Design, build, unboxing impressions

From first impressions, the PD200X looks like a miniature studio accessory with a distinct ‘gaming’ style, which is in line with current trends. A solid all-metal cylinder with a clean matte finish and a subtle RGB LED ring near the top make for a quality, sturdy build. It has a premium feel despite clearly being a budget device. The box includes the mic, a somewhat light shock-mount, a long USB‑C to USB‑A/C cable, and a screw adapter for mounting on various arms or stands​. The included shock-mount is actually plastic​, so it’s not as solid as the mic itself — BUT it’s still functional and provides a good deal of the vital shock absorption that the older PD400X model lacked. This mic comes in classic black or a crisp white variant​, but either design looks modern and will probably look great on any desk considering the customizable LEDs.

Maono PD200X includes a few handy controls on its body: a one-click mute button (with LED indicator), and a 2‑in‑1 knob that toggles between microphone gain (green light) and headphone volume (blue light)​. Please be mindful and memorize which color is which, or you might end up muting yourself by mistake! A hidden 3.5 mm headphone jack at the base means you can plug in headphones for real-time zero-latency monitoring​. All in all, the PD200X unboxing feels juicy, and almost like a professional setup, kek. However, you’ll need to provide your own XLR cable if you want the analog output for your audio interface because it’s not included.​

Audio quality and performance

The PD200X sound is tuned just about right specifically for voice work. It leans towards a slightly warmer bottom and a clear top, making it especially effective for speech-focused content like streaming, voiceovers, or podcasts. Its dynamic capsule captures vocal detail while naturally rejecting room noise—ideal for untreated spaces where ambient sounds can become a problem. Now, with the addition of its cradle shock mount and its decent pop filter, you won’t have to worry about keyboard taps or fan hum bleeding into your recording—this mic has all the mechanisms to keep things tight and controlled.

The overall sound is clear, with a gentle low-mid lift that keeps vocals from sounding too thin. Thanks to the dynamic capsule, it doesn’t sound ‘chirpy’ or brittle; fairly crispy and no mid- scoop like on some cheaper mics, so what you get is a grounded vocal presence—easy to shape with EQ or just leave as it is. There’s a good balance already out of the box.

Plosives are handled well with the included foam, and louder passages stay smooth rather than spiking or clipping—thanks to the mic’s natural ability to absorb level shifts without introducing those awkward distortion effects. Like most dynamic mics, it works best up close—typically within around 5–8 cm, or closer if you want extra intimacy. Pulling too far away takes some body out of the voice, so keep in mind your distance and adjust based on your mood and energy, not just ‘raw’ volume.

When placed right, the PD200X gives you a solid, broadcast-style vocal that stays clear and composed—without relying on any DSP tricks or artificial sheen. In USB mode, the mic is plug-and-play with no setup required. Gain can be pushed fairly high—often around 80–100%—without introducing hiss, thanks to a quiet onboard preamp. On XLR, performance remains equally clean, though some interfaces may need near-maximum gain to reach optimal levels. That’s expected for a dynamic mic and not a flaw in the unit.

The overall tone doesn’t aim to feel larger than life or impress with an exaggerated sparkle—it just keeps things simple, clean, and natural, while also offering some resilience to slight changes in axis or distance. So you don’t have to worry much about mic technique just to stay consistent. There’s some warmth in the character, yet it keeps a natural tone in the midrange—crucial for keeping your voice consistent. Overall, I find it easy to work with, and it’s been working reliably so far.

Features, usability, software & applications

The PD200X packs a lot of handy features for the money. On the mic body you get intuitive controls: the big knob is the standout – press it to toggle between adjusting mic gain and headphone output​, and the LED color (green vs. blue) shows you which mode you’re in. There’s also a one-touch mute button with a little LED on top, and as mentioned a headphone output at the base for direct monitoring. Everything is “plug-and-play” friendly – you just connect it to your computer via USB‑C and it works immediately, no driver install required​. This makes setup a breeze on Windows or Mac (and reportedly it can even work with some Android devices out of the box, though more testing is needed​).

The Maono Link software is a really nice bonus—free for PC and Mac, and it unlocks advanced controls in USB mode. With this you can tweak the EQ (there are presets for flat, high-pass filter, presence boost, etc.) and even add a digital limiter or compressor​. In short, you can tune the PD200X’s tone and dynamics virtually, without extra hardware. The mic’s RGB ring is also software‑controllable: you get 9 color options to light up the body​ (press a small button on the bottom to cycle them, or switch the LED off entirely). It’s mostly cosmetic, but it does let you match your PC/gaming rig lighting or just add some pizzazz to your desk.

In everyday use, the PD200X proves highly versatile. It’s perfect for podcasting, live-streaming, voiceovers, video calls, YouTube—basically any scenario where clear spoken audio is key. It’s also great for casual gamers or content creators who want professional sound on a budget. The 3.5 mm monitoring jack is handy, and the plug-and-play USB mode works seamlessly with PCs and laptops. You can also use it with iPads or phones via USB‑C adapters. And for those with pro gear, the XLR output connects to studio mixers, audio interfaces, and whatever else you’ve got.

