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12 best microphones
No distortion sound
Author: Stepan Kagner, Nika Ekholm
Good microphone:
- cleanly, without distortion, transmits your voice of different volume,
- does not add to the speech of extraneous noise, hum, wheezing and other interference,
- takes up little space
- sensitive enough and allows you to freely move your head without losing sound, you do not need to constantly lean close to it so that the other person can hear you.
In this article we will look at the most popular models of the best non-professional microphones that can be connected to stationary computers, laptops, used for karaoke, for communication in skype and other similar programs, in game chats with sound, for voice recording of videos, etc. d.
Despite the fact that on laptops, the built-in microphone is the norm, his work on most models suits very few people: interference, promiscuity, and even the sound of the keys for obvious reasons interrupts everything. For stationary PC owners, an external microphone is needed at all, by definition, regardless of the purpose — whether it will be Skype, chat rooms in online games, stream recording, video blogging, and so on.
What do we need from a good computer microphone?
First, naturally suitable connection typeThat is, 3.5 mm jack or USB. Of course, you can use any studio Shure with XLR, but it will also need a good sound card with the appropriate input. Secondly, narrow radiation pattern: the microphone should “catch” the voice of a person, and not the noise of the coolers in the system unit or conversations behind the wall. The exception is the lapel microphones, which inevitably have to work "somewhere out there" under the sound source. Thirdly, high sensitivity: the larger it is, the higher the amplitude of the useful signal at the same loudness of speech, that is, the higher the signal-to-noise ratio that is fed to the microphone input of the computer.
Particular attention should be paid to USB-models: they do not collect interference with a long connecting cable, but immediately serve a ready-made “figure” without the famous squeaks and squeals when the cable is bent. Of course, their price is significantly higher than that of other models.
Which firm's microphone is better?
Among all manufacturers of computer peripherals, microphones are the most popular with our customers (in alphabetical order):
- Defender (Russia) is the only domestic company in the rating that has existed since 1990, but already has offices all over the world and service centers in almost a hundred cities of Russia. The company's motto is “Convenience is made up of little things”
- Genius (headquarters - Taiwan, branches worldwide)
- Hama (Germany)
- Logitech (Switzerland)
- Plantronics (USA)
- Shure (USA)
- Sven (Finland)
and some others. We remind you that this is not about studio microphones for professional vocal recording, but about computer microphones for home use.
Rating of the best popular microphones in 2019
| Category | A place | Name | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top Microphone Clothespins | 1 | Sennheiser ME 2-US | 9.7 / 10 | 3 800 |
| 2 | Boya BY-M1 | 9.4 / 10 | 1 240 | |
| The best low-cost microphones for computer | 1 | Plantronics Audio 300 | 9.0 / 10 | 500 |
| 2 | Sven MK-490 | 8.9 / 10 | 230 | |
| 3 | Dialog M-104 | 8.5 / 10 | 200 | |
| 4 | Defender MIC-112 | 8.4 / 10 | 200 | |
| Top Head Microphones | 1 | GreenBean VoiceHead VH2 flesh S-Jack | 9.5 / 10 | 1 990 |
| 2 | Nady HM-10J | 9.2 / 10 | 2 600 | |
| Best Microphones for Voice Recording from USB | 1 | Blue yeti pro | 9.6 / 10 | 22 990 |
| 2 | Audio-Technica AT2020USB + | 9.4 / 10 | 12 000 | |
| Best wireless microphones | 1 | MIPRO ACT-72HC | 9.7 / 10 | 21 990 |
| The best inexpensive wireless microphone for karaoke | 1 | Gmini GM-BTKP-03S | 8.5 / 10 | 2 499 |
| Best Laptop Microphones | 1 | Hama 57151 | 9.2 / 10 | 980 |
Top Microphone Clothespins
|
Sennheiser ME 2-US
3 800
The Sennheiser brand does not need a separate presentation. The fact that the engineers of this company manage to fit the excellent sound into the minimum sizes have already been seen by many. ME 2-US is not just a super-small lavalier microphone, but also a wide functionality: a baby weighing 1 gram has been successfully used in television studios paired with wearable radio stations of the Evolution series for a long time.
