Setting up a traditional conference room audio system can take days, involve multiple vendors and require a certified AV integrator just to get it sounding right. However, a modern integrated system can be on the wall and running in under an hour, with it being installed by the same IT team that manages the rest of the office. The difference comes down to how the system was designed and who it was designed for.
If you’re an IT manager responsible for equipping meeting rooms, classrooms and hybrid workspaces, the deployment process likely spans hardware selection, physical installation, network configuration, software enrollment and ongoing device management. How complex that process might get depends almost entirely on the type of system you choose. At scale, when you’re equipping dozens of rooms across multiple sites, that complexity multiplies fast.
Setting up a professional audio conference system can take days of work or under an hour of IT-managed installation, depending on the system you choose.
For IT teams equipping meeting rooms, classrooms and hybrid workspaces, Nureva audio systems deliver full-room mic coverage and plug and play simplicity without the cost or complexity of traditional pro AV.
An audio conference system is a hardware-and-software solution that captures, processes and transmits people’s voices in a meeting room, classroom or other collaborative space, enabling in-room participants to communicate clearly with remote attendees. At the basic end, it can mean a single USB speakerphone on a table. At the professional end, it can mean a full-room solution: integrated microphone arrays, speaker systems, a digital signal processor (DSP) or processing unit, network connectivity and a management interface, all working together to deliver consistent audio quality across the entire space.
These systems vastly differ, especially from the perspective of IT teams. A tabletop speakerphone may work in a small huddle room, but it falls short in larger spaces where participants sit far from the device or move around. Insufficient mic pickup in larger spaces can cause big challenges during hybrid meetings where remote attendees need to hear everyone clearly. Full-room audio conferencing systems are built for these environments, and their design determines how hard they are to set up and maintain.
A professional audio conferencing system for a large room typically requires the following components:
Microphones: The pickup layer of the system. Options include tabletop microphone pods, ceiling-mounted beamforming arrays or integrated microphone and speaker bars. The choice affects coverage area, installation complexity and whether dead zones exist in the room.
Traditional setups require IT teams to source and configure each component separately and rely on a certified integrator to bring everything together. Integrated systems consolidate microphones, speakers and processing, reducing the component count, cabling requirements and installation time significantly.
| Traditional multicomponent setup | Nureva integrated system | |
| Microphones | Separate ceiling arrays or tabletop pods from one or more vendors | Built into a wall-mounted component (ceiling T-bar mounting optional for HDX microphone pod) |
| Speakers | Separate loudspeaker system, often ceiling mounted | Built into a wall-mounted bar |
| DSP/processing | Separate DSP unit requiring specialist programming | Built into the connect module or system hub, with no programming required |
| Amplifier | Separate amplifier unit | Integrated, so no separate amplifier needed |
| Installation | Certified AV integrator typically required | IT manager can install, with no special skills required |
| Calibration | Manual acoustic calibration using specialist equipment | Continuous autocalibration after installation |
| Management | May require on-site technician visits or a service contract | Remote, cloud-based management with Nureva Console |
Setting up a professional audio conference system follows the same core sequence regardless of the type of solution: assess the space, select the right hardware, install and cable the components, connect to the network and UC&C platform, and configure management software. Where systems differ significantly is in how much expertise, time and coordination each step requires.
Traditional multicomponent AV setup:
Nureva integrated system:
For IT managers carrying AV responsibilities alongside a broader workload, the difference is significant. Traditional deployments demand specialist coordination at every step. Nureva systems are designed so the same IT team that manages the network can select, install and manage the audio system without outside help.
Setting up a new office with traditional multicomponent audio conferencing systems is often a more intensive process than most IT teams anticipate. Nureva audio makes it much simpler.
See the checklists below to compare what each approach requires.
Traditional multicomponent AV setup
Nureva integrated system
For IT teams managing AV alongside a broader technology workload, setup complexity and ongoing maintenance overhead are factors just as important as audio performance. Traditional pro AV systems demand specialist involvement at every stage, from site surveys and DSP programming to manual calibration and recurring service visits. That model works for organizations with dedicated AV departments, but it creates a significant resource burden for everyone else.
Nureva audio systems are designed to remove that burden. The HDL310 and HDL410 systems can be installed in as little as 30 or 60 minutes, with no special skills or tools required. Microphone Mist™ technology automatically fills the room with thousands of virtual microphones, so there are no dead zones and no manual adjustments needed when room layouts change. With Nureva Console, IT teams can monitor, update and configure every enrolled device remotely from a single dashboard, with no on-site visits required for routine management.
For larger and more complex spaces, the HDX series brings the same plug and play simplicity to rooms up to 40' x 60' (12.2 x 18.3 m), with a modular architecture that adjusts to the room without requiring specialist design or installation.
Hear the difference for yourself. Book a free 15-minute online demo and ask about taking a system for a test-drive in your own space.