Samson Meteor Mic USB Condenser Podcasting Podcast Recording Desktop Microphone

***SEE UPDATE BELOW*** ORIGINAL Review in 2013: I really loved this microphone when I first bought it in April. It has great sound quality, and it worked perfectly with my iPad. Made several great recordings. Everything was working awesome for the first 6 months. Then in September it started to fail. It used to always show an indicator light that turned blue when I had it plugged in correctly. Now it only will turn yellow/amber, and sound quality has degraded. Tested it extensively with both iPad as well as 2 laptops, always same issue. Researching reviews elsewhere online has revealed that there are many other people who have had this same problem -- only that they found that this problem continues to progress to the point where it won't record at all. I'm feeling really disappointed now in my purchase, and have to deal with arranging for repair through the manufacturer since it is outside timeframe allowed by Amazon's return policy. No longer will it be a deal at $69, once I add in all the costs of shipping it for repair. NEW UPDATE in 2025: So I completely forgot I had posted this review, and today was looking back at my old 2013 order just to find out if they still made this Meteor Mic. An update is definitely in order! Plus I need to bump the stars up to 5 now as well. So at some point after I posted that review above, I did reach out to Samson by email and complained. They promptly responded and asked me for the serial number on my device. When I told them, they seemed rather surprised (like "Really? that's the number on yours?) and immediately shipped me a replacement (which appeared to be brand new), and then had me ship the failed one back in the replacements box. So now it is Jan 2025, almost 12 years later, and that replacement mic is the one I use all the time. The built-in mic on my laptop does not work at all, so I must use an external USB mic, and this Samson Meteor Mic is my most favorite. The sound is awesome (has a foam pop filter over it), and my replacement has never once given me a problem. In fact, I love it so much I got curious today about whether I could even buy another one after all of these years. Well I guess so, and now even for half the price too. I really don't need another one, but this is just good to know! I sure hope the ones today are just as good a quality as the one right here on my desk.

This is by far one of the best condenser mics I have ever used, and I have used several! I love the fact that you can plug into this mic and monitor your recording first-hand. The USB connection makes for a very neat and tight desk (if that matters to you...I just like for my desk to look clean). I love this little mic, and it comes from me HIGHLY recommended to anyone looking for a good-quality mic for a blowout price! I would dare say that no one will find a better mic for the price ANYWHERE!!! The fold-up legs are ideal for seated recordings, especially if you have access to a table or some type of platform. Also, the ability to attach the meteor to a mic stand pretty much covers anything you could possibly need when it comes to mic placement. The sound is pristine, and it looks great, too. The chrome plating gives this mic a clean, modern look. To those reading this who are new to recording/live sound and are confused about what mic to buy or just don't know where to start, I recommend this mic. It plugs directly into your computer's USB port, and there are no extra drivers to download or look up online; everything you need to start recording is in the box (other than recording software, etc..for this as a beginner, I recommend trying out MAGIX Music Maker or Samplitude Producer, both of which are available for download from Amazon also). This mic is simple to use; however, it is well-made and a wonderful product...so good that you could buy it as a beginner and use it throughout your recording career. I am no stranger to the world of recording, and I am VERY pleased with this microphone. I have tried it with vocals and instruments (acoustic and miked amplifiers) and it has shocked me every time I've used it!

