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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Sennheiser e965 is a true condenser, which means it is externally polarized. Those types of capsules are often found in studio and generally offer a better quality overall, compared to more common electret mics. The diaphragm diameter is 1 inch, so it is indeed quite large and makes it very good at handling the low end even when voice extends lower. Sennheiser e965 provides rich, undistorted low end and a well-rounded bottom. There are actually few mics like this one, with a large diaphragm, because most condenser handhelds usually settle for medium-sized diaphragms, not larger than ¾ inch in diameter.

For comparison, Neumann KMS 105 capitalizes a bit more on the lows, working its proximity with a little more boost and empathy there. However, the KMS 105 is not the best mic for live performance, as it is especially more susceptible to feedback and is poorly suited for a more aggressive environment. In fact, they actually recommend using it with in-ear monitors (despite that it has a supercardioid pickup, which is supposed to have an improved side-rejection [ and feedback resistance by extension ]). After all, KSM 105 is a bit more of an instrument mic, and may not be suitable for every different singer.

Shure KSM9 on the other hand has a little bit less proximity pre EQ though still quite balanced, and suited for any type of stage. And yet, Sennheiser e965 is once again slightly better overall – it is as versatile as the KSM9 and is now considerably cheaper too, and has a larger capsule for a less hyped proximity effect that can be more efficiently negated via low cut filter when the situation demands it. Sennheiser e965 does not lack richness; it may be a bit less hyped than Neumann KMS 105 but it has more depth to it. For a very deep voice, it would be a good idea to use some external low cut when in supercardioid mode (according to taste of course).

But once again, it is optional, as it has a built-in roll off that does it very well, with a huge benefit of a large diaphragm that it makes it less puffy and more stable in its low end response. Not only that, a large diaphragm also helps it sound smoother and makes it less responsive off-axis, especially to higher frequencies, such as present in cymbals. Sennheiser e965 surprisingly, doesn’t pick much of the background sounds, which is a common problem with a vast majority of condensers out there. I have seen dynamic mics that are way hotter than this one. The handling noise of this mic is also minimal.

Sennheiser e965 is ideal for stage. It has a good feedback resistance on par with dynamic mics. It has just enough brightness to cut through the mix without sounding harsh. In fact, there is no noticeable distortion or brittleness at all. This is very important because even most expensive mics are suffering from being brittle whenever they are trying to capitalize on that added brightness, but this is definitely not the case with the e965. As regards to the clarity, I don’t think I have to advertise much the clarity of a condenser here, because this is just something that comes naturally with it, among other perks.

Sennheiser e965 has a nice brightened response, but not brittle, it is a very clear and open-sounding mic. A well-polished frequency response, smooth, without any irregularities there makes it sound very natural too. Especially the cardioid pattern gives it a studio quality sound, no gimmicks here. The mic has a high sensitivity, in a sense that it provides a significantly higher output and needs less gain to drive, but that doesn’t mean it would distort the sound in any way or require some special treatment. On contrary, it is easy to use – it just sounds more expressive and dynamic, adding a bit more detail and definition to your songs.

This mic would be an excellent choice for any professional singer on stage. Sennheiser e965 is a natural upgrade to a dynamic e935; and it rivals other high-end condensers without getting too expensive. Particularly, it offers a better gain before feedback than Neumann condensers and it is less sensitive to background noises or in other words, it is not as hot and therefore more suitable for live sound reinforcement. Switchable cardioid and supercardioid pattern make it even more versatile for all around use and the e965 has no problem with handling most of the instruments either whenever it is needed.

- Reviewed at $499.95

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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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Instruments

CAD e70 is best at handling instruments: acoustic guitar, banjo, piano and violin are just a few of the examples that come to mind. I have stumbled on a YouTube video from GarageBand & Beyond that actually demonstrates how it sounds on acoustic guitar without any EQ or compression. It is self-explanatory so just listen and judge for yourself! And if you like this sound, you will probably like it for other instruments as well.

