Poly vs Jabra vs EPOS: Which Conference Speaker Is Right for Your Meeting Room?
- Chris Gore
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
Poly, Jabra or EPOS, which conference speaker is right for your meeting room? This honest comparison covers specs, price and which suits each room size
Chris Gore \ Updated 2026
Most people spend a lot of time thinking about the camera and the display and almost no time thinking about the conference speaker. Then they buy whatever is cheapest, put it in the middle of the table, and wonder why remote participants keep asking people to repeat themselves.
The conference speaker is the device that carries every voice in the room to everyone on the call. Get it wrong and the call is broken regardless of how good everything else is. Here is the honest comparison between the three brands that come up most often: Poly, Jabra and EPOS.
A Quick Overview of Each Brand of conference speaker.
Poly — the reliable workhorse
Poly has been making professional audio and video equipment for decades and the Sync range is well established in the market. The Sync 40 covers small rooms, the Sync 60 handles medium spaces. AC-powered for fixed room use, certified for Teams and Zoom, reliable and straightforward. Poly does not chase the audio quality crown but delivers consistent, dependable performance that IT teams are comfortable managing.
Jabra — the benchmark
Jabra is widely considered the benchmark for conference speakerphones. The Speak2 75 is their current flagship for small to medium rooms and it earned that position through genuine audio engineering. Four beamforming microphones, Voice Level Normalization that evens out the difference between loud and quiet participants, advanced full duplex audio, and a 32-hour battery that makes it genuinely portable. Independent testing by DXOMARK ranked the Speak2 75 as the top performing speakerphone tested, ahead of EPOS, Poly and Microsoft's own device.
EPOS — the audio-first pick
EPOS spun out of Sennheiser Communications and carries that German audio engineering heritage into its product line. The Expand 80 is the flagship for larger meeting rooms, with six beamforming microphones covering up to six metres and a suspended speaker box design that prevents distortion and fills a room with genuinely rich sound. Two expansion microphones can be added for very large spaces. EPOS does not always win on price or portability but it wins on pure audio quality in larger rooms.
How They Compare
Feature | Poly Sync 60 | Jabra Speak2 75 | EPOS Expand 80 |
Best for | Medium rooms | Portable and huddle | Large boardrooms |
Microphones | 3 omni mics | 4 beamforming | 6 beamforming |
Pickup range | Up to 3.6m | Up to 1.8m | Up to 6m |
Battery | No (AC powered) | 32 hours | No (AC powered) |
Teams certified | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Price range | £300 to £450 | £350 to £500 | £500 to £700 |
Verdict | Solid and proven | Best all-rounder | Best pure audio |
One important note: for small meeting rooms where the video bar already includes microphones and speakers, a standalone conference speakerphone may not be necessary at all. The comparison above is most relevant for rooms where audio is handled separately from the camera system.
Which One Is Right for Your Room?
Choose Poly if
• The room is a fixed, dedicated meeting space used all day
• Budget is the primary driver and consistent reliability matters more than audio quality leadership
• Your IT team already knows and manages Poly equipment
• Room size is small to medium, up to ten people
Choose Jabra if
• You need a device that works in both fixed and portable scenarios
• The best overall audio performance in the category matters
• Voice Level Normalization is useful — rooms where some participants are consistently quieter than others
• Room size is small to medium, up to eight seated participants
Choose EPOS if
• The room is a large boardroom with twelve or more people
• Audio quality is genuinely non-negotiable — executive or client-facing spaces
• The pickup range of the Jabra or Poly is not sufficient for the table length
• You may need expansion microphones for very large rooms
For a full picture of what these devices cost as part of a complete meeting room build, read our 2026 meeting room AV cost guide.
The Speaker Is Only Half the Story
SPOR Group specifies conference audio as part of complete meeting room solutions. The speaker is matched to the room acoustics, headcount and use case, not bought because it was the cheapest available option or the one with the best marketing. Every installation is backed by SPORTrack, which monitors every connected device in real time.
For a broader look at conference room audio and what else the room needs, read our guide to the four non-negotiable things every conference room needs.
Which do you currently use?
Poly?
Jabra?
EPOS?
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best conference speaker for a meeting room?
For small to medium rooms, the Jabra Speak2 75 is the strongest all-round performer. For large boardrooms with twelve or more participants, the EPOS Expand 80 is the better choice. For fixed mid-size rooms where budget matters more than audio quality leadership, the Poly Sync 60 is a solid option.
What is the difference between Jabra, Poly and EPOS?
Jabra leads on overall audio performance and portable flexibility. Poly is the reliable, proven choice for fixed room deployments. EPOS, which emerged from Sennheiser Communications, prioritises audio quality above everything else and performs best in larger spaces.
Do I need a separate conference speaker if I already have a video bar?
In many cases, no. Most video bars include integrated microphones and speakers adequate for small to medium rooms. A separate conference speakerphone is most relevant for rooms where audio is handled independently of the camera, or where the video bar audio is not sufficient for a larger table.
How many microphones does a conference speaker need?
For a small huddle room up to six people, three to four microphones is sufficient. For a medium room up to ten people, four beamforming microphones with a pickup range of at least 1.8 metres. For a large boardroom, six beamforming microphones with a pickup range of up to six metres and the option to add expansion mics.
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