Before purchasing the Samson Meteor Mic, I had started video-casting using the Snowball Ice USB Microphone . The Snowball was good, but the sound was a little less rich or full than I had expected. After playing around with a few other options including Bluetooth and other microphones, I decided on the Samson Meteor. Now before I go on, I use this microphone to record my voice for videos and podcasts, I don't do anything musical with it. The Meteor is a great microphone. The sound it captures is rich and natural. I feel like the quality is on par with microphones that cost easily twice as much. The size is great. It is a lot smaller than the snowball and can fit easily on my desk with multiple other peripherals. I also use it to record when not at my desk and it is very easy to hold and can be set on almost any surface. Each leg has a rubber "foot" which prevents them from scratching any delicate surface and has the added benefit of holding the microphone in awkward directions if needed. The audio monitoring level can be easily adjusted using the dial on the front. The dial is fairly loose so you don't have to worry about making any unnecessary noise while turning it up and down. The mute button also comes in handy for the occasional cough. Another point about this microphone is the compatibility with the iPad. Using the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit (MC531ZM/A) USB adaptor piece, I can plug the meteor into my iPad and record on the go. I have used it with Explain Everything and Garageband. The only limitation is that sometimes the audio output gets taken over by the iPad and the monitor plug on the back of the microphone doesn't provide any audio out. It's a small inconvenience and really minimal for those of us doing spoken word recording. Now for the downside. Just like any quality microphone, it is very sensitive. So sensitive that I have to ensure the air conditioner is off, the computer fan is off, even fans in a room 2 doors away have to be off. I don't have an acoustically shielded room full of foam, so these limitations are what I have to deal with, and I feel that most people who purchase a microphone in this price range don't have the time or money to devote to foaming up a room. It's a small price to pay, however, for a great microphone that gets the job done for far less than comparable models. Overall a great buy.

I do a good deal of narration and Screen and pod casting it was definitely time for a new mic. For a couple days I was split between the Samson and the Yeti by Blue Microphones. Both are equally well reviewed and in the same price range give or take a few bucks, so cost wasn't a factor. But size sure was the Yeti is huge! and for my quite small over cluttered desk - that was the deal breaker for the Yeti. The first thing I'll say is that the packaging alone knocked me out, it's simply gorgeous. I bought a Rhode NG2 Shotgun mic for my Panasonic Pro AG- HMC40 camera that came in a flimsy cardboard box with equally flimsy plastic mounts. The Samson arrives looking like something from Tiffany's - beautiful black box, custom molded foam encasement, the mic of course, the USB cable and a thick plush velvet carrying pouch. So I'm a sucker for good packaging but after 30 years in Advertising if I learned anything it's that presentation is everything, well, almost. As for the mic it's wild looking, who complements a microphone? so far about a dozen people. Gleaming chrome plated heavy cast steel, fold down legs, impeccable build quality and equally impressive performance. There's lot's of bang for your buck here: * A large (25mm) diaphragm means rich and complex audio production * CD quality 16 bit (44.1/48kHZ) recording - means crystal clear rendering * 1/8 inch headphone jack * Headphone volume control on the mic The very cool lighting and easy to use controls are effortless. It's built like a tank and performs beautifully. I'm producing the best narrations I ever have. It's also quite beautiful as I said before, very retro looking like those wonderful old school mics from the 50' but with a scaled down, somewhat eclectic design. If your looking for a mic with a small foot print, that easily fits most stands and delivers sensational recording and conversion to playback sound, there's no reason to look any further, this little gem is a giant when it comes to performance and bang for your buck. Highly Recommended.

Genuinely such a good starter microphone. Got recommended this one from a voice actor friend of mine and boy howdy is this thing great. When I record myself its the closest thing to what I sound like in real life and if you know how to fix your mic filters in your programs this thing is a beauty. Highly recommend for starting off with streaming or voice acting!!!! Also works great for singing!!!