However, it can also be used when directly connected to a PC: many sound cards, and not the most expensive ones, support working with condenser microphones. The best way to connect a microphone to a computer is to use an uncomplicated microphone preamp, it will provide phantom power and improve the sound quality. Do not forget that the condenser microphones have a very high output impedance, and with the low-impedance inputs of many sound cards, they begin to “eat up” the sound. At the same time get rid of the problem with a short cable - it is only one and a half meters. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.7 / 10
Rating
Reviews
Very good microphone, I use it with a simple pre with aliexpress. Noise minimum, conveniently mounted - I think with an expensive amplifier in general would be perfect. |
|
Boya BY-M1
1 240
Despite the frankly Chinese origin (although what is not Chinese now?), This microphone is very interesting for its versatility: thanks to a four-pin jack and a built-in preamp, it can work with PCs and smartphones and tablets, and connects to video cameras. The preamp is very compact and is powered by a single LR44 battery, and all control is entrusted to a simple switch with two positions: “ON” and “OFF / Smartphone”. In the first case, the preamplifier is turned on, not only raising the signal level, but also matching the output impedance of the microphone with the low-impedance input of the sound card. For the gadgets, which were originally adapted to work with condenser microphones, the preamplifier is turned off.
Of course, the BY-M1 microphone is not at all suitable for recording music or home exercises with vocals. But for video chats, this will be an excellent choice for relatively little money, besides, you can always continue to communicate wherever your smartphone or tablet can go online. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.4 / 10
Rating
Reviews
I am fond of video blogging, and usually on the road - so the ability to connect to both the laptop and the smartphone is just the way to go. |
The best low-cost microphones for computer
|
Plantronics Audio 300
500
Desktop microphone for a computer with unusual streamlined shapes. Suitable for regular conversations on Skype, in chat rooms, and for voice recording, for voice clips, presentations, etc. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.0 / 10
Rating
Reviews
I needed such a microphone for a computer, so that they could hear me well on a webinar or a Skype interlocutor. It has excellent sensitivity. I put it just next to the monitor, you do not need to bend over to it, and so everything is perfectly audible. |
|
Sven MK-490
230
Cheap desktop microphone on electret capsule with an output resistance of 32 ohms (thanks to the built-in transistor stage) has a flexible leg, so that it will be easy for him to find the right position. True, it is worth considering that his orientation is too broad, so that he will be very inclined to catch extraneous noises and feedback from the speakers.
Its sensitivity is low, which should be taken into account by those who plan to use the microphone in a pair with built-in sound cards, especially simple: they will have to set a gain of at least 10 dB, and the sound will start to noticeably clog noises. However, this is a common problem of primitive "builders", with better sound cards, especially external ones, this microphone is quite good, especially considering the price.Well, in any case, it is better than the built-in microphones of laptops. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 8.9 / 10
Rating
Reviews
I bought it for skype, my mother is just terrible. This, of course, is far from “Shur”, but for Skype it’s not necessary anymore. |
|
Dialog M-104
200
This desktop microphone has a hinge instead of a flexible base, which is not as convenient in terms of tuning as the “Sven” design. In addition, it is capacitor rather than electret, which creates some problems when working with low-impedance inputs of primitive sound cards.
The advantages of the "Dialogue" we assign a narrower focus: it is less inclined to transmit conversations from the next room to your interlocutors, it can be installed away from yourself. Less risk of feedback from the speakers. His working frequency range is lower, but it doesn’t matter to record speech — there’s hardly anyone who can use such a microphone for anything other than voice chat. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 8.5 / 10
Rating
Reviews
I use in tanks, sometimes for Skype. The microphone, of course, is not a fountain, but it costs a penny. |
|
Defender MIC-112
200
Desktop microphone with flexible leg. It has a wide stand with weighting (for sustainability). For voice recording is not suitable, as the first model of our list. The microphone is good for communicating via Skype, for voice chat in games. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 8.4 / 10
Rating
Reviews
I use the microphone for Skype, online games, even for communication in social networks. The interlocutors did not notice any background noise and other things. The cat dropped it from the table to the floor, the stand almost cracked, but the microphone continues to work. |
Top Head Microphones
|
GreenBean VoiceHead VH2 flesh S-Jack
1 990
The 17-gram “Green Bean” has a convenient mount that can be easily fitted to suit your needs - you can spend a lot of time with this microphone without discomfort. The cable is equipped with the same S-Jack plug as the Sennheiser ME 2-US, but you don’t need to pick off the nut for a direct connection to the computer: fortunately, the manufacturer did not forget to put the adapter in the kit.
