Top 12 Best Boom Mics in 2023

Booms mics are often mentioned when the subject is superior quality of sound. They can be used in different types of settings and vary widely in price range and overall characteristics. This kind of variation exists mostly because a boom mic can be classified as any mic that is attached to a boom pole or boom arm. 

When attached to a boom pole, the boom mic’s purpose is almost always directed to the sound capture in productions like movies, TV shows, or commercials. And when attached to a boom arm, the mic becomes a very useful tool to capture audio for live streams, podcasts, or even music sessions at home.

Knowing that the search for these types of microphones has increased immensely, we’re going to clarify some common doubts about them, and then show you a selection of some of the best boom mics available on the market.

The selection will consist of boom mics attached to boom arms, which are often more affordable choices, and particularly recommendable for people that produce content that goes straight to social media or streaming platforms. 

Quick View: Top 5 Boom Mics

What’s the Difference Between a Boom Mic and a Shotgun Mic?

Well, as we said before, a boom mic is technically any mic attached to a boom arm or boom pole. The shotgun microphone, in this case, is the type of microphone that is most often used at the end of boom poles. So, in a way, both are part of the same concept or can be seen, practically, as the same thing. 

The reason why shotgun mics are so used is because of their highly directional polar pattern, which allows them to capture sound specifically from one direction while ignoring background noises from any other source. This makes them ideal to capture audio from dialogs, thus making them just the right mics to be utilized in movie sets, for example.

The shotgun mics (being utilized as boom mics) are often handled by an operator that moves accordingly to the actors or performers talking, with the intention of capturing every single piece of dialog with accuracy. 

This mic is, most of the time, positioned above the actors’ heads, outside the frame, pointed towards the general direction of their mouths.

What Makes a Good Boom Mic?

There are specific characteristics that make boom mics particularly good for voice recording on a general basis. The main ones are:

• High sensitivity: Being able to capture sound with high quality even when positioned at a considerable distance from the audio source.

• Good frequency response: A flat/wide frequency response enables low frequency filtering, which provides the audio a more crisp and pure aspect, devoid of any unwanted background noises.

• Amazing directionality: A consistency in directionality, attached to a good off-axis rejection, means being able to capture sound from a unique direction, rejecting any sounds coming from different places that could possibly ruin your recording. 

The 12 Best Boom Mics

Audio-Technica ATR2100X-USB USB/XLR Microphone

Check on Amazon

Audio-Technica is well known for the quality of its microphones. The first spot on our list is well deserved, occupied by a mic that provides great sound quality and an amazing two outputs feature.

The background noise reduction capacity of the product is amazing and always gets a lot of praise from buyers. This happens due to a very solid cardioid polar pattern that reduces unwanted noises coming from the sides, providing a pure sound experience.

This sound quality is reinforced by very smooth frequency response, with a sampling rate of up to 192 kHz, which makes it perfect for essentially any voice recording scenario.

The two outputs option offered by the mic is a rare and interesting one. There’s a USB output for digital recording and an XLR output that enables connection to a traditional sound system mic input. 

On the negative end, some complaints can be found regarding the practicality of the boom arm included, with buyers mentioning that it could be a little bit more stable and made of a more resistant material. 

MAONO USB Condenser Microphone with Zero Latency

Check on Amazon

This Maono USB mic option has a great-looking all-black design. It provides rich sound quality, coming in with important control knobs on the mic that makes your recording experience far more practical.

The detailed sound is assured by a premium converter that enables 192 kHz/24-bit audio recording and a cardioid mode that offers a very competent directionality feature, eliminating any unwanted secondary noises. 

Also, audio monitoring through headphones (3.5mm jack) is provided with zero latency, eliminating distracting delays.

Mic gain and mute control knobs are present on the mic. The mute knob has a built-in LED light indicator that informs your working status (green: active, red: muted), avoiding any confusion during the production of streaming–like content. 

No driver software installation or external sound card is required when plugging in the mic on your computer. The product is also accompanied by important accessories, including one pop filter, one windscreen cap, one shock mount, and the metallic boom arm.

