If youāre still using a pair of earbuds for your game sessions and zoom meetings, itās time to consider an upgrade. Hereās a handy guide to help you decide how much to spend, and what kind of microphone you need.
You can see the products featured in this video here š
Blue Yeti Nano:
Elgato Wave 3:
HyperX Quadcaster:
Shure MV7:
Elgato Wave XLR:
Shure SM7B:
*CNET may get a commission from these offers.
Elgato Wave 3 review:
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0:00 Intro
1:07 Room sound
1:37 Polar patterns
3:02 Microphones budgets
3:51 Testing microphones
4:39 Under $100 microphones
5:29 $100-$150 microphones
6:20 $150-$200 microphones
7:16 $200-$250 microhphones
8:18 XLR connection
9:40 Over $250 microphones
10:32 Adjustable mic arms
11:23 Comparing every mic
chinmoy s
December 23, 2021 at 9:19 pm
š
Gaurav Pradhan
December 23, 2021 at 9:19 pm
Yayš
Derek Binelli
December 23, 2021 at 9:21 pm
Woo-hoo!
Horror Story Diaries
December 23, 2021 at 9:24 pm
Ashley Esquedaš
Wesley Davids
December 23, 2021 at 9:25 pm
woah, just saw you on nerdist few hours ago.
Angga Tri S.
December 23, 2021 at 9:26 pm
š
TheRampager613
December 23, 2021 at 9:34 pm
Elgato Wave 3 sounds like a great choice. Might actually buy that
Kwantis
December 23, 2021 at 9:39 pm
i couldnāt tell the difference between the sound of the mics other than the yeti one sounding slightly worse than the others. i think the elgato wave 3 sounded great and i think iāll pick one up because of its value and simplicity to adjust and control
ŤĆMPÅĆÅ
December 23, 2021 at 10:32 pm
Using quality headphones, you should be able to hear a difference in sound quality between most microphones until around $300 ā $500, after that microphones sound different its harder to tell which is better or worst.
Mic technique will make a bigger difference than money spent on a mic after around $500 imo but it really depends on the vocalist. For streamers, an SM7B is the gold standard for a reason.
Naiyah Patel
December 23, 2021 at 9:40 pm
Yay 21 minutes ago cool
Amilton10
December 23, 2021 at 10:03 pm
Thank you so much Ashley big lesson.
Ching Chong
December 23, 2021 at 10:10 pm
Oh yea, you want me to upgrade my microphone right now? Sure just send me the microphone set or money.
Yannick Orounla
December 23, 2021 at 10:12 pm
I donāt understand why the category from 200 to 250 is considered as USB whereas other mics under 100 like the blue yeti nano is a USB mic.
CNET
December 24, 2021 at 12:01 am
Thatās the type of connection we were using for that test. The Shure MV7 has both USB and XLR.
Yannick Orounla
December 24, 2021 at 12:04 am
@CNET ok I see now. Thanks
LazySphynx
December 23, 2021 at 10:26 pm
I am using the samson q2 and its amazing! Probably the best price to performance mic.
Corny1210
December 23, 2021 at 10:48 pm
I just saw Ashley do the Easter eggs video for Hawkeye on the Nerdist channel. Sheās everywhereš¤Æ
BowlTM
December 23, 2021 at 11:19 pm
aye the thumbnail rn looks like one youd see for an ASMR video
Alessandro Zanardi
December 23, 2021 at 11:29 pm
Just one question.. what microphone are you using in the video? āŗļø
victor fuentes
December 23, 2021 at 11:50 pm
I thought this was going to be a CNET/ASMR Review version
Brighty McBrightface
December 23, 2021 at 11:55 pm
next topic would be camera framing and background setup so graphics arenāt washed out by a LED light and hand motions donāt trip up autofocus ā¦. : )
as for mics, just choose one with echo cancellation and donāt try to shape your voice to sound smooth or to fake gravitas
for media training, practice enunciation and pronunciation, especially avoiding vocal fry, also, donāt attempt to āactā (itās a profession, not a pastime)
Marcus Aurelius
December 23, 2021 at 11:56 pm
Great review š thanks!
