X10 Community Forum
🖥️ActiveHome Pro => SDK => Third Party Add-Ons & Software => Topic started by: blaib on November 17, 2009, 08:06:32 PM
-
Hello, I have noticed that my cheap walmart microphone is very picky about distance. I would like to sit on my couch (only about 10' away from computer) and command BVC to perform. I was noticed that some used baby monitors. I really dont need a whole house set up but was wondering if I should get the baby monitor or buck up for a good microphone. If I should get the mic what would you guy's reccommend?
Thanks You
Brian
Having fun with AHP and BVC!!!!
-
I really dont need a whole house set up but was wondering if I should get the baby monitor or buck up for a good microphone.
Having fun with AHP and BVC!!!!
Using a microphone with speech recognition only works well for limited uses (like dictating a letter). The Microsoft software will cause your PC to constantly adjust the audio gain... and you will to need to regularly manually adjust the audio input.
The only way to make voice input to work well over a period of time is to use the line-in input jack. Your microphone wouldn't work on the line-in. Line in is mean/designed for a slightly powered device like a CD player (or modified babymonitor (http://davesdomainonline.com/microphone/babymonitormod) or intercom).
I use the baby monitor setup (http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=12202.msg67395#msg67395), and have for about 3 years. It cost me about $18 a set for the baby monitors (http://davesdomainonline.com/microphone/mystory) and they work well from 10, 20 or even 30 feet away. I normally only reboot my Home Automation computer every few weeks... and I never need to readjust the microphone.
You'll be much happier with a babymonitor or intercom setup using the line-in input than with any microphone in the microphone input.
-
OR
Some of us hard core BVC users use pro grade audio mics connected to a mixer and/or audio compressor/gate fed into the line-in jack.
My mics are all in the $40 range with xlr cable feeding into a $100 mixer and, according to davideinmd as of last night, my compressor runs at $99.
-
BTW,
The compressor limits audio getting through below a certain threshold. This is a way of filtering out the background noise of the tv, dogs, kids, etc. You have to elevate you voice a bit (about half as much as yelling at the kids to get off the phone), but my BVC hears me fine on the couch. (or in the bed, or at the computer, in the kitchen -- where ever I have a microphone)
Now if someone would just point me to good water/moisture resistant mic, I could talk to the computer while in the shower.
-
..... Now if someone would just point me to good water/moisture resistant mic, I could talk to the computer while in the shower.
Well the X10 wired cameras have a nice weather resistant [built in] microphone. But that would mean a camera in the shower..... hummm.
I have nothing against the "pro grade audio mics connected to a mixer and/or audio compressor/gate" setup like yours. Actually I had always meant to convert to a intercom setup... just never have as the Babymonitor works well. I was just trying to point out.. that a microphone by itself... in the microphone jack.. isn't usable for a BVC setup.
I think a lot of the new users have a hard time getting past the microphone input and using the correct line-in input jack.
-
Ok Dave, I understand what you are saying, but since I dont want to transmit my voice to another room I guess I will modify the transmitter (the one with the mic in it) and plug it into the line in on the sound card correct? And not use the receiver at all? Or am I looking at this the wrong way?
Thanks
Brian
-
Ok Dave, I understand what you are saying, but since I dont want to transmit my voice to another room I guess I will modify the transmitter (the one with the mic in it) and plug it into the line in on the sound card correct? And not use the receiver at all? Or am I looking at this the wrong way?
Well... I wouldn't know how to do that mod. The mic part of the babymonitor... sends the sound it hears via radio waves to the receiver. I don't think it has a "hackable point" in it where you could capture what you need.
Apparently. Your computer is in the room with you where you would want to use the automation. I would guess you can hear the computers speakers. Now you just want a reliable accross-the-room microphone. I would still concider the regular babymonitor mod. It's cheap and easy and will do a large room (or even most of an apartment... so I've heard).
-
Ok Dave, I did the mod and now I am stumped. I cannot get BVC to respond to me, every once in a while it will accept the computer command but will not here anymore than that. What really stumps me is that I have set up the mic and all seem's great. I can do the set up mic and read the silly sentance and then I can read the "This papaya tastes perfect" and it plays back and sounds great! Even while I watch the meter on BVC it all looks good (alot better than the mic did) but still will not respond. Any ideas on what I am doing wrong? I did mute the line in like you said.
