$120 or Under Desktop Mic Selection

[RichardsD]

Hello everyone:

 

I've had over 5 "gaming" headsets throughout my PC usage life, and frankly I've never really had a good experience.  The G930 was decent, but my microwave would destroy its' wireless connection and the notorious head band joints kept breaking.  I RMA'ed 5 of the bloody things and just gave up, normal use.  I moved onto a Razer one which had some of the worst audio I've ever experienced, then a Corsair one which was not much better.  They all broke; Razer the mic just stopped working conveniently after the warranty, Corsair the right ear cup lost audio.  I'm currently using the Logitech G230, because I no longer purchase expensive headsets.  Now, despite using the same headband as the G930 it has not cracked; although I have been incredibly careful.  The issue is the microphone is really bad and produces a great deal of background static.  

 

Therefore, I will not be looking to another Gaming headset.  The first thing I want is a decent desktop mic, so naturally I consulted the three Mic reviews Linus did about 2 months ago.  I was very interested in the Editorskeys one, until I saw the price.  I want a decent, desktop microphone around $120 or less, and really past that I have few criteria.  First, it needs to be USB, second, I need to be able to purchase it in Canada.  Third, and most importantly, it needs to be able to sit a little distance back (maybe 10 - 15 cm) from me, and also on one side of my monitor and still have acceptable audio.  

 

Cheers audio community!

[minibois]

-snip-

The Blue Yeti or the AudioTechinica AT2020

[RichardsD]

The Blue Yeti or the AudioTechinica AT2020

 

Hmm I looked those up, but neither are under $120 (In Canada) unfortunately.  I really don't want to go over that, I need that $100 - 120 price point if possible.

[Luc401]

id definetly recommend the AT2020 , you may even want to get the one with XLR 

[RichardsD]

id definetly recommend the AT2020 , you may even want to get the one with XLR 

 

Ahhhh, with HST that would be Around $200.. does AT make any decent, cheaper mics?

[minibois]

Hmm I looked those up, but neither are under $120 (In Canada) unfortunately.  I really don't want to go over that, I need that $100 - 120 price point if possible.

Oh yeah, I was thinking about USD and not CAD..

 

The Yeti is just a tiny bit over the budget.. But as for lower priced microphones..

I can only really think about the Blue Snowball is decent and I believe the Audio-Technica ATR2500 is good too.

You would have to look up a review on the last one though

[mrswagbhinav]

I'd go with the AT2020 with a pop filter.

[Curufinwe_wins]

Hello everyone:

 

I've had over 5 "gaming" headsets throughout my PC usage life, and frankly I've never really had a good experience.  The G930 was decent, but my microwave would destroy its' wireless connection and the notorious head band joints kept breaking.  I RMA'ed 5 of the bloody things and just gave up, normal use.  I moved onto a Razer one which had some of the worst audio I've ever experienced, then a Corsair one which was not much better.  They all broke; Razer the mic just stopped working conveniently after the warranty, Corsair the right ear cup lost audio.  I'm currently using the Logitech G230, because I no longer purchase expensive headsets.  Now, despite using the same headband as the G930 it has not cracked; although I have been incredibly careful.  The issue is the microphone is really bad and produces a great deal of background static.  

 

Therefore, I will not be looking to another Gaming headset.  The first thing I want is a decent desktop mic, so naturally I consulted the three Mic reviews Linus did about 2 months ago.  I was very interested in the Editorskeys one, until I saw the price.  I want a decent, desktop microphone around $120 or less, and really past that I have few criteria.  First, it needs to be USB, second, I need to be able to purchase it in Canada.  Third, and most importantly, it needs to be able to sit a little distance back (maybe 10 - 15 cm) from me, and also on one side of my monitor and still have acceptable audio.  

 

Cheers audio community!

I know you said desktop mic but at that pricepoint I honestly doubt you will get that good of an audio experience with keyboard noise.

 

I can only stop to massively recommend the hyperx cloud (1 or 2). Both are godly, and I got my cloud for 30 USD on major sale, best headset I have ever used and I now use it for everything.

[Fluffinator]

I know you said desktop mic but at that pricepoint I honestly doubt you will get that good of an audio experience with keyboard noise.

 

I can only stop to massively recommend the hyperx cloud (1 or 2). Both are godly, and I got my cloud for 30 USD on major sale, best headset I have ever used and I now use it for everything.

Everything in that statement is so wrong... any desktop mic would destroy the clouds mic which is pretty garbage compared to any desktop mic in his price range.. why do you think professionals use desktop mics? Audio quality isn't destroyed due to "keyboard noise"....

For the OP I recommend stretching your budget a little and getting something that will last you a long time such as the Blue Yeti which is a little over your price range.. I have one it's awesome.

[Curufinwe_wins]

Everything in that statement is so wrong... any desktop mic would destroy the clouds mic which is pretty garbage compared to any desktop mic in his price range.. why do you think professionals use desktop mics? Audio quality isn't destroyed due to "keyboard noise"....

For the OP I recommend stretching your budget a little and getting something that will last you a long time such as the Blue Yeti which is a little over your price range.. I have one it's awesome.

And professionals don't use mics in his price range. Even you don't. Point made.

 

Having any mic farther away from keyboard noise obviously improves sound characteristics (the very nature of sound DUH), which is a major issue for audio if capturing from a desk.

 

Then again if you don't care about people picking up your keyboard (and some mouses) like crazy then go for it, but I would argue that is against the very point (and is way more important than if you voice is distorted slightly).

