Other Things That You Can Do (continued):
You might also want to consider using a
USB headset or even a
USB phone. There are a number of them
available that are designed to work with Skype. A USB headset or phone can give you better quality. How? Using a conventional headset, sound is converted to digital within your PC. A PC can be quite a noisy place, electrically speaking, and this bleeds into your audio. With a USB device, the conversion is done before the sound hits your PC.
Sometimes, other software can steal bandwidth from Skype. When you notice this, try not to make Skype calls while uploading or downloading large files, or visiting Web sites with heavy graphical and multimedia content.
Try to find a quiet place to make your Skype calls. Microphones, regardless of their quality, can pick up a lot of background noise - like your computer's fan, air conditioning, or the washing machine. When making PC-to-PC calls using Skype, try to get the people to whom you're talking to optimize the settings of their Skype clients and system sound. Point Windows users to this TechTip, or get them to visit the
Skype online forums.
Testing Your Audio:
There are a couple of ways to test your connection and audio hardware. One is to make a call using Skype. If you don't have anyone to call, or just want to do a quick test, then use
Skype's automated Echo123 service. Echo123 enables you to determine whether or not your audio and hardware -- like headset, speakers and microphone -- are working properly.
To call the service, type echo123 in the address bar at the bottom of your Skype client.
The Echo123 service answers your call. You'll be asked to record a short message, which will be played back to you. You should be able to hear what you said. If not, you'll need to keep tweaking.
Conclusion:
The audio quality of your Skype calls depends on a number of factors. With a bit of simple tweaking, you can noticeably improve the way your calls sound. The quality of the sound may never be perfect; this is especially true for PC-to-phone calls using Skype. But you can eliminate much of the echo and background noise, and that goes a long way to making your Skype experience a whole lot better.
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