Review on Heil Sound PL-2T Overhead Broadcast Boom: Top-Quality Solution for Seamless Audio Broadcasting by Brian Sage

Wow. I made the mistake of buying this and some cheap $20 booms. I say "mistake" because while $20 was perfectly fine, it just couldn't handle this healing boom. ABSOLUTELY NO COMPARISON. Let's talk about the cheaper ones, shall we? The cheaper ones are basically copies of each other. All the cheaper ones have external springs, two 15" bar segments, and a cheap table mount. Some come with a microphone holder, others even come with an XLR cable threaded through. Cable ties to manage the cable (because you need to route the cable somewhere) and some of those that offer cable ties offer a good solution for cable management with Velcro. Remove the rail cover, strain relief covers on the corners to avoid pinching the cable, INNER SPRING and amazing 20" boom segments! That extra 10 inches (an extra 5 inches per segment compared to cheaper products) makes a HUGE difference in mic reach and placement. This is perfect for heavy mics like the AT2020USB (which I use plus a windscreen and shock absorber) and the Blue Yeti (my backup mic, the AT2020USB is much better for my voice). This Heil-Boom is designed for heavier applications and can easily carry much heavier microphones. On the cheaper ones you actually have to tighten the nuts on the connectors to work with heavy mics and you can damage the screws and knobs in the process. With this arrow you will not have such problems. So back to my previous statement. I bought this and the cheap one just to compare but since they were close I sent the cheaper one back. If I were smart I would only buy the cheap one then I wouldn't know what I'm missing out on. If you're just starting out, the cheaper option is fine. Just don't make the same mistake I did because once you try it you'll fall in love.TL:DR; This boom is perfect for taking the mic off the table so I can focus on my podcast and voiceovers. Hope that helps!