Budget Mic Comparison: SM7B vs FIFINE vs Blue Yeti — Full Br

[00:00] Bad mic audio can ruin even the best

[00:02] streams. So, today I'm showing you the

[00:04] best price to performance microphones

[00:05] for OBS Studio. I've tested top picks

[00:08] like the Sure SM7B, the Logitech Yeti,

[00:11] the Fifine AM8, and the Fifine K688. And

[00:15] one of these easily beats the rest for

[00:16] its money. Let's get into it. When

[00:18] you're picking a mic, here's what really

[00:19] matters. The connection type. So, USBs

[00:22] are easy to plug in, but then XLR mics

[00:24] need extra gear. Then there's also the

[00:26] microphone type. Dynamic mics block

[00:28] noise. condensers capture more detail.

[00:31] And then finally, the controls and

[00:32] features like the gain knobs, the mute

[00:34] buttons, and the headphone jacks. Keep

[00:37] those in mind as we go through each

[00:38] model. First up, the Sure SM7B. It's a

[00:41] dynamic XLR microphone known for its

[00:43] warm, rich, natural tone. You'll hear

[00:46] this microphone everywhere in podcast,

[00:48] studios, and even live broadcast. It's

[00:51] built like a tank with amazing

[00:52] background noise rejection, but it's

[00:54] only XLR, so you'll need a audio

[00:56] interface and probably a preamp or cloud

[00:58] lifter to power it properly. At around

[01:00] $350, it's not cheap. But if you want a

[01:03] pro setup, this is a top tier choice.

[01:05] Next is the Logitech Yeti, probably the

[01:07] most famous USB microphone out there.

[01:09] It's a condenser microphone, so it

[01:11] captures crisp detail, but also more

[01:13] room noise. You get four pickup

[01:15] patterns cardioid stereo omni and

[01:18] birectional, plus a mute button and a

[01:20] game knob right on the front. It's

[01:22] plug-andplay. There's no interface

[01:24] needed, which makes it perfect for

[01:25] beginners or quick setups. Just keep in

[01:27] mind, it'll pick up your keyboard, fans,

[01:29] and even background noise. Real quick,

[01:31] if you're finding this video helpful so

[01:33] far, be sure to drop a like on the video

[01:34] and subscribe down below for more gear

[01:37] breakdowns and OBS setup tips. Now,

[01:39] let's talk about the Fine Fine Ampl.

[01:41] This one costs around $60 and it's a USB

[01:44] plus XLR hybrid dynamic microphone so

[01:47] you can plug it straight into your PC

[01:48] now and then upgrade to an interface

[01:50] later. It's got RGB lighting, a touch

[01:52] mute button, a gain knob, and a

[01:54] headphone jack for live monitoring. The

[01:56] sound is clean and focused, and it

[01:58] blocks the background noise really well

[02:00] for the price. It's only 16 bit through

[02:02] USB, so it's not quite as detailed as

[02:04] some pro mics, but overall an awesome

[02:06] choice for budget streamers. Next up is

[02:08] the Fifine K688, and this one's my pick

[02:12] for the best price to performance. It's

[02:14] also a USB plus XLR dynamic microphone,

[02:16] but with a more studio sound compared to

[02:18] the AM8. It's got dedicated knobs for

[02:20] gain and headphone volume, a mute

[02:22] button, and real-time headphone

[02:24] monitoring. The tone is balanced and

[02:26] warm with excellent noise rejection.

[02:28] Perfect if your room isn't soundproof.

[02:30] It skips the RGB lights, but for under

[02:32] $100, it sounds way more professional

[02:34] than it should. All right, so let's

[02:35] quickly break it down. For the Sure

[02:37] SM7B, it's over $350. The sound is very

[02:41] professional. There's a top noise

[02:42] control. It's very expensive, and it

[02:45] also needs a preamp. For the Logitech

[02:46] Yeti, which is at $120, it's easy to set

[02:50] up. There's multiple modes, but the

[02:51] biggest downside is it obviously picks

[02:53] up a bunch of room noise. For the Fifine

[02:56] AM8, it's around $60. There's RGB,

[02:59] there's solid sound, but overall, the

[03:01] microphone gives you slightly less depth

[03:02] in your audio. Finally, for the Fifine

[03:05] K688, it's priced around $80. There's a

[03:07] warm tone, a pro feeling. If you're into

[03:10] RGB, unfortunately, there is none. And

[03:12] for the USB, it's only 16 bit. So,

[03:14] here's my overall thoughts. The SM7B

[03:17] sounds the best, but unfortunately, the

[03:19] price point is crazy. The Yeti is easy

[03:21] and versatile, but it's sensitive to

[03:23] noise. The AM8 is fun, flashy, and

[03:25] affordable, but unfortunately, it

[03:27] doesn't have the greatest depth. And

[03:29] finally, for the K688, it gives you the

[03:31] most balanced studio-like sound for

[03:34] under $100. If you're using OBS Studio,

[03:36] I would go with a dynamic microphone

[03:38] like the Sure SM7B, the AM8, or the

[03:41] K688. They'll reject background noise

[03:44] better than condensers. And don't

[03:45] forget, your OBS filters matter just as

[03:48] much as the microphone itself. If you

[03:49] want to learn exactly how to tune your

[03:51] filters for the best sound, check out my

[03:53] full video on the OBS microphone filter

[03:55] settings. I'll walk you through noise

[03:57] suppression compression EQ and

[03:59] everything you need to know for that

[04:01] clean broadcast quality sound. Now, for

[04:03] my final verdict. For most creators, the

[04:05] Fine Fine K688 wins on price,

[04:08] performance, and flexibility. If you got

[04:10] more budget and the gear, the Sure SM7B

[04:12] is unbeatable. If you want something

[04:14] simple, I would just go with the Yeti.

[04:16] And if you want RGB and want solid

[04:18] performance on the cheap, I would go

[04:19] with the AM8. Thank you so much for

[04:21] watching. Be sure to drop a like on this

[04:22] video and subscribe down below. And I

[04:24] hope we see you in the next one.