The mics with USB output are by far the most diverse category. Every time you search amazon you will see dozens of new budget models riding the trend. On average, a quality USB mic is worth anywhere around $100 to $200. If you don’t need a premium, you can still find lots of good ones under $100. Anything sub $50 are usually considered trash tier, so it’s better avoid those. However, few mics retain their popularity over time – in the beginning they receive positive reviews, but eventually the users start point out the issues, so no one wants to purchase them anymore.
This is why, the top 5 or top 10 USB mics among other criteria would have to be both popular and reliable. When this has been understood, it becomes a matter of choosing the one that satisfies your specific conditions. Those in turn come down to sound quality, features and footprint, basically. For podcasting you may want to have a superior quality with a mute capability, for streaming it is absolutely crucial to have a shock mount, in order to isolate it from the table. For recording a direct monitoring is crucial, there is also a new trend for dynamic USB mics nowadays.
But if you simply want to pick up the best out there, then HyperX QuadCast is a no-brainer. In my list it’s way ahead of others in many aspects and is very close to a perfect score. On Amazon, it has become so popular that in only 2 years it has received over 10,000 ratings, which is more than Blue Yeti has accumulated for over 20 years. I believe everyone is familiar with the latter, not so long ago it has been considered the standard. Hope that summarizes my point, that when choosing a USB mic it’s better to not overthink nor overspend, and just grab something that works.
HyperX QuadCast is a multifunctional USB microphone mainly designed for gamers and streamers. It has a variable pickup pattern control, a gain knob and a headphone jack for monitoring. Right on top of the mic there is a handy touch-activated mute button. It even includes an internal pop filter, which does an okay job and outperforms Blue Yeti without a pop filter. All those features can already ease life for a user, but the most…
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Rode NT-USB is one of the best USB mics that beats anything in the under $200 range. It brings exceptional for USB quality without the need for special drivers or any additional 3rd party equipment. Neither is it overly expensive as it offers a solid and durable build, not skimping on quality components. The design is well thought out and provides for a handy headphone monitor and a pair of solid controls. It also comes with a well-fitted pop shield and…
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This is a great quality plug and play mic that connects directly to your computer or laptop through a USB port. The ease of use makes it an ideal choice for home studio and field recording. Audio-Technica AT2020USB goes even further by bringing you the unseen before superior sound, which makes it comparable to more expensive studio units. Not only does it perfectly suit tasks like podcasting or voiceovers, it achieves quite a professional performance with vocals and even instruments. Whatever is that you are recording, you…
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Shure MV7 is a dynamic USB mic with a decent sound quality that emphasizes comfort and usability for everyday use. The idea behind MV7 was to create an easy to use solution for podcasting, mimicking the legendary SM7b. Despite my initial disappointment, the mic turned out to be a success, relatively. More compact and cheaper than the SM7b, it also doesn’t require a preamp or an expensive audio interface. The quality is actually quite good…
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Maono PD400X is a budget broadcast dynamic microphone that comes with a USB interface at no additional cost. For the most part it has a natural response, a little bit on the bright side with lots of air to it. The higher frequencies can be further boosted via EQ but even without it, PD400X sounds very crispy, especially for a dynamic mic. Good clarity and high output makes it an ideal choice for entry podcasting,…
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Maono HD300T is a dynamic USB microphone that brings live sound home and packs the best bang for the buck when it comes to vocal recording. It delivers the best traits of dynamics that result in smooth and undistorted sound, saving you from buying expensive equipment such as preamps and digital interface that are otherwise necessary for connecting a dynamic XLR microphone to a computer. This mic comes with handy shock mount & compact pop…
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Marantz Professional MPM-2000U is a computer mic, which could be easily mistaken for a studio microphone. It has a full aluminum body, shielded with a quality grille and placed into a shock mount –the only difference is – it has a USB port instead of XLR and hosts a 48 kHz/16-bit audio converter. MPM-2000U features a tight cardioid pickup pattern that results in superior background noise rejection, and it has a larger capsule, which facilitates…
