XIIVIO USB Microphone

Firstly, why buy a microphone when one’s built in to most computers and laptops? Simply put, flexibility of use and quality. No more leaning into the computer to speak in a normal voice or leaning back and shouting… you can place the microphone where you want within reason. Secondly, the quality is probably better. More on this in a moment. Aren’t semiprofessional mics expensive? They can be, but the Yanmai Professional USB Condenser Microphone for PC/Laptop Plug & Play with Double-layer Pop Filter and Tripod Stand for Studio Recording, Broadcasting and Gaming (catchy name), also known as the Yanmai SF-777 (or PC Microphone on Amazon) isn’t beyond most people’s financial reach if they’re serious about video chatting or podcasting. It looks the part too; mainly made of matt black plastic, it looks professional and comes with a tripod with metal legs and a nice, moveable pop filter which reduces the sibilance and breathiness some people’s voices have. There’s also a more standard wind shield on the microphone. Both can be removed or moved out of position if required. There’s an instruction leaflet which is definitely short and sweet but, essentially, you plug it in to your computer’s USB socket, set the input device to the plug and play microphone that appears in your sound or audio setting panel, and start talking… This cuts off your PC or Mac internal microphone. Pretty simple stuff. There are no controls on the microphone. The cable is fixed to the microphone and could do with being longer, but it will be OK for most people. A USB extender would work if needed. An important part of the setup is the noise cancelling mounting for the microphone. This consists, effectively, of rubber bands that hold the mic clear of the support stand, and dampens some of the knocks and bumps from the table or desk from getting onto your recording or broadcast. It works well. The mic can also be released from the tripod mount and use hand held if required. Here, a USB extension would probably be needed. A hinge on the stand allows for a variety of placements and positions. The sensitive bit - the microphone capsule itself - is behind the mesh above the logo. This should normally point at the sound source. So is it any good? Well in a word, YES. I made a comparison recording against the microphone in my iMac 27” and there was no doubt which was better: the Yanmail ran rings around Apple’s built in mic, which I had hitherto always felt was perfectly adequate. Switching inputs to the SF-777 and talking normally into it from around 15 inches away introduced a whole world of depth and a wider frequency response that was warmer and of far better quality. Next I used the Yanmai as my audio source while conducting a FaceTime conversation, and the person I was chatting with mentioned, unprompted, that my sound was particularly good that day. Little did they know… Finally I made a simulated podcast recording direct to my recording app of choice, with the settings at CD quality and a high bitrate, and the quality was as good as I could possibly require for podcasts or YouTube recording. So, I would definitely recommend this microphone. It can be found on Amazon by searching for "PC Microphone". The cost is reasonable, the construction is more than adequate, and the quality is good, specially if you select high quality recording settings in your software or sound card. A bit of a bargain all round.

Pros: Includes windshield, pop filter, and shock mount. Tripod base is heavy and stable. Excellent microphone quality. Stylish design. Good build quality. Cons: Permanent pop filter. 5/8" mount. Gain can be too low. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from this microphone as it's priced between cheap rubbish and expensive premium. However, it has pleasantly surprised me on all counts. Sound Quality: The sound quality of this microphone is good out of the box, not incredibly tinny or distant sounding like a lot of USB microphones. I speak quite softly so I did have to use software to increase the gain a little but your mileage may vary. The noise level is also extremely low which was another pleasant surprise. Don't get me wrong, this isn't going to beat out a much more expensive mic like SM7B or the AT2020, but it definitely punches above its price range for USB mics. If you're comfortable adding a compressor and maybe playing around with VSTs, you can get the mic more than suitable for streaming/gaming. That's really the key point with a microphone like this; use-case. Most people I imagine will be looking at this for streaming/YouTube or to use instead of the mic on a gaming headset. I think unless you're looking to go down the XLR route, or want the software from something like the Elgato Wave, there isn't much point in spending more than this. Build Quality: The included rubber footed tripod has a nice weight to it which keeps it planted firmly on the desk. It holds the microphone firmly at any vertical angle, though would be nice if it allowed horizontal rotation too to get it closer to the edge of the desk. The included windshield is good enough and the pop filter works great but is a little on the small side. It also takes a little bit of fiddling and persuasion to get it where it needs to be, though it does hold the position. The shock mount is a nice inclusion and is simply better than not having one. It isn't very wide so there isn't much distance to absorb the vibrations from the desk. During my typing test I did notice that some of the really low-frequency vibrations were still getting through. The non-removable 1.5m USB cable is fine though may be on the short side depending on your setup. Final Thoughts: Mounting the microphone on a boom arm would likely solve the vibrations problem and is what I'm likely to do soon; it also gets it out of the way of the keyboard more as the tripod is a wider base than a lot of mics. The tripod unscrews to what I believe is a 5/8" thread which might need an adapter to work with some arms. The mic itself is small and stylish enough without a 'GAMER' aesthetic. It would be nice if the pop filter was completely removable as I can see myself wanting to use a bigger one when it's mounted on an arm. However a pair of pliers should solve that problem... Please, for the sake of my sanity, don't speak into the top of the microphone like on the review that comes up on YouTube. You speak into a condenser microphone from the side with the logo on. Feel free to check out my video demonstrating this microphone in a few different configurations. If you've found this review useful, please mark it as "Helpful" on Amazon and I'll be happy to answer any questions about it as it gets almost daily use.

Bought for simple VoiceOvers on YouTube and corporate training videos, along with participating in video calls etc looking for a cut above my computer's built in microphone. I'm not a professional audio engineer by any means, but it is more than adequate for my purposes and half the price of anything higher end. Not been using it long but it seems well built, with a small but sturdy stand. It's not designed to withstand the rigours of touring life or a radio studio necessarily but fine for home use, or a business wanting to record better voiceovers for videos. The microphone comes with a foam windscreen and pop shield. As I'm not using this outdoors I only use the pop shield, which works as intended. The mic samples at 44.1kHz, 16bit which is generally considered "studio quality" and has good reproduction from 20Hz to 18000Hz, it drops off a bit towards 20000Hz but that's to be expected and not really relevant for a voiceover use. The quality of the recording is clean, with no noise introduced or any background hum or hiss. Overall very impressed with this little microphone especially for the price point!