Conclusion

Overall, the Maono PD200X punches well above its weight for podcasting, streaming, and general voice work. It’s especially compelling if you need both USB and XLR in one package and don’t want to break the bank. It’s also a great choice if you’re after that dynamic ‘broadcaster feel’ on a budget, or just tired of condensers that can sound too hot or overly sibilant sometimes. Its strengths—sound clarity, solid build, and ease of use—make it a smart pick in the sub‑$100 mic class. Great value for money, and the quality is about as good as it gets in this range!

- Reviewed at $69.99

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Sound & quality

Maono PD400X as a broadcast [or rather podcast] mic delivers a quality low end and bestows you with what I call a “broadcaster effect”. It does sound rich without being artificial or puffy – this is the type of voice you will often hear on radio or TV. Although it does have a bit of proximity effect too unlike for instance a more advanced Electro Voice RE20, the frequency at which it occurs is well beyond the normal vocal range so it does not color the vocals. It is the same principle as with LDC (condenser mics) that makes them so popular. In terms of comparison, it’s probably not the richest – Rode Procaster will easily sound deeper.

Maono PD400X doesn’t have any hype, it is as natural as it gets and unlike the former it doesn’t need any additional EQ, making it easier to stream or podcast from get go. Maono also offers basic EQ presets for low cut and high boost. Low cut helps reducing proximity, popping, mechanical noise and HVAC. The high boost’s main purpose is to give it even more air in order to compensate for when you are using a foam that comes with the mic. Speaking of which, the foam is somewhat bulky, it makes the mic look way bigger (in comparison to SM7B) so I wouldn’t use it by default, but it certainly does what it’s supposed to do. Still highly optional; I can easily breathe into the mic with no foam on, without any consequences, whereas my condensers would clip.

What I like about PD400X is its high sensitivity and relatively high gain, which usually isn’t the case with dynamic mics. You don’t have to be on top of it – at 5 inch distance you would still have a decent gain for your streams. The crispness of the high end paired with its high sensitivity makes it comparable to condensers but without the inherent disadvantages. I like that extra bit of brightness there, it beats the industry standard SM7B on transients and offers more clarity too, which is amazing for its price. However, while SM7B may lack a bit of punch (and by the way also require a lot of external gain), it still remains my preferred though for different reasons.

Application

Maono PD400X is quite susceptible to mechanical noise, so in order to get the best out of your purchase you must ensure your application does not involve banging it directly as well as the things around you. If you are frequently moving around or having lots of desktop activity, such as typing, the audience will hear those thuds, bumps and keyboard strokes. It can get annoying for some – for others absolutely not crucial. If you are streaming it will largely depend on your audience. On the other hand, for podcasts where you can sit quietly and just talk, this mic can do wonders. Voiceovers is another good application that comes to mind. Simply using a boom arm will provide some noise mitigation, but there is no way to eliminate it completely.

USB interface, Maono app and features

For those who wonder about the built in USB interface, it’s actually quite good. The USB bus and RF noises are minimal. It has slightly more white noise, somewhere around 3 dB higher than a top quality dedicated USB interface that I used for testing, but that’s really nothing. This is still much better than most of the USB mics out there. Also you get an access to EQ presets, such as low cut and high boost. You can control the gain, headset volume and “in the mix” while using the direct monitor. This mic has a handy touch mute feature too that changes LED to red while on mute. In Maono app, aside from the above you can also configure a limiter and compressor. It’s useful when you occasionally scream, sneeze or burst in laughter.

Conclusion

Maono PD400X is an excellent value for money broadcast microphone. It does everything you would expect from an XLR mic, except there is also a USB interface with all its corresponding features. Dynamic cardioid capsule in this type of mic provides good side rejection with little proximity up close, it is also more forgiving than condensers. The digital interface provides high gain and EQ presets, and that’s all you need to start streaming. It brings the best of two worlds, getting kudos for innovation …and did I mention the price? Overall, the mic is perfectly suited for podcasting. It can handle any voice with clarity and the audio quality is ideal for the purpose. However it is susceptible to mechanical noise. Those who like to rumble are probably better off with mics that can use shock mounts.

- Reviewed at $149.99

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Sound & quality

The frequency response of the Fifine K780A remains a mystery, because obviously you won’t find it published anywhere. Well, for me this usually raises a red flag, but comparing to the previously reviewed Blue Snowball, Samson Meteorite, CAD U37 and bunch of other trash, I must admit it easily blows them out of the water. It does have some coloration, so it’s not entirely neutral but turns out pretty okay for the spoken word. The low-end is a bit off – I was expecting a richer sound thinking the medium sized diaphragm would pay off. Still much better than the snowball though this comparison feels skewed: despite similar price, a form factor is different.

The high-end actually turns out much better – here the larger diaphragm works out to smooth some imperfections but it does not eliminate the resonances within, so compared to a decent condenser it might be getting a bit harsh quite often. This is especially the case if you drive it to the point of clipping, because obviously there isn’t any compressor circuit to prevent that from happening. What I like about the mic is that it’s not very hot. Often especially cheap condensers are so sensitive to the highs that they become unusable, picking up every little noise and amplifying it instead of attenuating. The Fifine USB does provide some dampening while still being crispy up-close.

The setup

There are numerous advantages of the mic’s included accessories, which complement this condenser very well. Without them, it would barely make any sense. For instance, if you just placed it on a table without the shock mount and tried speaking, it would be a disaster. The point being, that the accessories are very important. However, what I hate about the mic is its size. With such an advanced setup, one could expect a pristine studio sound from their recordings but it only sounds more or less like a regular USB mic, far from worst but not the best either and which could have been made much more compact as well. Now throwing that huge ass pop filter into the mix is like putting a cherry on top of a shit cake.

