The Best, Cheapest Microphone for YouTube

Good audio is important for video, but it can be really expensive. I found this microphone kit at Kmart for under 40 bucks and just had to check it out. I expected it to be junk... but it's surprisingly useable, with a few sneaky surprises discovered opening it up.
Neewer NW-8000 USB on Amazon (same mic, different brand) - amzn.to/3e5oNyK
Kmart Gaming Microphone (BACK IN STOCK!) - www.kmart.com.au/product/prof...
After more research it appears this is in fact the Neewer NW-8000 USB variant, not 7000.
Join the Maker's Muse Community - www.makersmuse.com/maker-s-mu...
50 3D Printing Tips and Tricks - gumroad.com/l/QWAh
3D Printing Essentials - www.amazon.com/shop/makersmuse

[@genericaccount9222]

I was legitimately surprised when you said I was listening to the cheap microphone

[@JustinDrentlaw]

I agree, legit surprised.

[@teewithmarie694]

i was scamed i paid 200 bucks for almost the same thing I bought it in my local big tech store

[@Fennx-ch1bz]

@@teewithmarie694 oof

[@zeanomourph1]

@@teewithmarie694 never buy expensive stuff lol. literally 9 times out of 10 its just cheap stuff with a better known brand name attached to it. and the 1 out of 10 times where the product is actually better, you pay 10 times the price for a 5% performance increase.

[@vanox_incognito]

yeah that was a plot twist xD

[@Krytern]

It's nice to see you're not a "snob" who would scoff and not even consider something like this worth while. Its also always nice to see a bargain!

[@tripslord9029]

When you have money to throw around you can take a risk on a cheap item to make even more money off from reviewing it on KZbin. Most other people wouldn't risk buying this for the risk of it being a waste of $39

[@Krytern]

@@tripslord9029 That isn't what I meant dude... Some people, even after seeing a review like this, would scoff at the microphone and never consider using it just because of the price. Reading comprehension 101

[@ellisgl]

@@Krytern I started off w/ a cheap Neewer set up somewhat like this (minus USB). While cheap and decent sounding, a lot of the mics can be modded to sound better (lower noise floor). The big problem is using it in a room that lacks acoustic treatment. For that, I would recommend using a cardioid dynamic microphone. The Samson Q2U is really good and runs for $50-70US.

[@Bobby11]

This is an example of something thats cheap but much better than you expect. I bought myself one after seeing this and everything feels solid. i mean even if the mic wasnt as great, the arm and extras are still worth it. feels solid. feels much more expensive compared to what we are used to for that price range

[@Munki]

Us Aussies love a good bargain though. ;)

[@Marian87]

I was waiting for the moment you did the switch to the cheap microphone. haha

[@sensuku]

SAAME

[@knifeyonline]

The worse your speakers are, the less you'll notice the difference. I'm guessing most people using a phone, that isn't a flagship phone, couldn't tell much difference.

[@Marian87]

@@knifeyonline i was using cheap Nokia headphones. I-m sure they have poorer frequency response than some apple airpods or senhauser or something, but i highly doubt that I need that for most youtube watching, especially at the cost of hundreds of dollars. I have some slightly better pc headphones, but i still think that microphone sounds perfectly acceptable. i am glad that there is decent equipment for the rest of us,

[@Krytern]

@@knifeyonline I'm using a good sound bar. 8ndidnt realise he was using a cheap microphone until he said and then switched to the more expensive one. This is a great option, even for people listening with good sound systems.

[@trajectoryunown]

For real. How are you going to review a microphone without playing back audio recorded on it. Smh. Completely missed the point. It's like reviewing a keyboard without typing.

[@InformatrIIcks]

"But with noise reduction :" Strictly nothing changed because i'm using phone speakers 😂

[@vasili1207]

Mono treble screeching for the win...

[@LieseFury]

i'm using headphones and i also heard nothing 😂

[@svampebob007]

I use speakers and I heard nothing, from the 30 to 500 setup nothing. But then again I have tinnitus, and can't hear a lot of high pitch noise, since I have my computer in the other room running 24/7 I've tuned that out (or ruined my ears) soooo yeah good for listing to "low quality" audio to save on space.

[@BloodSprite-tan]

i'm using he400i which are like 150$ headphones. nothing changed. i mean i hear my pc fan in the background sure. but to hear noise i need my volume so much higher. also to mention that the main issue with the audio is the reflection and echo. it's just a lot. too much.

[@zh9664]

@@svampebob007 bruh how, there is a huge differnce

[@licensetodrive9930]

The headset mic makes it sound like you're about to drive in an offroad car race.

[@nolan9101]

He sounds like Samir's co-driver

[@Iisakkiik]

Our group if friends all have decent mics so I'm so used to it I almost want to bully one of our friends away because hes mic sounds like that. He also says it's not his problem and doesn't care since hes not the one listening so maybe it would be appropriate to do so.