I purchase this microphone for two reasons: 1.) I make videos for work that require voice-over narration and 2.) I started vlogging and needed a mic to add voice-over to my videos. But, I've actually found it to be quite useful for more than just those purposes. I also use it for online meetings, audio/video chats, teaching online classes, etc. I'm so much happier with it over the built-in mic in my laptop. Firstly, let's discuss looks. This mic has a really neat, stylish look to it. It's retro-looking with an appearance similar to old-school mics from the 1950's, but the flip-out feet give it a modern twist. The polished metal look is also great. It does tend to show fingerprints, though. If that's a concern, consider a different color option. Sound quality is also fantastic. It's a condenser mic, so it's somewhat directional. I find I get plenty of volume when I speak with the mic on my desk and I'm sitting back comfortably in my chair. The sound does get richer as you move closer to it, though. So for video voice-over, I tend to hold it in my hand closer to my mouth. It also does a fairly decent job at minimizing background noise, especially when it originates from the sides or rear. I've had no need for a pop filter on this mic, but I also don't speak with my mouth right up to it, either. I have tested this, and it does catch a few of those pops. So, for those of you who would put it on a stand and speak close to it, consider adding a pop filter. But, if you speak adjacent to it and not directly toward it (as you should do anyway), you'll avoid puffing air at it and causing those volume spikes when you spit air into the mic. It also has a headphone port on the rear so you can monitor your sound input directly from the back of the Meteor as you're speaking, which is great if your recording device doesn't have a headphone jack available for monitoring. The Meteor has a threaded insert on the bottom to accept a mic stand. If you want to attach it to a boom, a stand, a desk mount, whatever, you can do so. But, I will say it'll look a little funny with the feet sticking out when it's mounted on a threaded stand. Some people won't care. If you do, you may try using a screwdriver to take out the fold-out feet, if you plan to leave it mounted to a stand. Speaking of those fold-out feet......... I'd LOVE if those were detachable. It's one of my only gripes with this mic. But, since I use it on my desk the majority of the time, it's usually a non-issue for me. The rear foot also folds up over the Mini USB port on the back of the mic. So, you can't just fold the feet up and still use the mic, as you wouldn't be able to plug it in. If you aren't careful and push down on the mic, you could also change the position of the rear foot and damage this port or the cable by pushing the rear foot up into the cable. So, just make sure to be aware of that as you use and move your Meteor around. The mic level and mute can be controlled right on the mic. I love that! It has adjustable volume on the ring around the mute button. And the LED changes from blue to yellow to indicate the mic has been muted. This works even when you mute the mic from a computer or laptop. (I have a dedicated mute button on my keyboard, so I just use that instead of reaching for the mic.) If you do need to travel with it, since the feet fold up, it ends up being nice and compact. And it even included a faux velvet pouch to put it in. Lastly, if you do purchase this mic...... while the sound quality is very good, if you do plan to record anything with it, I would HIGHLY-recommend spending a few extra dollars and getting the Samson Sound Deck companion app to go with it. You can record audio through that app. And the app includes the ability to turn on noise reduction, which virtually eliminated any echoing I heard from my voice bouncing off of the hard walls in my home office. The Sound Deck app also works with 3rd-party recording products. I tried adjusting Noise Reduction and Echo Erase while recording in Audacity, and it definitely affected the recordings. So, you don't have to record only using Sound Deck, you just need to have the app running in the background to take advantage of it. This also means that all real-time audio has the NR and EE features active, which is great for clear audio during my meetings and training courses. So, all-in-all, this is a fantastic mic! I'm pleased with how it looks and functions. There are a couple of minor things I'd change (removable feet!!!), but not enough to warrant removing a full star from my review. I'd give it a 4.5, if I could. Especially once you pair it with Samson Sound Deck.

Back story: I make YouTube videos and stream to Twitch using OBS and sometimes right from my PS4. The USB port became loose on my Blue Yeti and although it still worked, I had to plug it in just right or it would disconnect on my computer. So I decided to just buy a new mic instead of dealing with a broken port. I had intended on getting a new Blue Yeti but thought of getting a bit less expensive but still provides great mic quality and features. Let me start of by saying I love how small this mic is. I mean it's really small. My old Yeti was a bit cumbersome because it was big and I often had to clear space on my desk to set it up. This Samson mic is small and doesn't require nearly as much space. I think it would be great for a portable mic. I also appreciate the fact that it comes with a really long cable. Far too often do you get short cables with electronics which sucks. I'm using Windows 10 and the mic was instantly ready to use. No fuss. I also powered up my PS4 to see if it would work with it and it DOES. The quality of the mic is slightly better than my Blue Yeti. The Yeti produced a faint hum in my recordings is isn't present in the Samson. It's a bit more bass than the Yeti which is nice. My voice is more clear and pronounced. So for me, this mic is actually better than my old Yeti which I paid a little over a hundred dollars for. A physical mute switch is a must for me and it's nice and clicky on this mic. It also doesn't make a loud sound when you click it. The built in headphone jack is also a must for me so I can listen to what I'm saying. So I like that and the volume wheel. I'll miss the gain and polar options on my Blue Yeti, but I did not use them that much and I can control gain via software. So all in all, I am very happy with this mic and would highly recommend it if you're looking for something good and easy to use.

