One key to creating an awesome course is quality sound if you have a video which means a microphone is a must-have so that nobody has to listen to all the keystrokes and background noise. However, finding a quality external microphone review on Amazon is overwhelming, to say the least. Also, I don’t know about you, but I have a LOT of Zoom calls these days so an external mic is a nice perk. But which one to pick isn’t fun. Let us help you! Here are two good options and two to avoid. Let’s start with those!
External Microphone Review
My friend Joni, from Inspire@KinneyChaos, and I were both needing to find an external mic for some projects we were working on so we thought we should share those findings with you so that you don’t have to be like me and do your own inadvertent external microphone review. Sending stuff back by Amazon might be easy but that doesn’t mean you need to do it!
The Bad
One to avoid, Condenser Recording Microphone 3.5mm Plug and Play PC Microphone from Amazon. I opened the box, looked for the directions, and lost hope. There was a typo in the first step of the directions and an essential component did not fit. It went back.
Yet another poor option! I was plagued with luck, aren’t you glad we are helping you find one since I have now struck out with two? Also, please avoid SIGSIT Cardioid Condenser Microphone Plug & Play. The feedback I got when I was finally able to get it to record was awful. Almost as awful as the informational guide they sent with it. There were no directions on how to assemble the microphone and its components. Furthermore, the informational guide was poorly laid out.
The Good
Joni’s Microphone for the Win!
My perfect pick! The USB Microphone -Alvoxcon Computer Mic with Headphone Monitor Jack for Mac & Windows with Desktop Stand was a hit right off the bat! The instruction manual made putting this Mic together and using it a breeze. There were pictures and easy to follow directions for both PC and Mac. I love the way this microphone looks on my desk as I feel it looks super high end and expensive when in reality it was less than $35.
The sound quality is great and makes recording videos easy and professional sounding. You can plug headphones into the microphone to hear what you are saying to ensure you have great volume control. It’s detachable and small enough that it’s portable which makes it great for recording courses and podcasts. This was a win across the board and I feel I got extremely lucky this was my first purchase.
Johanna’s 3rd Time is the Charm!
After all of my bad experiences, I was afraid when the third one showed up very late in the evening but thankfully my fears were not needed. My third pick was the USB Gaming Condenser Microphone,XIIVIO Plug&Play Computer PC Microphone Mic with Tripod Stand and Pop Filter for Mac/Windows. This one came with a real instruction manual, was easy to assemble, and operated as it should on the first use. Like my previous failed attempts, this microphone was under $35.
The sound quality was a significant improvement over my computer’s built-in microphone. Furthermore, with its placement on my desk, you could not hear me typing on the keyboard. Like Joni, my microphone fits well on my desk and if I didn’t have a “helpful” five-year-old assistant I could easily leave it on my desk, as well. Breakdown and set-up is a breeze though so I can easily pull it out and use it when needed!
That’s a wrap!
We hope you have found this external microphone review useful in the search for a new microphone to record your next course or have a Zoom meeting where you don’t have to worry about the built-in mic from your laptop cannibalizing itself (yep, that happened to me…)!
What are you must have business tools? Drop me a line or comment below!