Thanks alot
Brian Laib
-
... What really stumps me is that I have set up the mic and all seem's great. I can do the set up mic and read the silly sentance and then I can read the "This papaya tastes perfect" and it plays back and sounds great! Even while I watch the meter on BVC it all looks good (alot better than the mic did) but still will not respond. Any ideas on what I am doing wrong? I did mute the line in like you said.
Hummm... Off hand I can't think of anything. Unless you've used both the mic and the monitor to train the same profile. If the old profile was named "Brian"... name a new one "Laib" and train it with the monitor only.
Make sure you adjust the volume level so that the BVC bar doesn't go to high.... too loud and the sound card will shut down.
-
Ok I will do that now, I hope I can get it to work it seems to be great testing the mic. I have it a long way's from me and it picks up perfectly. I will go and try to train it and report back. Now I just have to get the kids to be quiet.
I have one more question I dont see where to set up a profile to train the computer, I just get a option to train it?
Brian
-
I have one more question I dont see where to set up a profile to train the computer,
Control panel/speech recognition.
-
We’ll I did get it working partially. I spent a lot of time training and trying to adjust the volume of the baby monitor but it is too sensitive I think, I have to turn it all of the way down and then up just a tiny bit to make it work. It does not seem as accurate as the cheap microphone that I had. I’m not sure what I am doing wrong because you “Dave” seem to be having very good luck with the baby monitors. I might have to bite the bullet and try to find a high end microphone. Anyway if anyone has any more idea’s throw them at me,
Thanks Brian
-
... I spent a lot of time training and trying to adjust the volume of the baby monitor but it is too sensitive I think, I have to turn it all of the way down and then up just a tiny bit to make it work. ......... I’m not sure what I am doing wrong because you “Dave” seem to be having very good luck with the baby monitors.
You have the adjustment right. The computer/BVC requires very little input/volume. Be sure to also adjust volume in the microphone setup and your soundcard software setup (see control panel). Then be sure to set the babymontor (the microphone part... not the receiver) away from you. I try to get mine accross the room when I can... and I turn them (the mic part) away from me... and pointed into a corner.
I know the mic setup/adjustment part is a pain... and the hardest part of voice control. But it does work.. I've done it with 3 monitors and 2 computers.
-
My 2 cents...
I tried the baby monitors. I tried the dynamic mic and mixer. I had better luck with the mic and mixer setup but as knightrider pointed out (and I think he is correct) a compressor is needed which I don't have. The reason I chose a dynamic mic was because they pick up from all directions. Restricted by time I had to put the project aside but plan to get back to it tomorrow.
-
.....I had better luck with the mic and mixer setup but as knightrider pointed out (and I think he is correct) a compressor is needed...
And that would [also] be my expectations. Generally speaking you get what you pay for. Knightrider's setup is the recommended configuration for a professional setup. Knightrider is much more knowledgeable about audio equipment than myself... and much of what he's done is [technically] over my head.
Getting good audio to the PC has always been the "perceived" major difficulty with speech recognition. A decade ago... I purchased Dragon's Natural Speaking... which came with it's own "special" microphone. That was Dragon's way of dealing with the public perception of required audio quality requirements.
When I found BVC (BXVC back then) the microphone setup was at the center of conversations. I decided to do some research as well as testing. What I learned was: All a PC (and BVC) needs... or can use.. for speech recognition is 8 bit mono sound. That is generally what is referred to as "telephone quality". I used different devices to get that phone quality voice to my PC. Handheld CB radios failed, but most tries were successful.
Although some fiddling and adjusting is required... most often this involves lowering the volume much more than would seem reasonable. I've posted all of my experiences and information and do what I can to help. Whatever method or devices you use is... of course fine with me.
I don't think anyone could do any better than to mimic Knightrider's microphone setup.
-
It's time for a discussion about microphones (bitman please jump in here). There's many many types of pickup patterns as well as mic types.
When discussing the dynamic mic above, I think it was a reference to an omnidirectional mic.
Omni's are fine for the application mentioned above.
Let me throw a curve now.
Say you're on the couch with a TV blaring at one end of the room. That omni would in theory pick up the latest episode of "Heros" just as well as it would pick up your voice from the couch.
Not good.
