Blue Yeti replacement?

[GloriousPain]

TLDR; I have a dying blue yeti, it's having some issues and wanna replace it, but I don't have much of a budget so should I just get another blue yeti or...? Uses are Gaming, and small content creation workload; Possibly for some upcoming work too... No matter what it'll just be stationary just at a desk though. 

[CamcorderCommando]

Is your budget too low for a sound card and microphone? Do you need a USB only solution?

[GloriousPain]

1 hour ago, CamcorderCommando said:

Is your budget too low for a sound card and microphone? Do you need a USB only solution?

My budgets about $100 USD; but no just preferably a small desk solution as I move frequently. It's going to be stationary otherwise for small things I record from time to time for work, as well as gaming (discord/skype/ect) regularly...

[CamcorderCommando]

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/844096-REG/Audio_Technica_AT2005USB_AT2005USB_Cardioid_Dynamic_USB_XLR.html

 

I'd recommend you look at the AT2005USB, it's a low-cost podcaster's favorite with a lot of very positive reviews. Search YouTube etc.

It's not the best, but neither is your budget. It is, however, streets ahead of most of its competitors in that price sphere.

Audio Technica gear is always better than the price would have you believe. Unlike B.L.U.E. where the expensive stuff is what built the brand, and the cheap stuff is exactly that. I like B.L.U.E. but the fact that your Yeti is dying means it's A) Cheap or B)That party really got out of hand... 

[GloriousPain]

20 minutes ago, CamcorderCommando said:

I'd recommend you look at the AT2005USB, it's a low-cost podcaster's favorite with a lot of very positive reviews. Search YouTube etc.

 

Audio Technica gear is always better than the price would have you believe. Unlike B.L.U.E. where the expensive stuff is what built the brand, and the cheap stuff is exactly that. I like B.L.U.E. but the fact that your Yeti is dying means it's A) Cheap or B)That party really got out of hand... 

Uh my Yeti I've had for ~6 years, and well I've moved 15 times across multiple states. Not always the cleanest of moves either. I'm actually quite happy with the product and just curious if in the nearly 6 years anything else worth considering has come out; thanks for the help I'm going to look into it shortly.

[CamcorderCommando]

My biggest hangup about the Yeti is the desk stand. It can lead to an awkward placement. A mic on a stand (only another $25) can get the mic a lot closer to your mouth, helping to reduce the influence of room noise. The closer you can get the mic to the sound source, the happier you are going to be.

As for 6 years, tell that to anyone who owns a ($99) Shure SM58 and watch them laugh.* Not a dig, just a comparative observation.

 

*cockroaches, twinkies and SM58's will survive the apocalypse. Unlike the twinkie, you'll still want to put the '58 near your face.

[GloriousPain]

2 minutes ago, CamcorderCommando said:

My biggest hangup about the Yeti is the desk stand. A mic on a stand (only another $25) can get the mic a lot closer to your mouth, helping to reduce the influence of room noise. 

As for 6 years, tell that to anyone who owns a ($99) Shure SM58 and watch them laugh.* Not a dig, just a comparative observation.

 

*cockroaches, twinkies and SM58's will survive the apocalypse. Unlike the twinkie, you'll still want to put the '58 near your face.

Yeah the stand causes some issues but oh well I don't really have many complaints about room noise and such; infact I don't know why most people do.  Set the gain knob down and just use software gain (if needed at all) it's pretty simple. A friend of mine started twitch streaming recently and my god his sound was terrible until I told him just that. 

 

Also yeah 6 years isn't insane, but well I've moved from Florida to Michigan(as well as 14 other moves) with it at one point falling from near the top of a moving truck to the floor and just moving around during said move(Which was 1,520 miles or roughly 2,500KM) because the moving box it was in ripped apart; Which broke my keyboard at the time but only managed to chip the paint on the yeti until recently: Having an issue where I either get no sound received or a screeching noise both of which I *can* temporarily fix by simply unplugging it and plugging it back in.

 

But thanks for the suggestions of the AT2005 and SM58 I'll look into them both any other suggestions you have on hand?

[CamcorderCommando]

I'm a big believer in getting it right at the mic, but if you're happy, I'm not gonna argue with you LOL.

 

An external sound card will give you manual controls (AKA knobs) for gain and volume (inputs and outputs) and you can make subtle adjustments transparently. Once you've had that, it's hard to live without.

 

Quality is relative, and often has more to do with opinion than something the audience perceives. If no one complains about your audio, and you are happy, then keep on truckin'

 

If you could upgrade, I'd start with a decent pair of headphones (I like the Sony MDR 7506 and up) plugged into a decent soundcard like a Presonus or Focusrite. You can get better speakers and mics later on, as you become aware of what you need.

[GloriousPain]

42 minutes ago, CamcorderCommando said:

I'm a big believer in getting it right at the mic, but if you're happy, I'm not gonna argue with you LOL.

 

An external sound card will give you manual controls (AKA knobs) for gain and volume (inputs and outputs) and you can make subtle adjustments transparently. Once you've had that, it's hard to live without.

 

Quality is relative, and often has more to do with opinion than something the audience perceives. If no one complains about your audio, and you are happy, then keep on truckin'

 

If you could upgrade, I'd start with a decent pair of headphones (I like the Sony MDR 7506 and up) plugged into a decent soundcard like a Presonus or Focusrite. You can get better speakers and mics later on, as you become aware of what you need.

Sorry maybe I'm just defending a bad purchase choice I made years ago out of some form of pride; but it felt as if you were overly attacking my equipment.  Like to call it cheap not knowing anything of the circumstances that lead to it breaking...  and it's not exactly like you're someone I know you're a guy on a tech forum; WITH 5 POSTS. 

 

Yeah I've been looking into better sound equipment due to simply wanting higher quality stuff than I know I currently have; such as an Amp&Dac not a sound card though. I have almost never gotten audio complaints though, I simply want to maintain and improve said quality for the sake of my work.

 

I already have a pair of Sennheiser HD 600s but a better amp/dac (or unlikely sound card) is something I shall consider when I have more money... As for speakers I never use them.