I've been using an Audio Technica AT2020 USB+ https://www.amazon.com/Synchronet_is_awesome/dp/B00B5ZX9FM
for 5 or 6 years (whenever we started the techdorks podcast) and have been very happy with it.

With all the Zooming (for working) and Mumbling (for fun) I'm doing these days, I found myself moving the mic between computers more often than I'd like to so I looked into buying another one (and researching if Audio Technica maybe had a newer/better model - they don't) and while doing so was swayed toward the Blue Yeti. I receive the Blue Yeti yesterday and I'm impressed:

1. It's a little bit cheaper than the AT2020USB+
2. Includes a mic preamp for self-monitoring via headphones (an important feature of the AT2020USB+ that the non-plus model does not have)
3. Has 4 selectable pickup patterns, so better isolation from the sounds you don't want to capture (AT2020* does not)
4. Has 3 capsules capable of capturing/recording 2 channel (stereo) sources (AT2020 is mono only)
5. Has a physical mute/cough button (not available on the AT2020)
6. Comes with a very solid desk stand (AT2020 comes with a weak mini-tripod)

The internal D/A (for computer audio) sounds better than the AT2020 but there is no "mix" control (the amount of your own voice/signal you hear with the computer signal seems to not be adjustable). That's the only negative I've found so far. Oh, and the USB connector on the mic is mini-USB (not micro and not USB-A, which I would have preferred).

Anyway, that's my review/comparison. :-) They both sound great, but for the features, I give the edge to the Blue Yeti.
--
digital man

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Re: USB microphones
By: Digital Man to All on Sat Jan 30 2021 11:29 am

Technica maybe had a newer/better model - they don't) and while doing so was swayed toward the Blue Yeti. I receive the Blue Yeti yesterday and I'm impressed:

I've got a Blue Yeti too, it's a good mic.

For next time, if you're ever in the market again.... Here's a mega-review of just about every USB/XLR Microphone by Marco Arment.

https://marco.org/podcasting-microphones

Here's what he has to say about the Blue Yeti:

"The Yeti has been recommended for years as an inexpensive starter mic. Getting good sound out of it takes some work and additional gear: it needs a strong pop filter, it picks up a lot of room echo, and its included desk stand keeps the mic too far away for good sound. But its a great value, and under ideal circumstances -- close-up use in a silent, soft room with a pop filter -- it can yield excellent sound quality. (The Yeti has selectable pickup patterns. These were using the cardioid setting, which both Blue and I recommend for podcasting.)"

Bob Roberts

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