AT2005USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone,Black

I have used these mics to capture voice, piano, and violin. The sound is clean (very linear). I use the XLR inputs when you need a higher dynamic range and quality. Cables are soft and electrically quiet. The USB input (output) is also pretty good for general use and can be used to feed a laptop or mobile device directly. The headphone output works, but I almost never use it. In fact, it is a bit of a pain because plugging in this device into a laptop causes the default speaker to change to this headphone output and you have to reset it. The sound cone is about 30 degrees on both sides. That's good for situations where you don't want to pickup background noise and echoes (like in churches or large halls where the sound can get soupy). Vocals are rich at 6-12" spacing. For instruments try 1-5' spacing.

I have been a professional syndicator for 20 years working out of Nashville, and purchased this mic to use with my iPad for field recordings. The mic sounds good with it's own built in pre-amps through the USB and frankly, was everything I had hoped for when doing work outside the studio. It even has a headphone jack for live monitoring with zero latency. Sweet. On a lark, I decided to swap it out with my Electrovoice RE-20 on air studio mic. For this test I used the XLR connection instead of the USB, and ran it through the same audio chain as the RE-20. WOW...was I surprised! I think most listeners would not be able to guess which is the RE-20 and which is the AT2005. In fact it sounded so good, I just did a full show with it. It has a pleasantly warm low end and a clean high end that isn't tinny or irritating. Well balanced and perfectly to my liking. Note, it will sound much better using the XLR connection with a good board and digital converter, than it does through it's own internal pre's with USB, but this mic is a tremendous value no matter how you size it up. If you want to use it on the iPad, purchase the Apple camera connection kit and use the USB connector to simply plug it right in. This is an undocumented feature of the new iPad 3 (haven't tested the iPad 2) but it works like a champ. I use an app called AudioMemos that has some nice audio boosting features which you will find handy, as the audio levels can be a bit low when recording through the USB port. That said, this mic works with all the apps I've tried so far, even iMovie. So yes, you could shoot hi-def video interviews with this mic and an iPad 3. Just add a mic flag and you're all set. The only other thing you may want for video interviews is a Tri-pod mount. I use the Tournez2 carbon fiber mount by Joy Factory, available here on Amazon for under $70 bucks, but there are cheaper options too. Lastly, the AT2005USB includes a long thin USB cable (which comes in handy when connected to the iPad for interviews), an XLR cable, a small folding stand and a zippered pouch. You will likely want to get a foam windscreen for it to cut down on "p-pops". Nice job Audio-Technica. This is my new favorite mic!

I recently got this mic after envying the sound quality one of my cohosts had on the podcast we run together. I had previously been using the Blue Snowball, and the sound quality was "robotic" for lack of a better word. No amount of editing was helping to eliminate that effect. My teammates in games also complained that when I got loud over something exciting, it was very annoying and shrill. With the at2005usb mic, I sound like I am right there in the room! No distortion. No issues at all. Best part? I just opened the package, mounted it on my boom arm and plugged in the usb. I didn't need to to do anything from a software point of view either! I just started recording that night on audacity! This mic being a dynamic cardioid mic, my teammates never hear my mechanical keyboard clicking, since it only picks up sounds directly in front of it. If you live in a noisey house or appartment, this mic will help cut out all that extra noise that you and your audience want none of. I do run a little bit of a noise gate via Voicemeeter Banana, but you really should not have to. A boom arm is 100% recommended for gaming with this mic, if you are a streamer. A cheap $20 boom will easily support this mic. The reason I said this mic has room to grow, is the ability to also use this mic with an XLR setup. That requires more investment in the mix amp and phantom power though, so I am in no rush on that front. This thing sounds great via usb already! This mic competes with the Blue Yeti or HyperX quadcast on price, but competes with much more expensive mics in terms of sound quality! I'd recommend this to anyone interested in sounding good, be it for podcasting, youtubing, streaming, voice over work, etc. Update in 2024: I am still using this same mic with ZERO issues. I have upgraded every part of my setup from the PC, to the peripherals, monitor, desk... everything. But not this mic. Because it just works. And it's cheaper now than it was 5 years back. If you are on the fence, just buy it.