In that application, I recommend a well placed cardioid mic. Kinda has a heart shaped pick up pattern, By placing this mic up in the ceiling (I have exposed beams) and carefully directing the pick up pattern to where I constantly sit and away from any TV speakers, the background noise from the tube can be attenuated without any fancy electronics.
More to come on choosing the correct mic as the questions develop.
-
That is the problem I am having now, Tv noise and mic picks it up and of cource somehow or another BVC thinks it hears "computer" even if I mute the computer it hears somthing on the tv that unmutes it. So Unfortunatly my baby monitor is not working as well as I hoped. Dave do you have a tv on in any of the rooms with the monitors? I think I will have to try a different kind of microphone. I think I have come to realize that I will have to manually start BVC and then use it, because my tv is almost always on. Or get a different mic and have it close to the computer and nowhere near the tv.
What kind of mics are everyone using here for BVC?
Brian
-
... Dave do you have a tv on in any of the rooms with the monitors?
Yes I do! And if the TV is up loud... BVC will hear it. Also.. if the TV is up loud... I can't hear BVC well ether.
But I have the babymonitor on the same end of the room as the TV... and the monitor is pointed away from the room.. toward the wall (turned backwards). And I have the volume adjusted on the PC down to where the computer generally doesn't hear the TV. I also have my babymonitors on appliance modules so I can switch them when moving to different rooms. If you control the monitor with a module... you could turn it off.
Background noise is always problem with Voice Control. Loud TV's, radio, Music, barking dogs, kids... it all makes it harder for the computer to hear your voice... and for you to hear the computer.
-
Here's something I just thought of. A lapierre mic (wireless) should be ideal no? Couldn't walk around naked and talk to it (what would you clip it to?) But in theory, that should be the ultimate solution for just walking around the house and getting commands to the BVC, no?
-
Here's something I just thought of. A lapierre mic (wireless) should be ideal no? Couldn't walk around naked and talk to it (what would you clip it to?) But in theory, that should be the ultimate solution for just walking around the house and getting commands to the BVC, no?
Yes.. the wireless microphones do work. I tested one myself (back is the ole BXVC (http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=13387.345) days). I also tried a bluetooth ear piece (which would work fine naked).
I tried the BabyMonitor after my stepson reported hearing a weather alert... (that aired on the apartment next door) and was picked up on my granddaughters babymonitor. These things (baby monitors) are really very good at detecting voices. I can yell at mine down the hall from the bathroom... and be heard and understood. Yet the TV (at reasonable volume) isn't detected.
Other people are the biggest voice/sound problems. Here at my home it is mostly just me and the wife. Most of my TV watching is just news and we have carpet [mostly] everywhere. Kids, dogs, loud TVs and hardwood floors... makes the setup more difficult.
-
Yes Dave, I think that is my problem. Kid's, hardwood floors and a loud tv do not mix we'll with the baby monitors.
-
I don't know if it was the baby monitors, BVC, my lack of patience or what, but the whole setup was like a defiant teenager and listened and obeyed less and less as time went on. When I realized I could do great emotional damage to my female German Shephard who doesn't like it when I raise my voice, I threw the whole "talk to the computer" idea out and were back to remotes and there is peace at my home again.
Except when the icon was last used to turn on a lamp and I pick it up and hit volume- to turn down an obnoxious TV only to have the light do something as the annoying tv blares on. - Stupid x10 developers... won't listen to me........Not even a measly option in the firmware.... wish I had the code.... #$%^&in fix it myself....
B:(
Happy Thanksgiving BTW! >!
-
I don't know if it was the baby monitors, BVC, my lack of patience or what, but the whole setup was like a defiant teenager and listened and obeyed less and less as time went on.
I had originally set my voice profile to "automatically adapt to this speakers voice". See the attached picture. That was sorta like putting Microsoft's paperclip man in charge of my voice control. After a period of time... I had to delete that profile.. and start over. I don't spend much time training ether.
I have recreated my setup more than once, with two computers and three sets of babymonitors to make sure I wasn't just lucky... once. I've also had great results with a BlueTooth ear piece, and a wireless microphone, a long wire extention on a desktop type microphone, I even used a baby monitor with... a microphone to the receiver. The handheld CB radio... was a waste of time.. it didn't work at all.
It does take a good weekend to tweak a setup to work correctly. But once setup.. it works great. If you view my videos (http://www.youtube.com/suitmanIM) you will see (hear?) that I don't have an announcers voice or anything. I just speak as clearly as I can.