Percussion

CAD e70 also works for percussion, particularly small frame drums and tambourines. It gives you a precise attack without leaving out any details. There is enough brightness if you want, and no it doesn’t sound hyped. The low end is not deep enough for large drums but it is accurate and won’t make your tambourine sound like kick drum. Being a condenser mic, at times it can run hot. But this is not an issue, since all you need to do is to move it closer to the source. CAD e70 has no problems with close miking, especially with pad on, and if needed it is ready to handle a substantial amount of sound pressure.

Overheads

Cymbals and hi-hat performance is just slightly above average. Even though the mic is relatively cheap, it has an excellent transient performance while the frequency response fully extends to 20 kHz. Thus, it is capable of capturing the entire range, with all the subtleties. However, in practice it sounds a bit too bright, and may require a good deal of EQ to balance it out. For cymbals and hi-hat, it is preferable to use higher quality mics with flatter response. A pair of Shure SM81 would accomplish this task much better… But if you cannot afford more expensive overheads, this mic can cut it as a budget option.

Omni capsule

So far, I’ve been referring to the cardioid capsule but it also comes with a separate omnidirectional capsule. This capsule offers a similar amount of brightness though in a slightly different range. There is a bit more raw presence but it is not as airy as the cardioid. It’s not at all gimmicky, as you may think – the quality is just about decent. It will prove quite useful if you want to capture room reverb or ambience. In addition, this can be a great budget solution for recording choirs and orchestra. A pair of e70 in omnidirectional mode will give you a nice sense of depth and spaciousness – for a laughable price.

Noise figures

CAD e70 is rated for 23 dB-A self-noise and 10 mV/Pa sensitivity. There are plenty of both noisier and quieter mics in sub $200 range, so in this regard it can be considered as average. Keep in mind though, quieter mics are not necessarily better sounding and I’d rather use a noisier than a harsher-sounding mic. Comparing to our recently reviewed AKG C1000s, it is actually 2.4 dB quieter when the gain is matched. Comparing to the SM81 mentioned above, it is 2 dB noisier, but it’s actually a bummer for Shure, as it should be even quieter, considering the price.

For home studios and live venues, those figures will be more than enough. When miking instruments at reasonable distance and volume, in other words using it as intended, you won’t hear any hiss or noise whatsoever. The omni capsule is also significantly quieter, so once again it won’t be a problem if you intend recording the ambience of a typical hall. The noise would only reach the threshold of hearing if you were trying to use the directional capsule to capture low volume conversations. Especially from afar while applying lots of gain, but obviously, it is not designed for that.

Features and build

CAD e70 has a nice and solid look, it is lightweight but it feels quite durable. As already mentioned, it comes with two separate capsules. I say this again because in contrast, AKG C1000s uses only single capsule and relies on a cheap looking plastic cap that acts as a polar pattern converter. This really makes me wonder why C1000s is about twice more expensive than e70 – maybe it should be the other way around? Both mics come with wind foams and thread mounts. But behold, e70 also comes with a shock mount, which of course, is only basic… but hell it’s free and it works!

This mic has three-position low cut and pad switches. Low cut can be set at 75 Hz and 150 Hz – both are 6 dB per octave, so it makes a smooth transition. It can be quite useful for close miking to compensate for proximity effect, as well as reducing low frequency machinery noise, such as from air conditioners, etc. The pad options are -10 dB and -20 dB, which I hope does not require explanation. Finally, it relies on phantom power to operate, consuming 2mA @ 48 volts. If powered by digital recorders, it will drain them pretty quickly so plan your production accordingly.

Edit 2019: the original model was reviewed at $99.99 (please note, the older reviews did not include this piece of information). A few years later I see this mic sold for $299, which may look funny but I feel sorry for those who actually paid full price for this somewhat dated model, which is not at all bad but it just wasn’t supposed to compete in this price range. Hence the rating has been adjusted accordingly, also no longer editor’s choice. For other older reviews where the reference price was avoided I’ll try to keep the ratings in regards to price up to date to the best of my ability.

