Speaker 1: All right, you're starting a podcast. One of the big things you've got to do is make sure you get the right microphone, right? So in this video, we're going to go through a bunch of mics and we're going to show you what the best podcast microphone out there is for under a hundred bucks. All right, so one of the first criteria we're going to use is I want you to get a dynamic microphone. So there's two main kinds of microphones. We've got dynamic mics and condenser mics. The thing about condenser mics is they're really, really good. They pick up a lot of nuance in your voice. Unfortunately, that means they pick up a lot of nuance of everything. So if you're not in a treated environment like I'm in right now, you actually will get a lot of background noise and most podcasters, that's a really bad setup because we're recording at home, not the perfect environment. So we're going to get all the condenser mics out of here. This guy, wonderful mic, but it's not going to make it. Blue Yeti, I'm telling you guys, this isn't the mic for podcasters. I know it's kind of the de facto mic. A lot of people get it, but it's really not the best setup for you because it's that kind of condenser microphone. All right, so now we're down to our dynamic mics. So the title of this video is under a hundred dollars. And so some of you smart Alex out there looking around going, I know some of these cost more than a hundred bucks. That's true. Some of these expensive microphones are really great, but I don't think it's worth tripling your investment just to get a slightly better sound. So no problem with any of these mics. They're just not perfect for the beginner podcaster. So we're going to eliminate a couple of these from the table. We're doing a quick toss challenge for the camera guy. Let's see how we do. Last thing is we actually, this guy used to be under a hundred dollars, but now it is an antique. It's been discontinued. So this one's going to be out of here as well. All right, so now we're down to three microphones, all of which cost less than a hundred dollars and are actually for sale right now. So the third criteria is we want one that's a really easy setup. If you were to start looking at these, we've actually got different connectors for each of these microphones, both have XLR and USB connectors, so they could go right into the computer. Unfortunately, the pod mic, while it's a great mic and I actually love the build quality, it only is XLR. And that means is I'd have to buy an audio interface, I'd have to buy cables and I'd actually have to buy a stand. So we're looking at another hundred, $130 to get this set up. Technically it's under a hundred dollar microphone. It would be a great for a beginner, except it's going to take a little bit more work. So I'm comfortable knocking this out of the running for now. So we're down to two great mics. They're dynamic under a hundred bucks. We've got a lot of accessories, good stuff. Samson Q2U versus the Audio-Technica ATR2100X. So the first round accessories, what came in the box when we've actually bought these guys? ATR2100, very nice. I like this a lot. They included two different USB cables, one's the USB-C, if you've got a newer computer and USB-A cable, I like that. You've got both options. It's also got the XLR. If you ever upgraded that system, you're covered. The stand, it's cool. Fans of the movies, Transformers would like it, I guess, because it folds up, but it's kind of cheap, man. And when I watched other videos, I actually saw some where it broke. I think that this, this is not a great stand. Samson Q2U, got the same XLR cable. So those are kind of equivalent. They only have the one cable in the box, USB-A, but that's fine. Nice. They threw in a little foam cover. These cost three bucks on Amazon, but nice little bonus. This stand, quite a bit better. So I like that I can sit up a little more straight. It's up higher. It's not as flimsy. I know it's not going to break as soon as this is. Let's look at the mics, maybe then we'll dive into doing some audio tests before we pick our winner. All right, so now we've got the two mics. Let's look at the actual microphone itself. They're very similar. On the bottom, we've got headphone jacks so we can listen to ourselves in real time. We've got XLR plugs, the same. We've got USB-C versus micro USB plugs, pretty much going to do the same thing either way. One of the differences, Q2U has buttons for the audio, whereas we have a slider over here. So if you're someone who really appreciates sliders. Pretty much, honestly, I don't see either of these being that different. They both feel really good. They both, honestly, very similar. If you prefer maybe the color of one, you might go with the one you like the color more, but I'm not seeing anything here that makes me really feel like one is a clear winner. Now we've got to go, we've got to see something different in the audio quality, because remember, this is $40 more. I'm holding this to a higher standard and I haven't seen anything yet that makes me think this is worth another $40. All right, so now I'm talking to you through the ATR2100X. We've set this up, we've taken the shotgun mic off, so everything you're hearing is coming from this microphone. I went ahead and put the $3 foam cover on there. I didn't want this mic to be at a disadvantage without it. I'm going to just kind of roll as if I was recording one of the podcasts I'm on. It's called Buzzcast. It's about the podcasting industry. Welcome back to Buzzcast. This is Alvin. I'm here with Kevin and Travis, like always. Today we're talking all things podcasting. All right, sounds pretty good. Let's compare it to the Q2U. All right, the Samson Q2U. So let's do that same intro that we just did. We'll just do it for this mic. All right, welcome back to Buzzcast. This is Alvin. I'm here with Kevin and Travis, and we're going to be talking all things podcasting. All right, similar sound. That sounded pretty good. I like it. One big difference, again, I don't mean to harp so much on one bad stand, but being at a higher level, my chest does feel a little bit more opened up. I don't feel as awkward. I like talking into this mic more. So now I'm going to go listen to those recordings I just did. Really dive into how they sound different, and then we'll be back with our final recommendation. All right, so just listen to those audio samples, and I'm actually really surprised with how similar those sounded. I know with my voice, I want a little bit of a de-esser on there, just because I get those S sounds a little bit more nasally. I actually felt like the Q2U is doing a better job with that. It also sounded a little bit more full. They both are very good. If you personally like one more, trust your ear for it, because both make you sound great. But when I start thinking about it, this is $100 plus the $3 foam ball. This was $60. And so we're looking at a $43 difference for what, to my ear, is inconsequential sound quality differences. Both are build quality with good accessories. I actually lean to the Q2U. I don't see the justification for another $43 for this one, especially when I'm already stressed out about that mic stand breaking. Samsung Q2U is the podcast microphone for you. That is a terrible tagline. It was great. I think it would be an awesome microphone. You're going to sound great. You're not going to feel the need to upgrade right away, and you're going to do really well with your podcast. If you enjoyed this video, give us a thumbs up. Let me know if you thought a different microphone should have come out on top. But until next time, we wish you the best with your podcast and take care. So, I'm not thinking this stand is as good as it...