To realize a confortable speech with a small scale circuit configuration in which natural and clear background noise is in existence without any echo even when the echo canceller circuit provides an output of a subtraction output signal including a residual echo and background noise having a high frequency component by allowing a residual echo suppression circuit receiving a speech direction detection signal in response to a speech state from a speech direction detection circuit to sufficiently suppress only the residual echo.

The echo canceller 100 connecting to a 2/4 wire converter 110 receiving a transmission signal including background noise is made up of an echo canceller circuit 100a of the similar configuration to that of a conventional device, a speech direction detection circuit 130 and a residual echo suppression circuit 120. The speech direction detection circuit 130 detects a speech direction from a subtraction output signal and a reception input signal and the residual echo suppression circuit 120 uses its built-in low pass filter to suppress the residual echo included in the subtraction output signal.