Best Microphones for Zoom, According to the CNET Staff Who Use Them

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Low-quality audio can be a distraction and cause frustration during Zoom meetings. If you’re tired of being asked to repeat yourself because people can’t hear you properly on video meetings, grabbing an external microphone might be a good idea. It’ll help make your voice come through loud and clear while cutting out any background noise.

Audio is often overlooked when building a remote work station, but if you’ve got a lot of Zoom meetings, it’s important. You don’t need to spend a lot on a microphone; even a budget-friendly USB mic can make a noticeable difference. For clear audio and easy controls, we asked the CNET team what microphones they recommend.

Our team members like to use a variety of microphone styles for video calls. This includes USB mics, headsets and even earbuds with solid mic setups. If you’re looking to boost your work setup, we’ve put together a list of our favorite picks based on what we’ve tried out.

A single ear headset with boom mic

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I’ve tried all kinds of Bluetooth single-sided headsets with boom microphones and none of them sound very good. Corded headsets really excel for Zoom, and how far do you really need to walk away from a video call anyway? The Sennheiser SC635 is a premium corded headset available in either 1/8-inch plug or USB versions — I use the former for the best audio quality. Skip the wireless earbuds, they put microphones on the sides of your head, too far from the hole where the words come from.

— Brian Cooley

A grey microphone on a boom with Cnet open behind it

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Steel Series is best known for its gaming gear, but did you know it makes excellent mics too? The Alias is a dark grey pill-shaped microphone that works well with a stand. I found it worked best on a boom. The sound quality is excellent. If you plug your headphones in, you can use the monitoring feature to hear yourself as well as your team. It has a simple touch mute button that shows you a big red X so you know you’re on mute. There’s also some cool lighting underneath because, at heart, it’s a gamer.
I love the Alias, and it’s my current favorite standalone mic for Zoom calls.

Blue Yeti mic with a green background

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I’ve been using my Blue Yeti microphone for quite a while now and have loved every second of it. Mine sits on a no-name arm that I picked up from Amazon as I was reorganizing my desk, and that’s actually made it even more useful for me. There’s a volume knob and mute button on the front of it so I can easily mute myself on a call without reaching for a software feature on my Mac.
The quality has been great and it’s never given me an issue. I wish that it used USB-C instead of Micro-USB, but since it’s something I leave plugged in all the time and don’t really fuss with, I’m not overly worried about that.

— Jared DiPane

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While not specifically a microphone, the AirPods by Apple is a great way to take Zoom calls. I normally have a giant microphone in front of my face for large meetings, but when you’re having a small Zoom meeting that’s more personal, a set of AirPods is more than enough. Most people already have a set of AirPods if they own an Apple phone, so why spend extra money if you don’t have to?
— James Bricknell 

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I wish I used my Yeti Blue microphone more, but my Razer Kiyo webcam has been my workhorse mic throughout the pandemic. That’s mostly because the Blue is too good, picking up clacky keystrokes from where it sits over my mechanical keyboard, while the Kiyo just gets my voice from its perch above my monitor.
That’s not a dig at the Kiyo itself, which is better than internal microphones and most headphones. It’s a convenient all-in-one, and, given how annoying it is to switch between microphones on the half-dozen video chat platforms I use, it’s nice to have a reliable mic always plugged in and ready.

— David Lumb 

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Not all conference calls involve sitting down in front of a laptop. Sometimes you’re the person giving a presentation and you need a little freedom of movement. A Lavalier mic connects to your collar and wirelessly streams to a small control unit attached to your laptop.

The Lark Max comes with two mics, with noise cancellation and a controller unit that’ll easily connect to your iPhone, Android, or laptop (via USB-C). The sound quality is excellent, although you’ll need to speak a little louder than with a desk mic. The drop in volume is well worth it to have the freedom of movement and the sound quality you get from the Lark Max. As an added bonus, the case also charges the mics and controller so you’ll have them ready to go when you need them.

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I need one microphone for Zoom calls, for podcasting, for presenting videos and for doing voice-over work and the beautiful audio quality of the Shure MV7 provides all of that. Unlike a lot of professional condenser mics, it connects via USB straight into my computer so I don’t have to mess about with audio interfaces or any of that nonsense. It’s totally just plug-and-play, making it simple to get professional-quality recordings. 

— Andrew Lanxon


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