Reddit reviews Logitech USB Desktop Microphone

I've got this and use it for gaming and Skype. It is cheap and gets the job done.

You want to not look at headsets. Ever again.

Get yourself a decent USB microphone.

and check the headphone buying guide in the sidebar.

I use this mic. It comes highly recommended, especially for its price, but I'm thinking of upgrading soon.

So: you need some headphones:

Sony MDR-XB700:
Decent phones, popular because they've got good bass punch, but they're unbalanced towards that range. Should be fine for gaming, but they wouldn't be my first suggestion. Suggested because those big over sized muffs are pretty comfy.

Sony MDR-SA1000: Hot damn I remember these. Great phones, comfy for long wear, easy to hear through, but easy to drown out the world by pumping up the volume a little bit. Fairly balance range response, decent sound stage, good pricing.

AKG K 701: I shit you not, these headphones have caused my girlfriend to have an orgasm. Quite possibly the finest piece of audio gear I've laid ears on, but there's a catch. You can't get orgasm-inducing sound out of them without an amp, they're just too power hungry. Though, an amp would help any of these phones. I would consult this review for a decent explanation of the amp situation.

For Microphones, I've had two of these: good audio quality, and while not good enough for audio sampling, they are great for voice comms. Personally I think that desk mics work better, since most players seem to have a hard time keeping their heatset mics from rubbing all over their faces.

Edit: Link's 'n shit.

I've been using this one for over 5 years now. It's good enough for video chat and all my games. $20.

Here

Face-to-Face is still my preference, but with modern tech (Dual monitors, video conferencing, document sharing, and of course virtual table tops) it works out rather well.

I would recommend a good mic, a webcam, and pair of head phone with a long cord. Head phones and mic are an absolute must.

My recommendation, for PC at the very least, is to avoid "gamer headsets" altogether. Generally what you are signing up for is a sub-par set of headphones attached to a sub par mic. What I did is research some of the best headphones in the business and matched them up with a very serviceable microphone. This setup has worked great for me and the sound and voice delivery quality has been head and shoulders above any "gaming headset" I've owned. Here's the setup that I use - you can go much more expensive or much cheaper, but this works great for me.

Headphones

Microphone

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-981-000246-USB-Desktop-Microphone/dp/B002RL84OY

My setup:

Headphones: AKG k601
Mic: This thing

Don't buy headphones.

Get the mic and cans seperately.

Mic: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RL84OY/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_g147_i5?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1DAEMATS37NA6WMKCDS5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

OR

http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=pd_sim_e_1

Cans: Sennheiser 555's or Audio Technica ATH AD-700's . You can get 555's slightly used for $50, a steal at that price.

If do you get 555's, you can do an easy, risk-free upgrade to make them into $200 headphones! Yay capitalism!

Now go buy them because no one will offer better advice.

Something like this? If no one has one lying around, I can go halfsies with someone on it. I'd have to wait until next week though, when I (hopefully) have some money coming in.

I tend to somehow break my headset every couple months, so I like to use a separate USB desktop mic. This also widens your options since you can use a pair of headphones without a mic.

This is the one I'm using at the moment (not sure if it's mac compatible): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RL84OY/

Maybe something like this? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RL84OY/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&keywords=usb%20desk%20mic&qid=1344618485&sr=8-24
I have a Blue Mics Snowball, myself. But they cost a bit more.

This thing but it's out of stock or something. I saw what looks like the same model on Amazon but it's up for $60 and mine was only $20.

I've had this stick mic for almost 6 years now. Works like a charm. It's awesome because you can buy a nice pair of headphones and not have to worry about getting a headset. It sorta picks up a little more than I'd like though, so I wouldn't recommend it if you have someone loud that's near you when you're on the computer.

Here's the deal. Get only the most necesary equipment right now, and don't skimp on the cost. Most microphones are good, and I particularly like Logitech's desktop mic as a starting point. HOWEVER, remember that the more you shell out on equipment the better it will sound.

Get a good set of headphones, at least a pair you can use whilst recording. Having the mic pick up your game audio is a bad idea. If you can get a good headset, even better. I know it's an expensive option, but I found the Astro A30 to be totally worth every penny (start with just the headset, get a mixamp if you want to use multiple audio sources without switching around cables)

As for a capture device, there's plenty of options, but again, remember that the more you pay, the better quality the capture will be and the better the software will be for capturing. I personally don't use a capture device, but I have a friend who uses a hauppage HD PVR and swears by it. Also remember that the device you get may or may not be usable for live streaming if you want to get into that. Also keep in mind that the low cost recording devices are fairly limited in what they can do. They might be good for older consoles and the wii, but they won't be good for the 360 or ps3 at all.