Needless to say that a big mic, may initially sound like a cool idea but when you actually start using it, you are going to realize that it is obstructing your vision. Even setting it aside is difficult because personally I don’t have any free space on my table. Then, aside from blocking off your monitor, it’s also going to obstruct your face when you’re shooting videos. There are tricks to hide the footprint but the boom arm isn’t very flexible for that, for example you can’t easily fix it horizontally. And with a large pop filter like that it may be difficult to stay on top of the mic, so maintaining a bigger distance could make the noise in the recording more apparent. In that sense, the setup is more appropriate for a studio as opposed to a home setting.

Overall

Should you buy Fifine K780A? – It is quite a valid candidate! At the time of writing, I actually have it ranking above the Blue Yeti, simply because of the accessories. You get a nice package that complements the mic perfectly. Everything, even the foam is a good addition, but still all combined, it would never beat our top ranking USB mics. And it leaves quite a footprint, of which you may quickly grow tired. If this is not an issue and you’ve got lots of space and a spacious room too, ideally, and if you aren’t too obsessed with quality then by all means, go ahead and make a purchase. However, I would personally prefer something with a smaller footprint, and if it has to be big, it’d better give me the highest possible quality.

- Reviewed at $64.99

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Sound & quality

Shure MV7 is a dynamic mic and it sounds like a dynamic mic. I could go into great lengths describing it but I don’t really feel like. I just want to get down with this review as quickly as I can. Why? Because no matter what my opinion is, this mic has proven to be a quite very viable choice for USB recording, and it’s also among the most popular out there on Amazon, so it’s a choice that’s always worth considering. In terms of quality, it certainly comes on top of the Audio-Technica and Maono dynamic mics; however, the difference isn’t as big as one would hope. It is marginally better in frequency response but the integrated preamp and ADC interface circuit are much better.

To date, MV7 does hold the title of the best dynamic USB mic, though compared to Maono it’s almost 4 times as expensive, so… no surprise there. Anyway, I still need to give some more details about its performance or it would be unfair to Shure. The frequency response of this mic doesn’t extend above 10 kHz, which is actually a bummer, but aside from that, it’s quite neutral. The advantage here comes from the choice of digital EQ presets where you can switch from flat mode to high-pass and presence boost or both. Another very neat thing there is the availability of limiter and compressor, with a variable intensity even, so you can further fine-tune to improve the sound.

Shure MV7 vs SM7b

While it does have a neat post-processing and digital conversion that can never be overrated with USB, and which you won’t find on mics of other brands usually, there still are some reasons to hate this mic. The rant mostly comes down to a comparison with the SM7b and there is another major disadvantage – a somewhat flimsy USB-connector, which once again wasn’t an issue with the old dynamic mic. It’s not clear why Shure still uses micro USB, other than just because it did use it before with the MV5. However, the MV7 came much later, so technically USB-C could be a better choice, or even much better – the old mini-USB or even a huge ass type-B for the durability – why, there’s plenty of space!

Though if only the connector was the problem here… the problem is rather with the concept. What disgusts me about this mic is how it mimics the SM7b (by both the looks and model number, obviously) while failing to deliver the traits of the original SM7b. The SM7b had an extended response, better proximity and a sweet spot that gave it a more uniform response even when facing slightly off or not talking directly onto mic. The MV7 seems to have nothing in common with the former. It does give you a rich, decent sound that is nice for USB, but it’s just not in the same league. The grills and capsule design are very basic as well; it does not have the complexity of the former.

Conclusion

Overall, the opinions about this mic are divided: there are two camps, those who absolutely love and those who can’t help but hate it. Despite some haters, the large majority still love this mic; it is quite very popular today and easily makes it into top-5 USB mics on the market. And despite falling behind in performance compared to the SM7b, it does have some advantages, such as more compact size, cheaper price, availability of the USB output with direct monitoring and, the most spicy, DSP, which stands for digital sound processing. Yet it will never sound as good as the SM7b paired with a quality preamp and/or an expensive standalone audio interface.

- Reviewed at $279.00

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Sound & quality

The sound quality of the microphone is very good overall – performing alike units twice and triple the price, it just destroys anything under $100. There are many aspects to it but we shall start with the frequency response. By the way, all the specs are readily available in the documentation, for which lots of kudos to Maono, because usually producers hide this info when it comes to budget mics. So, the frequency response of HD300T is actually flat, it has very little coloration and therefore gives you a quite accurate tonal representation. It could be described as neutral with just a touch of warmth, working very well for announcements and vocals.

The roll off starts at 90 Hz and goes 10 dB / octave meanwhile upper highs receive some boost in the 7-10 kHz region, giving it more presence and clarity, and even extend to 15 kHz. This is a very good curve for a dynamic mic, and especially for a USB mic… The highs are transparent, silky and smooth; the mid-tones are neutral and the lows are just natural. Condensers, in comparison may sound a bit more detailed but usually also harsher, which is not ideal especially for the beginners who have not yet mastered their recording techniques. On the other hand, HD300T does not fall behind in terms of clarity either, and everything contributes to easy use.

