Greetings & Salutations Everyone!
Someone once said, “Buddha Provides”. I am by no means promoting religion but it’s ironic that at roughly the same time I decide to consider doing a podcast that I’m asked to put together a review/write-up on a Streaming/Podcasting tech set. Coincidence? Who knows?
I’m still a ways away from starting the podcast. No reason not to test out the set-up though right? Better to have your ducks all in a row when you’re putting together a big project.
The Audio-Technica AT2005USBPK is an ideal set-up for those just entering the game who are looking to acquire a reliable/quality entry-level set-up for putting together online content. For a $129 budget, the kits include a pair of ATH M20x professional monitor headphones, a USB/XLR microphone, and an adjustable studio boom arm threaded internally with a USB cable providing a professional appearance and unhindered functionality. The studio boom arm is designed to fit securely to a desk or table about 2 inches thick and offers 360-degree rotation complements of spring-stabilizing joints (which are adjustable) to provide optimum mic positioning.
The microphone’s most prominent features include a tough metal construction with a high-quality AD converter with a 16-bit, 44.1/48 kHz sampling rate, a Cardioid polar pattern that reduces the chance of any undesired sound sources as well as an XLR analog output for use with conventional microphone outputs + a USB digital output for use with computers capped off with a low-mass diaphragm designed to provide exceptional frequency response.
The ATH-M20x monitor headphones (part of Audio-Technica’s M-Series line) are tuned for enhanced low-frequency performance and feature 40mm, drivers, with rare earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum wire voice coils.
Now with all that technical mumbo-jumbo aside, the equipment is sturdy and well-constructed for a $129 price tag. As for functionality, the gear met all the requirements and definitely exceeded expectations. After seeing the Audio-Technica booth at various conventions in years previous my expectations were pretty high so that’s definitely a plus for me. As someone who has had zero experience engaging in this task before, setting up and implementation of the gear was quite easy. The closest experience I had to use anything prior to this test was when I was called as a witness in court for a vandalism case. The microphone wouldn’t work until I was about 2 centimeters away and the arm wouldn’t move. I had to lean forward in my chair until I was almost falling out of it. Not that I would’ve enjoyed going to court any better but this set-up would’ve made the experience SO much more tolerable. Well, that and being able to wear a suit that wasn’t comprised entirely of tweed.
So, yeah. Whether you’re just an entry-level podcaster or you’re planning to broadcast in real-time on Twitch or YouTube, this would certainly be an excellent choice to begin your endeavors and continue to build an audience if you want exceptional audio quality while recording and broadcasting. I was concerned with how it would perform with my laptop but there were absolutely no issues. Desktop, laptop, you’re good to go.
