a mirror telescope for sound that uses a concave reflector to collect and focus sound waves onto a microphone receiver

an ordinary microphone mounted inside a sound-reflecting dish having a parabolic cross section

A highly directional microphone assembly that uses a reflector in the shape of a parabola to focus sound into a microphone.

A parabolic microphone is a microphone that uses a parabolic reflector to collect and focus sound waves onto a receiver, in much the same way that a parabolic antenna (e.g., satellite dish) does with radio waves. Typical uses of this microphone, which has unusually focused front sensitivity and can pick up sounds from many meters away, include nature recording, field audio for sports broadcasting, eavesdropping, law enforcement, and even espionage.