Beam-forming Mic?

[TemjinGold]

I love the beam-forming mic on my Sound Blaster Z but it's a shame that this mic is basically tied to this sound card. I work at home and do a lot of video conference but hate using headphones.

The thing is, I really want to build a mini-ITX machine though doing so would not allow me to continue using this sound card, so I was wondering, do you guys know of something I could buy that basically works the same as this mic but without the need to use the sound card (so I can do onboard audio)? I don't mind spending some cash if there is an elegant solution. Thanks!

 

[IronWing]

Do you want just a mic or a complete digital sound recorder?

 

[TemjinGold]

Just a mic. I basically want something that I can do Skype/Google Chat calls without headphones and without worrying about echo.

 

[IronWing]

You might try a shotgun mic designed for video recording. B&H sells models ranging in price from $30 to whoa! Plan on buying an extra audio cable as the cords on these tend to be short.

 

[TemjinGold]

Thanks, I'll look into it.

 

[WhiteNoise]

I use a Blue mic. Works way better than the one that came with my SB ZX.