Huh, didn't see that one coming.

117 million dollars 6" copper wire a magnet and a diaphragm and a cable All FOR 117 Mill lmao https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRr1CjfKhL-SyYOqSWenST1maDtRO8MH0cCGZKg-VvcrPkHa1jHIg

Wow I just bought one of these for my kid a few weeks ago the snowball model.I read they make some of the best mics on the market.

Was looking at Blue,heard they're good,but decided to go with Audiotechnica instead.

nz3777:

Wow I just bought one of these for my kid a few weeks ago the snowball model.I read they make some of the best mics on the market.

They aren't bad for the price - definitely better than typical "gaming" headset mics.. but they are nowhere near the best on the market.

Very average mics. The one I had an auto-mute feature and only activated when u spoke. Problem was it missed half of the first word and sometimes would only turn on halfway through a sentence.

Blue makes some nice professional recording mics.

the only thing i know, many people seems like blue "Yeti" mic... iirc many streamer using it (sponsored or not) that what make them popular... before that i never even know their product

Pimpiklem:

copper wire a magnet and a diaphragm and a cable

The principle of operation is simple, indeed... however it's very difficult to get it right, to capture as much as the sound spectrum correctly, without distortion, without electric artifacts, without that annoying hiss, and also be sensitive enough to capture details of the sound, things which aren't shouted right into the microphone. To this day microphones are still WAY off the capability of human ear. Much to learn still...

Looks like logitech bought a company with good marketing/hype & ok product. Actually it's good product for their target market. Seems like a good deal for them instead of starting from zero building their brand in this market.

wavetrex:

To this day microphones are still WAY off the capability of human ear. Much to learn still...

Microphone technology is 191 years old. Most accurate microphone probably is million times more capable than human ear and can count air atoms hitting the detector 🙂. It is more about price, quality and the fact that world is full of shitty and low quality products.

Pimpiklem:

117 million dollars 6" copper wire a magnet and a diaphragm and a cable All FOR 117 Mill lmao https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRr1CjfKhL-SyYOqSWenST1maDtRO8MH0cCGZKg-VvcrPkHa1jHIg

And you're clueless. They make great mics and obviously there's a lot more to it than copper wire and a magnet.

Irenicus:

And you're clueless. They make great mics and obviously there's a lot more to it than copper wire and a magnet.

Yes, there is magic inside 😀 Because they mostly make USB mics, that means processing is done by device itself. But on other hand, I have $20 desktop mic, which had dual microphone, switch and sadly long mono cable. Sounded as you would expect... I replaced cable for stereo, added ferrite core and wired microphones as proper stereo. $20 mic sounds like $150. But work is apparently done by soundcard, while USB microphones have full control over its own quality. But today vs.15 years ago, those integrated soundcards are on different level. And that kind of contradicts technology 😀 Bad sounding microphones because soundcards were bad led to improvement of both soundcard and USB microphones technology. But that USB technology is not needed as much now, except situations where owner wants to use it for great many years and is uncertain about integrated soundcard quality (notebooks).

Fox2232:

Yes, there is magic inside 😀 Because they mostly make USB mics, that means processing is done by device itself. But on other hand, I have $20 desktop mic, which had dual microphone, switch and sadly long mono cable. Sounded as you would expect... I replaced cable for stereo, added ferrite core and wired microphones as proper stereo. $20 mic sounds like $150. But work is apparently done by soundcard, while USB microphones have full control over its own quality. But today vs.15 years ago, those integrated soundcards are on different level. And that kind of contradicts technology 😀 Bad sounding microphones because soundcards were bad led to improvement of both soundcard and USB microphones technology. But that USB technology is not needed as much now, except situations where owner wants to use it for great many years and is uncertain about integrated soundcard quality (notebooks).

The difference between your twenty dollar to 150 dollar mic and my professional recording mics is enormous.

SuperAverage:

The difference between your twenty dollar to 150 dollar mic and my professional recording mics is enormous.

Sure, because inner construction of those 2 mics wired in stereo is same as $2 mic's. Your's likely uses old school construction with large membrane. But do not get some spasm over it. I do use it to talk with people over internet. You do use it for studio recording. As using it for regular internet voice communications like steam/ventrilo/TS/... would crush audio quality of both $20 and $500 mic into same trash for receiving side.

