Polycom SoundStation 2 Analog Conference Phone with HD Voice - Non Expandable (2200-16000-001) - Ideal for Office Meetings, Conference Calls & Remote Work

Most of the recent documentation I found about this unit indicated that the optional cable required to use this unit as a microphone and speaker for a computer (for instance, for video conferencing) was included. It wasn't. It was difficult to find, too- finally found it through a few sellers back here on Amazon (you're looking for the "I've been home office based for a while now but only recently got around to converting one of our rooms to an actual office space. I was so tired of using earbuds on my iPhone for every conference call, it made my ears sore after a while and was hardly the best experience. A friend of mine has the older version of the PolyCom SoundStation 2 (without LCD) and has used it for years and told me it was the best investment I could make. Based on that, I took the plunge and bought this model which included the LCD. After a week of use on many long conference calls, I could not be happier. The sound quality is fantastic and most people have commented on the improved sound quality when I dial into a meeting. I have not experienced any of the "echo" effect that I have with typical speakerphone solutions over the years. I suspected this would be the case as we have used Polycoms in the office for years, so I did have previous experience with them.If I had any suggestions for improvement, it would be to allow for longer dialing strings in the built-in phonebook included with the PolyCom. I need to be able to not only enter a conference number, but also a meeting code plus password. Due to the limitations on number length in the phonebook, I cannot enter the password which means I have to enter it manually. One final suggestion would be to have the ability to mute the ringer without having to navigate through several layers of menus to do so, perhaps a single button from the phone itself would be all that is needed.Those minor suggestions aside, I wouldn't hesitate to pick this up again.From the reviews on sound quality and the high price we were expecting a lot more. This phone does have a lot of volume. We were expecting a little more crispness and high end in the speaker - it's mainly mids and lows. With other phones we have, there is more high end frequency, but the other phones have less mids and lows than the Polycom. You would think that for the price it would be easy enough to have a treble control or add a capacitor (or whatever inexpensive electronic component) to bring more high end frequencies to the overall sound. If other analog phones have more high end, then Polycom could too on their analog phones. The other disappointment is that although this phone has Caller ID, it does not have Call-Waiting Caller ID. So when we are on the line with a personal call and someone else calls in we cannot tell if it is a business call or another personal call. Not only that, the SoundStation negates the Call-Waiting Caller ID on all other phones in the house if we are on a call. So we have no record of who called unless someone leaves a message - not so good for business. When we unplug the SoundStation from the wall jack then the other phones in the house function as normal with Call-Waiting Caller ID working fine. Polycom's tech support is not able to give any answers for this. This is the second phone we have tried and both SoundStation2 phones cancel out the Call-Waiting Caller ID service to the house when we are on another call. You can buy a phone for $29 with this feature. For $325 there really is no excuse for no including a Call-Waiting Caller ID feature that's been around for over 15 years.Just the same as I have used in a large corporate setting, microphone picks very well, Unit looked brand new!This telephone can only be used as a speakerphone. It does not have a handset. To be sure, the sound quality is very good. However, the way I remember it, when I was dialing out I could not lower the loud dial tones I was generating, despite the fact that I had carefully consulted the manual. Even if my memory is incorrect and I managed to lower the volume, I am certain that what I was left with were dial tones that were still way too loud. I found the lack of a handset and the fact that noisy tones are created when dialing out to be big drawbacks, so I returned this phone. To replace it, I purchased a much more affordable phone with a handset, the Meridian (aka Aastra) 9316CW. This phone has good sound quality, through the handset as well as through the speakerphone. When you dial out using the handset, there is no audible sound in the room; even when you dial out using the speakerphone, the tones you create are very low. For people like me, who find unnecessary sound (i.e., noise) disturbing and who try to avoid disturbing their neighbors, the Meridian/Aastra is a much better phone than the Polycom.If you do a lot of conference calls or web-conferencing sessions this is a great phone. Just plug it in and hook up to power. While you can use the audio via the internet on web-conferencing, know that it strains the delivery of the bandwith - especially with more than 2 people online. This phone solves that problem. Just tell your invitees to use a land line or sell phone to prevent delay challenges with interface between online and VOIP audio.Muy buen producto, tuve problemas con mi cuenta pero una ves solucionado. Llego en un día.Fácil de instalar, muy buen volumen y viene con los cables necesarios y de muy buena distancia.Right pick for noise free conversation. We use it for long and extensive calls with our overseas clientsI have used this for a couple of years now and I can say that it is fantastic.funciona muy bien