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

There's something mildly embarrassing about being the person that people have to turn up during Zoom meetings because your mic quality is low. Not only does it make you feel the odd one out, but it can also be frustrating for you and everyone else involved. So if you're tired of being asked to repeat yourself, we think it's time you grab a new, external microphone. Your audio quality will significantly improve, and you have a much lower chance of your voice being cut off in meetings. And background noise? A thing of the past. Audio is often underestimated in a remote workstation, but it's vital for Zoom meetings. You don't need to spend much; even an affordable USB mic can enhance sound quality. To ensure we have a variety of options, we consulted the CNET team for their top microphone recommendations. With so many team members, each had a great option of microphone styles to pick from. Whether you're looking for USB mics, headsets, or even earbuds with a solid mic setup, we've got something for everyone. 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 See at Amazon 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. See at Amazon 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 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 See at Best Buy 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 See at Walmart 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 See at Amazon Best Monitors According to the CNET Staff Who Use Them Best Office Chairs, According to the CNET Staff Who Sit on Them Best Apple Watch Bands, According to the CNET Staff Who Wear Them Best Printers, According to the CNET Staff Who Use Them Best Carry-On Luggage, According to the CNET Staff Who Use Them Best Heating Pads, According to the CNET Staff Who Use Them