Edit 2020: I see the mic’s price is back the original $200, so I’m going to adjust the rating once again. For this price I don’t know if there are better deals out there, but it certainly works and it’s a good mic to have still, especially if you are afraid to experiment… $300 was overkill though.

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Features

Not so long ago, AKG C1000s has been robbed of omni mode and continuous variable pattern. Now, you can only switch between cardioid and hypercardioid – but the good news, it became a lot cheaper. It’s important to note that switching requires unscrewing the mic’s head and inserting a polar pattern converter that looks like a perforated plastic cap. Aside from this polar converter, the package also includes another cheap looking cap that is promised to ‘boost’ the high range. This makes it sound even brighter but technically it’s not a booster. It is a simple hi-pass filter so it actually reduces the lows, also resulting in lower sensitivity.

This mic has two powering options – phantom power and two AA batteries. It draws quite a bit of phantom power, so don’t even think of powering it from digital recorders. However, it is much more efficient when running off internal batteries, which are claimed to last for 120 hours. A handy on-off switch is there to converse the energy. Finally, there is a low cut switch (that will further help males sound like castratus, though it can be safely used on cymbals) and 10 dB attenuation pad.

Sound & quality

Most of the small diaphragm mics available on the market have a flat frequency response, so they sound more or less similar. There are of course many differences, but essentially they share the same character. However, AKG C1000s does not sound like the rest. It’s quite a bit brighter and creates an impression of a more expensive sound. I personally enjoy it, and find it very useful for live performance. This mic clears the things up and helps musicians to cut through where flatter mics don’t.

On the other hand, I can achieve a similar sound by applying EQ on some flat mic, so for me it isn’t a great deal. But, if you want to have this brighter sound out of the box, then getting C1000s is fully justifiable. Nevertheless, this pleasant sound character and versatile multifunctionality may work together to divert your attention from something that is lacking, and that something is quality. Self-noise figure of 21 dB-A coupled with unusually low sensitivity of 6 mV/Pa could be considered only average at best. It would be ok back in 2000s but for today’s standards it’s fairly noisy!

Placement

AKG C1000s is no doubt a versatile mic, but it’s also sensitive to placement. You should never get too up close and directly on axis, otherwise you will likely get that brittle, harsh and distorted sound. Small diaphragm mics usually need some space to breathe. Moving slightly off axis will also help to reduce popping and control the brightness. It may actually take a while to find the best sweet spot for your application, considering there are many things to play with… However, once you nail it down, you’ll find it quite rewarding. When set correctly, it should sound as good as expensive pencil mics only not as quiet.

Build

This mic is obscenely huge and massive compared to other pencil mics. It may be solid and even durable but it feels cheap. The glittery paint may look attractive at first but over time, it will get ugly with dents and scratches. The grille is not only the ugliest I’ve seen, but it’s also not very functional and the wide frontal openings actually expose the internal foam. The cheaply looking plastic polar & frequency converters are the final blow for me. Aesthetically I hate this microphone; nevertheless, the internal electronic parts and the connector appear to be quality and deserve a credit.

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Sound & quality

Shure KSM9 has a fantastic quality and it gives a very natural sound. Aside from singers, we’ve seen it working for acoustic artists too, for example guitar players etc. Just make sure to point it where you want to and it will do the rest. As for music genres, KSM9 works best with latin, jazz, pop music, rock and similar. For more aggressive styles like metal, technically you’ll still get a better quality vocal, but among those loud and heavy guitar riff sounds you may probably not be able to notice the difference.

In terms of frequency response, the sound of KSM9 is very well tailored, and it does sound much better than a typical ‘flat-response’ condenser. The lows are being naturally rolled off to avoid that unwanted mud and boominess. The entire midrange, which corresponds for vocal and most instrumental sounds is precise as never before. The higher range gets some gentle boost, resulting in more transparency and helping to cut through more easily. KSM9 is also amazingly crispy and I find it quite amusing. It maintains a great accuracy at higher freqs (where other mics err), and even those high-pitched harmonics sound so much natural!