Ruth J. Morrison
December 24, 2021 at 12:04 am
This video is a keeper! Thank you.š
Zach Wilkinson
December 24, 2021 at 12:27 am
Newbie question, but does USB introduce any latency vs Audio-In? Perhaps for podcasting it doesnāt matter, but for live setups of the serious pro variety, I can believe purists can tell.
AndrƩ Pamplona da Silva
December 24, 2021 at 12:33 am
Also, for those interested in getting a Shure SM7B, make sure to get a good preamp that doesnāt have a loose connection to the mic! I learned that the hard way when I was in Boston, where there are WAY more radio stations than my small town, which only has two radio stations. I set up my SM7B for my friendās musical theater concept recording, and I was confused when I heard Doja Cat and country music while setting levels. Because of the loose connection on my sE Electronics DM1 in-line preamp, it picked up radio frequencies!
Martin Brunswick
December 24, 2021 at 8:14 pm
Kind of a side note but I have some guitar pedals that arenāt properly shielded and in Boston they also picked up radio stations almost perpetually if I wasnāt careful with the gain
Sonic Crash
December 24, 2021 at 12:38 am
Thank you as a sound guy when Iām in a video call I can tell right away what equipment theyāre using for audio and some of it is just atrocious. People clear everything out of their room and they have clean walls to make it look great. But the sound is terrible. I actually had to go to a friendās house and fix it so that it didnāt sound like she was at a symphony speaking to the audience.
Static CamperVan
December 24, 2021 at 12:42 am
The HyperX Quadcast S is the mic I bought. The mic is easy to use and the LED lights add a cool factor. But the sound quality isnāt the microphones best feature.
LUK7N
December 25, 2021 at 11:21 am
Every mic is easy to use if you have some basic microphone knowledge, if not every mic would sound great, but if your mic looks nice and flashy but doesnĀ“t sound good, it wonĀ“t much help you
jam6web
December 24, 2021 at 2:43 am
Is an over the ear headphone with a swivel microphone a good alternative for WFH setup?
Troy Brostrƶm
December 24, 2021 at 3:04 am
Watching with my SM7B right next to me š Good review. Although, you really shouldāve had at least one āPā plosive for each mic. Otherwise, great video!
Wayno Guerrini
December 24, 2021 at 6:21 am
I have an audio technica 2020 very satisfied with that. .
Edwin Fernandez
December 24, 2021 at 7:02 am
I liked the Elgato more than the rest. Even the most expensive 300+ one that reminded me of an automatic message machine.
Linh Nguyen
December 24, 2021 at 7:43 am
My mic choice is the shure mv7
Belal Ali
December 24, 2021 at 7:58 am
Honestly splitting hairs hereā¦ on balance I am very happy with my cheap Blue Yeti Nano which takes up very minimal desk space and does not require a boom armā¦
Mazetarabu
December 24, 2021 at 8:08 am
I never leave comments usually, but I think the video was really cool. Spent a good time listening to someone talking about mic while I do not own one and not plan on buying one. Ahah
Johan Herrman
December 24, 2021 at 8:58 am
Good microphones are nice and all, but for meetings and casual streamers (non-professional), spend half the budget (heck, just spend some money and time) on fixing your room/location first. Iād rather sit with a wave 1 in a location with no echo than to sit with a SM7B in a room with echo. Location makes for over the half of the sound.