Some complaints can be found mentioning the shock mount being ineffective due to its poor performance when isolating the microphone from unwanted shocks and ambient vibrations.

TONOR XLR Condenser Microphone

Check on Amazon

This TONOR XLR mic option comes in with many useful accessories, including a boom arm that gets a lot of praise from the buyers.

The product offers consistent sound quality, with a low-noise FET preamplifier and a wide dynamic range that makes any voice sound as natural and clear as possible. The cardioid pattern has amazing off-axis suppression, eliminating the possibility of picking up any background or side noises.

The mic comes with a kit of very useful accessories that include one shock mount, one pop filter, one mic cover, one XLR cable, and the highlight of the kit, the T20 metal boom arm. 

This boom arm is made of high-quality steel and is accompanied by a large size desk clamp that enables you to clip the arm to any desk that is up to 2.4”/60mm thick. The arm is very resistant and smooth to move around, facilitating positioning.

Since this is an XLR input option only, the use of an external power source is required. You must connect the mic to a 48V phantom power, mixer, or audio interface in order for it to work properly. 

LILANZo USB Gaming Condenser Microphone

Check on Amazon

This LILANZo USB mic option comes in with an amazing design and very consistent quality of sound.

The mic’s design consists of a mixture of black, red and blue, with 7-color LED lights that can create a very playful and futuristic atmosphere to your recording sessions. 

The product is equipped with a great sound chipset and offers powerful bass response. The sound quality is also reinforced by a high-quality cardioid polar pattern.

There’s also the presence of two important control knobs and one button on the mic. There’s knobs for mic gain control and echo control and a mute/unmute button.

The accessories coming with the mic include one pop filter, one windscreen and, of course, one boom arm. 

Some complaints are specifically directed to the stiffness of the boom arm, claiming it could be a little bit easier to move around. 

MAONO USB Condenser Microphone

Check on Amazon

The second MAONO option on our list, this mic has a simple all-black design and it’s accompanied by multiple accessories.

The mic has a sampling rate of 192 kHz/24 bit and a smooth frequency response of 30kHz-16kHz, making it great for voice capturing. It works through a 2.0 USB port and there’s no need for the extra driver software or external sound card. 

Also, due to the presence of a magnet ring and a condenser transducer, this mic is particularly good in eliminating interference and providing a strong bass response. 

The products come with many accessories, that include one shock mount, one pop filter, foam mic windscreen, one USB-B to USB-A adapter, one scissor boom arm, and one table mounting clamp. 

A common complaint about the product is the poor quality of the pop filter.

DSCHLZY USB Condenser Microphone

Check on Amazon

This DSCHLZY USB mic has consistent sound quality for its price and it’s compatible even with mobile phones (if you use an OTG adapter). 

The mic has a 192 kHz/24 bit sampling rate and an upgraded cardioid pickup pattern that intends to capture your voice and your voice only. The product also works through a 480 Mbps USB transmission tech that enables fast connection, and no extra driver software is needed. All you need to do is to plug it in. 

Accessories that come with the product include one scissor boom arm, one C-clamp, one pop filter and one foam windscreen.

There are some complaints regarding the boom arm’s poor quality and consistency, claiming that it’s hard to move around and that it breaks quite easily. There’s also some negative commentary towards the volume control knob present on the mic, with buyers claiming that is “strange” to operate and that it can become defective with time. 

Neewer USB Microphone Kit

    Pros

• Good sound quality
• Supercardioid pattern
• Comes with accessories

    Cons

• Sensitivity could be higher

The Neewer USB option of the list, this mic comes at an affordable price, but a gain capacity that could be improved.

You can connect the mic to your computer through the USB-A/USB-B cable available and no software installation should be required. 

The sound quality in this is powered by an unidirectional supercardioid pattern, that makes sure that the sound capturing is happening through the front of the mic only. There’s also a 192kHz/24 bit sampling rate that helps to produce very precise sounds.

Accessories that come with the product include one shock mount, one pop filter, one desk clamp and, of course, a boom arm. 