[@OwenWalker]

Doesn’t help the distance he had it from his mouth. They’re designed to sit much closer.

[@Imf44]

@@nolan9101 SAMIR YOURE BREAKIN THE CAR!!!!!!!!

[@florida-boy]

@@Imf44 WE WON'T FINISH THE RACE! :(

[@rachelnewton-john7031]

Hey, a few interesting clarifications and misconceptions about condensers: - The AKG Perception 120 is also an electret condenser, neither of these microphones are "true condensers" (i.e., condensers that apply an external polarizing voltage across the capsule rather than using a permanently charged electret element. The phantom power in electret condensers is used to power the preamp/buffering circuitry in the mic). - The difference between these is likely the type of electret capsule. The neewar is probably a front electret, while the AKG is a back electret. Back electrets are typically higher quality, though this isn't guaranteed. A front electret uses the electret material as the diaphragm, which is typically bulkier than a traditional diaphragm. More mass = worse frequency response. This is why early electrets are not good. Though, naturally, this has been refined and mitigated a lot over the decades. Back electrets have the electret material affixed to the backplate and can use a traditional diaphragm, evading this problem. -Electret condensers __absolutely are condenser microphones__, and it isn't sneaky to refer to them as such. The word "condenser" refers to the type of transducer it uses - in this case, a capacitor, which were called condensers when these were first invented (Hence them also sometimes being called capacitor microphones). Condenser microphones convert sound to an electric waveform by using one plate of a capacitor as a diaphragm. The distance varies, which means the capacitance varies. Both "true" condensers and electret condensers rely on this principal, that is the definition of a condenser microphone. The only difference is where the charge across the capsule comes from. Electret mics aren't inherently worse than traditional condensers anymore. They used to be, decades ago. Electret technology has come a hell of a long way. :)

[@Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn]

Keep in mind too, 5 volts phantom power through a USB connection, 48 volts phantom power through a proper interface and an XLR cable. I don't think the USB can power them adequately.

[@rachelnewton-john7031]

@@Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn You _can_ step it up. DC-DC boost converters are very efficient, and 48v phantom power is only required to supply 10mA current, where usb provides 100mA passively and can negotiate up to 500mA for usb 2, and higher for the various usb 3 standards. The only part the full 48v is typically used for is charging the capsule itself, and that's done through such a high value resistor that it uses *nanoamps* of current (which is by design - part of the reason condensers take a few seconds to come on when you turn PP on is that it takes that long to charge the capsule. The flip side is that the resistor values are so high that the capsule takes just as long to discharge - you move the diaphragm of the capacitor closer and further apart, the charge on it can't change fast enough because the resistor is too big for it to go anywhere, which means the voltage across it goes up and down. That's what gets measured and amplified). A lot of mics actually step that up to even higher voltages to get lower noise floors, 60-80v is typical. Higher than that and you start to risk the diaphram of the capsule being pulled onto the backplate by the electrostatic forces The rest of the circuitry in the mic generally doesn't use the full 48v, it's either reduced or everything is staged in a way that the transistors are using more like 6v each. Those supporting components for a non electret condenser would cost precious pennies though, and why would you spend money when you can stick a half decent electret capsule in it that can have 5v applied to a single transistor and then the output fed directly into an ADC. :)

[@Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn]

@@rachelnewton-john7031 Thanks for that, very enlightening! The microphones I'm using are the NW700, and the NW800, but I have used the BM800 mics, as they came with the first kits I bought. If you read the reviews for these, you'll find people saying that they are 'faint', and don't produce a strong signal, these people are plugging them straight into the computer, via the little USB 'dongle (for lack of a better word)', whereas if you read or see reviews where they are receiving 48v phantom power, that is not an issue, those reviews are good. I'm plugging them into a Behringer UMC 204HD interface, and the only complaint I'd have with them, if anything, is that that I have to use them with the gain turned to almost zero, or use the pad function, as they produce a powerful signal. I know enough about electronics to know that amplitude would be a greater factor than voltage alone, but the difference in voltage is the most plainly obvious difference, and I assumed that the interface, or a phantom power unit, would allow for/deliver more amps. Anecdotal evidence seemed to indicate that that would be a factor, as they seem to work much better when powered by an interface or phantom power unit rather than by USB, so I thought it worth mentioning. I'm glad that I did, otherwise I would not have had the extra understanding you provided. Thank you. 🙂👍

[@iAmTheSquidThing]

"the pop filter; it gets in the way" If only there were some sort of machine which could manufacture custom parts from plastic.

[@abitlostbutigotit1576]

Did you forget to change account?

[@stephenvishagan1933]

@@abitlostbutigotit1576 lol 🤣 I guess he did

[@Vistal11]

So a 3d printer will make a pop filter thats made of foam or cloth?

[@therealpanse]

@@Vistal11 print a custom frame, insert a mesh. that easy. or... you know... leave out top and bottom layers and use the infill as mesh. it's not about the material, it's about breaking the way of harsh soundwaves to dissipate them. that's why the metal one works too.

