Multi-pattern

Cyber Acoustics USB Condenser Mic (CVL-2006) Review

Today I'm reviewing a USB multi-pattern condenser microphone and I don't know what the proper name is. I think it's the Cyber Acoustics Tahoe, or Rainier CVL-2006, or Cyber Acoustics CVL-2006.

For this review, I have the mic connected directly to my 2017 iMac with the computers gain set to 100% and the microphone gain set at approximately 25-30%. I have done no post processing on the audio, it is all raw, but the audio was slightly boosted in final cut pro X to simply make the audio easier to listen to.

If you are interested in this microphone, it will set you back $70.00 on Amazon

What's In the Box

  1. Microphone

  2. Desktop Stand

  3. Foam Windscreen

  4. 1.5m Cable

  5. Documentation

Specifications

  1. Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz

  2. Polar Pattern: Cardioid / Omnidirectional

  3. Max SPL: 124dB

  4. S/N Ratio: 121dB

  5. Bit Depth: 16-Bit

  6. Sample Rate: 48kHz

Performance / Features

The build quality of this microphone decent. It has a metal body, and a metal grill that feel sturdy enough. The desktop stand is flimsy feeling and offers no shock absorption so it picks up every bump of your desk. On the front you have a headphone volume control, microphone gain control, and an indicator light to let you know if it's plugged in and getting power. 

On the back of the mic you'll find a button to switch between cardioid and omnidirectional polar patterns. On the bottom you'll find the USB port to connect this to your computer, a 3.5mm headphone jack which does offer latency free monitoring (which cannot be turned off unless you turn the mic volume all the way down), and a 1/4" threading for additional mounting options (this is the standard camera mount size.

The frequency response is listed as 20Hz - 20kHz. I don't know if this is accurate, and no frequency response graph was provided. All I can say is that this thing sounds harsh and thin, and all around is painful to listen to.

The polar pattern of this mic is cardioid or omni directional. The cardioid polar pattern seems fairly wide so it tends to pick up a bit of room noise, and the omni polar pattern just sounds bad.

The overall performance of this mic left a lot to be desired. There's a constant underlying digital interference in the noise floor, the tone was painful to listen to while editing the video, the fact that you can't turn off latency free monitoring without muting the mic is irritating, and the fact that it doesn't have a standard mounting option just adds an additional cost.

Pros

  • Offers latency free monitoring

Cons

  • Harsh & Thin tone

  • Constant digital interference in the noise floor

  • Can't turn off latency free monitoring

  • Camera mount threading and not a mic stand threading

  • Flimsy desktop stand that picks up all bumps of deak

  • Bit depth limited to 16-bit

Conclusion

I do not recommend this microphone. In my opinion, this mic seems like it's attempting to compete with something like the Blue Yeti, but it fails on all fronts. I think you'd be better off saving some money by going with the Q2u, or spending the same amount on an ATR2100USB or AT2005USB. Or if you're deadset on a usb multipattern condenser microphone, go with the Blue Yeti. 

If you have any additional questions about this microphone, leave them on the youtube video, and I will try to reply ASAP. 

Buy the Cyber Acoustics CVL-2006
US: https://amzn.to/2JnORFh
UK: N/A
CA: https://amzn.to/2qa4s2c
DE: N/A

Samson C03U Multi-Pattern USB Mic Review / Test

Today I am testing out another Multi-Pattern USB Mic. Today I am testing out the Samson C03u Multi-Pattern USB Microphone.

If you are interested in this microphone, it will set you back $90 on Amazon

What's In the Box

  1. Microphone
  2. USB Cable
  3. Microphone Stand Mount
  4. 5/8" to 3/8" Mic Stand Adapter
  5. Microphone Stand
  6. Carrying Pouch
  7. Cakewalk Sonar LE
  8. Documentation 
  9. 1-Year Warranty

Performance / Features

The build quality is pretty good. It has an all metal body and a metal grill, and it has some nice weight to it. The USB Cable is just your standard rubber USB cable, so nothing special there. The mic mount is cheap plastic, which doesn't seem too well built, so I doubt it will last as long as the mic. The stand feels decent, but provides no shock absorption, so your microphone will pick up every bump of the desk. Lastly, the pouch will provide 0 protection of the microphone, except from dust.

The front of the microphone has a light to indicate that it is getting power, a switch that activates a low cut EQ, which rolls of the low end of the frequency response to help with rumble or overly boomy sounds, and lastly a -10dB pad to help if the sound source you're recording is causing clipping.

On the back there is a single 3-way switch that allows you to switch between all three polar patterns:

  1. Bi-directional: picks up audio in front, and behind the microphone, which would be good for an interview situation.
  2. Hyper/Super-Cardioid: picks up audio in front of the microphone. Good for podcasting, solo vocals, etc.
  3. Omni-directional: picks up audio all the way around the microphone. Good for meetings.

This microphone has a 18mm condenser microphone capsule and provides a frequency response of 20Hz - 18kHz. It provided a decent sound in every situation we put it through; vocals, electric guitar, and acoustic guitar. There weren't any frequencies that stuck out as harsh, and it didn't sound like any freq's were missing. 

Every polar pattern on this microphone actually sounded pretty nice. There were some minor differences in frequency response as we moved between the different polar patterns, but they all sounded good. The bi-directional and omni settings both picked up a bit of background noise, but that's to be expected with polar patterns that large. On the other hand, the cardioid setting eliminated background noise very well.

Pros

  • Good sound
  • Omni-directional setting sounds good
  • 3 Polar Patterns
  • Plug & Play

Con

  • Kind of noisy
  • Difficult to trouble shoot (because it's a USB mic)

Conclusion

This is one of the few multi-pattern microphones that I have encountered that has a useable omni-directional setting, which is awesome. Honestly, the tone and sound on every polar pattern sounds very good. BUT, it is pretty noisy. Once you set your gain to 50% there is quite a bit of hiss and hum being generated. This is not a problem if you will be speaking into the mic from a few inches away, but if you plan on speaking from a distance, you will have to turn up your gain and you will have to deal with some nasty noise. If background hiss is an issue you're worried about, this may not be a microphone for you.

I think that you should only buy this microphone if you desperately need/want 3 different polar patterns in your microphone. If you will only be using one of these settings, invest in a single polar pattern mic that will perform better than this. But if you are looking for a multi-pattern mic for relatively cheap, this is a good entry level option.

If you have any additional questions about this headset, leave them in the comments on this site or on the youtube channel, and I will try to reply ASAP. 

Buy it on Amazon (US): http://amzn.to/25ENGHa
Buy it on Amazon (UK): http://amzn.to/1oAn4oV