I have only had this a short time, but it has exceeded expectations. I have used this on my PS4, video conference and making videos on OBS. The sound quality and adjustments are easy. My voice is loud and clear with no static or distortion. There is an increase in bass as you get closer to the mic, however at about a foot away and little to my side, it has worked perfectly. It is truly "plug and play," with a few small adjustments depending on the program I'm using, it works well. I have used it with computer speakers, with no feedback, and with headphones, both work great. Unlike others, the mute button and volume control on the mic is easy to use. The only drawback I see here is that the USB and headphone plug is behind one of the legs, so you have to have at least one leg down to use. I do wish it was a USB-C connection, but it works as intended. This mic is well worth the price. Over time if there are any issues, I will come back and update. Overall very pleased with this mic.

After less than 15 months, the blue led is no longer working, i found it's a known common issue related to losing the firmware and it doesn't have a solid fix. The mic is now useless. Samson has to find a way to refresh the firmware or provide a more reliable product .. very disappointed.

Excellent micro pour pas cher. La qualité du son est là, je l'utilise pour du gaming, sur discord, skype et toutes ces appli, impecable. Le volume est réglé sur 10% et le son est top, presque pas de souffle, il est très sensible de base. En le montant a 75 on entend tout se qui se passe dans la pièce. Tout en métal, il paraît solide. Le bouton mute est très pratique. Du très bon, agréablement surpris par la marque.

