USB Microphone Device Comparison - C920 vs Kiyo vs Nari Essential vs Seiren X
In this video, I compare the raw audio from 4 different USB microphone sources with their default audio settings in Windows. I recorded each device in Audacity individually and saved them each as their own file. There's a small bit more background noise with the raw Seiren X audio in the test recording as all the devices picked up some of my computer's fans in the background. During the video segments, I recorded with OBS, in which I use an audio filter that gets rid of that background noise which is why it sounds a little bit cleaner. All of these mics could be cleaned up a bit with some tweaked settings and some filters applied, but I wanted to get an idea of what each one sounds like, plug and play, for an average streamer on the go. I would highly recommend the Seiren X as a choice for a USB mic, but I'd also look into the AT2020+ USB mic, Blue has several of them, and there's plenty of others. Definitely do your homework before you decide on one, but I merely wanted to illustrate the clear difference between a standalone USB microphone versus any of your typical inputs such as a webcam or gaming headset. Sure, they're definitely passable, but there's a clear jump in quality to a proper microphone. Definitely, XLR mics are going to give you the absolute best performance, but as mentioned, require other equipment before you're able to use them, and some minor knowledge on how to use that equipment. For someone who just wants to stream, or is in a hurry because they're always on the move, something like this is perfect, and clearly superior to a laptop microphone, or even your gaming headset. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the video!