All of the accessories seem to please the buyers enough, however, a sensitivity problem is often reported. Some people claim that you should speak way too close to the mic in order for it to capture your voice in a clear manner. In such cases, an external soundcard would certainly be needed to improve mic gain 

PROAR USB Podcast Microphone Kit

Check on Amazon

This PROAR mic has two different patterns for sound recording, as well as a LED lighting indicator system that makes it stand out from other options. 

This microphone is equipped with intelligent noise reduction tech and has a 50 kHz-18kHz wide frequency response, providing a clear sound with strong bass. 

Both cardioid and bidirectional patterns are available here. The cardioid pattern is more appropriate to capture sources that are directly in front of the mic and the bidirectional is more suited to capture sounds from the front and from the rear of the mic (ideal for interview formats).

Now, to the lighting system. The mic has built-in LED lights that are very aesthetically pleasing and also serve as mode indicators: Blue light (cardioid mode), green light (bidirectional mode) and red light (muted). Control knobs for volume control and a button for muting/unmuting are also present on the mic. 

Accessories include one scissor boom arm, one shock mount, one dual layer pop filter, five cable ties, and one table mounting clamp. 

According to some buyers, product’s quality control should be taken care of. There are some reports of small parts missing upon the product’s arrival. In most cases, these parts are mounting screws or adapters that are crucial to a proper installation of the boom arm.

SUDOTACK USB Streaming Podcast PC Microphone

Check on Amazon

This SUDOTACK mic option is a simple plug & play with a consistent sound quality.

The sampling rate in this one is the same as all previous options on the list, except here we have a frequency response of only 30hz to 16hz, but that still manages to hold up a solid sound quality. There’s no need for driver installation.

Accessories that come along include one boom arm, one shock mount, one table clamp, one anti-wind foam cap, one USB-A/USB-B cable and one pop filter.

Common complaints about the mic include the boom arm being cheaply made and hard to assemble and an ineffective cardioid pickup pattern that allows for unwanted background noises to become apparent. That compels the users to speak way too close to the microphone in order to obtain a clear voice recording experience. 

Piy Painting USB Microphone Kit

Check on Amazon

The number 10 of our list comes in at with a solid quality of sound and a more affordable price.

The sampling rate is the usual 192kHz/24 bit, but we have a frequency response of 100 Hz-18kHz here, enabling great sensitivity while still being able to eliminate background noise, with the help of a solid pickup pattern. 

Accessories coming along include one double-layered pop filter, one foam windscreen, one C-clamp and one boom arm. Worth mentioning that the USB cable is 2.5m long.

Common complaints can be found regarding the quality of the boom arm, with buyers claiming it can be too wobbly after installed, and made out of a fragile material.

IKEDON USB Condenser Microphone

Check on Amazon

This IKEDON option also enters the realm of the consistent yet more affordable. 

Sampling rate is the same as others on the list, with a frequency response of 100Hz-18kHz, and we have a reliable cardioid pickup pattern that focuses on sounds sources in front of the mic. 

Connection with your computer happens through a 2.0 USB port, with no installation of drivers needed.

Accessories include one scissor boom arm, one shock mount, one pop filter, one foam windscreen and detachable table mounting clamp.

Complaints regarding the product often mention a poor quality scissor boom arm, and poor quality control from IKEDON. There are cases of mics being delivered completely nonfunctional or getting in such a state in a matter of a few weeks.

Travor USB Condenser Microphone

Check on Amazon

The last option of our list, this Travor USB mic is the most affordable one on the list, but stills gets the job done.

The sampling rate is the usual and the sound chipset is high quality, capturing your voice very clearly. Thanks to the cardioid pickup pattern, sounds directly in front of the mic are captured full-bodied, while background noises are eliminated.

Accessories include one scissor boom arm, one desk mount clamp, one pop filter, one foam mic cover and one USB-A/USB-B cable. 

Common complaints are mostly directed at the quality of the boom arm, which is not very stiff, and a bit too hard to install.