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Alrighty kids, lets get down to business.
This microphone is a great deal. I'm willing to bet that you're not going to find a microphone that is going to give you this sound quality for this cheap anywhere else. Sound quality is great, definitely better than most headset microphones (and it doesn't pick up breathing noises, always a bonus)and desktop microphones in the 10-25 dollar range. It's pretty sleek looking, and it does cut out background noise pretty well. However, I will note that it is INCREDIBLY light, which isn't necessarily a negative, but that means that it does move a bit more, which means a bit more noise when you're recording if you bump it. The other thing is that it doesn't seem to sit very securely in the stand, but once again, don't be tossing it around, and it should be great. Arrived three days earlier than it was originally supposed to, so I was very impressed on that front as well.
Also no one else seemed to mention this, but this is a 3.5mm jack microphone, not a USB. I know I was wondering when I ordered it as it's not listed anywhere.
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I want to thank the three customers before me who gave the excellent reviews (which prompted me to take the plunge and buy it). I cannot say enough about how good this little microphone is!Having an Asus P6T Deluxe motherboard, which came with the SoundMax built into it (and the matching Soundmax stereo array microphone), I thought I would be able to do good voice calls on Yahoo messenger. I speak good English, yet I was constantly asked to repeat what I was saying. Having enough, I decided to look on Amazon to see what I can do for a good but cheap microphone.
Then I stumbled on this little gem, looks like a professional microphone but the cost made me think, "It has to be a gimmick, no way can it be that good for the price!".
I was so wrong, the quality approaches that of Shure professional microphones (I did a voice recording with this and the Shure and it was hard to tell the difference!). Now I am heard very well and never asked to constantly repeat myself.
It has not only made me more clear, it helped to set Audessey on my receiver to sound better than it ever has. You see, I have an Onkyo TX-SR706 receiver that comes with the calibrated microphone. You run Audessey and it sets your speaker distance, sound levels, and sets the internal EQ. I was never satisfied with the sound of the Audessey with the EQ enabled, it always sounded so much more muffled, with muddy bass, so I always kept the EQ off.
Well, I got the idea (despite what they tell you, that the mic the receiver comes with is the only one you should use to calibrate the receiver) to use this microphone to set Audessey, so I broke out my tripod, set this mic to face up to the ceiling, and started placing it in the desired positions as instructed by the instructions of Audessey. I only made 3 different readings, center, 2 feet right, 2 feet right. Then it calculated and set everything, and I sat there and fully expected it to sound horrible!
Sounded like I just got some expensive speaker upgrades! The highs, mids, and bass from the sub is perfectly balanced and the sound is amazing! I came from a Pioneer, and always felt this Onkyo was a bit of a downgrade as far as overall sound quality. This is the best I have ever heard my speakers sound, now if I shut the EQ off, it sounds far inferior!
The mic not only had good quality, it also has an on/off switch on it so you can mute it quickly if needs be. The stand is very sturdy and nicely weighted.
If you need a mic for Yahoo, setting receivers, Skype, MMO games, whatever you would need a mic for...BUY THIS! It is that simple. I still cannot believe I paid the amount I did for this, if I paid $60.00 for this mic I would still feel I got a good deal.
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Build QualityOverall, it's really well put together for the price point. I was expecting much worse, and was pleasantly surprised. The stand is plastic and unweighted, however the mic doesn't tip over easily. On the bottom are non-slip rubber feet, which helps. The holder swivels up and down, and it uses a metal bolt as the axle. The mic itself has a metal basket, and has a little weight to it. There's an on-off switch on the mic itself. My only concern about the build is that the on-off switch has to be inside the split on the stand, or it'll turn your mic on with a slight bump if in the off position. With it in that split, it's difficult to turn on and off. The cord is generous in length and it is UNSHIELDED. The cord ends in a 3 terminal 3.5mm plug. It does not use a standard mic end, which is 2 terminal. It did not work with my on-board mic jack at all, but works fine with my creative labs sound card.
Performance
It's better than a Logitech desktop mic I've had for several years, with a caveat which I'll explain later. It picks up well. It's more or less omnidirectional. I have a television sitting at a 130 degree angle from the front of the mic, and it barely picks up. If I turn the mic to about 90 degrees with respect to the tv, it picks up the tv enough to upset my ventrilo friends. I can be heard clearly, with little static and having the mic positioned 3 feet from my face. The caveat to quality is the cord picks up ANY noise from ANY nearby power cords. I really mean this. The cord can NOT be anywhere near ANY cord carrying power to ANYTHING. Trying to run it behind the desk picked up a very notable hum from the monitor power supplies. Along the floor picked up from the UPS. The only way I managed to get it to not have a very loud and obnoxious hum was to run it around where it wasn't close to anything, but nor was it close to my desk.
Tweaking
If you've got a soldering iron, and access to shielded mic cable, it's really easy to replace the cable with a shielded mic cable. If you use a shielded cable, the hum vanishes. You'll be able to position it anywhere without worry about picking up the dreaded hum. Without shielding, people will think you sound like "you're talking underwater next to a power plant" if you have the cord near any power cords. With shielding, they'll comment how nice your mic is. I paid $8 to a local A/V supplier for a 6 foot shielded cable with a standard 2 terminal 3.5mm mic end, and it took me 15 minutes to desolder the old cable and solder the new one in place, including time to let the iron heat up.
Overall
Without replacing the cable on the microphone, it's very poor for desktop computer use. In a location WITHOUT power cords, it'd be good for its price, but you'd still have to worry about where the cord was laying. Adding an additional $8 replacement part for the cord, replacing the cord with a shielded mic cable, it's very very easy to make the mic wonderful for desktop use. When I was at $14 invested for the mic, I had to switch back to 'old trusty' to be heard clearly. After investing a total of $22 (mic and aftermarket shielded mic cable), it gets better reviews from my peers than another person's Shure 522, which is 5X the price. Would I purchase it again? In a heartbeat, with a shielded mic cable in the same order.
Ratings
Quality: Stand 9/10, Mic 10/10, Cable 1/10; Average 6.6/10
Performance: As Delivered, 2/10; Modded, 10/10
How it arrived in the box, I can only give it 2 stars. With a simple cable replacement, it'd get 5 stars, but that's not what is delivered.At first, i don't really wanna buy it because there is no customer's rating and review, but i m really glad that i did. What happen was i bought another microphone here, that works not so great, and the price was way higher. That is how i decided to give this product a shot, and luckily, it works way better than expected. i no longer has to shout to record voice or talk on skype. The stand that comes with it is helpful, it looks really cute and mini, but the voice is crystal clear and loud. Looking at the price, i m really surprise of the quality of the voice that comes out, even at high pitch it works fine, if anyone is looking for a microphone for pc, i really hope u don't miss it.
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I took a chance on this Mic because I was tired of screaming into my headset while playing StarCraft II. Not only is it stylish but it is probably one of the best Mics I have owned. I have it sitting a good foot and 1/2 from me and it picks up my normal speaking voice and it is crystal clear to everyone else. Definitely a product strait out of China, there was no english on the box. Great product though.
