Samson Q2U Dynamic USB-C/XLR Microphone

The Samson Q2U Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone is a fantastic and versatile mic, especially for beginners or anyone building a home setup. I love that it offers both USB and XLR options, giving you flexibility whether you want simple plug-and-play or a more professional recording chain. The sound quality is clear, warm, and does a good job of minimizing background noise. This is a great option for podcasts, voiceovers, streaming, or basic music recording. It also feels solid and well-made. One thing to keep in mind, you do need to connect it to a computer, and you will need a recording app to use it properly. That’s not a downside for me, but it’s worth noting if you are expecting a standalone setup. Overall, it’s an excellent microphone with great value for the price. Highly recommended!

This is a great pack! I use it to record singing and instruments and the items all work as advertised. No complaints on the sound quality.

I purchased this in late June 2021 and this review is being written in late May 2023. This microphone was recommended to me by a number of different reviewers, and I am very happy with my purchase. I highly recommend checking out the review of it by Podcastage on YouTube for a nice look into how it sounds with various testing methods. Some things to know: this is a dynamic microphone, so the source of sound needs to be close to it, and the polar pattern and sensitivity of it is such that you only really get clear, crisp audio speaking directly into the front/top of the microphone. It comes with a short tripod stand, but I find it awkward on my desk due to my USB drawing tablet. If not for that it would fit okay, but might still be a bit too low. However, the clamp on the stand (secured with a Phillips head screw) is quite loose on mine. It's a bit of a hassle to get it to stay put outside of its maximum range of motion, and is prone to drooping forwards or backwards depending on how it's positioned (i.e. wherever most of the downwards force is distributed relative to where the clamp is). Inserting the microphone into the stand is simple. USB and XLR connectivity make it extremely convenient for most people while also offering an opportunity to improve the quality alongside of your hardware. Some people cite issues with the device being recognized or detected on their PC. I have not experienced this, but I've heard it from two people that I know personally to some extent, so that's a fair warning. I'm not sure if that's an issue with the product, an incompatibility with the setup, or some other such thing, but I think it's a relevant issue to be concerned about. Honestly, outside of the flimsy stand, I don't really have any issues with this product. In fact, I think it's a superb purchase for anybody looking for a quality microphone so long as they understand what they're getting into with dynamic vs. condenser microphones and all of that jazz. I've had no issues with it that I can remember in the time since I've bought it, and I use it very regularly. I've even dropped it a few times and it still works perfectly fine with no cosmetic damage either. I will say though, if you're willing to go past ~$120.00 or so, your options open up a lot and I think you can get a better product dollar-for-dollar. At its price point though, I think this is an excellent product.

I bought this Dec 2022 and now it’s Dec 2023, so I’ve had a whole year with this. Out of the box, the volume was still low for me next to my mouth, so I needed to make some adjustments in OBS. It captures my voice well, but this thing is noisy. IDK if the terminology is correct, but raising the volume raised the noise floor and I have to use filters to cut most of it out. Even then, you can hear slight static when I speak. Before I did any of that, raising the volume in an editor still resulted in noise. May be interference with the wire too. Other than that, I think this is pretty solid. My voice is clear, and that’s all I need since I’m not doing any professional work. I’ve never used it in a live application such as Discord or gaming, so I can’t tell you how it sounds there. Another thing, this mic is sensitive. Keeping it close to your mouth helps with noise rejection, but if you have it pumped up like I do it still picks up keyboard thwocks and mouse clicks. If you position the rear of the mic to the noisiest sound, it should help mitigate that, but my setup doesn’t allow that. This is all on USB as I don’t have an audio interface. I also have it on a boom arm to get it close to my mouth. It sits a couple inches to eight inches away. The mute switch is nice. Overall, I think this is a good mic if you’re looking for something less than $100, and is USB/XLR. For someone that has no idea what they’re doing and is looking for something relatively inexpensive (me), it works. There are alternatives with USB-C connections if you’re looking for something more modern. Like the ATR2100x-USB. If you’re looking at either, both seem to go on sale regularly, so I’d wait for the price to drop before grabbing one. Of course, at $60, this is a fine grab too.

Love this microphone! Works perfect for filming videos and playing games. Blocks out unnecessary noises around you and is great quality!

This mic works as advertised, good clear sound, easy setup. What more could you ask for?