I bought this microphone to upgrade from my older Blue Yeti, which is a microphone of nearly twice the price, but in my opinion half the value. Granted, this Audio Technica microphone is a dynamic product, whereas the Yeti is a condenser, but I have BY FAR gotten more bang for my buck out of this already. The quality is phenomenal. I use it for voice overs on YouTube and it never misses a beat. It sounds amazing for such a cheap USB item. Even with a foam ball of sorts, it does sometimes pick up on "plosions". This is usually when you're too close to the microphone, however, and isn't a constant thing. The plosions it does pick up on are never big (sometimes only noticeable to audiophiles). Standing too far away from the microphone can result in very quiet audio. Even with turning the gain up to its maximum, I would say you should not be more than a foot away from the microphone, and you really shouldn't even be that far if you're wanting the maximum results to be warranted. That is the function of a dynamic microphone however, and is to be expected. Speaking of its performance in terms of dynamic-ness, it does a good job of keeping most background noise out. The static is only slight, and is never anything that can't be fixed with a few clicks in even the most standard of audio editors. It does tend to pick up oh-so slightly on noises to the left and the right of the microphone. It's not so dynamic that if you slightly move your head away, you suddenly can't hear you anymore, but it's dynamic enough to where the main focus will be what's directly in front of the microphone for the most part. The volume control on the back of the microphone was a pain to use. This is only for when you have your headphones plugged into the microphone so that you may hear what you're saying a little clearer. I decided against using this function, as it became somewhat of a hassle. For one reason or another, the microphone likes to turn its volume up to max on your computer and immediately raise it back up should you attempt to lower it. This can sometimes be annoying, as it can be too loud at many times. The knob itself for the volume control is hard to reach, short of picking up the microphone and moving it (meaning it's nigh impossible to do this silently during a recording), and is small and hard to use among other things such as your USB cord cluttering the path. The peripherals that come with it are pretty nice. I usually never trust desktop stands for microphones, but I unpacked my more professional over-the-desk stand as to avoid clutter, as the one that came stock with the 2005USB was just fine. It barely shakes when I'm typing or browsing, and never picks up said shaking in the recording. My only complaint is that the microphone will very occasionally teeter down due to its weight. This can be fixed by sliding the microphone down and making it more heavy at the bottom, but can be annoying at times. It's never a big deal though. Overall, this is THE BEST value for a USB (with XLR capabilities should you want to upgrade and buy a mixer/preamp at one point) dynamic microphone I have ever seen, and I'd recommend this product to producers on a budget any day.

In the beginning, I bought a CAD U37 mic thinking that it would be a good mic for broadcast And that it would have that warm bassy voice but then I larned it was a condenser mic (it used make my voice sond pretty dry or cold, and it was way too sensitive. It could even pick up a fart 12 meters away) . I then searched for lots of videos And I realized that I needed a dynamic microphone. In fact it was there that I learned what was dynamic and condenser and cardioid. I was looking for a cheap alternative to the Shure SM7B which in my opinion is the best vocal & broadcast microphone ever made. I came across this At2005 USB model and it sounds pretty close to the SM7B, it's USB, and the price is 7 times less. This microphone is excellent because it has that warm bassy sound and captures your voice the way people hear it. It is of excellent heavy quality and does not pick up any unwanted noise instead just your voice. It does come with an xlr cable but I'd suggest getting yourself a high quality one separately. It comes with a plastic tripod, very cheap and delicate. Better get a proper mic stand or boom arm for your desk usage. Other than that, the microphone is excellent and I would buy any other audio technica product eyes closed.