-
Dear God no!
Not that Screen again!
;D
-
I tried the baby monitor setup which didn't seem to work for me.
My house has tiled floors and so it has lots of echo.
I purchased a 12 channel auto mic mixer that uses phantom powered microphones off eBay.
then got some high powered conference center boundary microphones.
So far I have installed 2 - one in the kitchen & one in the lounge room.
I also have a multi zone amp that feeds speakers in these areas.
The auto mixer senors which microphone the voice is coming from & switches the nearest mic on.
This setup works very well - like most - the trick is to "tune" the system to your voice.
-
I purchased a 12 channel auto mic mixer that uses phantom powered microphones off eBay.
then got some high powered conference center boundary microphones.
So far I have installed 2 - one in the kitchen & one in the lounge room.
I also have a multi zone amp that feeds speakers in these areas.
Your method is surely the BY FAR best way to go! It is however a little complex for my skills... not to mention slightly pricey also. But it is nice to know that such a large spectrum of devices and setups can and do work. Your setup sounds AWESOME.
-
Your setup sounds AWESOME.
Agreed.
-
It wasnt very expensive considering the value you get.
Got all the stuff 2nd hand - the mixer was about $100, & the mics cost about $120 each.
Of course if you had to buy them new - it would cost three times that.
-
My two cents worth.. I am a successful baby monitor BVC user. I had originally looked at Dave's videos to help with setup but missed one important fact. I spliced a mono plug on the receiving baby monitor plug instead of a stereo plug (mono has one black stripe around plug, stereo has 2 bands). Dave and Knightrider helped track this one down in the Home Automation Chat Room. Thanks guys. :)% Once I changed this, I had to reset my audio levels as I was getting way too much input with the mono settings.
I have my baby monitor in the same room as my TV with the HA computer about 45 feet away. BVC will accept commands from the far end of the house if I raise my voice.
Recently, I bought a new laptop and was going to set up my old laptop running Windows Vista to be my HA PC. I finally got it to work fairly well but not as good as the PC running Windows XP. It looks to me like Vista's speech recognition tries to do battle with BVC and sometimes wins. If I check the screen it has opened notepad started to write a message. Hopefully, it didn't inadvertently email someone a nastygram.
I won't say my system doesn't occasionally misfire but, as a rule, I seldom use a remote. When it's working right, you really do feel like you are the master of your domain!
-
My two cents worth.. I am a successful baby monitor BVC user.
I had intended to keep testing different methods of getting a voice command to the PC. I had also fully expected to end up with intercoms. I had planned to do X10 cameras as microphones next and I feel sure they would have worked also. But the Baby Monitors worked so well.... and at $18 a set. I just stopped there. I published the monitor information so others could see just how cheap and easy (and really COOL) this Voice Control (http://www.davesdomainonline.com/bvc/bvc.htm) could be. But we don't all need or even care to do this stuff on-the-cheap. And certainly... there aren't any rules.
Recently, I bought a new laptop and was going to set up my old laptop running Windows Vista to be my HA PC. I finally got it to work fairly well but not as good as the PC running Windows XP. It looks to me like Vista's speech recognition tries to do battle with BVC and sometimes wins.
I've wondered about Vista (and lately 7) myself. But there are several Vista BVC users (and I think a 7 or two user, also). Maybe you should start a thread.. ether here or at Bill's forum (http://wgjohns.com/forums/index.php). I know for a fact Bill won't be happy till your happy with your BVC setup.
-
Here is a theory I have for cleaning up the audio. I may be totally wrong on this so all you pro audiophiles out there can correct me.
I did some searching on noise canceling and found a site which shows a circuit schematic for a noise canceling headphone circuit.
(http://gilmore2.chem.northwestern.edu/images/rychke2.gif)
(To read the whole article on this, go to http://gilmore2.chem.northwestern.edu/projects/noise_prj.htm (http://gilmore2.chem.northwestern.edu/projects/noise_prj.htm))
The circuit is designed to have a microphone connected to J1 which picks up the outside noise. It then uses that signal inverted to cancel out any of that noise that comes through the headphones. J2 then allows you to insert your music or whatever you want to listen to on to the noise free signal.
