What do you think of USB Microphones ?

GuyChan

I once saw a Microphone directly connected to a computer via an integrated USB output. Without going through a preamp. I can't tell you which model it was, but what do you think about this ? The sound was so pure, it was incredible on the recordings. As far as I recall, it was years ago. Is it reliable?

Edit : take a Shure MOTIV MV51 as an example

Klaus_T

i never used one, and they will not normally be used in a professional recording environment, since there are great preamps and soundcards etc so there is no need for this kind of design, but for home use, they are probably handy and useful. it will depend greatly on the brand and model but the design itself is not per se inferior to other designs with an XLR cable. they just have the A/D converter built in so you don't need a soundcard. you will get better soundcards and preamps than the one built in, but you could also buy these components in the same or even lower quality as individual pieces of gear. these days they can build stuff that is very small, compared to 20 years ago. i would test it for your individual use case, as you should with any mic