diff --git a/interface/src/Menu.cpp b/interface/src/Menu.cpp
index a9fac1e32c..d535bb9930 100644
--- a/interface/src/Menu.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/Menu.cpp
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ Menu::Menu() :
     addCheckableActionToQMenuAndActionHash(avatarOptionsMenu, MenuOption::RenderHeadCollisionShapes);
     addCheckableActionToQMenuAndActionHash(avatarOptionsMenu, MenuOption::RenderBoundingCollisionShapes);
     addCheckableActionToQMenuAndActionHash(avatarOptionsMenu, MenuOption::CollideAsRagdoll);
-    addCheckableActionToQMenuAndActionHash(avatarOptionsMenu, MenuOption::BlueAudioMeter, 0, true);
+    addCheckableActionToQMenuAndActionHash(avatarOptionsMenu, MenuOption::BlueSpeechSphere, 0, true);
 
     addCheckableActionToQMenuAndActionHash(avatarOptionsMenu, MenuOption::LookAtVectors, 0, false);
 #ifdef HAVE_FACESHIFT
diff --git a/interface/src/Menu.h b/interface/src/Menu.h
index a923babf57..ca062e0a75 100644
--- a/interface/src/Menu.h
+++ b/interface/src/Menu.h
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ namespace MenuOption {
     const QString AvatarsReceiveShadows = "Avatars Receive Shadows";
     const QString Bandwidth = "Bandwidth Display";
     const QString BandwidthDetails = "Bandwidth Details";
-    const QString BlueAudioMeter = "Blue Sphere While Speaking";
+    const QString BlueSpeechSphere = "Blue Sphere While Speaking";
     const QString BuckyBalls = "Bucky Balls";
     const QString CascadedShadows = "Cascaded";
     const QString Chat = "Chat...";
diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/Avatar.cpp b/interface/src/avatar/Avatar.cpp
index 165b218873..f93813d56c 100644
--- a/interface/src/avatar/Avatar.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/Avatar.cpp
@@ -368,12 +368,12 @@ void Avatar::render(const glm::vec3& cameraPosition, RenderMode renderMode) {
         // quick check before falling into the code below:
         // (a 10 degree breadth of an almost 2 meter avatar kicks in at about 12m)
         const float MIN_VOICE_SPHERE_DISTANCE = 12.0f;
-        if (Menu::getInstance()->isOptionChecked(MenuOption::BlueAudioMeter)
+        if (Menu::getInstance()->isOptionChecked(MenuOption::BlueSpeechSphere)
             && distanceToTarget > MIN_VOICE_SPHERE_DISTANCE) {
 
             // render voice intensity sphere for avatars that are farther away
             const float MAX_SPHERE_ANGLE = 10.0f * RADIANS_PER_DEGREE;
-            const float MIN_SPHERE_ANGLE = 1.0f * RADIANS_PER_DEGREE;
+            const float MIN_SPHERE_ANGLE = 0.5f * RADIANS_PER_DEGREE;
             const float MIN_SPHERE_SIZE = 0.01f;
             const float SPHERE_LOUDNESS_SCALING = 0.0005f;
             const float SPHERE_COLOR[] = { 0.5f, 0.8f, 0.8f };