[@NatCurrier]

My home studio is full of 3D printed custom fixtures. Pop filters and shock mounts included. Works great

[@X22GJP]

Wow! Your current setup is a cleaner sound with less “reverb” if that’s the right word to use, but man that’s bloody good for the money and probably wouldn’t garner many complaints from people.

[@ClayMann]

to my ears I heard that little tight verby echo on both mics. Just the rooms acoustics I guess. You really hear it when he walks away from the mic. I think some acoustic panels would be a help but to be real here I found the sound absolutely fine. Good enough for my ears anyway.

[@sensuku]

@@ClayMann some dampening material should fix it..? idk

[@ClayMann]

@@sensuku yeah I think so. There's this guy that makes TV ads and works on pro videos. Chris Blyth I think his name is. He's got this video where there are two rooms exactly the same but in one there are these acoustic panels around the walls ready for a presenter to talk against a green screen. Anyway he is filming this and walks between the two rooms and the difference is astonishing when he goes into the sound panel room. He suddenly sounds warm and rich without a hint of reverberations. I'm no audiophile so can't explain it technically heh.

[@pileofstuff]

@@ClayMann A lot of people (especially new youtubers) seriously underestimate how big an effect the room can have on the sound of a recording.

[@sensuku]

@@pileofstuff tru

[@TodayIMade]

39 money units for a stand is already cheap, let alone the mic, the pop filter and everything!

[@robj4078]

How many DOGE coin do you get for a money unit?

[@TodayIMade]

@@robj4078 around 3 per general money unit at the moment, I believe.

[@Voyajer.]

You can get this stand on amazon for ~$15 with the accessories

[@capitalinventor4823]

I'll sell one to you for 39 Bitcoin (at the price on the day I'm writing this), including the shipping, and you can tell me if you still think it''s cheap. :)

[@ultrahybryd7111]

@@Voyajer. do you have a link for that

[@alexe8375]

Nothing inherently wrong with electret condensers. There’s some cheap garbage out there, sure, but some world class mics, too. The DPA 4006, an electret condenser (or as they call it, pre-polarized condenser) is maybe the most transparent, realistic mic I’ve ever heard. It’s an industry standard on orchestra, choir, etc. for a reason.

[@MakersMuse]

Nice! Yeah I'm learning a lot from comments like yours that the hate against eletrets may be outdated.

[@MrAlternatingcurrent]

@@MakersMuse AKG P120 is actually also an electret. This is written in the manual: '2/3" back electret condenser pressure/gradient microphone'. I use it mostly to record vocals and acoustic guitars and it sounds fine, but I feel there's a bit of false advertising XD I also thought It's a 'true condenser'

[@Mupshot]

I love being totally surprised by something that you expect to be complete crap but turns out to be decent for what it is. much better than the reverse. I recently bought a drone that I intended to be disposable as a test platform, but was pleasantly surprised at how decent of a machine it really is. I couldn't get it to do what I wanted to test, but all the same, I was thrilled at how it performed in its intended function.

[@avejst]

Wow, great find! Thanks for sharing your experience with all of us👍😁

[@rayn4438]

Oh wow surprised that K-Mart sells these now. I bought one of the Neewer ones last year for work and they are fantastic. This is even easier to get. Absolutely awesome

[@EKUL34]

I was very much in the need for a microphone due to me using a very old awful mic. I headed out to kmart straight away and picked up one of these due to your video. Absolutely love the audio quality. Thanks for brining this to my attention.

[@armandoa2484]

Far as I can tell it is surprisingly good sounding. Chalk up another point for another great and informative video!

[@awo1fman]

For the record, an electret *is* a genuine condenser, it's just a different, cheaper type. Years ago you never saw the word "electret" without also seeing the word "condenser" immediately after it. The element in this microphone is actually much larger, and from what I can tell much better, than the ones in the electret condenser mics I'm used to seeing.

[@bossybill7437]

Thanks for your efforts at good audio and, clear and simple speaking. Many KZbinrs, and even professional journalists on today's Zoom TV, could learn from your example.

[@jaymzx0]

I've been astonished at the lack of production quality coming from big media outlets in the past year. Yes, correspondents and journalists are working from home, but an economic reporter could do better than staring down at the camera on their laptop using the on-screen mic. Even using a $20 lapel mic and moving that laptop camera up to slightly above eye level would help tremendously. Wearing Airpods doesn't help much at all, either. I can't help but think of the 'hair gel' scene in _There's Something About Mary_ when I see someone wearing them 😁.

[@john_hunter_]

We aren't finished yet. We have to 3D print an attachment so the microphone can seamlessly integrate into your headset.

[@groundzero_-lm4md]

The casing has a huge impact on sound quality. The sock and pop-filter do wonders to improve the sound. The increased weight on the headset may also be undesirable.

