A true condenser microphone is expensive and requires an external sound card with +45 volt phantom power. A dynamic capsule is well suited only for professional recording, sitting strictly in front of the microphone at a fixed distance. Therefore, in most cases, the most convenient solution is an electret microphone connected according to the Plug’n’Play principle, which translates approximately as “turned on and immediately works.” You can only experience the benefits of expensive Blue, Samson, Audio-Technica and Shure solutions in a soundproof studio. For home or office use, even an inexpensive electret microphone will suffice.

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GamePro SM430 – the most affordable microphones for PCs are made in the form of the so-called “goose neck”, that is, a capsule of small diameter is placed on a long thin stem closer to the user. This design takes up a minimum of space on the table, and in the case of the GamePro SM430 model, it also doubles as a holder for the mouse wire. For the price of one gadget, we get two at once. Unless, of course, you have a wireless mouse, which does not need a holder at all.

Decorated with iridescent RGB lighting, the microphone body houses a physical volume control and a quick mute button. True, the sound quality is only slightly better than the microphone built into the wired stereo headset. For voice chats like Zoom and Discord, and multiplayer games like CSGO and Dota 2, that’s enough. But for streaming and recording podcasts, it is still better to choose a microphone with a larger capsule.

Pros : Orientation towards the user, RGB lighting, mouse wire holder, very low price.
Cons : The sound is only marginally better than wired stereo headsets.

The Fifine K669B is one of the most popular low-cost microphones, with a built-in sound card and a USB connection right away, that is, without the need for additional phantom power. The body of the microphone is made of metal, and the tripod is equipped with rubber washers to partially dampen the vibration of a computer standing next to it on the table. But of course, a spider mount would do a much better job of this task. The older equipment – Fifine T669 – already has a spider, a mesh pop filter, and even a pantograph.

But for the K669, they were greedy to put even a foam cap in the box. But fortunately, the microphone is loud enough to speak into it from a distance of half a meter and, thereby, eliminate the problem of sound overload when pronouncing the letters “B” and “P”. The microphone has only one directivity – cardioid, at a slight angle forward. Sounds from behind, for example, the buzzing of PC fans, if it catches it, it is much quieter than voices. Which is then easily removed in a software editor, like the free Audacity or the commercial Adobe Audition.

Pros : Large 16mm capsule, cardioid pickup, all-metal body.
Cons : No foam pop filter included.

Redragon Blazar GM300 is a microphone in the corporate black and red color of the Red Dragon gaming brand. In addition to a tripod and a foam pop filter, it also comes with a spider mount that levels out hits on the keyboard. The difference in vibration with and without a spider is simply colossal, as they say, it is better to hear it for yourself once. A microphone was built on the basis of an electret capsule, which is a type of condenser capsule.

The vast majority of USB microphones, even two or three times more expensive, are based on an electret capsule (one or more). The directivity is cardioid, the cable is removable for ease of transportation, the volume control is made not in the form of a knob, but with the Plus and Minus buttons. This is more convenient for quickly changing the volume level in fixed steps. And for more fine-tuning, you can use the software control in the sound settings menu of the Windows, macOS or Linux operating system.

Pros : Cardioid electret capsule, spider mount and foam pop filter included.
Cons : Insufficiently stable design.

Lorgar Voicer 931 is a richly equipped microphone, with a spider, a pop filter and a pantograph, that is, a multi-arm stand with many degrees of freedom. It allows you to attach the microphone to the table so that it does not interfere when idle, and is at a comfortable distance during use. The closer the microphone is to your mouth, the lower the volume level can be set, and the less extraneous noise will be picked up.

There are two volume controls: recording and listening in real time through headphones connected directly to the microphone, as well as a touch button to completely mute the sound. The USB Type-C cable has an extended length of 2.5m so that it can be neatly attached to the pantograph. The microphone capsule is nickel-plated to protect against corrosion, because droplets of saliva can get inside. Simplified configurations are also offered: Voicer 521 with a simple tripod and 721 with a high tripod, spider and pop filter.

Pros : Pantograph, spider and pop filter included, nickel-plated capsule, real-time listening.
Cons : The price is already like that of microphones with several capsules.

2E Gaming Kumo Pro is a huge all-metal microphone weighing over a kilogram. Inside there are three capsules at once, however, a slightly reduced diameter of 14 mm, which provides four recording modes. The first is cardioid, for voice chats and streams. The second is stereo, for vocals and musical instruments. The third is bi-directional (front and back), for podcasts together. Finally, the fourth is omnidirectional, for meetings between colleagues.

Switching between modes is done by a button on the upper end of the microphone, which is indicated by four LEDs corresponding to the recording directions. There is a 3.5mm minijack headphone jack for listening to live recordings, and two volume controls (mic and headphone). There is also a soft unobtrusive RGB backlight. If desired, the microphone can be detached from the complete tripod and transplanted to a separately purchased pantograph with a typical 5/8 inch thread.

Pros : Three capsules, four recording modes, 1 kg body, soft RGB lighting, price is only slightly higher than single capsules.
Cons : Rigid tripod dampens vibration weakly.