There are actually even more advantages compared to condensers: you can stay right on top of it without overloading the mic or causing some unpleasant proximity effects – Maono handles it very well. And the closer you are to the mic, the higher signal to noise you get against the background. Condensers usually like a bit more distance thus also picking up more background. Another advantage is that it handles the wind very well. This may sound irrelevant at first, but in reality blowing into mic while singing or even breathing is very common. Compared side by side with Shuve MV5, there is a night and day difference in this regard.

Comparison

There are however some disadvantages too with the HD300T. Those aren’t even about the quality of the recording, but rather regarding its utility. The first thing you’ll notice is that it doesn’t have that much gain compared to more common condenser mics. For speech, you may want to keep the gain slider at 100% and only when singing up close will you have to lower it. If you can always be on top of the mic, this isn’t a problem at all. However, if you like to lean back leaving it on your desk – this will not work. It simply won’t have enough gain to pick up the sound from afar. There is no way to set it above 100% and since it’s only 16-bit depth, boosting in DAW may not be lossless either.

Another issue is that the real-time monitoring output does not provide the best audio quality. It does get quite loud in comparison to that of the ALC887 in my motherboard, so I was able to hear myself clearly while recording. However, it just isn’t the best sound if you are trying to master or your recording, even applying EQ is going to be out of the window. So as soon as you’re done recording, you want to use a better DAC or switch to your studio monitors. My headphones have 16-Ohm impedance, so when I plug them into the mic, there is not enough power to drive them. As a result, I found the low frequencies, such as 50 Hz were non-existent during playback.

For comparison, Audio-Technica AT2005USB has the exact same drawbacks: potentially lacks gain and provides even less power from the DAC into low impedance loads. Those things aren’t deal breakers of course, but it’s always good to understand what you are getting beforehand to keep yourself from dissatisfaction. The Audio-Technica mic by the way has a brighter response, more appropriate for stage use rather than home recording, whereas Maono is mellower-sounding. Since it also comes with shock mount and pop filter, I’d say Maono actually takes the upper hand. I am a big fan of accessories, because in the end they help improving the sound at no additional cost.

Durability

In terms of durability, HD300T looks very solid but once you hold it in your hand, it will feel even more solid. It weighs no less than the regular XLR vocal mics and has a full aluminum, metal body. The grilles also look nice, so I suppose it has to be durable, or at least its dynamic component. When it comes to the USB and active components, we may need a little bit more feedback from the users because this review is ahead of the actual release. One thing that concerns me is the unjustified use of the USB-C port, which feels a little bit wobbly and I wouldn’t want to strain it. Just to be on the safe side I’ve come up with a cable management loop, luckily the cable is long enough to allow this.

- Reviewed at $69.99

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Signal to noise

MPM-2000U actually has a non-USB counterpart, which could be used for studio recording, so this isn’t just another computer mic; and perhaps that also explains why it has such a minimalistic design. No bells and whistles, yes clean and quality audio signal – this is what Marantz Professional mic is in a nutshell. It may not be as good as an XLR but for a USB mic, this baby sounds beautiful. Compared to Yeti for example, this mic offers a very good signal to noise ratio: the audio you get from MPM-2000U is pristine and has no white noise whatsoever. Cheaper mics so often have some hissing in the background that people start thinking it is normal, well this one will help you understand the difference.

Frequency response

The sound of this mic could be described as mellow, rich, natural, transparent, and crispy. It sounds lovely for a large diaphragm. It isn’t an exact match for a typical studio LDC but somewhat closer to mid-size with 16 mm diaphragm in diameter, but of course, the capsule itself is bigger. I actually like it that way because it makes it a little easier to work with, and widens your sweet spot but gives you the same richness, which you couldn’t get from a smaller diaphragm directional mic. I mean you could, but they are less stable and tend to become muddy or puffy when up close, so you wouldn’t like how it sounds and that is why the lows are usually cut, but with Marantz you can get some nice, unhindered richness.

Shock mount

MPM-2000U’s does not roll off the low frequencies, so if you feed it with bass it will give you the bass, and this is where the shock mount comes into play. It helps to isolate the mic from any surface vibrations that without the isolation would translate into rumble. Shock mount is one of the main advantages of this mic, because if you don’t have one, they will hear your every mouse click and keystroke. The shock mount is of course only basic, but it’s free and it does the job, and could be upgraded or replaced in the future, while most of the USB mics give you none or aren’t even compatible.

Noise rejection

If you’ve searched mics before you would have heard the word cardioid many times, which means a directional pickup pattern and the vast majority of computer mics are actually cardioid. This means it is meant to capture what is in front, greatly reduce what comes from the sides and nullify any sound from behind. However, when it comes to USB mics their specs are always sub-par. They don’t reject the sound from the back as much as they should, or even reject the front because of the shitty design. Yes, they may use a cardioid capsule but because of the obstructions inside the body, it often cannot perform its job properly. Well the good news is, MPM-2000U probably beats them all – the background noise is greatly reduced.

Setting up

Now of course, you want to get the best of your purchase and the best of your mic, so you have to use it properly. This Marantz mic has large diaphragm, so do not speak into it directly but slightly off-angle. Not every computer user may have this knowledge, but this is how it is designed to work. By adjusting the angle you may get a slightly different sound, so do it according to your liking until you find your best sweet spot and try sticking with it. At close range, you may experience the plosives, which applies to 99% of the mics. To fix this you may want to take it easy with your ‘B’s and ‘P’s, and this could take some practice to unlearn while talking next to a mic, or simply get yourself a pop-filter.

