Shure MXA920-S Ceiling Microphone Array (White, Square)

The Shure MXA920-S is a square ceiling microphone array from the Microflex Advance series, engineered for professional conferencing and meeting spaces. It features Automatic Coverage technology that provides consistent room-wide pickup without manual lobe aiming, along with steerable pickup lobes for precise focus on specific areas or talkers when needed. This ensures clear, intelligible speech capture even in large or complex rooms.

The low-profile square design with a paintable white grille blends discreetly into modern ceilings, while Dante/AES67 networked audio and PoE power simplify installation with a single cable for audio, control, and power. Onboard IntelliMix DSP delivers automatic mixing, acoustic echo cancellation, noise reduction, and automatic gain control, reducing the need for external processors.

FAQ

• What room sizes is the MXA920-S best suited for? It is optimized for medium to large conference rooms and collaboration spaces.
• Does it require manual lobe aiming? No, Automatic Coverage provides consistent pickup; lobes can be steered when needed.
• Is networking required? Yes, it uses Dante/AES67 for single-cable installation of audio, control, and power via PoE.
• Can the grille be painted? Yes, the white grille is paintable to match the ceiling.
• Does it include onboard DSP? Yes, it features IntelliMix DSP for automatic mixing, echo cancellation, and noise reduction.
• Is it compatible with major conferencing platforms? Yes, it integrates seamlessly with the Microflex Ecosystem and supports Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and other platforms.

Verified Key Specifications

The figures below are taken from the Shure MXA920 user guide and specification sheet and apply to the square (S) chassis supplied on this page unless a row states otherwise.

Part Numbers & Variants

The MXA920 ships in five factory configurations. The square chassis is designed to drop into a suspended ceiling grid, and the two square part numbers differ only in edge-to-edge width so that each matches a different grid module. The round chassis is a different physical assembly and is not a grid drop-in.

What's in the Box

• MXA920 square ceiling array microphone
• Square hardware kit, part number 90A49117 containing 8 cable ties, 3 strain relief tabs and a rubber pad set (round variants instead ship hardware kit 90A49116 with 8 cable ties and 3 strain relief tabs)
• Printed documentation

Not included: PoE switch or injector, network cabling, suspension or pole mounting hardware, and any Dante-to-USB interface required for softcodec rooms. These are ordered separately, and the Shure mounting kits are listed below.

Mounting & Accessory Part Numbers

• A900-S-GM - Gripple Mount Kit, Square
• A900-S-PM - Pole Mount Kit, Square
• A900W-R-GM - Gripple Mount Kit, Round, White Cover
• A900B-R-GM - Gripple Mount Kit, Round, Black Cover
• A900W-R-PM - Pole Mount Kit, Round, White Cover
• A900B-R-PM - Pole Mount Kit, Round, Black Cover
• A900-PM-3/8IN - Threaded Rod Adapter Mounting Kit

Deployment & Compatibility Notes

Room size and ceiling height. One MXA920 covers a default 30 x 30 ft (9 x 9 m) dynamic coverage area, which comfortably handles a typical 12-16 person conference room or boardroom. The binding constraint is not floor area but distance: no talker should sit more than 16 ft (4.9 m) from the microphone. Shure's recommended maximum mounting height is 12 ft (3.7 m) from the floor, and higher installs are possible where room acoustics are well controlled. In rooms that are longer than roughly 30 ft, or in L-shaped and divisible spaces, plan on multiple MXA920 units configured together in Shure Designer rather than trying to stretch one unit.

Ceiling grid fit. Confirm the grid module before ordering. A 2 ft (24 in) North American T-bar grid takes the MXA920W-S at 23.77 in edge to edge; a 600 mm metric grid takes the MXA920W-S-60CM at 23.38 in edge to edge. Ordering the wrong width means the array will either not seat or will leave a visible gap.

Network and power. The MXA920 is a PoE Class 0 device drawing a maximum of 10.1 W, so any standard PoE switch port will run it - PoE+ is not required, though a PoE+ port is fine. Cabling must be Cat5e or better. Because Dante is the only audio transport, the switch must be configured for Dante: gigabit ports, no Energy Efficient Ethernet on Dante ports, and QoS with DSCP for clock and audio traffic. Budget 2 Dante channels per array with Automatic Coverage enabled, or 10 channels per array when Automatic Coverage is disabled and you are aiming lobes manually.

Platform certification. The MXA920 is certified for use with Microsoft Teams and is compatible with other popular collaboration platforms. Because the array outputs Dante/AES67 only, a softcodec room needs a Dante-capable interface or codec between the array and the meeting PC.

Configuration software. Coverage areas, lobe positions, IntelliMix DSP, Shure Audio Encryption and firmware are all configured in Shure Designer, which also handles routing between the MXA920 and other Microflex Ecosystem devices in the same room.