WOW! This mic is amazing. Literally plug and play, runs off laptop power (no external power required), and the audio quality is FANTASTIC compared to other offerings out there. I also own a $100 Blue Yeti mic and the sound quality is comparabale/the yeti is actually a little bit more annoying to use compared to this mic. Absolutely blown away by the quality for price (paid $70 for this one) -- you can set up filters on your end like compressor, noise suppression, EQ3 etc. to get the best bang for your buck, but this is seriously so high quality and such a good deal for the price. Not sure how it performs for singing but I am extremely satisfied for podcasting/gaming commentary/overall quality. Recently purchased a $26 Bluetooth lav mic set which had absolutely meh sound quality -- spending $44 more on this one was so worth it. The sound quality difference is just so insane. Not as portable as a lav but anywhere you can take your laptop you can take this mic and have wonderful quality audio wherever you need. Highly recommend, especially if you are considering shelling out more for the Yeti. Pick this one instead.

I set this up yesterday and started streaming with this. The mic quality is simply miles ahead from my old headset. No more breathing sounds, pops, and nice clear sound. I am pretty soft spoken, and this mic had no issues. For the price, I cannot be happier. Upsides: - Great sounding mic for the price. However, do not expect a $13,000 tube mic experience. It does the job, and quite well. - I love the dual XLR and USB - Setup is a snap Now for the downsides: - The headphones are junk. I am guessing they help with incentive, but if you need good monitoring, get a decent headset. - It does not come with a storage case, and the box it came in is not very good. I am storing this in some towels until I get a proper storage case. - You will need a pop filter. - The stand is not all that great. Gladly, I have an old mic stand that works just fine. You might be well served to invest in one. Mainly because this mic picks up every sound on your desk. In other words, you get what you pay for. My main concern was getting a decent mic. All the other stuff was gravy, but the gravy was not all that great. The truth is, when you are going to record, you will be spending some money in stands, headsets, filters, and other gear. The set will probably hold you over a while if you need to buy things in increments. I recommend this!

It has good quality for such a low price for a mic I love it

Wszystko zgodne z opisem. Świetna jakość za przystępną cenę

Muy buen micrófono, se siente bien construido, robusto. Lo uso por USB pero es muy bueno que tenga la opción de usarlo por XLR en un futuro, o en alguna ocasión en particular. Lo uso sólo para voz, sobre todo en discord y zoom, y capta muy claro el sonido, también de vez en cuando en alguna grabación de audio o de vídeo y es excelente la calidad. Mete un poco de ruido pero nada grave, además se puede suprimir por software, yo lo hago con Reaper. Lo único que no he logrado usarlo por medio del OTG del móvil, lo reconoce como un DAC para conectarle unos audífonos al Jack del micrófono, pero no lo reconoce como micrófono, así que sí lo quieres para usarlo con Android, primero investiga bien. Por lo demás, excelente.

This guy is almost unconditionally one of the best beginner podcasting microphones out there, its cost effective (when it's correctly priced), has usb for absolute beginners and XLR for nerds and more advanced users who choose to hook it up with their audio interfaces and get excellent results, bear in mind however, the xlr sound is better than usb because of obvious reasons of better preamps in some of the dedicated audio interfaces, however this does not in anyway hamper its usb usability, its really really good. Its worth mentioning here that this microphone still outshines sound wise, its newer counterpart the Q9U which is an absolutely terrible sounding microphone without the mid boost being engaged, its primarily attracting only those who clearly want to buy a microphone for a certain look, otherwise the Q2U is an all rounder genius that holds its ground really firmly and even gives its immediate competition like the ATR-2100x fom Audio Technica a run for its money. Also this comes along with its accessories, the desktop stand is not a very good one but it does the job if you absolutely don't have the resources to spend more on anything else, however any of those cheap spring boom arms can handle this microphone just fine, do remember that this microphone is really bad in the plosives department, so u will need a foam windscreen with it, which is also included in the package and is a huge help. Overall this is a great microphone and can cater to all needs of a beginner or even an advanced user if they are looking for good sound specifically and not the looks, personally I don't see any problem in the looks department too but people find the broadcast looking microphones a bit more attractive, however they compromise with the sound big time. Happy Recording!

I first came across these from the Podcastage YouTube channel (sorry man I didn't use your affiliate link if it exists). Work as advertised and realised my voice wasn't as terrible sounding as coming out from a cheap set of XTUGA. To be fair, the XTUGA is a tenth of the q2u. Now I enjoy using it more on discord, VRchat and the occasional voice line mimicries and singing attempts. (Boom arm in video sold separately from IKEA)