Pop-filter

Should you use a pop-filter with the MPM-2000U? Should you buy one, as it doesn’t come with one? Well the answer is yes and no. The larger diaphragm makes it a bit less sensitive to plosives than for example the Blue Yeti but if your mic overloads on your plosives, you should go and order one. Many people don’t realize but it could make a whole lot of difference and make your audio cleaner, especially if you are nitpicking. By far, this isn’t the mic problem; it’s just how things are in recording. Some mics will often stuff foam inside that somewhat acts as pop filter though not as effective and could be dulling the sound a bit, making it less crispy, but our large diaphragm MPM-2000U does not require any foams.

Boom arm

Should you get a boom arm? Well with this mic, I would probably opt to go that route. Marantz Professional MPM-2000U already comes with a shock mount, standard threading adapter included, so you can easily fit it onto any boom arm and point it to your mouth at the right angle and distance. This is important if you want to get the best sound of this mic and a studio-like quality, which is not impossible. Unlike any other mic, it doesn’t come with a tripod or anything to place it directly onto your table, and even if it did, a typical tripod would usually eat a lot of space. So, unless you placed it over your keyboard, which does not make any sense, it could get a bit out of the reach.

Use case

Well once again, this mic feels legit and weighs 400 grams, it is a real-deal, durable power horse that is always ready to feed you with a quality sound input. It is perfect for music recording, YouTube or even gaming. Your audience will most likely appreciate how you sound, and the shock mount will assure that no one hears your keyboard. For podcasting however, a direct monitoring capability would be nice, so that you can hear yourself clearly in real time, instead of hitting record and replay but it’s still doable. It is by no means all-purpose but it gives you a good sound quality if this is what you want. On the other hand, most professional mics don’t have any gimmick controls. Solid build and durability are just as important.

- Reviewed at $141.62

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Introduction

It’s been a while since I reviewed the original Yeti, and there haven’t been as many USB mics on the market at that time. Now the internet is swarmed with new computer mics, there are thousands of models to choose from and it’s getting a bit more difficult to keep updated in all of this chaos. But this has been the trend with computer gadgets in general. Produce more models even if they don’t make sense nor offer anything new… but adding some LED lighting is a must! Irony aside, the USB market did evolve recently, the new mics have come up with built in shock-mount suspensions, which has made a whole lot of difference.

Table vibrations

Producers have realized that hearing the hammering of keyboard keys that come from table vibrations isn’t a good thing, so they came up with cheap but effective suspensions to deal with this problem. Blue mics don’t seem to be one of them, because Yeti Nano comes with the same old pad design seen on Blue Yeti that acoustically amplifies those vibrations – for which it has been blamed since day one. Maybe because of the popularity of their original Yeti they wanted this mic to have a similar ‘trademark’ look, which implies the same awkward pad that amplifies your keyboard sounds tenfold…

Durability concern

Well, if you are used to Yeti, you would probably get used to it, so let’s pretend the pad wasn’t an issue. However, there have been another trend going on with all those new USB mics popping up like mushrooms on the market. Many of those mics unfortunately don’t seem to last more than a few years and even become phased out, as I have witnessed while reviewing the Cyber Acoustics CVL-2004 Rainier a few years back. Good sound quality, with neat controls, initially receives a very good response but then come all those faulty units and no one orders it anymore. In that case, the mic had a flimsy USB port that often snapped inside after some use.

And in case you are wondering why I brought up this particular mic example, is because Blue Yeti Nano suffers from the exact same issue. It has the same micro USB port that connects from the same awkward downward angle, and strangely enough, produces the same results. In this case – hundreds of angry customers who give it one star reviews due to the USB port ending up faulty within the first months of use. Believe it or not, I am perfectly aware of this trend with the poor quality gadgets, and this is in fact why I allow a certain period of time before reviewing the newly released USB mics, so I can integrate some feedback from other users too.

It’s on fire…

One of those user reviews I have read was both disturbing and entertaining at the same time. Blue Yeti Nano has caught fire aka incinerated itself, presumably due to a faulty port, causing a short circuit. I’m refusing to comment on this but in case you really wonder, I’m not making this up. Aside from the flimsy port, the controls don’t seem to be better. The original Blue Yeti had flimsy knobs that could sometimes introduce unnecessary white noise, that or the electrically resistive spray-up inside the knob would wear out ending up with either full gain or no gain at all. Fortunately no gain knob here but the volume knob once again feels flimsy and wobbly.

Same old, same old… at least after 17 years this one thing could have been fixed but no. My expectations are probably too high for this market. The mic body is now also made of plastic, which could be discrediting, but that’s all right with me because the original Yeti was unreasonably heavy. Anyways, I understand that all things have a limited lifespan, and especially computer gadgets nowadays don’t seem to last long. It is just a little bit disappointing to see this new trend plaguing an older producer such as Blue mics. I haven’t personally dealt with their customer service but the rumors are – it’s not good, to put it politely, so if yours got damaged, tough luck sirs.

Glitching

And as if the above wasn’t enough, the physical durability isn’t the only issue. From what I have gathered online, Blue Yeti Nano seems to be quite susceptible to glitches, especially when used with Windows 10. The mic just keeps cutting in and out without any apparent reasons. Even the mute button isn’t a hundred percent reliable, sometimes upon pressing, it may change color to red yet continue recording, to your embarrassment. What’s worse, some of the mics reportedly go bad randomly during recording, starting to produce a series of crackling or hissing sounds without you knowing about it.

