Amazon Basics Desktop Mini Condenser Microphone With Tripod Review

When we first received it, we were taken aback by its cheap look and feel. The plastic felt cheap and weak. Plus, we also didn’t like the amount of shininess that it has. Nevertheless, like always, we gave it a try and its overall performance surprised us! 

The sound quality is decent enough for video calling, podcasting, and streaming. It may not be suitable for recording highly professional videos. But, we shouldn’t expect that from such a low-budget desktop microphone. 

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Name: Amazon Basics Desktop mini condenser microphone with tripod 

Features: Unidirectional microphone with a foldable tripod stand, has a mute button, uses a USB cord for connecting to the laptop

Pros: affordable, decent sound quality, doesn’t pick background noise except that come directly from the front, plug and play for use

Cons: mute button leaves clicking noise in the video, durability issues have been reported by a few buyers

Our Rating: 4.5/5

Full Written Review:

The product range from AmazonBasics is affordable and of decent quality. The products aren’t professional-grade, exceptionally good ones but they still provide high value-for-money. We have tried many of them and we can tell that the products do look a bit cheap but they work as expected. This AmazonBasics Desktop mini condenser is no exception. 

Here is our honest review of AmazonBasics desktop mini condenser microphone with tripod: 

Overall built 

As already mentioned above, the microphone is made of rather cheap plastic but it’s not flimsy. Well, it’s a $40 product. Expecting anything better would be unfair. The grille is made of metal and sturdy enough to bear a few drops. 

The microphone has threads for attaching it to the included tripod stand. But, you can hook it to a boom arm or any other stand that has the same threads. To connect it to your laptop, you need to use the mini USB included in the kit. 

This is a very basic product. So, as expected, it has very few controls. There is just one mute button on it and an LED light that indicates if it is plugged in or not. The mute button is a rare feature in this price range. Most of the competitively priced products do not have it. 

The microphone can be adjusted (180 degree upward rotation) to point towards your mouth, so you can block all the surrounding noise. A few buyers have, however, complained that it picks up the clacking sound of the keyboard. To get rid of this, you need to place the microphone in front of the keyboard.  

Ease of use 

Since Amazon Basics desktop mini condenser microphone has no fancy features and buttons, it is pretty easy to use. The setup involves just plug and play! You don’t need to install any drivers. Once you plug it in, you may not even have to change your default recording device setting on your laptop, as windows picks it up for you automatically. 

Audio output  

As mentioned above, the audio quality is definitely better than your laptop’s inbuilt system. Numerous buyers have recorded their videos and have shared them on Amazon. You can check their reviews. The sound quality is unbelievably good for a low-priced product like this. 

The frequency response of Amazon Basics desktop mini condenser microphone is 50Hz – 18kHz. It has a unidirectional polar pattern i.e. it can only record the sound that comes directly from its front. It may pick up some sound from the sides but they will be very insignificant. Plus, it doesn’t capture any sound that comes from the back of it. So, even though it doesn’t come with any noise cancellation feature, you will still get clear audio. 

Its competitive product is Blue Snowball iCE. It has a Cardioid polar pattern, which is also unidirectional. If you are looking for a bidirectional or omnidirectional polar pattern, so you can record interviews or the surrounding sounds, you can buy the White colored AmazonBasics Desktop Mini Condenser. Actually, Amazon should have named it differently. As of now, both the unidirectional and omnidirectional microphones carry the same name, so it gets quite confusing. 

What we don’t like about Amazon Basics desktop mini condenser microphone with tripod 

  • The mute button adds a clicking sound to your recording when used
  • Being lightweight, it topples over rather easily. You need to be careful with it.
  • A few buyers have mentioned durability issues. The tripod legs do not seem to last more than a year. Thankfully, it is covered by Amazon’s one-year warranty. 

Our Rating: 4.5/5

Our Verdict: 

AmazonBasics desktop mini condenser microphone with tripod is an excellent product for beginner-level podcasters, vloggers, streamers, and even professionals who want better sound while making video calls. Currently, it is priced at around $40 but numerous buyers have stated that they had bought it for just $30! The price has increased due to the pandemic. Maybe you can keep checking its price to get a better deal. But, even $40-$50 isn’t bad.  

If you are looking for a professional-quality desktop microphone, we would recommend Blue Yeti USB Mic, which is a bidirectional microphone. If you need a unidirectional microphone, Elgato Wave: 3 – USB Condenser Microphone and Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone are good options to consider.  

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