March 5, 2021 - On February 15, 2021, Shure announced the discontinuation of their Microflex® Complete Wired Digital Conferencing System (MXC), which is due to take effect in November 2021. For project installations that require a wired conference system beyond this date, TAIDEN's wired product line has you covered.

Shure Microflex® and TAIDEN conference microphones: what are the similarities?

With a wide array of standard models designed to fit the unique needs and aesthetics of all projects, it can be confusing at first to identify the correct TAIDEN product to use in place of the Shure Microflex® MXC line for future projects. Thankfully, Media Vision is here to help guide you to make the right choices in that respect.

A conference system generally consists of four categories of products:

• A Central Control Unit
• Contribution Units (Conference Microphones)
• Software
• Accessories

Which part of the wired conference line can be replaced with TAIDEN products? 

The Microflex® Central Control Unit (CCU), also known as DIS-CCU, can be replaced with various of TAIDEN's main unit models to offer connectivity to the LAN, the wired microphone units, as well as analog audio inputs and outputs. 

When integrating a TAIDEN wired conference solution in future projects, the first question to ask yourself is this: do you need eight group outs and/or do you need Dante connectivity?

• If the answer to either is YES, then you will want the TAIDEN HCS-8300MAD/FS/50.
• If the answer is NO to both, then you can use the TAIDEN HCS-4100MC/52, which has 2x line inputs and outputs, and no Dante connectivity.

From here, we look to the contribution units, and rather than go through each of the line items one by one, we can summarize the key factors as follows:

Tabletop Design

Shure MXC-605, 615 <> TAIDEN 4338 Series

These simple and elegant desktop units offer discussion, optional 3x button voting, optional channel selectors for interpretation, and headphone connection with volume control for assistive listening.

https://www.media-vision.com/en/products/wired-conference-system/item/taiden-hcs-4338-series

Shure MXC-620, 630 <> TAIDEN 4886 Series

RFID sign-in, a larger LCD display, and 5x button voting differentiate these models from the previous group. They are typically used when seating arrangements are more fluid, and the need for multiple choice voting or NPPV is added to Parliamentary voting procedures.  

https://www.media-vision.com/en/products/wired-conference-system/item/taiden-hcs-4886-series

Shure MXC-640 <> TAIDEN 4890 Series

As a top-of-the-line wired contribution unit, the 4890 is truly an elegant device with a 4.3" capacitive touch screen for soft button control, meeting information, voting, channel selection, and RFID sign-in.

https://www.media-vision.com/en/products/wired-conference-system/item/taiden-hcs-4886-series

Flush Mount Design

Shure MXC-605FS and FL <> TAIDEN 48U6 Series

The modular, flush-mount design by TAIDEN offers a breadth of configurations to pick and choose only the features needed in the solution, minimizing the foorptint on the table and the cuts in the furniture. The 48U6 Series can have a mic only or mic with channel selector. Electronic voting is another optional module mounted on a separate plate. 

https://www.media-vision.com/en/products/wired-conference-system/item/taiden-hcs-48u6-series

Shure MXC-620-F and 630-F <> TAIDEN 48U10 Series

For a full featured contribution unit, the 48U10 Series offers the variety of single plate options to match the needs of either the discussion and simultaneous interpretation of the 620-F or the full featured 630-F that includes 5x button voting. 

https://www.media-vision.com/en/products/wired-conference-system/item/taiden-hcs-48u10-series 

What's next?

With hardware completed in your design, the next step is selecting the correct software applications to meet the feature requirements of your project. 

It's important to note that software is not required to control a TAIDEN system. Many opt to use a control system or simply use the hardware for push-to-talk discussion, but as a project's requirements become more and more sophisticated, the use of specialized applications becomes critical for the user experience.

While the Shure Microflex® Complete software and TAIDEN software are capable of performing similar functions, the approach to separating the modules differs. We advise speaking with a member of Media Vision to talk through the specifics, and allow us to create the exact line items needed from the TAIDEN software. 

Lastly, Shure has a vast line of accessories for their Microflex® Complete, most notably the gooseneck microphone stems to be used with the contribution units. All standard TAIDEN units come with a mic stem at no additional charge, however we do also host a range of variable lengths based on project needs. All TAIDEN microphones are electret condenser microphones in a cardoid pickup pattern with a 30Hz - 20kHz frequency response.  

What verticals does the TAIDEN wired conference system cover?

The most common verticals for our wired conference solutions are Government (council chambers, legislative houes), corporate boardrooms, Education (university lecture halls, student senate) and international organizations.

Thinking of keeping TAIDEN in mind for future installations?

For more information about using our wired conference system for projects requiring alternatives to the Shure Microflex® Complete after November 2021, please contact a member of our team.