Fox2232:

Sure, because inner construction of those 2 mics wired in stereo is same as $2 mic's. Your's likely uses old school construction with large membrane. But do not get some spasm over it. I do use it to talk with people over internet. You do use it for studio recording. As using it for regular internet voice communications like steam/ventrilo/TS/... would crush audio quality of both $20 and $500 mic into same trash for receiving side.

You'd think so, but I used to use the same computer for both recording and gaming, and I ran a rather nice EV broadcasting mic through a tube pre-amp and compressor to a focusrite audio interface for TS, and the difference of quality and clarity between that setup and any other run-of-the mill top-end gaming mic and headset is astounding. Completely unnecessary, obviously, I just didn't feel like switching between a gaming headset and the system I had dialed in for recording. And yeah, most of the mics I use are fairly large, if not huge, diaghragms. Sometimes it was fun to throw crazy effects on my voice to my teammates during dogfights. I use a cheap as hell gaming headset/mic now for gaming.

Yakk:

Looks like logitech bought a company with good marketing/hype & ok product. Actually it's good product for their target market. Seems like a good deal for them instead of starting from zero building their brand in this market.

Exactly

EJocys:

Microphone technology is 191 years old. Most accurate microphone probably is million times more capable than human ear and can count air atoms hitting the detector 🙂. It is more about price, quality and the fact that world is full of shitty and low quality products.

Nope. No such microphone. That's something quite different. And the world is also full of shitty and clueless, low quality opinions.

Irenicus:

And the world is also full of shitty and clueless, low quality opinions.

You took the words out of my mouth 😉 To explain to @EJocys a bit what I'm talking about: It's the DYNAMIC RANGE of human eyes and ears, which hasn't yet been matched either by video sensors, or by microphones. Dynamic range means the receiver (eye, ear) can detect signals which are both very faint, but also very strong, without being completely overloaded (or below the detection threshold). Keeping it to the microphones, yes, there are some specialized scientific microphones who can detect pressures lower than 20 micropascals (which is considered minimum level that a healthy human -might- hear), but a simple clap of hands would completely destroy that microphone, as it's membrane would shatter. On the other hand, there are microphones that can record very loud noises correctly (used for testing aircraft turbines and other industrial processes), but you could scream into them and barely register. There is not one single microphone, no matter how special or expensive, that can cover even a small percentage of human hearing pressure range without distorting the sound. We are wonderful bio-machines, and we should learn to appreciate that !

wavetrex:

It's the DYNAMIC RANGE of human eyes and ears, which hasn't yet been matched either by video sensors, or by microphones.

Oh really? 🙂 Last time I checked, there are audio equipment which can rupture you eardrums if you stand too close, and video equipment will burn your eyes if you look straight into it. Equipment which will produce radio or pressure waves, humans can't detect. There are limits not because you can't recreate full ranges, but because of safety and price competition. Photo capturing equipment, just like sound equipment, can capture full radio spectrum and strength which is way below and above human senses.

wavetrex:

On the other hand, there are microphones that can record very loud noises correctly (used for testing aircraft turbines and other industrial processes), but you could scream into them and barely register. There is not one single microphone, no matter how special or expensive, that can cover even a small percentage of human hearing pressure range without distorting the sound.

Did it occurred to you that you can use array of different microphones and photo sensors in one system to capture full range of radio and pressure waves? You can also choose designs which are more robust. There is no rule that you can use one device at the time. You know, there is a reason why speakers use array of different drivers 🙂. Scientist use all kinds of super-precise equipment, which exceeds sensors of humans, every day. This equipment is not sold to consumers, not because it can't be done, but because there is no idiot who would buy 0 cd/m² - 90 000 cd/m² TV/Projector when research was done and it was clear that with 10 000 cd/m² people start to feel discomfort already. If you want true sound experience with headphones then it must have extra vibrators which will hit your scull from front ant behind. Problem that this would be too much (price and complexity) for average consumer, so nobody bothers. Stop judging today's technology by what you can buy at Walmart or Amazon. If you can't afford it or it would be too irrational to pay for it then it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.