[@nipunagunarathne4882]

This isn't unnecessary inventions lol (not saying it's a worthless thing to do, just that reading that suggestion reminded me of UI)

[@sailormoonv1]

I can't get over your background on your desktop screen. Soooo super cute!

[@MakersMuse]

Radio gosha!

[@gooslauve]

@@MakersMuse Specifically MTC saga art for S3rl!

[@ravenous14]

I bought one of these a couple of months back, still waiting on some other equipment to arrive before I start making vids, but I've been pretty happy with it so far 👍🏻

[@RangerOfTheOrder]

Good luck to you bro. When I started making videos I had an old Guitar Hero mic hose clamped onto a jerry rigged lamp stand, so you're definitely off to a better start than I was

[@ravenous14]

@@RangerOfTheOrder cheers man, I really appreciate that 👍🏻 I've been wanting to make content for a while, so I'm glad that there are these cheaper options floating about to get started with 👌🏻

[@flyingbaldman4744]

Hi Angus! Long-time follower, first time responder here. I don't know if you realized this, but your Perception 120 is actually also has an electret capsule in it. That mic only uses the phantom power to power the preamp. Condenser capsules need to be polarized. "True" condensers use an external power supply to do this (usually 48v phantom power). Electrets (or "permanently polarized" or "self polarizing" capsules) have the backplate of the capsule coated with something that retains an electrostatic charge all by itself. In ye olde days this was considered "cheap" and/or "sub standard" and, back then, for good reason. Those mics tended to lose their charge over time, they were noisy and sounded worse than their "true condenser" counterparts. Things have changed quite a lot over the past 30 years or so. Electrets are still cheaper to make, due to less complexity in the power supply. However, well made electrets tend to be just as good, or even better than externally polarized condensers. And, they now tend to last just as long. Even dirt cheap, mass produced, small diaphragm electret capsules, like the one in your Neewer mic, nowadays tend to perform really good. Anyway, thanks for all your great content. Your videos actually were the inspiration for me to buy an Ender-3 printer, and several of the mods I since put on it. :)

[@MakersMuse]

Appreciate the comment! I didn't actually know that, and feel a little bit lied to. Still, as you say they've gotten better and I didn't even question it for the years I've been using the 120. I didn't realise how complex the situation was when I randomly bought this cheap mic, but it's been a really educational experience! Thanks. :)

[@3DMusketeers]

Great video! Especially with how microphones are harder to find! Nice to see some cheap mics are still good quality!

[@aleasevr]

To be honest, coming from an audio nerd I would have to say, the kmart mic seems to be a lot brighter in the treble whilst the akg is more flat. I must say its pretty impressive for the price to be frank with you.

[@ballsrgrossnugly]

I man, if you want, I guess, Frank.

[@TheJaredGallagher]

Would you say the same if you weren't being frank?

[@aleasevr]

@@montgomeryhifiandreview5528 You can equalize it out but then it can become very barren. You want to aim for a microphone thats already flattened/balanced sound. With higher treble mics you have more chances for S sounds to become harsher in post.

[@AmusementLabs]

I wish I'd know about this before I'd paid $28 for a boom arm and $10 for a pop filter to just use my phone...

[@the13th]

Fantastic find. Might reccomend this to other Aussie friends, I'm running the Rode NT-USB personally with the same arm

[@Blunderful19]

Listened to this on a pair of 14 year old AKG K240s and I was shocked to find that KMart wasn't dead.

[@GasGearsGames]

Wow, thank you for opening the mic up. Great vid.

[@oddzc]

The audio from it is shockingly good! Nice find

[@iteerrex8166]

Very cool, Thanks Angus.

[@Allyoucancraft]

That Radio Gosha background you absolute legend

[@ignajara]

Loved the video, but there was quite of a mixup of concepts here! It is a condenser microphone. condenser mics transform sound pressure into electrical signal by having 2 sheets with different polarization, one fixed, called backplate and one loose, that acts as the diaphragm, veery very close together. the space in between, if it changes generates electricity on a process called capacitance. The polarization of the diaphragm and backplate is the key, and it can be achieved in 2 different ways: - On the called "True Condenser" microphones, the backplate and diaphragm of the capsule are polarized using P48 volts - On the called "Electret" microphones, both the backplate and the diaphragm of the capsule are polarized chemically, and the only power they need can come from usb or even batteries! Hope i could solve some confusion!

[@zacharyyoung8807]

I have a Neweer NW-700 and it works pretty well too. it came with pretty much all the same stuff as this cheap mic at the same $40 USD price point. The one I have however is actually a condenser mic with a phantom power supply included in the same kit. I bought mine about 3-4 years ago (still going strong!) and from what I can tell it's still being sold at the same price, with the same kit and holding "amazon's choice" status on Amazon. Love the videos!

[@DoctorSinister1987]

Great video and well done to the microphone designers for making an affordable product that works so well!

[@alexbowers343]

Cheers mate, as a WA man this helps Because I have looked at it multiple times but just didn’t know if it was even slightly worth it but it seams to be so thank you!

