SAMSON Meteor USB Microphone

I purchase this microphone for two reasons: 1.) I make videos for work that require voice-over narration and 2.) I started vlogging and needed a mic to add voice-over to my videos. But, I've actually found it to be quite useful for more than just those purposes. I also use it for online meetings, audio/video chats, teaching online classes, etc. I'm so much happier with it over the built-in mic in my laptop.Firstly, let's discuss looks. This mic has a really neat, stylish look to it. It's retro-looking with an appearance similar to old-school mics from the 1950's, but the flip-out feet give it a modern twist. The polished metal look is also great. It does tend to show fingerprints, though. If that's a concern, consider a different color option.Sound quality is also fantastic. It's a condenser mic, so it's somewhat directional. I find I get plenty of volume when I speak with the mic on my desk and I'm sitting back comfortably in my chair. The sound does get richer as you move closer to it, though. So for video voice-over, I tend to hold it in my hand closer to my mouth. It also does a fairly decent job at minimizing background noise, especially when it originates from the sides or rear. I've had no need for a pop filter on this mic, but I also don't speak with my mouth right up to it, either. I have tested this, and it does catch a few of those pops. So, for those of you who would put it on a stand and speak close to it, consider adding a pop filter. But, if you speak adjacent to it and not directly toward it (as you should do anyway), you'll avoid puffing air at it and causing those volume spikes when you spit air into the mic. It also has a headphone port on the rear so you can monitor your sound input directly from the back of the Meteor as you're speaking, which is great if your recording device doesn't have a headphone jack available for monitoring.The Meteor has a threaded insert on the bottom to accept a mic stand. If you want to attach it to a boom, a stand, a desk mount, whatever, you can do so. But, I will say it'll look a little funny with the feet sticking out when it's mounted on a threaded stand. Some people won't care. If you do, you may try using a screwdriver to take out the fold-out feet, if you plan to leave it mounted to a stand.Speaking of those fold-out feet......... I'd LOVE if those were detachable. It's one of my only gripes with this mic. But, since I use it on my desk the majority of the time, it's usually a non-issue for me. The rear foot also folds up over the Mini USB port on the back of the mic. So, you can't just fold the feet up and still use the mic, as you wouldn't be able to plug it in. If you aren't careful and push down on the mic, you could also change the position of the rear foot and damage this port or the cable by pushing the rear foot up into the cable. So, just make sure to be aware of that as you use and move your Meteor around.The mic level and mute can be controlled right on the mic. I love that! It has adjustable volume on the ring around the mute button. And the LED changes from blue to yellow to indicate the mic has been muted. This works even when you mute the mic from a computer or laptop. (I have a dedicated mute button on my keyboard, so I just use that instead of reaching for the mic.)If you do need to travel with it, since the feet fold up, it ends up being nice and compact. And it even included a faux velvet pouch to put it in.Lastly, if you do purchase this mic...... while the sound quality is very good, if you do plan to record anything with it, I would HIGHLY-recommend spending a few extra dollars and getting the Samson Sound Deck companion app to go with it. You can record audio through that app. And the app includes the ability to turn on noise reduction, which virtually eliminated any echoing I heard from my voice bouncing off of the hard walls in my home office. The Sound Deck app also works with 3rd-party recording products. I tried adjusting Noise Reduction and Echo Erase while recording in Audacity, and it definitely affected the recordings. So, you don't have to record only using Sound Deck, you just need to have the app running in the background to take advantage of it. This also means that all real-time audio has the NR and EE features active, which is great for clear audio during my meetings and training courses.So, all-in-all, this is a fantastic mic! I'm pleased with how it looks and functions. There are a couple of minor things I'd change (removable feet!!!), but not enough to warrant removing a full star from my review. I'd give it a 4.5, if I could. Especially once you pair it with Samson Sound Deck.

***SEE UPDATE BELOW***ORIGINAL Review in 2013: I really loved this microphone when I first bought it in April. It has great sound quality, and it worked perfectly with my iPad. Made several great recordings. Everything was working awesome for the first 6 months. Then in September it started to fail. It used to always show an indicator light that turned blue when I had it plugged in correctly. Now it only will turn yellow/amber, and sound quality has degraded. Tested it extensively with both iPad as well as 2 laptops, always same issue. Researching reviews elsewhere online has revealed that there are many other people who have had this same problem -- only that they found that this problem continues to progress to the point where it won't record at all. I'm feeling really disappointed now in my purchase, and have to deal with arranging for repair through the manufacturer since it is outside timeframe allowed by Amazon's return policy. No longer will it be a deal at $69, once I add in all the costs of shipping it for repair.NEW UPDATE in 2025: So I completely forgot I had posted this review, and today was looking back at my old 2013 order just to find out if they still made this Meteor Mic. An update is definitely in order! Plus I need to bump the stars up to 5 now as well. So at some point after I posted that review above, I did reach out to Samson by email and complained. They promptly responded and asked me for the serial number on my device. When I told them, they seemed rather surprised (like "Really? that's the number on yours?) and immediately shipped me a replacement (which appeared to be brand new), and then had me ship the failed one back in the replacements box. So now it is Jan 2025, almost 12 years later, and that replacement mic is the one I use all the time. The built-in mic on my laptop does not work at all, so I must use an external USB mic, and this Samson Meteor Mic is my most favorite. The sound is awesome (has a foam pop filter over it), and my replacement has never once given me a problem. In fact, I love it so much I got curious today about whether I could even buy another one after all of these years. Well I guess so, and now even for half the price too. I really don't need another one, but this is just good to know! I sure hope the ones today are just as good a quality as the one right here on my desk.