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Fifine K780A is a bloody cheap full size USB condenser mic that comes as a complete package with all the necessary accessories. Most importantly, it includes a decent boom arm, which alone would cost around $20 plus, not to mention the shipping. This is especially true if you would have to buy all the individual parts separately: the mic, shock mount, a foam, boom arm and a pop filter. So, that’s where most of the…
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When it comes to quality, Blue Yeti would be undoubtedly one of the first choices among any other USB microphones. The truth is, nowadays USB mics are being stamped by all and sundry manufacturers. Logitech would be an excellent example. Specializing in computer accessories, they produce great keyboards and mice, and even sound systems but when it comes to standalone mics, they simply don’t have enough expertise. The best what they can do is some…
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This device reminds us of legendary ‘Elvis Microphone’ except it is digital… and, it is packed with new features! Shure MV5 is a solid USB mic that boasts very decent quality at reasonable price (probably the best in up to $100 category). It is portable and highly compatible with Windows, Mac, iPad, iOS, iPhone and Android. Although it may lack the clarity of more expensive mics, the difference is not that huge. On a positive…
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Shure MV51 is a feature-rich USB mic with a good low frequency response. It works for all platforms, however only iOS users are given the option to access the mic’s advanced settings, as this requires downloading Shure Motiv™ application, which is only found in the Apple Store. Despite an array of features, Shure MV51 fails to satisfy the expectations of most users. The offered advantages are narrow and they come at a cost! No matter…
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Blue Yeti Nano is a smaller, lighter and cheaper version of the original Blue Yeti USB mic, released almost two decades earlier. For the most part, however both of the mics are very similar in concept and sound – not much has changed. Blue Yeti Nano is short by one capsule, so it doesn’t have the stereo and bidirectional modes, but still offers the most commonly used cardioid and omnidirectional pickups. The design has been…
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CAD U37 is a very cheap USB mic and while some may not take it seriously, it actually offers the best bang for the buck. Despite having some disadvantages, overall quality is quite decent. This mic is mainly designed for situations that don’t demand maximum performance. Particularly, it will be a great choice for Skype, amateur videos and even gaming. Musicians who make simple covers for YouTube will also probably find it suitable. If this…
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CVL-2004 from Cyber Acoustics is a fresh and valuable addition to the USB microphone market. Reminding a lot of Blue Yeti, it offers similar features and performance with one major difference – price. At the time of writing, CVL-2004 is considerably cheaper, and despite certain shortcomings, the value for money is just excellent. To name some of the features, this mic provides zero-latency monitoring via 3.5mm headphone socket, flexible volume and gain controls and switchable…
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Blue Snowball iCE is a stylish, entry USB mic with an attractive price tag. Unlike the similar-shaped Samson Meteorite, it is not as blatantly hot and it has a detachable USB cable with a solid Type B connector. The midrange is by far superior and technically, it produces a much more accurate sound than the former. However, there is literally nothing but midrange. It sounds thin and dark at the same time, and it also…
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Samson Meteorite is a cheap USB mic with a small footprint, compatible with Mac and PC. It also works for IPad when combined with a Lightning USB adaptor, which is not included by the way. However, an obscenely short and flimsy cable creates limitations, so it’s hard to justify using it for anything other than a MacBook or a laptop. Samson says the mic’s pickup pattern is cardioid but that’s a lie. Meteorite has a…
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Apogee MiC 96k behind the simple look offers a polished performance alongside with native Apple compatibility. This device brings a smooth experience for users of iPhone, iPad, Mac and new iPod. However, Microsoft Windows and likely other operating systems are not supported. As the name suggests the mic supports up to 96k sampling rate via 24 bit DAC. Paired with Core Audio interface it also results in a very low latency and can give demanding…
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Blue Nessie is a relatively new and fancy-looking USB mic with just about decent sound quality. It has some interesting features like switchable recording modes and a touch sensor mute button. The stand is quite tall and it almost raises the mic to the head level but it also makes for a larger footprint. Nevertheless, the stand is non-detachable and the whole complexity of that eye-sticking-out-of-the-socket design makes it vulnerable without providing any feasible advantage….
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In this article, you'll learn how to choose professional and budget