[@SocialHardware]

Great video mate! Nice to hear (mind the pun) that you think this mic is pretty great as well, I thought it was just me!

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

I have the one it's rebranded from and I can vouch that it would suck as part of a music studio unless it was for an effect but for speech it's an indescribable deal.

[@rmdcade1717]

After watching this video when it first came out, I picked the Neewer up on Amazon. It really does put in crazy work for such an inexpensive mic. The shock mount it came with was missing the threading. I reached out to the manufacturer, and after a couple of weeks they sent a baggie full of parts... none of which was what I needed. I wound up buying another shock mount that had a hemispherical pop shield, so at least I don't have to use the janky pop filter that came with the Neewer. Thanks for pointing us toward this little gem. It's absolutely fantastic for the price.

[@Wizarth]

Thanks for this review - by chance I happened to be looking for a new mic. Not for podcasting, but for all the online meetings!

[@thewindsorproject796]

I've got 2 of the OLD Neewer NW-700 XLR "Boom Mic" kit's... Run them through an ART tube pre, and I'm happy to say that 5 years later... They still deliver!

[@pnwRC.]

I miss Kmart! Walmart came in & they weren't able to compete with them.

[@ellisgl]

They were dieing before Walmart started taking over. I remember their stores being dirty back in the 80s and 90s.

[@pnwRC.]

@@ellisgl 100% truth, but Walmart was teh final nail in their coffin.

[@cobaltdev]

in Australia it’s still strong

[@-Good4Y0u]

I'm glad you included that Amazon link for all the people not in AU... like the US where kmart barely exists .

[@heikosoeder]

Use Google

[@-Good4Y0u]

@@heikosoeder Without the amazon link its harder to find the exact model, especially in a world where amazon has numerous fake listings and even among the options from that brand they don't make it clear which is the 8000 series and which is the 7000 series. Literally you cannot find this Mic on Kmart USA website. I looked. You look into things much do you?

[@Krytern]

@@heikosoeder That moment when someone thinks everything is easy to find on Google.

[@callumjackson100]

@@Krytern you can find anything if you try hard enough and know how to use Google properly.

[@Krytern]

@@callumjackson100 Prove it. Show me step by step instructions on building a harrier jump jet from scratch.

[@spikekent]

Sounds perfectly fine to me and what a cost saving. You're right on the headset mic, I couldn't listen to that for long.

[@Mister0men]

Cheers mate I was just eyeing this one up online then the vid was suggested as soon as i refreshed youtube, might have found my new mic

[@clivebradley2633]

An electret is a capacitor microphone - it doen't need an external bias voltage as the charge is embedded in the device. It only needs power because of the FET buffer stage required to shield the capacitor microphone from the cable capacitance.

[@MirlitronOne]

@Google user The FET matches the very high impedance of the electret element to a much lower impedance required by most pre-amplifiers.

[@klschofield71]

Impressive indeed. I had a feeling you were using it all along. Now to see if it stands the test of time like your other setup.

[@MakersMuse]

I'll keep using my AKG because I have it already, but may use this for other setups and will probably steal the shock mount!

[@TheSecurity16]

I just got home from kmart. Now I need to go again tomorrow after I get paid.

[@Bobby11]

I just bought one after your review, and i feel like i met someone in an alley selling stuff that fell off the back of a truck. If i didn't know better id believe someone that said they paid a lot for this. Nice find mate!

[@JMMC1005]

How do you find the volume? I grabbed one and it sounds great, but it's really quiet unless I'm almost touching it. Can be boosted in post (and Discord etc does this by itself), but raw recordings really need to be boosted.

[@Bobby11]

@@JMMC1005 do you have it the right way around? It picks up sound much better from one side. Otherwise it might be your ocs input settings.

[@JMMC1005]

@@Bobby11 Yeah I do. Only using audacity to test - it's very quiet if I'm about 50 cm from the mic. Even if I'm only 15 cm or so from the mic, the level is still on the lower side. Saw another reviewer saying the same thing, so I think it's just the gain setting of the mic being kinda low and non-adjustable. Sounds fine in video calls because most apps boost the volume internally.

[@TheSur3wyn]

Had this for about 2 months now. Had to replace a dead headphone mic and this seemed a bargain - my friends thought I went out and spent $100+ on the new setup lol.. Very detailed and accurate review. Hopefully Kmart notices the attention and widens the range :D

[@TheTrophyStore]

great job, just what i needed hear.

[@JacksonTravel]

thanks for these kind of vids. filming and such

[@killroy42]

Just the asseccories alone are worth the price. I'm sure I own that pop filter and two of those arms! How does it compare to a blue yeti? I would love a smaller setup! Oh, and a big advantage of usb mics is that you can run them straight off a phone!

[@Alasdair-Morrison]

It's actually good to see Kmart bringing back Computer gear and other electronics they stopped years back! Some stuff may be just cheap Make'N"Break Chinesium quaulity, but still does the job.