LUK7N
December 25, 2021 at 11:30 am
Well thatĀ“s true, but there is a lot more going on than just saying treat your room. Most people spend extra money to fill their room with cheap acoustic panels which doesnĀ“t work. You need a carpet on floor, you need some furniture in your room and then add some acoustic panels on the walls, but I mean big acoustic panels, not those small with triangles and other shapes on them, you need those nice and clean and also measure the room sound and then adjust the panels to reduce the echo, but you canĀ“t kill the sound by filling your room with cheap panels that doesnĀ“t wok. But I donĀ“t exactly mean to buy expensive panels, I just mean those cheap panels that you can buy from Aliexpress, etc. You can also make good ones and home
Johan Herrman
December 25, 2021 at 10:34 pm
@LUK7N You have valid points. Thatās soundproofing for me. =) Getting furniture, some heavy curtains, carpets etc. Also what you say, donāt buy some Triangles expecting miracles. Cheapest (bang for the buck) is to buy some Rockwool blocks (10cm deep) make a frame in wood and then use some cloth to cover it. You can paint them to with a special paint for closing in fibres and still make it absorb sound. A lot of YouTube videos around. A good room for dampened sound is usually the bedroom, since itās filled with heavy cloth to begin with.
DJ is pro
December 24, 2021 at 10:04 am
āYou canāt scape by a laptop microphone.ā
Any MacBook released in the last decade: š„
Tommy R
December 26, 2021 at 2:16 am
Yes, if both the mic and headphones sound good on the headset. One headset that fits the bill is the Sennheiser HME-27 for about $500.
aesean
December 24, 2021 at 11:43 am
No difference other than price. If you hide that label then nobody will be able find which is which.
CaptainBearPants
December 24, 2021 at 5:44 pm
I got the Mercase USB for podcasting. Costās $45. It has decent weight, echo, volume and cough controls, just a plug and play. I podcasted for 8 months just talking into my phone so for me it sounds great. If youāre new to whatever youāre striving to do itās a good buy, but not some high end microphone. It gets the job done, so entry level.
Marc F. Pelletier
December 24, 2021 at 8:05 pm
I would recommend using your normal voice during testing, rather than sing-song reads.
TheOutsider Jess
December 24, 2021 at 10:33 pm
I just got an audio interface and Iām thinking of getting a shure mv7 or a rode podmic
tkmcdon
December 24, 2021 at 10:59 pm
I think this is the first time Iāve ever commented on a CNET video, but I must sayā¦ it was well done and much appreciated!
Tohur
December 25, 2021 at 1:51 am
for XLR just get a Elgato Wave XLR and your mic you want and stream deck. best money you can spend on audio and you donāt need to be a audio engineer to understand the setup or use it
Stop the FOMO
December 25, 2021 at 4:14 am
NO, letās downgrade our mics and stick it to the man!!!
SteveTS101
December 25, 2021 at 4:19 am
My numbee one choice is the EV RE-20
LUK7N
December 25, 2021 at 11:34 am
Great, so you upgrade to SM7B, buy the cheapest usb soundcard and record it to Audacity, thatĀ“s a great recommendation. Money well spent.
scruffyyjin
December 25, 2021 at 4:55 pm
IMO the Electrovoice RE-20 is so much better than a Sure SM7B
Also Iāve never heard cardiod described as a mushroom lol. I was always told itās cardiod, because it look like a heart(cardio)
Edgardo Rodriguez
December 25, 2021 at 5:34 pm
Ashley the best
Moises
December 25, 2021 at 9:55 pm
I recommend the fifine k669b for around 25 to 30 dollars, and ik it sounds like a bad mic cuz itās only 30 but trust me itās sounds amazing especially with adding some eq itāll sound really really good, I personally used it for a while and to me it did the job
D Hong Kong
December 25, 2021 at 11:20 pm
The best mic was the one used to film the sound for the video. You couldnāt see it and most of the time it sounded balance in volume and frequency. Which mic was you using for this?
ć¤ćÆć³
December 27, 2021 at 12:20 am
9:00 state $150 for wave xlr but price shown is $250
Thushara Lakshan
December 27, 2021 at 2:54 pm
Samson Q2U ā The best mic for price!
Mr Ridder
December 28, 2021 at 5:16 pm
Now letās talk about streaming and compression..good luck.