My theory is that I can use this to cancel out TV noise in the room by injecting the audio signal straight from the TV into J1. Next, inject the pre-amped signal from an omnidirectional room mic into J2. The omnidirectional room mic will pick up the TV sound as well as my voice commands. This circuit should effectively do the following:
(voice commands with TV noise) - (TV noise) = voice commands
Thus the noise canceling properties of the circuit should strip off any signal put into J1 from anything put into J2 and output the difference of the two which should be a cleaned up signal with mostly just the voice commands.
I have not yet tried to build this circuit, but I plan to try it out. When I do I can post my findings.
As mentioned, any corrections to my theory are welcome.
dbemowsk
-
... I did some searching on noise canceling and found a site which shows a circuit schematic for a noise canceling headphone circuit.
(To read the whole article on this, go to http://gilmore2.chem.northwestern.edu/projects/noise_prj.htm (http://gilmore2.chem.northwestern.edu/projects/noise_prj.htm))
Great idea dbemowsk!
I always positioned my baby monitors/Microphones in a way... like turned to point into a corner. I then look in the direction of the mic (even though it is hidden) when I speak a command or command phrase. This (of course) causes my voice to need to reflect (bounce) off of a wall to be picked up by the microphone.
But the positioning of the mic also causes TV sounds to need to reflect or bounce around much more than my voice. I have always felt that those shorter sound waves are more difficult for the baby monitors circuit to process... and are lost due to my extreme lack of amplification.
I would think if you could use the two mics to pickup a directionally spoken... as well as a wide area set of sounds... and then remove the wide area sounds/noise. You could have really clear voice in even a noisy area. Please keep us posted on your progress.
-
I was wondering if a USB microphone would work just like the computer microphone? That's what I'm using and it seems to give me good service. Like Brian I am only using it in one room so it could be a wired microphone with no problem but I'm wanting to get the best set up for my application.
-
I was wondering if a USB microphone would work just like the computer microphone?
I don't know... does the USB microphone utilize an autogain? That is what makes using a microphone (plugged in the microphone in jack) does... and why that can't be used for a 24/7 setup. The autogain just keeps climbing the volume up.
-
I don't know, I had not noticed it doing that but then again I haven't checked. I use a USB microphone on my office computer which runs DragonDictate, and the firecracker and BVC, it always works well. How would I checked that? It seems to work well, I've been using it for about three months now. It is a directional microphone about 12 feet away from the TV then pointing away from it as well. I can access the HA computer from the other room. I've also attempted the baby monitor but with my disability and having to find somebody that can solder I'm pretty limited and I never got that project off the ground but if this microphone keeps working then I guess I'm good ???
-
I don't know, I had not noticed it doing that ......... It seems to work well, I've been using it for about three months now.
I would think if you were going to have a problem... it would have shown up by now.
-
oh come on Dave, you know better than that, Murphy lives in my house!
-
oh come on Dave, you know better than that, Murphy lives in my house!
I can only judge by my own experiences... with so many different systems and setups... it really is hard to tell. But if it works for 3 months... your probability good.
-
I am thinking about doing the baby monitor setup. And was wondering if anyone has tried using 2 receivers one on the left and one on the right channel of the stereo plug. Or if for this to work you have to wire both left and right to a single receiver, which limits me to just the one transmitter.
Thanks
-
And was wondering if anyone has tried using 2 receivers one on the left and one on the right channel of the stereo plug. Or if for this to work you have to wire both left and right to a single receiver, which limits me to just the one transmitter.
I haven't heard or read of anyone trying a dual-receiver setup (using the stereo line in jack). But I use two transmitters... and switch them on and off using appliance modules. I've fully described my setup here (http://davesdomainonline.com/microphone/mystory.htm). If you do decide to try the dual-setup.... please keep us posted on the results.
Intercoms are also an option.
-
Yeah I had read about your 2 transmitter setup and the intercom setups. What I was hopping to accomplish is be able to say commands in the room I am in without having it be premeditated or have to carry a remote or setup a Bluetooth proximity setup.
I will post my findings after I rebuild my AHP computer. It died on me today, and my new one is being shipped tomorrow.
-
I will post my findings after I rebuild my AHP computer. It died on me today,
Sorry about your loss.
I think your idea has real merit.
-
... What I was hopping to accomplish is be able to say commands in the room I am in without having it be premeditated or have to carry a remote or setup a Bluetooth proximity setup...
