Revisiting The Polycom SoundStation IP5000

One of the stickier lessons from my youth was understanding the value of using the right tool for the task at hand. This is the belief underlying my oft-stated assertion that you should never use a speakerphone when a headset or conference phone is more appropriate. A headset is ideal for one person, a speakerphone might service two-or-three people in an ad hoc gathering around a desk. A larger group demands a proper conference phone.

Back in 2010 I was fortunate to be able to review the Polycom SoundStation IP 5000 SIP conference phone. It’s an ideal device for someone who has a large office or small meeting room. It microphone array easily accommodates a group of 4-6 people around a small conference table. It’s physical size ensures that it won’t be in the way.

Like many things bearing the Polycom name, it’s a high-quality device featuring bone fide Polycom HDVoice. Such quality is not without a price. However, I recently found the SoundStation IP 5000 offered on Amazon for a very attractive $285.

That price is not much more than a decent quality desk phone, making it ever more practical to put a proper SIP conference phone at the far end of that executive office or in the small meeting room. At that price even very-SMBs can afford the right tools to communicate well in a small meeting situation.