I Think This $23 Amazon Basics USB Desktop Microphone Should Make...

It sounds surprisingly good for the cash, and no one's happier about that than me.

Andy Edser is a man with a mission. It's a mission he didn't sign up for, or even want, but I'm his boss so he has to do what I say. And I'm making him test a ton of different cheap tech I might find on Amazon, AliExpress, TikTok Shop, or down the back of my sofa. Out of nowhere it will appear on his doorstep with no warning and he has no choice but to use whatever it is like his life depends on it. Because it does.

Returning home one evening after a night of revelry, I discovered a mysterious Amazon box on my doorstep I had no memory of ordering. No, it wasn't the whiskey playing tricks on me, it was instead another gift from my mischievous editor-in-chief. This time he's sent me a $23 Amazon Basics USB condenser microphone to review. Goody.

Actually, I shouldn't be so quick to judge. Pulling the mic from its default cardboard packaging reveals a surprisingly weighty little chassis, and that's a promising start.

I've had the privilege of working with some roadworthy audio equipment over the years, and the little Amazon Basics mic has the same sort of heft I'd usually associate with something gig-proof, like a Shure SM58 or SM57. It's just in miniature, so you can easily integrate it into your desk setup.

What, no discount? True, but what did you expect when this little microphone is around the cost of takeout for one to begin with? The good news is, this ultra-cheap desktop condenser mic actually sounds perfectly decent, is well-built, and has made other budget microphones look a bit silly as a result, as we found in our review. An absolute bargain, even at full price.

The Basics mic also comes with an adorable little stand, which, for reasons I can't quite fathom, tilts from the bottom of the pole, not the top. I have no idea why the little mic loves a Dutch angle so, but it makes me giggle slightly every time I see it cocked to one side. A slightly bizarre design choice, perhaps, but I suppose a tilt is a tilt—and it's completely stable at a full drunken lean, regardless.

You also get a USB Type-A to Type-C cable, a brief quickstart leaflet and, err, nothing else. This is an Amazon Basics product after all, and realistically, this is about right for even some fairly high end desktop mics. A stand, a microphone to put on the stand, a cable to connect said microphone to your PC. All as it should be.

The mic itself actually has a couple of hidden features worth shout

Source: PC Gamer