It is also nice to admit the technological advancements implemented in this unit. Aside from its precious, gold layered, low mass diaphragm, KSM9 uses first class electric components for its preamplifier circuit. This helps to achieve an extremely fast transient response and make the sound more vivid.

Features

This mic has a number of features that make the overall experience even more enhancing… First of all, is a state of art suspension system for the capsule, which results in reduced handling noise.

Condenser mics are generally considered as sensitive to handling vibrations; however, in case with KSM9 the difference is tremendous. Second, nonetheless very important feature is a unique grille design that does an impressive job in reducing popping sounds. They call it a three-stage grille or simply triple grille.

Last but not least is an interchangeable polar pattern. Shure KSM9 has two modes: cardioid and supercardioid. Both patterns are standard and both can be as useful in different situations. For example, as a lead singer you will naturally lean towards a more balanced sound of cardioid. However, when the stage gets more aggressive and louder, you will need the improved rejection and gain before feedback of supercardioid. Unlike with other mics, both patterns of KSM9 work flawlessly. Thus, it is like you buy one mic but end up with two, and you can switch them whenever you want, which is quite very awesome.

Who should use it

Any artist or singer who has enough money for professional gear could use KSM9. This microphone can give a colossal improvement to your vocal and it actually deserves every dollar spent. Comparing to other Shures, it is a great step up from their Beta 87A and miles ahead of Beta 58A. They are just in completely different leagues. Therefore, if you can afford this mic, go ahead and start digging that difference.

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The sound and quality

The first thing that will strike you about this entry-level microphone is its flat frequency response, which is normally seen only on expensive equipment. This mic also uses a large diaphragm capsule, and this certainly contributes to a lower signal to noise ratios. It still sounds precise and natural and sometimes you won’t even tell it’s a record when someone hits ‘replay’. On the other hand, the sound also has enough warmth. No more, no less, but just as much as it should. Comparing to any other budget large diaphragm mics, CAD M179 actually has a very decent quality.

There is however, one imperfection regarding the sibilance. Sibilance is an effect that mainly exaggerates the “s” and “t” sounds, and it’s a thing you always want to avoid. There are number of techniques that help to reduce this effect, mainly having to do with microphone position, but often the device itself plays a significant role. In this respect, CAD M179 could be made a bit better, but it’s not the end of the world. Just make sure to get some nice pop filter along with this mic, and if needed, consider using a de-esser.

Functionality, design & build

CAD M179 has three switches. First switch is a standard -20 dB control, second serves as a high-pass filter that can help to eliminate unwanted proximity effect, and third is the pattern switch, which is the most interesting. The pattern switch is continuously variable, meaning it can assume an unlimited number of position. To avoid confusion the switch has five marks, allowing the quick selection from most common patterns. This is a nice feature, and you’ll be using it often.

Overall design is quite good. The body and switches are sturdy enough to withstand some abuse. Having said that, it also comes in a surprisingly big packaging; some may see this as a minus, but for me it’s totally fine as long as it gives a good amount of protection. What’s even more surprising is to see an included shock-mount that doesn’t suck. This is a rare occurrence. A good shock mount can cost as much as fifty dollars, and if they give an option of saving, it is always highly appreciable.

Who should use it?

Thanks to its balanced freq. response, variable pattern and great overall sound; this mic will be good for recording almost anything including vocal, instruments or even percussions… If you badly need a variable pattern condenser and you are limited by budget, you may as well consider this mic. Do not be confused by the looks of this device – CAD M179 is still a solid device! The sound is somewhat close to more expensive, high-end microphones on the market but there is a feasible difference in accuracy in high end. I don’t think this mic will leave you disappointed though I would advise to check first what competitors have to offer.

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Blue Microphones, on the other hand, is the company that specializes on professional, quality mics. Blue Yeti is also such mic. Good build, quality made and an excellent sound pattern, with the only difference is that it’s being connected through USB unlike most high-end recording devices. For those who never held professional mics before, without exaggerating, this will be a sensation. The good news is it also has a very moderate price tag, comparable to more like computer accessories rather than a professional studio-recording device. The best price for the quality is what we believe makes Blue Yeti such a terrible rival.