[@d.cypher2920]

So... i got a really nice mic from my fam member for X-mas a few years ago, for recording my guitar videos. Most of my recordings are just practicing, so i can here where i need to focus more. Unbelievably to me, i was using the mic from: *my sony xtra bass earbuds!! And, the quality was so good, that i still use them to this day.* I'm not a pro, i don't plan on cutting a record, or sending s demo to anyone... because I'm simply not that good. Point is: the little earbud microphone is stellar, for real. 😂😂 Cool video...as usual. Take care. ☀️😎🇺🇸💯☀️

[@olafb.2929]

Great comparison and it is surprisingly good.

[@jackdonovan5435]

Bought one of these a couple months back, the USB cable included stopped working within a week but after replacing with a better quality lead I've really enjoyed using this microphone 👍

[@tmsxsnxgged8431]

work on ps4?

[@rhalfik]

1. Why would there be phantom power? It's a USB powered microphone. Phantom Power is an interface standard. You don't need phantom power to power any capsule at all. It's just a standard used for XLR connections between mics and audio interfaces. It was designed to power the internal circuitry of the microphone, not to bias the capsule directly. 2. The capsule has a PCB on the back which indicates that it's a electret condenser with an internal FET. Judging by the size from the video I can tell it's a JLI-160a (TSB-160a) derivative. Electret capsules are a subgenre of condenser capsules. The working principle is the same with just a single difference where the the back element is an electret polymer instead of metal plate. Similar capsules are being used in Behringer instrument mics and similar prosument budget equipment. There is veeeery little reason to use externally biased condensers in USB mics and likely you'll never encounter one. A FET-electret is powered with a so called plugi in power or PIP, which is a low voltage, usually 3-6V which then is filtered by a simple capacitor circuit at the IC input. 3. An important part is that it's a unidirectional mic, also known as cardioid. This means that it has less low frequency content coming from the capsule in exchange for a rejection of sounds coming from other directions. A typical problem that people encounter with this type of mics is they speak from the wrong side and come to conclusion that their mic is quiet, muffled or noisy. 3. The aluminium enclosure might as well be made of plastic without perceivable loss of sound quality. Why? Because the type of interference you want to protect your mic from is magnetic instead of electrical. This means that the shielding needs to be made of high permeable material. In simpler words one that is attracted to magnets. The reason they're not made of steel is because it's cheaper to use extruded aluminium. Unfortunately effectiveness of this material is about as much as plastic, or zero. Mic enclosures need to be made out of steel. If your mic suffers from interference, or buzzing, it's likely because of that. You can fix it by getting your hands on a sheet of high permeable nickel steel. You just wrap internals with it, ground it to cable sheathing and the problem should be gone. 4. One peculiar mod that you can try is cutting away most of the surrounding plastic that holds the capsule. It's designed with looks in mind, not acoustics! The purpose of this piece is to fool you into thinking the capsule is a large, 34mm type. After reducing the surrounding ring to just a bottom support you increase it's directionality.

[@azyfloof]

The quality of that is mindblowing for the price! I've found it on Amazon UK, too. I might get it one day and rip the electret out to build my own headset, given that pretty much all headsets I've heard have very thin audio, on account of the condensor size

[@gamerpaddy]

theres a trick where you put many electret capsules in parallel to increase gain, lower noise and increase membrane surface area / low end response. i built one using 25x of the cheapest electrets i could find and it sounds amazing.

[@Kazooples]

I’ve been waiting for someone to review this, definitely gonna get one. I got their sound bars too which are ok, a bit muffled.

[@JMMC1005]

Picked one up and yeah, it's pretty astoundingly good for the price (once you consider the money which went towards the boom arm and shock mount). My motherboard's mic line is horrifically bad, and so this mic has been an enormous improvement, both in sound and noise floor. It even sounds pretty decent when recording acoustic guitar, if you get the placement right. Really can't complain - for Discord, general use, and less-serious music use, I think you'd struggle to do any better without spending 3X the price for a studio mic and interface. Only downside is it's not very sensitive. I'm guessing Angus boosted the volume of his recordings quite a bit.

[@A3Kr0n]

It looks like Ali also recommends a grow tent to go with that microphone.

[@TheAechBomb]

ali only reccomends me watches now, it knows me well

[@TimSheehan]

It's probably a 3D printer enclosure....

[@lordgrune4818]

came here for that, thanks

[@ballsrgrossnugly]

So, they know what you have been googling for? XD

[@tiler08]

Im so happy u made this i really need the mic so i was wondering if it was good or not

[@InIteration]

Next time I’m at Kmart I’ll pick one up. I’m impressed by the quality, and just the arm and mount alone will be useful for other projects.

[@VeshSneaks]

I bought one of these a few months ago, after getting a recommendation from my brother. I generally only use it for voice chat, but it's a solid replacement for my headset mic along with the pair of Sony headphones I bought. Sure they're not wireless like my Corsair Void Pro, but for $60 total I'm not complaining. I also don't have to worry about battery life and janky drivers any more, which is always good.