Despite the small size of the condenser cap, the microphone has a wide frequency range, high signal-to-noise ratio. It can be safely used to record video, not limited to one Skype and voice chat: the quality of voice recording will be enough so that your channel subscribers do not scribble angry phrases in the comments. The microphone cable is not the longest - only 1.2 meters. Therefore, it will be most convenient for laptops, and the owners of stationary computers can be advised to purchase a preamp or an external sound card. However, for laptops, they will not interfere: the quality of this microphone will make investments in the rest of the sound processing path fully justified. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.5 / 10
Rating
Reviews
A very good microphone, convenient, I also use at home to stream with subscribers, and shoot video on the street (I went broke on the radio, but it's worth it: people like good content!). |
|
Nady HM-10J
2 600
This microphone is noticeably more expensive than the GreenBean, but has a significant advantage in the form of lower output impedance. So for low-cost sound cards, it will be a more profitable solution: no preamplifier / dibox will be needed to match the impedance. In the high-quality sound path, it will not give serious advantages in sounding, and its directional pattern is significantly wider. The main thing with the purchase is not to make a mistake with the type of connector: Nady head microphones are available not only with the “jack” we need, but also with XLR, which will already require a good external sound card or preamp. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.2 / 10
Rating
Reviews
The best gaming microphone, you do not notice it even after a few hours. I use it in WarThunder together with the “chandelier”, so the convenience of mounting is important for me. |
Best Microphones for Voice Recording from USB
|
Blue yeti pro
22 990
"Blue Yeti" - a very serious studio-class device, sharpened primarily to work with "Macs". This is not surprising, given the steady popularity of “apple” technology in the field of sound processing.
Inside the microphone case there are three capacitor caps hidden, connected to a programmable control ADC. This ensures not only the high quality of digitized sound (194 kHz, 24 bit), but also the possibility of changing the directivity pattern: you can easily switch from cardiodes to omnidirectional, and if necessary, the stereo mode is also activated. However, this is not all that a microphone is capable of: there is both a headphone output with a near-field delay, and analog XLR. Therefore, it can be easily connected to studio equipment and to high-end external sound cards under “Windows” - I remember that in the corresponding article we have already explained why it’s possible to work with sound in this operating system not through any “zvukovuha”. Summing up, we recognize the Blue Yeti Pro to be a true generalist, functional and sounding well. Given its capabilities, it is still relatively inexpensive. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.6 / 10
Rating
Reviews
The best microphone for voice recording, and not only for a home musician - in the studio for him, we also find a job. |
|
Audio-Technica AT2020USB +
12 000
At a price almost half the price, one cannot say that “Audio-Technique” is also losing to “Yeti”. Of course, there is no variable directivity, there is no XLR output, and the ADC itself is simpler inside (48 kHz, 16 bit), but for the house the microphone is very attractive: its capacity will be enough with its head, and the price difference will appeal to many. A condenser microphone has a classic cardio directivity, and its dynamic range is 124 dB. So, it is possible not only to slander the text for videos or to hum simple songs, but also to experiment with extreme genres, moving from a whisper to a hard growl. Unless, of course, it will master your vocal cords. The microphone is perfectly prescribed in Windows operating systems, both as a recording device and as a playback device (the built-in DAC allows you to connect monitor headphones). It is possible to simultaneously output to the headphones the sound of the voice and the playing "minus" with the adjustment of the mixing by the "twist" on the side of the case. Note the good shape of the frequency response curve - it has only two pronounced “hump” at 60 Hz and 9 kHz. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.4 / 10
Rating
Reviews
A good microphone, at home I write both a voice and a guitar. And on the external sound saved - here it is, in fact, not needed. |
Best wireless microphones
|
MIPRO ACT-72HC
21 990
The durable and stylish metal case hides the main Mipro chip, a replaceable capsule. You can easily replace the condenser element with a dynamic one, teaching in this way two microphones with completely different character for the price of one.
Placed at the bottom of a small screen displays the most important information - battery charge, operating frequency, and so on.When using a microphone, the hand does not close it, although, of course, it is still not very convenient to look at it. The built-in amplifier is very functional: it allows you to set one of five levels of amplification, has a built-in limiter and low pass filter. This is another plus to the versatility of the microphone. The downside is that it works on an analog radio channel, that is, it will also need a “base”, which you will have to connect to a computer, amplifier or mixer. Therefore, in terms of price, quality and functionality, many would be more interested in USB microphones or high-quality wired ones. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.7 / 10
Rating
Reviews
The microphone is comfortable, the wires do not interfere. I am writing both voice and instruments - it is enough to change the primer. |
The best inexpensive wireless microphone for karaoke
|
Gmini GM-BTKP-03S
2 499
A budget wireless microphone, but much more convenient to work with a computer: it is used to transfer data to all familiar Bluetooth, and its 2600-milliamp battery is charged via USB.
