Without this addition, you have to plug your headphones into your computer, and the resulting slight delay (due to the processing the analog-to-digital converter uses as it encodes your voice) can be infuriating if you are trying to match a beat or narrate over a video, or if you just don’t want to discover after your recording that all your P’s were popping.

Headphone jack on the mic: A zero-latency headphone jack helps you hear exactly what the mic is sending to your computer without any distracting delay.The more switches and knobs there are, the more overwhelming a mic is to use, and the tougher it is to dial in perfect settings. Ease of use: A great microphone should offer options for those who want to fiddle, but those options shouldn’t make things complicated.In our latest round of testing, however, we did test a couple of more-expensive microphones just for comparison’s sake. Many of those pricier options offer high-definition audio recording, but according to our experts and our tests, most people can’t tell the difference in the results.

Some microphones made for voice and music professionals cost more than twice that. Among the models we looked at, a majority of the microphones with our desired features, the highest recommendations, and broadly positive reviews fall between $60 and $100.

Price under or around $100: Because a USB mic exists in the realm between built-in recording and the expensive world of studio-level microphones, the price should be in that middle range, too.

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