Pickup patterns

As mentioned earlier Blue Yeti Nano features omnidirectional and cardioid modes, you can switch between the two by pressing the button at the back of the mic. Omnidirectional pattern is useful for picking up the sound from all directions in your room, for example if you have multiple sources of sound, or multiple persons speaking. However, the omni pattern also ends up picking up a lot of background, so most of the time you are going to end up using the standard cardioid mode for improved rejection of background noise and unwanted reflections of the original sound that tend to interfere with the latter.

Sound quality

In terms of the frequency response, Blue Yeti Nano sounds brighter than the original Yeti. The sound is crisp and the highs are relatively smooth, which is nice. The low end is also fine in the cardioid mode. However, the midrange is terribly lacking, and if you look at the curve, it is literally scooped out. Therefore, I would generally not recommend this mic for music. And even the voice sounds a bit stripped of the fundamental and harmonic components. You can get an ineligible speech yes, but it won’t be the most pleasant tonally. The original Yeti sounded more flat and natural and it didn’t have this problem, so this really seems like a bummer.

The omnidirectional pattern has a better midrange than the cardioid, but unlike the latter, it actually sounds thin and I hate this, but I would not normally use it anyway. The scooped midrange isn’t necessarily bad if you have a valid use case for it, but otherwise it’s probably isn’t the best curve, especially for close up recording. Normally you want to get up close, but if you can’t, you could still sound a bit richer than a flat mic at some distance, but of course not too far from the mic. Compared to some cheaper USB mics I have reviewed previously, the Blue Yeti Nano still sounds much better.

If you don’t mind the questionable durability and the glitching aspect of the mic, it could actually give you quite a decent sound, especially in non-critical applications such as skype or even reviews for YouTube. But then, if you like this mic’s concept, why not just add a few extra dollars and get yourself the Blue Yeti? I believe it would have been a much better investment that would also last longer and would be more versatile due to a flatter curve. Blue Yeti appears to be a better mic still, and certainly a better investment. The original Yeti maybe isn’t the best mic nowadays but it works reliably well with a boom arm and pop filter (without the pop filter both mics tend to overload when up close).

Boom arms

Could the Blue Yeti Nano be used with a boom arm? Without giving it much thought, you would probably answer yes. Blue Yeti Nano has a 3/8 inch threading and comes with a 3/8 inch to 5/8 inch male-female adaptor, so it can fit onto any boom arm or shock mount as it is more compact. In contrast, the original Yeti didn’t have the adaptor, and it was too big to fit into some shock mounts. But then you are definitely going to strain the cable and damage the port in no time, as I have already explained, and you are going to get that scooped out midrange sound, which isn’t good for up-close, so, if you bought a boom arm and pop filter, it would be a shame to skip the mic upgrade.

- Reviewed at $99.99

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Sound & quality

HyperX QuadCast has a neutral tone and for the most part, it provides an unhyped sound with a clean and detailed midrange. The proximity effect in cardiod mode isn’t very strong, which means it does not vary as much in the bass response as you get closer. However, the amount of low does not disappoint, it may not sound as solid as a radio broadcast mic, yet it just naturally represents your voice without taking anything away. Blue Yeti in comparison actually sounds more hyped, with slightly scooped midrange, it sounds brighter and more intimate when up close, but there is also more hiss in Blue Yeti.

When it comes to vocals and music, tonally QuadCast doesn’t have any problem, so it can capture the entire frequency range without added color. If you want to upload a YouTube video with this mic, or play your favorite instrument via streaming – this is all fine. What the mic is not intended for however is recording. You must understand the strengths and weaknesses of this device and keep your expectations in check, because the fashion for the USB mics changes rather quickly. If you record and compare uncompressed audio, you will be able to see some distortion, which is otherwise unnoticeable.

Shock mount, pop filter

In a controlled environment, both mics actually sound fine for the USB standards. What actually makes the difference in a day-to-day application is the availability of the suspension that comes with QuadCast. Calling it a shock mount may sound ambiguous especially from a non-sound engineer’s point of view. Since this is HyperX, I am sure a lot of gamers will be reading this without seeing the importance of it. What this shock mount actually does is it mechanically isolates the mic from the table. You will be surprised how much noise usually comes through from a typical gaming desktop without this suspension.

Have you ever wondered why the keyboard strokes and mouse clicks sound so annoying when making a video call from your computer? That is because it is being amplified mechanically. A part of the sound comes from the air but another significant part comes from mechanical vibration. Those vibrations also significantly boost the low frequency part, so that each stroke has a deep rumbling to it. Now add up all the unintentional bumps on the table or even the chair, humming of the fans in your computer, neighbor’s subwoofer and even the vibration of a distant railway train. Well, I hope you get the idea!

A decent shock mount can make a huge impact but not only they are expensive (if you choose to buy a standalone solution) you will also have to purchase a boom arm, which may actually exceed the cost of your mic. Every other USB mic we’ve reviewed so far does not come with a shock mount. At best, they come with a pop filter but that’s it. HyperX QuadCast also has an internal pop filter though it’s rather just a piece of foam on the inside. It does an okay job and it’s better than nothing. The internal EQ is also adjusted for this, so it doesn’t impact on the clarity. I personally haven’t experienced any popping at all.

