Samson Q9U: A USB and XLR dynamic mic for easy homespun podcasts
Most USB microphones on the market are of the condenser variety for some reason. Manufacturer Samson begs to differ with a no-frills USB (Type C) dynamic mic that would be a much better fit for the typical home broadcast/podcast/narration, or even vocal recording setup. Especially for someone not so experienced in producing audio recordings.
With its straight-up cardioid pattern, the Q9U is directional and much less prone to picking up room reflections, noises and other unpleasant acoustic happenings in your surroundings. It’s a dynamic mic, so this may come at the cost of the typical condenser crispness and minute voice detail. But broadcast mics generally sound great for their intended purpose, and this one has an audio interface built-in. So all you do is plug it into your computer and you are ready to start laying down basic voice recordings. That’s already great, and then there’s also a traditional XLR output that lets you connect to an external audio interface or mixer and use the Q9U as any other dynamic mic. So there’s that added bit of flexibility right there.
Samson Q9U
Digital recording happens at sample rates up to 96kHz at 24-bit resolution. So it doesn’t look like the Q9U is lacking in AD/DA conversion quality, despite its reasonable USD 199 price tag. You also get a direct headphone output, mute switch, low cut and mid presence boost. A USB C cable is included as well.
All in all, this looks like a solid package from Samson that’s bound to do well among home recordists. Throw in a stand and a pair of decent monitoring headphones, which can be found for easy money these days, and you can fashion yourself a super-small, yet professional-sounding voice recording setup for around USD 300.
Price and release date
USD 199. Release date TBA.
More information
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