Naturally, one should not expect much from such a capacitor for such money, but this microphone is quite suitable for home use: the cardiode has an acceptable shape, the sound is quite intelligible. Here, frankly, the author frankly quibbles, because, having put a throat in Shure's vocal at one time, it is difficult to seriously look at Chinese karaoke microphones, alas. But you are not on stage with him, are you? By the way, about the scene. The Chinese would not be Chinese, without adding here something that was not necessary. Specifically, this microphone is not only a microphone, but also a stereo speaker. So you can indulge in the sin of karaoke even in the forest - you just need to run a minus from the phone. The microphone is prescribed as a standard Bluetooth audio device, so you can “pair” it with anything. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 8.5 / 10
Rating
Reviews
Inexpensive microphone, ideal for karaoke and well suited for a laptop - no need to suffer with the built-in sound or buy an external one. |
Best Laptop Microphones
|
Hama 57151
980
Small microphone condenser type. Connector jack 3.5 mm, sensitivity 62 dB. Frequencies 3-16000 Hz. The connection is very simple. Suitable for communication on the Internet and voice recognition using computer programs. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.2 / 10
Rating
Reviews
Convenient compact microphone that easily connects to a laptop. I also use it to record on the recorder. Significantly improves the recorded sound. |
How to choose a microphone?
It's time to remember the school course of physics. Let's start with the device:
- Dynamic microphones - these are “dynamics in reverse”, in which the winding oscillates in the field of a permanent magnet and generates a signal. Their advantages are durability, no need for additional power, low output resistance (we will return to this later). But the disadvantages are palpable: low sensitivity, dimensions. Therefore, in the form of a headset or "clothespins" it is simply impossible to use them - and for computers and laptops such formats are just the most convenient for the most frequent applications.
- Do condenser microphones there is a need for an external voltage source (phantom power), but at small sizes they can have decent sensitivity, their amplitude-frequency characteristic is more even. But because of the need for phantom power and high output impedance, they are not able to work with any sound card (for example, on the old Sound Blaster Audigy there was a special jumper that translated the microphone input into a “condenser” mode).
- Electret Microphones - This is a kind of capacitor.Regardless of the specific implementation, homoelectret or heteroelectret (laughter in the audience is set aside!), They have such a high output impedance that the amplifier for them has to be embedded in the capsule itself, and the signal wire they simultaneously carry and power. Electret microphones are cheap, so they are most often used in the computer field. If you accidentally inserted headphones into the microphone input, then you heard a characteristic click in them - this is exactly the power for the electret microphone that caused the diaphragm to oscillate. But the quality of these microphones is appropriate: for serious work with sound, purchase a “capacitor” or “speaker”.
Now turn to directivity pattern. This concept determines in which direction the microphone “hears” best of all. Naturally, the ideal option is when the microphone picks up only the signal from the sound source, but in practice it will be of little use: if you move or turn your head, as the recording volume drops sharply. For computers, the most relevant are:
- Omnidirectional microphones have a very wide radiation pattern, “catching” both your speech and noises, but they are not very sensitive to movement. This option is best for lapel or head-mounted microphones that “look” anywhere, but not on your mouth.
- Cardiode Microphones have a directional pattern similar to the symbolic image of the heart. They require a more precise orientation to the sound source, but there will also be less noise in the recording. Recording music at home, reading out the text accompaniment for video is worth it with a cardiode microphone.
Super and hypercardio microphones narrowly focused, their element - rather studio work or reporting "in the field." At home, such a microphone is unlikely to be convenient for you.
And now the main thing in question pair any signal sources. Any microphone has a certain output impedance, and any sound card has an input impedance. In the general case, it is enough to know that the second must be significantly larger than the first, otherwise you will not get a good sound: it will become extremely illegible, “wadded.” But infinitely increasing the input impedance of a sound card, especially the built-in one, is also impossible: the noise level will become such that sound recording will become impossible. Therefore, there are two outputs: either the choice of a microphone with a low output impedance, or the purchase of a microphone preamplifier or a dibox that matches a high impedance microphone with a low-impedance input. In addition, by increasing the amplitude of the signal applied to the sound card, you will get rid of the need to unscrew the preamplifier on it — here, with cheap cards, all sorts of noises will come back.
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Updated: 18.03.2019
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