Polar patterns

If you are familiar with Yeti USB, QuadCast provides the exact same choice of polar patterns, namely cardiod, omnidirectional, bidirectional and stereo. Those can be adjusted with a knob at the back. The main and go-to pattern is cardiod, but in case you are unfamiliar with the patterns, I will quickly cover each of them now. Cardiod picks up sounds from the front and rejects sounds from other directions to a good degree. By minimizing the sound from other directions, you effectively reduce background noises and room reverberation, which manifests as if you were talking far away somewhere in the kitchen.

Cardiod pattern also introduces proximity effect. This simply means when you are close to the mic you will sound more bassy and intimate, though the QuadCast’s proximity effect isn’t particularly strong even compared to Yeti. Omnidirectional allows capturing sound from all directions, especially useful when you have more than one speaker at a time; however, it introduces more noise and reverb. Bidirectional pattern captures from front and back only, perhaps it is useful if want to capture the sound from your speakers, it also gives strongest proximity. Stereo mode is obvious I think… it too potentially introduces more noise, as it listens to the sides rather than directly in front.

Other functionality

This may sound trivial but the users seem to give a lot of importance to the mute function. Blue Yeti is an old mic but it still remains popular thanks to this reason, it has a mute button while other mics don’t. HyperX QuadCast did in a way copy all of its features but not without improvements. The mute button of the QuadCast is actually on top of the mic, it is touch activated and it’s very accessible. When the mic is on it will light up with red color, so there is no confusion about it. However, unlike a mechanical solution it seems to suffer sometimes from being activated on and off repeatedly from a single touch.

The mic also has a gain control, which is great – the knob itself is big and located at the bottom. There is no way you can miss it, but it’s also possible to bump into it accidentally. This control does not adjust the gain from 0 to 100 but it’s rather a fine-tune adjustment. You will still have to set up an appropriate value in the settings and I actually like it this way, as it gives you less chance to screw up. At the back, there is also a headphone jack for monitoring your mic output in real time. Unlike other mics however there is no way to adjust the headphone volume nor ‘in the mix’ volume aside from the sound settings.

Build and overall

This mic feels a bit unusual, it is actually very light; I believe it’s mainly made of plastic except for the grille. That said it is very tall unlike any other USB mic you’ve seen before. The good thing about it, it is actually brought further away from the table and a bit closer to your mouth, so this way it sounds better. The connector used is mini-USB, which is the same as Yeti, so this is fine. I have reviewed CVL-2004 before with micro-USB and it was a disaster. HyperX QuadCast works for both Mac and PC, and even PS4 and it’s certified to work with TeamSpeak and Discord. No connectivity issues detected.

Overall, I see it as a great pick. The sound may not be the best for recording but for things like YouTube, Twitch, streaming and gaming in general, it is ideal. Especially if you like the black and red theme, because unfortunately there is no way to turn off the lighting. But what’s far more important is the absence of background noise; the mic is not too hot, it gives a good and natural voice timber and comes with a whole bunch of useful features such as touch mute. Then once again, there is this exclusive shock mount… and an okay pop filter, what else do you want? QuadCast well deserves its price tag and even more!

- Reviewed at $139.99

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Sound & quality

Shure MV51 uses a relatively large capsule, which measures 1-inch in diameter. By studio standards, it is not even considered an LDC; compared to other USB mics however, this capsule is huge, and the size difference gives it some unique sound qualities. It is important to understand that a bigger capsule does not necessarily make it sound better. Yet it is certainly more difficult to produce, so this explains the high price… What exactly are those unique qualities? For the most part the differences are subtle; one important difference is about proximity effect, which makes a larger capsule more favorable for vocals.

Directional mics have a rise in low-frequency response when used close to a sound source. It’s called the proximity effect. An SDC tends to roll off more at low frequencies than an LDC. So the proximity effect emphasizes the mid-lows in an SDC, but emphasizes the deep lows in an LDC. As a result, an up-close SDC may have a “puffy” midbass boost – a coloration less likely to be heard with an LDC. Because its proximity effect tends to sound better, an LDC is the most popular choice for micing vocalists in the studio.
– www.prosoundweb.com

Shure MV51 does a great job when close-miking vocals, as long as the talent stays on axis. The low end produced by this mic is very clean and it extends deeper than that of competing models. This even allows us to mike bass cabs and double bass, though an average consumer probably won’t make any use of it. And yet there are trade-offs for having a large capsule. Guess, what happens when you are farther aback and off axis? – The mic will start to produce a lot of color! So, it’s not as versatile as they say it is. For close miking it’s fine but if you want to capture both a guitar and vocal let’s say – this will not work.

Frequency response and noise

There is yet another trade off to using this microphone. While the overall frequency response appears to be balanced, the midrange is not as stable as we would like it to be. There is some noticeable color (even on-axis) and for the price, it could be better. Larger capsules do tend to be less flat, but still the midrange is where one would expect the least color. Especially the upper midrange is washed out and lacking. It still has enough presence, so the vocals despite getting softened will retain clarity. However, a voice actor may lose a bit of intelligibility, and musical instruments – some punch and attack.