Once you get it working, you can call it "Star TreX10" ;-)
-
Once you get it working, you can call it "Star TreX10" ;-)
Using BVC (http://davesdomainonline.com/bvc/bvc.htm) really is a lot like living the Star Trek experience. I been using BVC (http://davesdomainonline.com/bvc/bvc.htm) for a few years now... and I really enjoy it.
As a child.... technology writtings foretold a future where we could talk to our computers and automation (http://davesdomainonline.com/sara/sara.htm) performed many of our everyday tasks. We would watch TV on wall sized screens (http://www.davesdomainonline.com/ht/ht), own Robot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9cUA6LaXTs)s, and commute in flying cars.
I am still ticked.... about the lack of flying cars!
-
Once you get it working, you can call it "Star TreX10" ;-)
Using BVC (http://davesdomainonline.com/bvc/bvc.htm) really is a lot like living the Star Trek experience. I been using BVC (http://davesdomainonline.com/bvc/bvc.htm) for a few years now... and I really enjoy it.
As a child.... technology writtings foretold a future where we could talk to our computers and automation (http://davesdomainonline.com/sara/sara.htm) performed many of our everyday tasks. We would watch TV on wall sized screens (http://www.davesdomainonline.com/ht/ht), own Robot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9cUA6LaXTs)s, and commute in flying cars.
I am still ticked.... about the lack of flying cars!
Considering the number of nuts on the road now with ground based cars, I'm glad flying cars didn't come along. :-\
-
Considering the number of nuts on the road now with ground based cars, I'm glad flying cars didn't come along. :-\
I am confident that flying cars would make riding my bicycle safer.
-
Hey dbemowsk,
This is a intesting idea. I think your still inserting tv noise into the equation. I'm new to the community, and I'm a diy Christmas light finatic. I'm in full blown Christmas set up mode right now. I always wanted to build that circut. I'll have to try it after Christmas. Great idea!!!
wildbillfl
Here is a theory I have for cleaning up the audio. I may be totally wrong on this so all you pro audiophiles out there can correct me.
I did some searching on noise canceling and found a site which shows a circuit schematic for a noise canceling headphone circuit.
(http://gilmore2.chem.northwestern.edu/images/rychke2.gif)
(To read the whole article on this, go to http://gilmore2.chem.northwestern.edu/projects/noise_prj.htm (http://gilmore2.chem.northwestern.edu/projects/noise_prj.htm))
The circuit is designed to have a microphone connected to J1 which picks up the outside noise. It then uses that signal inverted to cancel out any of that noise that comes through the headphones. J2 then allows you to insert your music or whatever you want to listen to on to the noise free signal.
My theory is that I can use this to cancel out TV noise in the room by injecting the audio signal straight from the TV into J1. Next, inject the pre-amped signal from an omnidirectional room mic into J2. The omnidirectional room mic will pick up the TV sound as well as my voice commands. This circuit should effectively do the following:
(voice commands with TV noise) - (TV noise) = voice commands
Thus the noise canceling properties of the circuit should strip off any signal put into J1 from anything put into J2 and output the difference of the two which should be a cleaned up signal with mostly just the voice commands.
I have not yet tried to build this circuit, but I plan to try it out. When I do I can post my findings.
As mentioned, any corrections to my theory are welcome.
dbemowsk
-
Hey dbemowsk,
This is a intesting idea. I think your still inserting tv noise into the equation. I'm new to the community, and I'm a diy Christmas light finatic. I'm in full blown Christmas set up mode right now. I always wanted to build that circut. I'll have to try it after Christmas. Great idea!!!
wildbillfl
Noise cancelling does look promising. Or maybe using a gate setup that will automatically select the input line would be helpful as well.
With my camera setup.... I use a video selector to automatically switch to the video [camera] input (Philips PH-61153 4x1 Automatic Video Selector and RF Modulator). It will/would also work with just audio input, I believe. Something like that might help to select the input device. I haven't tried that... Just a thought.
It seems to me... that us voice control users are divided into two groups. Those of us [like myself] that have very little noise problems. And those who homes seem to be overly enriched with high volume sounds.
I would think... if I lived in a high volume home... I would consider using an intercom setup. Having several intercom speakers to better share the computers voice would be helpful. And just pressing a handy intercom button to command an action would be easy as well.