[@TheBl4ckOn3]

In Germany these are sold on Amazon under the "Jelly Comb" brand. I use one for remote music lessons and it works like a charm. I don't know if "Jelly Comb" is sold elsewhere but it might be worth a try.

[@DirtyRobot]

In Germany you should be using one of your own fantastic brands.

[@marcusborderlands6177]

@@DirtyRobot just because they are local does not mean they are cheaper lol.

[@DirtyRobot]

@@marcusborderlands6177 That was my point. Buy local if the quality is good. You pay more because you are supporting local production, not communist Chyna

[@faranocks]

@@DirtyRobot ah yes because everyone can spend hundreds of dollars on quality things.

[@cobaltdev]

@@DirtyRobot you want to support their workers though

[@GreensladeNZ]

Just got these back in stock in New Zealand, went out and bought one!

[@PeterTsiampas]

Good work Angus!

[@wummii]

I bought this MIC a while ago. Best budget mic by far.

[@pileofstuff]

I've been using an XLR Neewer mic that looks almost identical for a couple of years. I don't know how they get such an impressive bang-for-the-buck out of these things. For the price, they sound amazing. I wouldn't put them in a touring rock-n-roll stage mic kit, but for youtubers they are (as you said) more than good enough.

[@Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn]

Me too! Recorded vox, harmonica, and even saxophone with them so far, they do a great job!

[@ZebraandDonkey]

If it works it works. Always better to use what you can and that would work for someone on a budget. If you are comfortable at all with any audio processing then you can clean up the small issues you might encounter. Thanks for sharing.

[@Phelps3D]

Thanks for the video. People are always complaining about my video audio (using a XLR Shotgun mic and Presonus USB interface). So I might try this out. I miss Kmart here in the US too, they had the best shoes for me, LOL.

[@dim1723]

Wow! Thanks for this

[@SirTools]

For $39 the sound is great ! Thanks for posting this one !

[@rivera82falcon]

I miss KMart...wish they were still around. Great video!

[@clonkex]

I was surprised to learn that Kmart existed in America, and astounded to learn that they've mostly disappeared. In Australia it's just expected and normal that every city will have Kmart and BigW competing in close proximity.

[@JMWConceptsTheOfficial]

Well, thanks Angus. I just went to pick one of these up and because you showed that they're decent, they're sold out across WA. Thanks a lot bro. ;) :P

[@sirtijedem]

its so nice seeing this as i basicly have the same one with different top part literally everything else except for the metal grill or whatever its called is the same as this one the only differance being is that it was around 100 euros

[@BrodieFairhall]

I think I'm going to duck down to kmart just for the shock mount and boom arm, the mic might also come in handy at some point.

[@AmorDeae]

I took apart my XLR NW-7000 clone and despite being 48V powered and claimed a lot that it's a condenser mic, it's also an electret based one. It still sounds pretty good, though there is a lot of noise.

[@GabrielTobing]

Instant sub because you're Australian, therefore my hopes won't get crushed when people mention low prices only to realise they meant in USD.

[@ConsultingjoeOnline]

Hopefully they up the stock for u ausies. Great review. Thanks

[@bur1t0]

Even with my HD600's, there was barely any difference when you switched to the AKG. There was a difference, but without the switch from one to the other I couldn't tell you which is which.

[@Slushee]

I used to use the Neewer NW700 for my videos and it IS a condenser mic. It does require a phantom power supply and it has an XLR output.

[@l3wd475]

I was waiting for the switch to the comparison and preparing for my ears to bleed. I couldn't believe that was the Kmart mic the whole time. I think I might have to pick one up.

[@guesswho2778]

i grabbed the quickly discontinued desktop version of this a few years ago, which also sounds way better than it should. though its slightly different from this one, its got a micro usb connection, a volume knob, an indicator light to see if its on and its got an audio out for itself for if you want to listen to yourself but at a much worse quality than the mic actually records at for some reason. i also took it apart a few days ago and it was a lot harder than it was for you, i had to tear the metal cage off of the mic as it was screwed in and glued in there. then i had to unscrew the mic from the uncovered plate, then wiggle the pcb out of the plastic shell. it looked pretty close to what you had except mine had a large portion of it dedicated to holding a large rock that seemed to just be there to add weight as it was very very light without it. for the sound, it was a well spent $25, but as the usb connection has pretty much snapped off the pcb and im not sure how much longer it will last. EDIT: the micro usb port snapped off a few days after writing this comment.

[@t_ag]

I bought the microphone through the amazon link you have in your description. It looked visually the same as yours but I had a lot of issues getting it to work. Even with the gain maxed out, I could barely hear the mic picking up my voice. Multiple other reviews on the amazon link describe similar problems.