In comparison, a cheaper MV5 does have a better midrange and less color. The low-end doesn’t go as deep but neither does it sound thin or unnatural. Not to mention there is no need for a pop-filter. On the other hand, MV51 does require a pop filter – unless you don’t mind freaking out your audience with occasional popping. Despite having a larger capsule, MV51 isn’t better than MV5 in terms of noise too. The preamp circles in consumer audio are anyway shyte so the capsule size doesn’t make much difference. The mic is quiet in flat mode, but if you apply too much compression and gain… you better plug your ears…

Features

Shure MV51 has plenty of features and settings, which can be further expanded through the app. It offers a 3.5mm headphone output for real-time monitoring. Both the volume and gain can be adjusted by touch controls and the LED indicator will reflect the changes. When adjusting the gain LED turns green, and, for monitor level – orange. You can switch between the two by activating headphone selector button. On the left side, there is a very handy mute button. Since it is touch activated, it won’t make any clicking noise while switching. Few other mics offer decent mute functionality like this.

The middle button acts as the mode selector. You can switch between 5 modes suitable for different applications: speech, vocal, instrument, music and flat. Those DSP’s include various levels of gain, compression and EQ except for the flat mode, which goes out without any processing. Motiv app has access to all of the above settings and includes some additional features, namely compressor, limiter, EQ and wind reduction. Wind reduction is useful if you have fans in the room or if you blow on it, too. The limiter and compressor are way too basic… and the EQ only has 5 bands and doesn’t get rid of the color.

Final remarks

Shure MV51 has a good build quality; it is solid and weighty for the size. While MV5 was all-plastic, MV51 is all-metal. On the other hand, MV51 is also bulkier and could hardly be called portable anymore. Not to mention it is twice more expensive too, at the time of writing this review. There are still 3 reasons to purchase it though. 1) It works very well for close miking, especially vocals, provided that you know the technique and are ready to use a pop-filter. 2) Podcasting also works, it has all the features like mute etc. and the only con is a colored midrange… 3) Excels in recording of bass and deep voice.

However, if you are looking for a good all-around mic, and expect high value for money – it is better to look elsewhere. I believe having that many features is in a way misleading, because one may think that Shure MV51, with all its different modes, should handle anything you throw at it… but this simply isn’t the case. For instance, there are far more versatile mics like Blue Yeti and Cyber Acoustics CVL-2004, which both provide switchable polar patterns and are not limited to close miking. On the other hand, those specifically looking for a larger diaphragm mic over USB will probably love this model.

- Reviewed at $199.00

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Snowball iCE vs. Snowball

Snowball iCE is a relatively new build – the original Snowball model has been in the market for well over fifteen years. However, the new build did not bring any new features but removed the old ones. This move allowed them to reduce the retail price significantly and make it far more worthwhile to purchase. The removed features were switchable -10 dB pad and omnidirectional capsule. This is a good move as they were useless anyway. Snowball always lacked gain so no one ever touched that pad and the omni mode probably has been the shittiest in the world – muffled like crazy and very inconsistent.

Sound & quality

Once again, comparing to Samson Meteorite, I was surprised to see the same awkwardly wide polar response, which could be more accurately described as sub-cardioid. So those looking for a tighter pick up in order to isolate the voice from the background will find it disappointing. However, Snowball Ice does not sound nearly as hot as Samson. The background still gets through but it sounds dampened, and therefore being perceived to a much lesser extent. Still, the race between the two reminds a bit of Special Olympics as both are handicapped compared to Shure MV5 with a naturally tighter cardioid.

The capsule inside the Snowball doesn’t look bad at all. It’s roughly the same size as the ones used in Blue Yeti and each side of the capsule presents six openings where you can see a fine mesh. It is capable of producing a smooth sound without much of any distortion and hard resonances throughout the entire audible range. So yes, there is no harshness and no sibilance to be heard. It also features a relatively accurate midrange, which is crucial for vocals. Nevertheless it has a terrible EQ curve, which scoops out both the highs and the lows, literally leaving out nothing but midrange.

If you look at the frequency response in their manual, it somewhat correlates with what I am hearing; however, in reality the abyss between the lows, the mids and the highs is more prominent. The presence boost above 10 kHz is somewhat misleading because no USB DAC can adequately transmit it using the given sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. As a result, an actual graph would have the highs continuously rolling off even before reaching the 10 kHz mark. Needless to say, it will sound dark. And because of its unbalanced EQ response, an untrained ear could easily mistake its sound for a cheap 10$ headset.

However, if we were to adjust the EQ, Blue Snowball iCE would suddenly sound like a more expensive microphone. Too bad, there are no easy means for adjusting it, other than applying filters in your DAW, but in my opinion, this route sort of defeats the purpose of buying a cheap mic in the first place. And yes, there still remains a problem with popping. Even though the lows are neatly scooped out, and the sound is rather thin, strong plosives do get through and produce an odd amount of bass, all of a sudden. Of course, a pop filter would do it justice but again the Shure MV5 sounds fine even without it…

Build and durability

Blue Snowball Ice certainly has a flashy design, but one may wonder how durable it is? The mic itself is definitely durable. The plastic body is quite sturdy and it has no protruding controls or buttons. The only thing there is the USB port at the back but it’s really hard to mess up. Like all USB mics, it can fail if it falls flat on the ground, mainly due to the weakness of crystal oscillators. Nevertheless, it should work for a good while and a replaceable cable is another advantage. That being said, it has a terrible stand. Flimsy as it is, among all mics that we’ve reviewed it’s the only one that can’t be tilted vertically!

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