Cheapo PC Microphone Review

Need a good PC microphone, and don't want to spend a lot of money? Fortunately, you don’t need to spend a lot to get a good one. Since the sound card does most of the work, the components are rather inexpensive.

The first thing you should look for in a microphone is that it is ‘powered’. Sound cards output a small voltage through the microphone port, which helps amplify the signal from the microphone. If you don't have a powered microphone, you’re probably getting a very weak signal. Non-powered microphones usually require a pre-amp to get good results, which gets expensive. You can tell if your microphone is powered or not by looking at the jack - if there's only 1 ring it's a non-powered microphone. Any microphone specifically marked as for a PC or computer will be powered.

The next most important element is cord length. I had to throw out a US Logic headset right off the bat, simply because it wouldn’t reach around my desk. The cord should be at least 6 ½ feet long.

And, of course, you need accuracy. To test the accuracy of the microphones in this review, 2 different wave files were played through the testing computer’s speakers. I recorded this right back into the computer using each microphone. The original wave was then overlayed onto the recorded one, and the average difference computed. This was done 4 times for each microphone, and the overall results were averaged. For the voice-to-note test, I used each microphone to record notes using my own voice. Any aberrations were recorded. This was done 10 times for each microphone, and the results were averaged.

Here is a graphical example of the wave accuracy test, using the Koss CS-100 headset (the green is the original wave, the red is the wave recorded from the microphone):

Are here are the results:

Brand	Model	Type	Street Price	Uni- directional*	Noise Filter*	Cord Length	1st wave accuracy	2nd wave accuracy	voice-to-note errors
Creative/ Telex	N/A	Boom	$9	N	N	6.7'	85.4%	86.6%	1.0
Cyber Acoustics	CVL 1122	Lapel/monitor mount	$10	N	N	7.7'	83.2%	86.2%	2.7
MidiLand	MP-9108	Lapel/monitor mount	$8	N	N	7.9'	83.7%	86.4%	0.7
MidiLand	HM-803	Headset	$12	N	N	5.8'	85.4%	87.9%	4.7
Koss	CS-100	Headset	$20	Y	Y	9.3'	85.8%	88.8%	4.1
Labtec	Verse-504	Boom	$12	Y	Y	8.6'	85.4%	86.6%	0.7
Audio-Lapas	DM-1200	Dynamic	$60	Y	N	20'	85.0%	84.0%	0.9

*'Uni-directional' mics pick up sounds coming directly in front of them only, 'omni-directional' mics pick up sounds all around them.

*'Noise filter' means the microphone has another microphone element picking up noise coming from the opposite direction which it uses to extract the noise from the input.

So what’s the best? The results are little confusing. The Koss headset had the best wave reproduction accuracy, however it had a lot of voice-to-note errors. These results were very reproducible, so I'd have to guess it had something to do with the fact that it's a headset, since the other headset in the review also had problems with the voice-to-note. However, these voice-to-note errors are actually small 'blips' which would not even show up as notes, so it's not really a problem. I'd recommend the Koss headset for it's comfort and accuracy. If you're interested in just voice-to-note accuracy, I would go with the Labtec Verse-504.

Some words about each microphone:

Creative/Telex boom mic: This microphone comes free with most Creative Labs sound cards. Very good accuracy, if you have one of these you might want to stick with it.

Cyber Acoustics lapel/monitor mount mic: Poor accuracy, get something else!

MidiLand MP-9108 lapel/monitor mount mic: good accuracy, and tied for the best voice-to-note accuracy.

MidiLand HM-803 headset: This headset is uncomfortable and the cord is not long enough, so I can’t recommend it. Very good accuracy, though.

Koss CS-100 headset: #1 in the accuracy test and very comfortable. Excellent choice if you need a headset.

Labtec Verse-504 boom mic: The best voice-to-note accuracy, and good wave reproduction. Has a monitor mounting option, so it won’t take up desk space. Also, since it’s unidirectional, it will focus in on your voice much better than the omni-directional mics.

Audio-Lapas DM-1200: This is a 'dynamic' mic, which are usually used for outdoor performances. Dynamic mics are usually non-powered, and because of this give a very weak signal. This is because it will only pick up sounds very close to it, ignoring other instruments and the audience. This microphone was just included to compare dynamic mics to normal PC microphones. 'Dynamic' Mics are usually less accurate than the 'electret' that is used in most PC microphones, the accuracy results are to be expected.

Troubleshooting your microphone:

Maybe the biggest problem with setting up a microphone is selecting it as the input device through the Windows ‘Volume Control’ panel. When you double-click on the volume control icon in the taskbar, you see only the playback volume controls. You need to go to the ‘Options’-‘Properties’ menu item, and select ‘Recording’. Before you hit OK, make sure all the input devices are checked, so you can see all of them. Now hit OK. You should see all your input devices now. Make sure the microphone is selected, and the volume is all the way up. If there is an advanced setting such as ‘Mic Boost’ select that as well. You need all the amplification you can get! Also remember that some programs will actually change these settings on you, so you should check it again if you're having problems.

Another common problem is plugging the microphone into the wrong port. The microphone jack is usually right next to where you plug your speakers in on the back of your computer.

If you are getting distortion in your recordings, you are probably singing too close to your microphone. Professional sound recording studios have ‘pop screens’ over the microphone to avoid this problem. Also, it keeps the performer at a constant distance to the microphone, which keeps the recording at a uniform volume (which also increases quality).

Other microphone reviews:
http://www.voicerecognition.com.au/review.htm

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Microphone Stats:

Name	Freq Resp	Imped. KOhms	Sensitivity	Max Power In	Cable Length	interface
MidiLand HM803	20Hz-16KHz	2	@1Khz: -58 db	0.4mA	5.8'	3.5mm
Koss CS100	100Hz-16KHz	2.2	@1KHz -56dB +/- 3dB	N/A	9.3'	3.5mm
MLI MP-9108	20Hz-16KHz	2	@1KHz -60dB +/- 3dB	N/A	8'	3.5mm
CA CVL-1122	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	7.7'	3.5mm
LabTec Verse-504	100Hz-16KHz	2	-67dB	N/A	8.6'	3.5mm