As we spend more time working remotely, having good audio on Zoom and other remote meetings matters more.
Some of us develop strange hobbies. One strange hobby for me has been to try out and collect recordings from a selection of headphones, headsets and other devices used for video conferences.
Given the current situation, where a lot of people are looking to improve their audio, I thought I’d share my collection with a broader audience.
Dedicated Microphones (best quality)
These were tested through my M-Audio 2×2 interface. All were mounted on a microphone arm.
LESSONS LEARNED: The big learning here was that in my environment, condenser microphones pick up too much background noise. I ended up going with the Rode PodMic and had to add the FetHead to get the gain up to a reasonable range for my interface.
Note that the recordings are all mono (left ear) because my audio interface sends input one to the left channel.
| Product | Form Factor | Recordings, Notes | Price (est) |
| Audio Technica AT2020 | XLR condenser microphone | recording | $100 |
| Marantz MPM-1000 | XLR condenser microphone | recording | $60 |
| MXL 770 | XLR condenser microphone | recording | $80 |
| MXL 990 | XLR condenser microphone | recording | $75 |
| Neewer NW-800 | XLR condenser microphone | recording | $20 |
| Pyle PDMIC58 | XLR dynamic microphone | recording | $15 |
| Rode PodMic | XLR dynamic microphone | recording | $100 |
Phone Headsets (purpose-built for calls)
These are purpose-built devices for conferencing or use in call centers.
LESSONS LEARNED: How they hook up is important. Bluetooth audio is often bad, so is reliability. Wired (USB) is best, DECT (like the Jabra Engage series) or a proprietary bluetooth dongle (like the Sennheiser MB Pro series) provides are a good middle ground. So: Wired >> DECT/proprietary BT >> bluetooth.
| Product | Form Factor | Recordings, Notes | Price (est) |
| Sennheiser SC30/SC60 | USB wired headset (mono/stereo) | recording awesome for the price | $40 |
| Logitech H650e | USB wired headset (mono) | recording | discont. |
| Sennheiser MB Pro 1/2 UC | bluetooth wireless headset (mono, stereo) with USB dongle | recording (USB dongle) recording (bluetooth) | discont. |
| Jabra 9470 | DECT wireless headset with USB, bluetooth and desk phone connectivity (mono) | recording | discont. |
| Jabra Engage 75 | DECT wireless headset with USB, bluetooth and desk phone connectivity (mono/stereo) | [coming soon] great option! | $300+ |
| Sennheiser SWD 5000 Series | DECT wireless headset with USB, bluetooth and desk phone connectivity (mono/stereo) | [coming soon] great option! | $250+ |
Headphones (good for music, but mixed results for calls)
Their primary purpose is to listen to content, but they include microphones, and the quality varies wildly.
LESSONS LEARNED: Results are very mixed, and some of the cheaper options are downright unusable. But even products like the Sony WH-1000xm3 do poorly here, because call quality is not their primary focus and the microphones are optimized to enable the ANC feature.
| Product | Form Factor | Recordings, Notes | Price (est) |
| Apple AirPods Pro | bluetooth earbuds with ANC | recording best form factor | $250 |
| PowerBeats Pro | bluetooth earbuds | recording | $250 |
| BeatsX | around-the-neck bluetooth earbuds | recording recording in car great value | $100 |
| Sony SBH-80 | around-the-neck bluetooth headset | recording | $100 |
| Apple EarPods | wired earbuds, included with many apple products | recording | $30 |
| CQM JR-E103 IEM | wired IEM | recording unusable | discont. |
| Xiaomi Piston 3 | wired IEM, now 1More Piston | recording decent | discont. |
| Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear | wired on-ear headphones | recording | $100 |
| Sony WH-1000xm3 | bluetooth ANC over-ear headphones | recording horrible | $350 |
| Anker Soundcore Liberty Air | bluetooth earbuds | recording unusable | $75 |
Other Devices
These do not fit into any category, but may meet your needs.
LESSONS LEARNED: Many devices pick up a lot of room noise, due to compromised mounting (i.e. embedded in a laptop with a fan) or distance from the participant.
| Product | Form Factor | Recordings, Notes | Price (est) |
| Antlion ModMic USB | wired add-on to existing headphones | recording sounds really good | $80 |
| Logitech BRIO webcam | USB 4k webcam with built-in microphone | recording not great | $200 |
| Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910 | USB webcam with built-in microphone (similar to C920) | recording not great | discont. |
| MXL 404 | USB desktop microphone | recording good for groups | $80 |
| Jabra 510 | USB/bluetooth desktop conference speaker/microphone | recording great for groups | $140 |
| 2019 16″ MacBook Pro | built-in “pro” microphone | recording low frequency hum from laptop fans | $$$ |
| 2018 15″ MacBook Pro | built-in microphone | recording | $$$ |
| Apple 27″ Thunderbolt Display | built-in microphone | recording | $800 |
| iPhone X | built-in microphone | recording | $$ |
Conclusion
So there it is, my little collection. My hope his this collection is helpful to somebody. If you find it helpful, please leave a comment! Please note that the links to Amazon are all affiliate links.
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