• Unstable judgment of the speaker’s direction

What truly determines the user experience is never the number of microphones, but:

• Whether the array layout is reasonable
• Whether the algorithms are mature
• Whether extensive calibration has been done for conference scenarios

That’s why many products with "impressive specs" perform poorly in real conference scenarios.

Key Comparison: 8-Mic vs. 16/32-Mic Arrays

To help you quickly grasp the differences, we’ve summarized the core metrics in the table below – a format widely used in professional industry blogs to enhance readability:

Common Marketing Claims You’ve Probably Heard

• "More microphones mean a larger pickup range"
• "32-mic array covers the entire conference room"
• "Omnidirectional pickup with no dead angles"

These claims sound appealing, but they essentially confuse a key concept:

👉 What a conference system really needs is not "hearing every sound," but "clearly hearing the human voices that matter."

Over-pursuing "full coverage" will only pick up unnecessary noises like:

• Keyboard typing sounds
• Paper flipping sounds
• Air conditioner noise
• Whispers from adjacent seats

This is not professionalism – it’s a loss of focus.

Why "8-Mic Array + Advanced Algorithms" Is Already Sufficient

In real-world projects, we focus on three core questions:

1. Can people speaking from a distance be clearly heard?
2. Can the system stably identify the main speaker when multiple people talk at the same time?
3. Is speaker echo effectively eliminated?

Mature 8-mic array solutions have already delivered stable answers to these core questions.

• Clear pickup at 6–8 meters (far-field)
• Stable identification of the main speaker
• Controllable echo and environmental noise

Adding more array microphones won’t make the conference "suddenly more professional" – it will only make the spec sheet look better.

FAQ: Questions You Might Still Have About Mic Arrays