Review Samson Meteor, Hallo und herzlich willkommen zum nächsten Review, ich bin Sunfincol und ich habe für euch das Samson Meteor, ein kleines handliches Stück Technik zu einem kleinen Preis von derzeit 69 Euro. In diesem Video gibt es am Ende auch noch ein kleiner Klang Vergleichstest in dem auch das Samson Meteor dabei ist. So habt ihr direkt einen Klangvergleich. Das Mikrofon kann man in einem silbern glänzenden Kleid ordern, jedoch sollte man sich dann gleich ein weiches Mikrofasertuch dazu kaufen, den der Glanz ist schnell dahin wenn man es nicht von den Fingerabdrücken befreit. Will man sich das Microfasertuch sparen, dann greift man einfach zur Mattschwarzen Ausführung. Ein kurzer Rundumblick sei gestattet bevor ich zu den Einzelheiten komme. Das Meteor besteht komplett aus Metall, außerdem hat es ein Tischstativ Serienmäßig gleich eingebaut. Drei Beinchen sind um das Meteor verteilt, will man es aufstellen, muss man einfach nur die Beinchen ausklappen, Am unteren Ende sind die Standfüße mit einem Gummipfropfen versehen damit es nicht so leicht wegrutschen kann. Es ist ja bekannt, das ich nicht so auf Tischstative stehe, denn für meinen Geschmack haben sie mehr Nachteile als Vorteile, so z.B. werden Rumpelgeräusche etc. vom Tischstativ aufgenommen und direkt ans Mikrofon weiter geleitet, Ein weiterer Nachteil ist, man kann an dem Meteor kein Shockmount befestigen, das ist Bauartbedingt leider nicht möglich. Will man das kleine Kerlchen an ein Stativ oder Boom befestigen, dann ist das aber kein Problem, einfach die Beinchen einklappen und mit dem auf der Unterseite angebrachten Innengewinde von 5/8 Zoll unter Mithilfe eines Reduziergewindes ans Stativ schrauben. Das 5/8 auf 3/8 Reduziergewinde ist leider NICHT im Lieferumfang enthalten. Mit dieser einfachen aber rhetorisch gekonnten, ja nahezu genialen Überleitung komme ich nun zum Lieferumfang: Der Inhalt der Verpackung ist recht übersichtlich gehalten, hat man die Packung geöffnet, sieht man zuerst das Meteor Mikrofon, das ganze links und rechts flankiert von den USB Stecker, die natürlich an einem Kabel hängen ...würde ja sonst auch keinen Sinn machen. ....das Kabel führt uns unter das Meteor Bett, dort gibt es dann auch dem Rest des Kabels, sehr viel mehr gibt es dann zu entdecken. Ein samtiges Beutelchen gegen den Staub und ein wenig Papierkram, Laien sollte ruhig mal ein oder zwei Blicke in die Anleitung riskieren. .....mehr ist da nicht. Ein Reduziergewinde oder ein Popschutz wäre wünschenswert gewesen. ...letzteres sollte man sich in jedem Fall zu legen, denn das Meteor überträgt gnadenlos jeden Plosivlaut. Das im 50er Jahre-Look gehalten Meteor ist ein vollwertiger Großmembraner mit einigen Extras die man in dieser Preisklasse nicht unbedingt erwartet hätte. Das Meteor hat einiges zu bieten. Auf der Vorderseite gibt es zum einen eine sogenannte intelligente LED, diese zeig den Betriebsstatus an, außerdem dient sie als Peak LED, aber das war es immer noch nicht, sie zeigt auch an wenn das Mikrofon gemutet ist ....ein echt schlaues Lämpchen. Unter der cleveren LED gibt es dann auch ein Rädchen, dieses dient zu Lautstärken Regelung des Kopfhörers, ....und das war es immer noch nicht ..ich sage nur keine Mute LED oder Mute Schalter ...oder besser gesagt Mute-Knöpfchen, dieser befindet sich nämlich innerhalb des Lautstärkenrädchens. so ähmm ...Ja...... jetzt ist aber Schluss mit den Verniedlichungen, denn in dem Mikrofon steckt eine ausgewachsen 25 mm Kapsel und macht aus dem kleinen Meteor ein richtiges Großmembranen Mikrofon. Mit einer geschickten Drehung kommen wir zu Rückseite ....Rückseite? Hallo? ....achso ja, um dahin zu kommen muss man das eine Beinchen herunterklappen, dann kommen noch ein paar Anschlüsse zum Vorschein ...einmal der Mini USB Anschluss, der ja zum Betrieb zwingend notwendig ist. und dann gibt es noch einen 3,5 mm Klinken Anschluss für einen Kopfhörer oder sonstigen Quatsch, wie ans Mischpult anschließen .....im Augenwinkel sehe ich gerade meine PS4 und wenn sie könnte würde sich bei dem Anblick des kleinen Samson's hektisch anfangen zu blinken, denn das Meteor lässt sich ohne Problem an der PS4 betreiben, packt man noch ein Kopfhörer an das Mikro, so hat man ein echt 1A Großmembranen Headset, das klanglich und technisch weit vorne ist. Womit ich nun bei den technische Daten angelangt wäre. Das Samson Meteor hat wie eben gerade erwähnt eine 25mm große Kapsel mit Niere Charakteristik verbaut der Frequenzbereich reicht von 20 Hz bis 20kHz die Bit Tiefe liegt bei 16 bit und hat eine Abtastrate von maximal 48kHz der max. Schalldruckpegel liegt bei 120 dB, also nur dezent brüllen. zum Dynamikbereich und damit auch zum Eigenrauschen konnte ich leider nichts in Erfahrung bringen. Jedoch brauch ich keine theoretischen Daten zum Eigenrauschen, den wie bei vielen USB Mikros, kann man auch hier das Eigenrauschen hören, im Spielebetrieb wird man das aber nicht mehr bemerken. Jetzt kommen noch paar trockene Daten zum Kopfhörerausgang, aber keine Angst, staubig wird es nicht wirklich. die Impedanz liegt bei 16 Ohm und der Output liegt bei 85 mW Der Frequenzgang des Headphones reicht von 20 Hz bis 20 kHz und der Rauschabstand liegt bei 96dB Das Meteor hat einen Durchmesser von 49mm und ist 100mm lang dabei wiegt es 263 Gramm Was jetzt noch bleibt ist mein Fazit: Mit dem Samson Meteor bekommt gut ausgestatteter Großmembraner für sein Geld, der Klang ist ordentlich und das Eigenrauschen ist bei puren Aufnahmen hörbar Bei einem Preis von 69 Euro ist das aber verzeihbar. Die gute Ausstattung ist in dieser Klasse echt nicht selbstverständlich. An der Verarbeitung und den verwendeten Materialien gibt es ebenfalls nicht viel auszusetzen. Was ich als nicht durchdacht empfinde ist das Zusammenspiel zwischen dem Tischstativ und dem 5/8 Zoll Gewinde. Will man das Meteor an einen Boom befestigen, ist man gezwungen das hinter Standbein aufzuklappen, denn sonst kommt man nicht an den Mini USB Anschluss heran und dieser ist ja elementar wichtig für den Betrieb selbstverständlich kann man für diesen Preis kein high end Mikrofon erwarten, aber wer ein gutes und günstiges USB Einsteiger Mikrofon sucht, das ordentlich klingt und auch noch einige Extras bietet, der ist mit dem Samson Meteor bestens bedient und kann bedenkenlos zugreifen. Wem das Mattschwarze nicht gefällt, der kann einfach zu dem verchromten Model greifen inkl. 50er Jahre Style. Das solle es nun gewesen sein, wen Ihr noch Fragen habt, kann diese gerne in die Kommentare schreiben. Den Link zum Mikrofon packe ich wie immer in die Videobeschreibung. in diesem Sinne tschüß bye bye, Gehabt Euch wohl.