 

BTW that last line is the exact opposite for professionals  and THAT is why they use desktop mics. They need fidelity more than they need to not have keyboard noise.

 

 

OFC The real solution to that is using a high fidelity microphone right near your face with a lower sensitivity but for general use (imo, don't like a stand up in my face), that sucks.

[Fluffinator]

And professionals don't use mics in his price range. Even you don't. Point made.

 

Having any mic farther away from keyboard noise obviously improves sound characteristics (the very nature of sound DUH), which is a major issue for audio if capturing from a desk.

 

Then again if you don't care about people picking up your keyboard (and some mouses) like crazy then go for it, but I would argue that is against the very point (and is way more important than if you voice is distorted slightly).

 

BTW that last line is the exact opposite for professionals  and THAT is why they use desktop mics. They need fidelity more than they need to not have keyboard noise.

You are aware a regular headset mic can pick up keyboard noise too? It's just the mic sucks on regular gaming headsets so to say "Having any mic farther away from keyboard noise obviously improves sound characteristics" is so far from the truth it isn't even funny you can move a mic away from your keyboard too. Also most of your points make no sense such as "They need fidelity more than they need to not have keyboard noise." lol what? Also I stream and I have no keyboard noise and my sound quality is great, if I put on my old gaming headset it picks up a lot of utter bad backround noise. With a pop filter and arm I can easily move my mic anywhere and avoid the noise while retaining great quality. Why do you think youtubbers and streamers a like use higher quality headsets if according to you "Having any mic farther away from keyboard noise obviously improves sound characteristics (the very nature of sound DUH)".. Yeah...

[RichardsD]

Hey everyone, I'm not concerned entirely with KB noise.  The mic won't be used for streaming, I'll be using it just for some playing w/ friends (where I really don't give a toss if they hear my awful, non-mechanical keyboard, and voice overs where there won't be any KB noise.

[Curufinwe_wins]

You are aware a regular headset mic can pick up keyboard noise too? It's just the mic sucks on regular gaming headsets so to say "Having any mic farther away from keyboard noise obviously improves sound characteristics" is so far from the truth it isn't even funny you can move a mic away from your keyboard too. Also most of your points make no sense such as "They need fidelity more than they need to not have keyboard noise." lol what?

 

Think please. It will help.

 

SOUND dissipates with the quadratic of radius. Therefore the further away your microphone is from background and the closer to whatever it is you actually want to hear (to a limit in which noise distortions begin to occur ofc) the better the sound characteristics the microphone itself is picking up on. END OF STORY.

 

As such without stands (another thing to buy), a headset microphone already has an enormous advantage in general use. That said, desk mic are almost always better in fidelity and sensitivity. They have to be because they are designed to be farther away. This still doesn't solve the issue of picking up background noise however because increased sensitivity means they pick up more not less. Now ofc you can use a stand to put that better microphone up by your face and you will get better results than putting a shitty mic up by your face, but then you have to deal with having a stand up by your face which can be a issue for some people.

 

Professionals need their sound to be accurate, and generally speaking background noise can be controlled through other mechanisms, so it obviously makes sense to use a desktop mic. Furthermore their overall microphone set costs many times more than the budget of the OP.

 

In fact there are numerous times where a professional (say doing a review) wants the user to experience background noise at the levels their ears do.

 

This is a different issue than say someone streaming a game or using a VOIP where all you want people to hear is you, the game, and NOTHING ELSE. For that purpose a headset microphone is well suited on the sole basis of positioning and convenience. 

[Curufinwe_wins]

Hey everyone, I'm not concerned entirely with KB noise.  The mic won't be used for streaming, I'll be using it just for some playing w/ friends (where I really don't give a toss if they hear my awful, non-mechanical keyboard, and voice overs where there won't be any KB noise.

Then have at those desktop mics without special stands, no need at all for them in your case.

 

The 

 

Audio-Technica AT2020 USB

 

should be available most of the time around the 120 CAD mark (it MSRP's way higher than normal sale which is generally around 100 USD).

[RichardsD]

Mhmmm. NCIX CA has it at $179, and so do most Cdn retailers.  Now, the ATR2500 is the correct price, again AT.  What is anyones' thoughts on this?

[RichardsD]

Update:

 

I looked on newegg, NCIX, and Amazon for the AT2020 prices.  The SLR variant is only $130, but the USB one is almost $200.  Now, I believe the mic I posted above (ATR2500) is $130 w/ USB.  Has quite good reviews as well.

 

Also, if I got this XLR one, is there a simple way to plug that thing into my PC with an adapter, a card, etc?

[CatCloud]

@RichardsD

Samson meteor mic?

It's a sensitive bastard and will pick up background noise but it's a very nice mic If you don't mind spending some time tuning it right in the settings.

..... However I can't remember if it was USB... I moved from it to a mod mic 4.0 and haven't used my meteor since then. Not sure where I put it. But it's something to consider at least.

[RichardsD]

@RichardsD

Samson meteor mic?

It's a sensitive bastard and will pick up background noise but it's a very nice mic If you don't mind spending some time tuning it right in the settings.

..... However I can't remember if it was USB... I moved from it to a mod mic 4.0 and haven't used my meteor since then. Not sure where I put it. But it's something to consider at least.

 

Hmm, it is indeed USB, the reviews also seem quite good.  

 

Anyone can say whether or not this is inferior/superior to the AT ATR2500?