5.0 out of 5 stars
Cool Desktop USB Microphone
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 24 July 2022
I was excited to find this USB microphone for review because it includes a headphone jack, important for monitoring while recording and streaming live. In the past, I have reviewed a few of these low-cost USB cardioid condenser microphones and use two for my podcasts and to record my Youtube videos. The quality is comparable to some of the name brand microphones, but at a fraction of the price. The microphones I currently use do not have the headphone jack and I was eager to test that feature.
The microphone is made of a hefty metal case weighting 9 ounces, and mounts into a sturdy plastic tripod stand that can adjust the angle. It includes a small instruction booklet with illustrations and a 6 ft long cable that plugs into the bottom of the microphone. The other end of the cable plugs into your computer with either a standard USB connector or USB C, included. An optional shock mount is included and instructions show how you can mount it to a scissor boom arm (not included). But, if you have the space, the desktop stand should be adequate.
The controls are on the front side of the microphone, volume/gain and headphone volume. The 3.5 mm headphone jack is on the back. Another feature, useful when live streaming, is a mute button. To mute, you touch the mute button on the top of the microphone. To un-mute, you press it again. Before I tested the microphone, I adjusted the gain to about one quarter turn, and plugged in my headphone. Here goes:
After plugging the microphone into my Windows PC, it was automatically detected and set up the BKD-12 audio device. Then the microphone lit up cycling various colors. Okay, it’s installed! I use OBS studio on my PC for most of my recordings. But, before running OBS, I tested the mute button, and the light went off, and I hit it again and the light returned. I was ready.
Then I ran OBS Studio, and selected the BKD-12 audio device, and started talking into the microphone with the volume one quarter the way up, and I heard my voice clearly in the headphones, but not loud enough. I was about 8 inches from the microphone. Then I increased the volume to one half, but I heard a lot of background noise. I realized I should be within about 3 or 4 inches and so I reduced the volume back to one quarter, and watched the input capture meter on OBS Studio, and started to speak. It went up to the correct level, within the green, and then I pressed record for the test. After testing the microphone at 4 inches and 8 inches, I pressed stop. I also pressed the mute button, and the audio stopped in my headphones.
The Voice Test
The test was a success, and the audio was perfectly clear, and with the right amount of bass and treble. I first tested it at around 4 inches and then 8. And to my delight, the microphone performed well, actually, a 5-star performance. After watching the meter in OBS Studio, I kind of assumed it would work, and playback confirmed it. I’d say at around $50; you can’t go wrong with this microphone. Before ordering from Amazon, I checked the prices of this type of microphone, and found that microphones with a headphone monitor jack were generally higher than those without, a few less than $50 and a few greater.
Recommending a Boom Arm
Now, after recording using the desktop stand, I came to an important conclusion. I’d recommend adding a scissor boom arm to this microphone because you need to be 3 or 4 inches from the microphone for the best performance. Any further away, you’ll need to turn up the volume but then you’ll pick up background noise.
The Music Test
I play guitar, and thought I’d try a little music recording, even though the description doesn’t mention music use. To my surprise, it sounded really good. And, I had a chance to try the mute button again, and it worked. So, as a bonus, this cardioid microphone could be used for entertainment.
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