As far as software goes, invest in a copy of FRAPS for PC recording. You buy it once and they give updates for free. Also get editing software. If you record both the mic and the game audio to the same file (like how fraps does it) you won't need anything special, just something to re-encode the files so they aren't so huge. I can't remember what I did before just dropping in my video to Sony Vegas, but I like SUPER for converting most things. If you want to get into live streaming, you'll need Xsplit it's the easiest way to get streaming up and running.

Okay so I watched Episode 1 of Grandia.
My Thoughts:

• The fraps timer in the corner bothered me. I think it is quite easy to crop it out when editing and it would make the video look a bit more polished.
  
  
• The game's audio, especially in cutscenes, was at points kind of stuttery. It is probably just the emulators fault but if that can be fixed I guess it is worth a mention.
  
  
• You should try investing in a better mic. Logitech as a super cheap one with pretty good commentary, I use one so you can check out the beginning of one of my videos to get an idea for the quality. Having good audio quality generally just makes the video seem better.
  
  
• Your commentary was good. Some cutscenes are kind of boring you can go ahead an talk in between the dialogue to keep things going. You seem to know the game well which is great. When you did speak the commentary overall was kinda funny. You got a couple of chuckles from me throughout the video. :)
  
  
• Video quality was good. It is a PS1 game that is being emulated so I didn't expect much but the game was presented clearly so that is good.
  
  
  That is pretty much it the video was good, just get a better mic and it would improve the video ten fold.
  
  Here is the mic I use:
  http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-981-000246-USB-Desktop-Microphone/dp/B002RL84OY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342815820&sr=8-1&keywords=logitech+usb+desk+mic

I use this and it works flawlessly. Never get any complaints about background noise or anything.

I would avoid Platronics, although the Corsair 1500 is a decent headset if you absolutely need the microphone attached to the headset. As far as wireless ones go, I have the Logitech G930, and they're good. Although they have an annoying perk; the audio quality is absolutely horrible until you open the driver software, manually adjust the sliders to any value, close the program (the sliders will then randomize), and then set them again. It isn't really worth the hassle.

I know that your budget is under $100, but you should at least consider this:

Audio Technica AD700

Logitech Desktop Mic

The total would be $120, but the AD700 is considered to have the best soundstage out of any headphone for its price range. I have the 900's, and they're absolutely perfect for games like BF3.

Try one of these three:

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-981-000246-USB-Desktop-Microphone/dp/B002RL84OY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338146109&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1374052661&sr=8-13&keywords=microphone

http://www.modmic.com/

Edit: If you want a gaming headset, I would recommend Steelseries' Siberia V2. I'm currently using it and find it comfortable enough to wear it for a long period of time.

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-981-000246-USB-Desktop-Microphone/dp/B002RL84OY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1300819311&sr=8-3 This is what I would suggest for you. Its not that expensive and does a rather great job. Headsets are kind of a pain to deal with, especially if you are going to be wearing it a lot. Good luck!!

most people from headfi will probably tell you to get a separate headphones w/ either a cheap Logitech mic or a Zalman clip on mic. As for headphones there are plenty of choices and you'll have to do your own research.

logitech usb mic http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-981-000246-USB-Desktop-Microphone/dp/B002RL84OY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1332528295&sr=1-1
zalman clip on mic http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1332528322&sr=1-1

as of right now i have logitech usb mic and a pair of audiotechnica ath a700's which have a really large sound stage which is good for fps gaming

I had a pair of Sennheiser HD595s that I used a Zalman Clip-Mic with, but the quality was deplorable so I used my Logitech USB desktop mic instead. The quality was much better, though my audience could hear my keyboard much more loudly. I've heard plenty of people say their Zalman clips sound fine, so could be I just had a bad one, but my friends could not bear the quality.

Here you go. It uses a USB port so you can still use your stereo system.

I suggest you buy a microphone and headphones separately. I have this microphone and it works perfectly for gaming voice chats. Get good quality headphones and you will be good to go. These should do the job.

The advantage is that you will get much better sound quality because gaming headsets tend to overlook that aspect, especially in that price range.

As /u/mrpeppr1 suggested, get some good headphones and a 25$ usb desktop mic. I use a old logitech mic, and a set of 90$ Sennheiser headphones. I've used this setup since June 2010 and it's still running strong!! Check out this buying guide over at head-fi.org

Save up and get these headphones:

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-280-Pro-Professional/dp/B000065BPB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1277957376&sr=8-1-spell

This microphone:

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-981-000246-USB-Desktop-Microphone/dp/B002RL84OY/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1277957418&sr=1-2

I know that you are generally supposed to stay away from usb mics, but I have used this one for a year and the quality is excellent. I recored myself talking so you can see what it sounds like. If you hear any noise in the background that is from my air conditioning. Good luck with your purchase!

http://www.mediafire.com/?jdegmeim3ym