Audio-Technica 2100x-USB Streaming/podcasting Microphone Black

The audio quality is great for its price. This is helped further by the fact that this microphone can be used with USB, meaning additional equipment is not strictly necessary, providing further cost savingsTo use this mic properly, you must be 4-6 inches away when speaking into it. You should tune the gain (over software only for USB) while at this distance, otherwise you may pick up more background noise than you desire.The problem with sitting close to this microphone, however is the fact that the included stand is terrible. It is not adjustable at all and broke fairly quickly for me. You definitely want your own stand. The rest of the microphone seems to have decent build quality, but I wouldn't trust it like a Shure SM58 to survive abuse as much.The audio sounds better with this microphone over XLR compared to USB, provided you have a competent audio interface. It doesn't require phantom power like a condensor microphone, but it does require an amp, otherwise the microphone will be very quiet. I recommend the behringer UMC 204HD. If you are using USB, an amp is not needed.Getting replacement parts for this microphone is a pain, you need to contact Audio Technica.The physical on/off button is a nice to have.If you want a dynamic microphone with USB support, this is the one to go for, but you can also check out the Samson Q2U for a competitor.

For those of you familiar with studi grade microphones, the 2500x may feels less feature-heavy than some of the competition with a single cardioid condenser, however, the output of this plug and play microphone is phenomenal for the price.It comes with useful accessories: a desktop tripod stand, a clip for standard mic stands, and two cables: 1x USB-C to USB-A, and 1x USB-C to USB-C. I set this micrphone up on a flexible boom arm with a ATR2500x specific shock mount and foam shield. All in a spend £140. An investment for the layman, cheap as chips for the audiophile. The setup is simple with Windows 10 and Open Broadcast Studio and took no more than 30 seconds. It works with any streaming or video conference software with ease.The microphone has fixed gain and is designed for conversational dialogue upto (in my opinion) 30 centimeters from your mount, though is still great for recording music. The audio is clean with a wide frequency response. Bit rate is high at for a USB microphone 24/192kHz and there was not any phasing.In a perfect world, this mic would have adjustable gain levels and input monitoring; however the quality of the mics output for the price you pay for it is such a good deal that I cant complain. Would buy again and I recommend you do to.

i've got quite an array of mics, from Shure to USb condensorthese are simply amazinginitially i bought the Q2 reviews, ignoring the multiple issues around a dreadful humming and hissthose were both returned, and i went for what i should have got in the first placethese mics are fantastic. i can get away with recording with no editing needed if necessary.honestly, they're amazing, and i haven't tried the XLR connection yet - just the USB onetrust the reviews, skip the awful sounding samson s2, and buy this - you'll not be disappointedand the noise profile is second to none, cutting out SO much background noise. as a test (before i rapidly returned the pair of samson Q2 mics) i tapped on a printer, 2 feet away from the mic., it was barely audible to my ears, and yet the samson Q2 made every tap sound like sound like a volcano eruptingno such issues with the audio technica - can't hear people in the same room if they're not in front of the mic

I had to return the first microphone because the USB interface stopped working, but when I got the second one and moved to windows 11, I found that it was incompatible. The volume level is too low to be usable, even when set to maximum in the settings, and Windows oftens fails to recognise the microphone. The only way I can use this is to get a microphone pre-amplifer and use the XLR balaced output, which really should not be necessary it is USB compatible. Do not buy this if you need a USB microphone.

This microphone is very sensitive, and there seems to be no way of adjusting this. Have tried both software and hardware adjustments, and it still picks up every little noise around, as well as peaking at quite a low volume. If you're okay with that, then great. If not, then look elsewhere.

Superb. My old microphone needed a great deal of processing to get a decent quality recording, whereas this one is great with very little needing to be done (and that is more to do with environmental noise than any defect with the microphone. Well done and thank you, this is a godsend!

Running through USB I wondered whether is would deliver the same quality. Having used other more well know brands I also wondered if it had the potential to match those brands. All I'll say is it has surpassed all my expectations in every area. A great mic for voice over work and as it goes straight into my Mac I am speeding up my workflow now too. Worth every penny.

The tripod is easily broken & confusing. Had to spend extra money on a 3rd party tripod. Consider getting one with good tripod.