Functionality and design

If you never had a studio mic before, this device may seem a bit large, and yet its dimensions are kind of fair: 4.7 x 4.9 x 11.6 inches for width, depth and height respectively. That’s including the stand. Contrary to what most users expect when they look at the pictures, Blue Yeti is made of a solid metal and has a very firm build overall. On the other hand, the control buttons have somewhat flimsy feel and should be used with caution. Looks like these buttons are the only things that can actually break or wear out, so in order to prolong the life of your device we advise to use them only when necessary.

Now it’s time to tell about its capabilities. Blue Yeti has two ports. The first one is of course USB that powers the device and sends the digital signal to computer. This model has a standard sampling rate of 16 bit at 48 kHz. The USB cable of around 6 feet long is also included in the package. The other output port is a 3.5 mm headphones jack, allowing you to hear exactly what’s being captured. Both ports along with a shock mount thread are located underneath the device; however, the shock mount itself is not included in the package and we’ll get to that later.

At the face side, it has a mute button and a volume control. At the back, there is another control for gain and a four-position pattern switch. You may choose between cardioid, bidirectional, omnidirectional & stereo picking patterns. This is achieved by combining three condenser capsules, whose signals are processed in different ways. Considering that the vast majority of traditional microphones use only single capsule, Blue Yeti will and does sound different. This can be especially noticeable in the cardioid mode; however, it’s not a necessarily bad thing!

Sound & quality

Blue Yeti sounds surprisingly rich for its cost. It is a sensitive mic so be prepared that it will be picking up both wanted and unwanted sounds alike. However, a proper positioning along with right picking pattern can help to achieve a good level of noise cancellation. For instance, if the source of noise is behind the mic, you may use a cardioid pattern; if the noise is coming from sides, a bidirectional pattern will be handy. This is where its functionality turns out very useful. If you play an acoustic guitar, you’ll especially like the stereo mode, which can make it sound much more natural.

The main advantage Blue Yeti boasts over its competitors is the THX certification. In fact, it was the first microphone that actually earned it. THX warrants for sound quality and guarantees the whole frequency range is delivered just the way it should – and this is indeed so. On the other hand, many other mics will often deviate from the natural pattern, coloring some frequencies and muting the others. Depending to the pitch of your voice or whatever you record those individual peculiarities can be both destructive and beneficial; however, any deviation greatly narrows the purpose of such device and more than often works as a disadvantage.

Although THX certification makes it hard to complain about Blue Yeti’s sound precision, this mic is still not devoid of some shortcomings. Condenser mics are generally capricious when it comes to environment noise, and even though this model offers a great deal of cancellation, for some uses this may not be enough. The thing is vibrations will also travel through the microphone stand, which you’ll hear, for example, if you place your mic at the table and try to do some typing. In order to eliminate such noises, people would usually use a shock mount. Yet, much to the surprise of the users, Blue Yeti has non-standard dimensions, thus many available shock mounts simply won’t fit.

Advantages, uses and application

To sum it all up, let us draw the line and say who and why should consider getting this particular microphone. Blue Yeti is made to handle things like podcasting & voiceovers, working great for any conference calls, and of course singing and playing instruments. You’ll get all that with near professional quality and simplest possible setup. Unlike other studio mics, you won’t need any special equipment like preamplifiers, etc. That makes it very easy to use with any computer or even laptop, as all you have to do is just plug it on and you’re ready to go.

Direct headphone output is also a very useful feature. It is still possible to hear yourself without it; that is by mapping the microphone through your PC back to your headphones or speakers, but that method is highly impractical. This seemingly unimportant feature will help you save from buying another piece of equipment that does exactly that. Then again, if you’ll use the pattern switch often, this will save you from buying three different mics. Overall, Blue Yeti would be both a great choice for any practicing singer and a perfect all-in-one budget solution for a home studio.

Best Price on Blue Yeti USB Microphone

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