Documentation & Resources

• Shure MXA920 official product page and specifications
• Shure MXA920 user guide (online)
• Shure MXA920 user guide (PDF, full specifications and install drawings)

Frequently Asked Questions: Buying and Installing the MXA920

MXA920 square vs round - which one should I buy?
Acoustically and functionally they are the same microphone: same 113-element MEMS array, same 8 lobes, same Automatic Coverage, same Dante output, same PoE Class 0 power. The choice is architectural. Buy the square (S) chassis when the room has a suspended tile ceiling and you want the array to sit flush in the grid. Buy the round (R) chassis at 25 in (635.4 mm) diameter when you are mounting to a hard, open or exposed-structure ceiling, using the Gripple or pole mount kits. The round chassis is slightly heavier at 12.7 lb (5.8 kg) versus 11.8 lb (5.4 kg) for the square.

What is the difference between MXA920W-S and MXA920W-S-60CM?
Width only. MXA920W-S measures 23.77 in (603.8 mm) edge to edge to fit a 2 ft (24 in) ceiling grid. MXA920W-S-60CM measures 23.38 in (593.8 mm) edge to edge to fit a 600 mm metric grid. Both are 2.15 in (54.69 mm) high with the same electronics and the same 30 x 30 ft coverage area. Measure your grid before ordering.

How does the MXA920 compare with the MXA910 it replaced?
The MXA910 required an integrator to place and aim up to 8 pickup lobes by hand, and every furniture change meant revisiting that configuration. The MXA920 adds Automatic Coverage, which captures talkers in up to 8 coverage areas that you simply draw over the room, with no lobe aiming required; manual lobes remain available when you want fixed, discrete channels. The MXA910 is discontinued in the Creation Networks catalog, so new installs and expansions of existing MXA910 rooms should be specified on the MXA920.

How many Dante channels does one MXA920 consume?
Two, if you leave Automatic Coverage enabled - that is the normal deployment. If you disable Automatic Coverage to aim lobes manually, the array presents 10 channels: 8 independent transmit channels, 1 automix output and 1 AEC reference input. This matters when you are sizing a Dante domain or a Dante-to-USB interface with a fixed channel count.

What PoE class and switch does the MXA920 need?
PoE Class 0 with a maximum draw of 10.1 W, delivered over Cat5e or better. A standard 802.3af PoE port is sufficient; you do not need PoE+ for the microphone itself. The switch does need to be Dante-appropriate: gigabit, Energy Efficient Ethernet disabled on Dante ports, and QoS/DSCP configured so clock and audio packets are prioritised. Add a PoE injector only if the existing switch has no powered ports.

How high can I mount it and how far can people sit from it?
Mount up to 12 ft (3.7 m) above the floor as a general rule; the user guide notes that higher installations work well in rooms with controlled acoustics. Regardless of height, keep every talker within 16 ft (4.9 m) of the array. In practice that means centring the unit over the seating rather than over the geometric centre of a long room.

Do I still need a P300-IMX or a Dante interface with the MXA920?
The array already includes IntelliMix DSP for automatic mixing, acoustic echo cancellation, noise reduction and automatic gain control, so a separate DSP is no longer required just for processing. What you do still need is a bridge, because Dante/AES67 is the array's only audio output. A Dante-capable interface or codec must sit between the MXA920 and a USB softcodec PC. The Shure IntelliMix P300-IMX is the common choice when you also want matrix mixing, analog I/O and additional room DSP.

Is the MXA920 certified for Microsoft Teams, and does it work with Zoom?
Yes, the MXA920 is certified for use with Microsoft Teams, and Shure lists it as compatible with other popular collaboration tools including Zoom. Certification applies to the microphone and its ecosystem; the room's overall Teams Rooms or Zoom Rooms certification depends on the compute, codec and speaker components you pair with it.

How many MXA920 arrays does a large room need?
Work backwards from the 16 ft (4.9 m) talker distance rather than from square footage. A single array handles the default 30 x 30 ft coverage area. Rooms longer than about 30 ft, divisible rooms with an air wall, and L-shaped or tiered spaces should be quoted with two or more arrays linked in Shure Designer. Creation Networks can review your reflected ceiling plan and confirm array count and placement before you order.

Related Products

• Shure MXA920W-S Square Ceiling Array Microphone - the 23.77 in (603.8 mm) square for 2 ft North American ceiling grids
• Shure MXA920W-R Round Ceiling Array Microphone (White) - 25 in round chassis for hard and exposed ceilings
• Shure IntelliMix P300-IMX Audio Conferencing Processor - Dante-to-USB bridging and room DSP
• Shure MXA710W 4 ft Linear Array Microphone (White) - linear alternative for narrow or display-adjacent coverage
• Shure Microflex Ecosystem collection - full networked audio range