[@MakersMuse]

Oh that's a real shame! Faulty maybe? Hmm

[@clonkex]

Sounds like it might be missing phantom power or something. Does it just have a USB connection?

[@bismuth7730]

Bought a similarly priced "trust" brand microphone and im guessing they are the same internally. Its USB as well and sounds similar to your budget mic. I am very pleased with the purchase. I paid about $40 US

[@nerdlands6595]

A lot of USB mics (podcasting level) are microchip driven. The Blue Yeti uses an all in one (USB + Audio + Headphones + Volume + Gain) chip (Cmedia CM6400 - www.cmedia.com.tw/applications/sound_station/CM6400), although the "Pro" version does have separate analog (to XLR) staging. The Blue Yeti Nano uses only an STM32F4 chip! It's custom audio firmware encoded on a generic consumer level chip - the same ones that are used for Quadcopter flight controllers. I've got a Blue Yeti Nano disassembly video that shows the SMT32 and a bit of info about the awesome CM6400 but only scratches the surface. They are super fun to dig into. Great video (as always)!!

[@TheRealAlpha2]

I started off using the mic that came with my PS3 RockBand set it's a Logitech (A-0234A currently going for like 12USD on Amazon) it has a chunky dongle on the USB that probably does some filtering hocus pocus, and I pared it with a $10 pop filter and I was happy. Later I tried a "Nasum" brand mic, which I was told was just a rebranded Neewer, and it had an awful hum, so I went right back to the Rockband Logitech, still use it today for streaming and gameplay recording.

[@alexandrevaliquette1941]

I've bought the NEEWER-7000 (similar kit as shown in this video) under 60$ cdn on Amazone. The quality of theses cheap usb microphone is awesome. You don't need to buy a xlr/phantom gizmo, only plug n play (I have Windows 10 and it's working great). For Zoom meeting, people are always impress with the sound quality AND by the cool FM radio DJ look!

[@psychosis7325]

I have a BM-800 mic which I think is same as that but without the internal IC so you have to plug it into something with phantom power. It really blew me away how good it is for $20 or whatever it was I paid for it. I find the noise floor is a bit much with a loud pc in room and when a friend brought around his old P120 it was soooo much better but really only in that one way, for what mine is I absolutely love it still and plan to keep it as its perfect for the kids to practice with.

[@Levibetz]

So I think what we hear here is that A. electret mics are actually really good value for money, but they are omni-directional. So if you notice in the comparison the main difference between the two mics is that lots more of Angus' echo is being captured by the cheap mic. If you weren't also filming, you could mitigate this by being closer to the mic. Cheap mics rock! I'm always pleased to see more accessible audio.

[@sortius_]

I did the same thing with the Aldi "condenser" mics they were selling. Were reduced to $30, so I grabbed one. Even though I use it primarily for Discord, it works much better than any headset mic. Mic tech has come a long way, and while there is clearly a difference between a $200 mic and a ~$30 mic, as you said, is it really $170 difference? For me, being on a budget, no.

[@BRUXXUS]

Audio really is the secret to high quality media! I bought a Neewer package very similar to that a few years ago, but the mic was XLR, so I had to get a phantom power supply. I wasn't impressed with the sound quality and ended up buying a condenser mic that had nearly identical dimensions but much heavier, which was about $40. Sounds much better, but all the other goodies I still use. Well.. except for the pop-filter. I designed my own mic isolator/pop filter thingy that uses the *Only Infill and Walls* technique for the mesh. I'd post the Thingiverse link, but I'm not sure if you allow links. Been working great for a few years now! :)

[@BRUXXUS]

Oh yeah, shockingly, the Neewer mic was a legit condenser.

[@xerxesYt123]

the NW-7000 is an upgrade from the NW--800 or the BM-800 that uses an xlr, then hooking that up to an audio interface makes it sound exceptionally good

[@steamfire]

Cool! thank you for the info

[@lavasharkandboygirl9716]

I’m definitely buying one of these

[@sagerobot]

Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I actually PREFER the $39 over the other one. Huge surprise. I was waiting for you to switch and was blown away that id been hearing the cheap one the entire time.

[@Rob_III]

I can wholeheartedly recommend the Maono AU-PM422 (not sponsored or anything, I just bought it based on reviews and price/performance considerations and I like it a lot).

[@Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn]

I tried the BM800s, the guts are different in all three I bought! The Neewer NW700, and NW800s, are slightly better, and I really like the 700s. I have the versions with the XLR connection, but I use an interface, and a proper XLR lead, and not the lead and little USB interface thing that comes in the kit. The suspension cradles, and the arms, are going strong after 3 years of use, and I leave them up always, and move the mics up and down to use them, and so far, no signs of wear. $25 for the same kit on eBay btw. The only thing I can pick on, is you have to make sure the lead connects properly, or you get hum, but a push and a twist does the trick. Those kits would be good value, even if you chucked the mic in the bin!

[@artas8125]

6 years its alot today, now the tecnology is much better and cheaper! Good Video