The AT2005USB mic is a great mic for recording on the PC. The build quality is also top notch and looks pretty solid. Sound quality is as expected from a Audio Technica Dynamic Mic. The only issue I have with the Mic, is that it is very very soft in Windows 7, ever after I boost all settings to max. You can of cause use your own program to amp the gain up pre or post recording. But programs like skype, etc, that follow the Windows 7 volume settings, you need to talk loud to be heard.

Sound quality is pretty great to me. May be a tad bass-heavy but so are a lot of microphones from what I'm hearing on youtube. Very sturdy construction and nice heft, but the rubbery mic clip that is included doesn't hold onto it very well. It never falls out, but isn't super secure, either. USB convenience is nice, I can bring this mic to my friend's house and hook up to his mixer via XLR for our group Twitch sessions and then bring it home and use USB at my desk for myself. Output via USB seems pretty low but I believe that to be a Windows driver issue and adjusting mic gain via software isn't a big deal once you google for a minute. Sound quality is 9/10ths the same over USB as XLR with the last 10th going to the built-in compressor which you can not turn off, as it creates audible hiss if you fall silent for a few seconds. Again not a huge deal for me because for Twitch I am also outputting video game audio which effectively covers up any hiss. Included desktop tripod is OK but is impractical for me because you really need to be less than 10" from the mic to sound good. Included XLR cable is as good quality as any but 10' may be too short for some. Included pouch is a thoughtful addition but isn't very padded at all. I got a great 'crushed box' deal on this mic via Amazon Warehouse Deals! Steep discount and the box contents were still in perfect shape.

I gave it 5 stars not because it's the best microphone out there. There are super expensive microphones that are much better. I gave this 5 stars because it's a really good sounding microphone and doesn't cost much. Another bonus that it has both XLR capability and USB. I bought it for podcasting to use with a mixer/recorder but even if my podcasting turns out to be a bust I still have a great microphone that my kids can use with the computer. It is very uni-directional so if you're not talking directly into the mic you can tell. This is good for me because it eliminates a lot of the extraneous sound in my home-not-even-close-to-professional-because-it's-in-my-kitchen home studio. It comes with a little mic stand as an added bonus although I use something nicer. What I do use with my nicer stand is the mic holder/clamp that comes with the mic. I haven't used it in the field yet but I imagine it will work very well for that too. If you want to record something that sounds professional without spending a fortune in the beginning, this is the microphone to do it with. As an aside if you're wondering the difference between this microphone and the Audio-Technica AT2100 USB, I have both. There isn't any difference with sound or function. The 2005 is dark grey and the part you speak into is flat while the 2100 is silver and has a rounded mic. I don't know if the 2100 is supposed to be better for vocal singing and the 2005 for podcasting. I can't tell the difference with podcasting except the 2005 looks cooler because of the darker color so maybe it would be better if you're on camera.

Estoy encantado con este micro. Es una maravilla lo bien que suprime el ruido ambiental. Tenía un AT2020 pero tenía que insonorizar toda la habitación cada vez que grababa algo. Con este micro evito tener que montar el chiringo de grabación y el resultado es óptimo. 100% recomendable

Très mauvais micro Mauvais qualité audio; soit on ne m'entend pas soit on entend énormément de bruits parasites Le pied est instable et ne tient que dans une certaine position Vraiment un mauvais achat

Sounds nice for the price. Also has USB or XLR connections.

Molto utile la regolazione diretta del volume , e' un microfono serio

Wat een teleurstelling! Binnen drie maanden ging het apparaat al kapot. Toen ik contact opnam met de klantenservice, werd ik behandeld alsof ik een kleuter was. "Met je bonnetje terug naar de winkel," werd er op een neerbuigende toon gezegd, zonder enige poging om mee te denken of het probleem op te lossen. Absoluut schandalig en onprofessioneel! Dit bedrijf heeft laten zien totaal geen waarde te hechten aan zijn klanten. Voor mij nooit meer – wat een ongelooflijke aanfluiting!