Review on Enhanced-Quality SAMSON Q2U USB Handheld 🎙️ Dynamic Microphone Recording and Podcasting Pack (Black) by Jessica Russell

TL;DR: Great sound quality, requires additional peripherals and you may need to change your speaking habits. You may encounter a hardware quirk. Before you buy, find out how you intend to use it. **Notice 01/31/2021** Revain has stopped commenting on reviews and this review had many helpful comments/responses: Long story short, there is a firmware update for Samson. a site that fixes the problem I found at the bottom of my review. An alternative firmware solution is to use hardware (USB HUB with physical switches). Note that their "samsontech" website is missing an SSL certificate, so it's still not HTTPS - in 2021; As a result, Chrome users see an unsafe notice at the top of the page. It's also a very fast and dirty MFC application that updates firmware - you'll see what I mean when/if you decide to use it. The microphone itself is excellent value. When I compare the sound quality of my current recordings to previous recordings with alternative mics I've used, the Samson Q2U definitely sounds the most "professional" despite being in the same price range as my other two mics (Blue Snowball and Antlion ModMic). . 5). I describe it as "professional" because my voice sounds very clear, natural and detailed (voice is fuller and doesn't sound like I'm speaking through a tin can) and there is little to no background noise. The Samson Q2U is a microphone together with an adjustable NEEWER boom for holding the microphone. The Q2U is equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack on the bottom. The port is a nice touch as I have two wide monitors and my desktop is on the right and my main monitor (along with the mic) is on the left. This saves me an extra long headphone cable in addition to a long USB cable (for the microphone). The Q2U is a dynamic microphone, so it normally only picks up loud sounds. Regardless, I still run it at low gain to further reduce background noise (like mechanical keyboard taps and angry mouse clicks). This requires me to speak directly into the mic to be picked up clearly - as someone who naturally speaks softly and moves a lot, I had to project my voice more and be careful to stay centered in front of the mic. In terms of sound quality, the Snowball and the Q2U proved to be the closest, however, unlike the Q2U, the Snowball is a condenser microphone and picks up a lot more background noise. In order to reduce the snowball's gain, I had to get close to it (the included stand is short, so I had to lean on it), and that also meant I had to get a pop screen. The Snowball is also heavier than the Q2U (and much heavier given its form factor). Placing it in front of my keyboard/mouse meant I accidentally knocked it over from time to time. I could have used the Snowball with a barbell, but its form factor along with the pop filter made it too intrusive for my liking. The Q2U also comes with a stand, but it's not too heavy and therefore more stable. The Antlion ModMic is probably my favorite because it doesn't need a boom or mic stand to get in your way. Unfortunately, the mod's sound quality is slightly better than the mics you find in gaming headsets (I've used Razer Carcharias and Steel Series Siberia V2). Headset microphones usually make your voice sound tinny and almost "telephone". My only criticism of the Samson Q2U is that there is a strange issue with the device (otherwise I would have gotten five stars): when my computer boots up, the microphone is muted. The power indicator flashes red and green rapidly and continues to flash indefinitely. The microphone cannot be used while it is flashing - the microphone generates static noise. To fix this problem, I have to unplug and plug the USB cable back in every time I turn the computer on and off. This is a known microphone issue that seems to have been reported in other reviews and forum posts online, but there doesn't appear to be an official fix. Note, however, that the problem appears to be present with other USB microphones as well. For reference, my motherboard is an ASRock AB350 ITX motherboard.