Lo principal es que este microfono da una calidad excepcional a un costo muy accesible. He realizado pruebas varias y deduzco que el mejor uso para este microfono es la grabacion de estudio, ya sea voz o algun instrumento, debo destacar que es facil de conectar pero hay que jugar con la ganancia para obtener buenos resultados. La voz por ejemplo hay que ajustar la ganancia al 80% para evitar distorsion. Para los que se dedican al live streaming de youtube o twitch no les recomiendo del todo este microfono ya que capta mucho ruido ambiental al ser un microfono omnidireccional. Yo hice una prueba en twitch usando Elgato gamecapture HD y funciono bien, mi voz se escuchaba clara aunque estaba a unos 40cm del microfono pero tambien se escuchaba mucho ruido ambiental. funciona mejor cuando estas muy cerca del microfono a menos de 20cm da una claridad y calidad ideal para un locutor. Si buscas un microfono que de esa sensacion de escuchar a un locutor de radio, este microfono hace el trabajo cuando tu presupuesto es apretado o simplemente como yo no estas dispuesto a gastar tanto dinero.

I bought this mic after doing some research. I needed to go on the road and had a couple of audiobooks I needed to record while I was away. I have a very high-quality studio mic, that I use at home but travelling with IT is not an option. This mic is very well made (all metal), very compact, easy to use (just plug and play) and has surprisingly good sound for a USB mic. It has a 25mm (1in) capsule, which is pretty impressive for a USB mic. The popular Blue Yeti (while offering more variety with regard to polar patterns) has a capsule of only 14mm. Some people find the legs a bit awkward but they are removable if you want to use this on a standard mic stand. It does have a threaded adapter for such use. I think they are brilliant because they A) give you a lot of flexibility when trying to find the right angle and B) because they provide a LOT of protection for the mic when folded up. Making this the perfect travel companion. It would also work great for a YouTuber or Podcaster.