For Small and Mid-Sized Organizations, Finding an Audio Solution For Conferencing Usually Means Either Making Do With A Glorified Speakerphone Or Diving Into An Expensive Custom Install – Neither Of Which Really Meets Their Needs.  The Stem Ecosystem Promises a Middle Path; Frost & Sullivan Puts It Through the Wringer.

We’ve seen how video conferencing has become a fundamental tool for businesses and other organizations to connect with clients, vendors, and team members which ultimately puts a lot of pressure on AV/IT departments to “get it right” when selecting AV equipment.  The challenge IT managers have on their hands is to balance ease of installation, ease of use, and ease of management for their sake with a high-performance solution for their users.   

So, what are the options? Well, all-in-one devices from office equipment suppliers are easy to use and simple to install, but often sound no better than a speakerphone.  On the other hand you have high-end systems that sound great and allow extensive customization, but need to be professionally installed and programmed– a project commitment that many small and medium-size businesses don’t have the time (or budget) for. 

Shure’s Stem Ecosystem is forging a new pathway that gives you the best of both worlds.  It provides businesses high-end performance and features without the logistical pains of a major AV project.  But how well do these solutions really work?  Industry analysts – and video conferencing power users -- Frost & Sullivan put the Stem solutions through their Analyst Gauntlet to find out.  In the Analyst Gauntlet, Frost & Sullivan uses an AV collaboration solution over a period of time and provides candid feedback based on their experiences as both a user and a system administrator. 

"outstanding audio quality as a system and with Wall or Table alone. […] full room coverage, while noise cancellation […] keep background noise at bay." — Frost & Sullivan

WHAT IS THE STEM ECOSYSTEM? 

The Stem Ecosystem is a portfolio of network-connected audio devices that can be mixed and matched to meet the needs of any meeting room.  The portfolio is made up of high-quality audio components, and support tools that can be mixed and matched to create integrated “right-sized” solutions for collaboration spaces of various sizes, configurations, and use cases. 

For this evaluation, Frost & Sullivan assessed several Stem components: 

• Stem Wall, a high-quality microphone array with built-in speakers and subwoofers in a sound bar form factor  
• Stem Table, a tabletop speakerphone with 9 beamforming microphones and an innovative downward-facing speaker 

• Stem Control, a dedicated touch controller that provides access to the Stem Ecosystem Platform and enables administrators to remotely manage their solutions and users to initiate push-to-start video conference meetings 
• Stem Hub Express communication center, a device that plugs into the internet connection, networks all of the other components together, and connects to the room computer 

Stem Wall and Table can be used as standalone USB conferencing audio devices without the need for Hub or Control which allows right-fitting for certain room sizes and smaller budgets. 

WHAT FROST & SULLIVAN FOUND 

Read Frost & Sullivan’s full evaluation to find out what they thought about the audio quality, flexibility, and ease of installation of Stem devices.  They also discussed how support teams can deploy the Stem Ecosystem in different scenarios:  where users need to control meetings through their own devices, through in-room computers, or using the Stem Control device. 

Ultimately, the Stem Ecosystem not only survived Frost & Sullivan’s Analyst Gauntlet, but proved itself as a high-quality, reliable, and easy to use AV system. 

READ FROST & SULLIVAN’S GAUNTLET REVIEW