With a big portion of the world population still working from home due to COVID-19, the number of Zoom or Skype meetings that the average worker has to go through increased considerably over the last couple of years.
To participate in such virtual meetings, it’s always good to make sure that you have the right equipment for it. Sometimes you have to handle serious business in these video calls, and having a good quality microphone it’s essential to provide a professional image and to pass along your messages as clearly as possible.
There’s a variety of models to choose from, that would certainly all improve the quality of your video conferences. We’re going to talk a little bit about some of the top products on the market, citing specific characteristics and variations that will help you to find the right mic for your needs.
**Disclaimer: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Editor’s Top 3 Choices
In a hurry? You can’t go wrong with either of these:
What Type of Microphone is Best for a Zoom Meeting?
To sound as clear as possible in your Zoom video conferences, the right type of mic for you is definitely the condenser microphone.
These mics are highly sensitive and have amazing voice transmission/recording quality. They follow sound waves very accurately, offering wide frequency response and excellent transient response.
They’re also extremely sensitive, so you won’t have to worry about speaking too close to the mic in order to get understood by other people in the video meeting.
Do I Need an External Microphone to Use Zoom?
Well, it’s certainly not an obligation to have one to participate in Zoom meetings. However, it’s definitely a welcomed plus.
When it comes to audio transmission or recording, the internal mic of the majority of laptops or PCs out there does a mediocre job, at best. To guarantee audio quality in your video conferences, you must acquire a good-quality external microphone.
Best 5 Wired Microphones for Zoom Meetings
1. SUDOTACK USB Streaming Podcast PC Microphone
The Good
- Good sound quality
- Easy USB access
- Good compatibility (PC, Mac, laptop and Mobile Phone with OTG adapter)
- Comes with pop filter, anti-wind foam cap, table clamp, shock mount
The Bad
- Stand is fragile and boom arm hard to position it
This mic has a consistent audio quality, with a really wide frequency response (30hz to 16hz) and a cardioid pickup pattern that eliminates unwanted background noises.
Another great feature of this product consists of how easily you can start using it after taking it out of the box. After you plug the USB cable, it is all ready to go! No need for drives or installing programs of any kind.
Although the product comes along with a mic stand, shock mount, and table clamp for proper positioning of the mic, some buyers claim that the stand itself is poorly made and the boom arm is difficult to handle and fragile.
This product can be purchased at a price considered average for wired mics.
2. MAONO USB Microphone
The Good
- Good sound quality
- Easy USB access
- Double shielding USB cables
- Good compatibility (PC, Mac, laptop and Mobile phones – with OTG adapter)
- Comes with pop filter, anti-wind foam cap, metal shock mount, table mounting clamp
The Bad
- Tricky boom arm
This microphone also has a frequency response of 30hz to 16hz and a 16mm electric condenser transducer that enables an awesome bass response as well.
There’s also the presence of double shielding USB cables that reduce interference, making your voice sound great.
The accessibility is also quite easy on this one. There’s no need for any extra drivers or sound cards, just plug it in and you can start participating in your video meetings.
Although it comes with a complete kit of accessories for properly hanging in your room or office, there are some complaints about the boom arm being tricky, fragile, or just difficult to handle.
This product can be purchased at a price considered average for wired mics.
3. TONOR USB Conference Microphone, 360° Omnidirectional
The Good
- Good sound quality
- Easy USB access
- Comes with mute button
The Bad
- Range could be slightly better
This TONOR USB microphone has a 360° omnidirectional technology that makes it highly appropriate for video conferences that have more than 1 person in the same room trying to communicate to another party. The mic is compatible with Mac, laptop, and PC.
It also has a very useful one-button mic functionality, enabling you to multitask a little if the meeting goes to an unproductive space any time.
It’s important to inform that, although the 360° omnidirectional functionality can be great to a more crowded space, it can be quite complicated for individual use, once this mic can be more sensitive to noises that are more distant.
There are also reports that, although the product specifications state there’s a 5 meters range for sound pick up, sounds can get undistinguished at a tighter range than this, and people present in the conference would have to be closer to one another for being able to communicate clearly.
This product can be purchased at a price considered average for wired mics.
4. CMTECK G006Plus USB Microphone
The Good
- Good sound quality
- 360° Adjustable Metal Gooseneck
- Easy USB access
- Volume knob
- Inexpensive
The Bad
- Some troubles with the mute button
This microphone is definitely a good way to go if you want a solid-quality product at a low price. It’s compatible with PC, Mac, and laptops.
This CMTECK mic has a solid sound quality, with a built-in noise-canceling smart chip that eliminates background noise and assures the clarity of your voice.
The design consists of some cool blue LED lights on the base of the mic, that can be switched on or off easily.
It is also an extremely practical product. It comes with a built-in sound card and there’s no need for any extra drivers for it to work promptly. There’s also a volume knob that allows you to easily control the volume of the mic any time you want.
There’s also a mute button present on the mic. However, there are some user complaints about the button being a bit loud (and producing an inconvenient sound when you’re in a video conference, making other participants rather suspicious), as well as some reports of the button ceasing to work with some of use.
5. JOUNIVO USB Desktop Microphone
The Good
- Decent sound quality
- 360° Adjustable Metal Gooseneck
- Easy USB acces
- Mute button
- Really inexpensive
The Bad
- Doesn’t last long
This JOUNIVO mic is a good option if you’re looking for decent sound quality at a very low price. It’s compatible with PC, Mac, and laptops.
The sound quality is not amazing, but for the price you’re paying for this one, it’s great. The gooseneck goes 360° and the mic it’s omnidirectional, with high sensitivity. No extra drivers are needed for it to work promptly.
As you would expect, the product you can’t have a high expectation of use with this one, making this product a better option as a temporary mic.
There are reports regarding the light of the mute button becoming defective, and troubles with voice recording and connection cables; all of this after about a year of use or less.
Best 5 Wireless Microphones for Zoom Meetings
6. Rode Wireless Go Microphone System
The Good
- Good sound quality
- Portable and lightweight
The Bad
- A bit expensive
- Doesn’t transmit sound with external mic plugged in
This RODE mic system offers you versatility and sound quality, although it comes at a higher price than usual.
You can take these anywhere you want, as their small size and weight make them extremely adaptable to various situations. Their range is also pretty consistent, allowing the functional distance between receiver and transmitter to be up to 70 meters.
However, there are many users who report problems with the microphone system when connecting an external mic to improve audio quality. This functionality is supposed to be possible here, and would consequently make audio quality even better, but it doesn’t seem to work properly in most of the models shipped to buyers.
7. SabineTek Smartmike
The Good
- Great sound quality
- Small and lightweight
The Bad
- A bit expensive
- Only works in mobile phones
- Doesn’t work outside the product’s app
Another good-quality mic that allows you to move around while properly recording your voice, if you’re looking to be a little bit more dynamic in your Zoom conference calls.
The mic is unidirectional and rotates 360°. The sound quality is full band audio 48kHz Stereo and should sound crystal clear to other participants in the video call.
Although connectivity is quite easy, there is a considerable number of users’ complaints regarding the fact that the mic would only work through the product’s app. That limitates the recording options and could be a problem for some potential buyers.
8. Alvoxcon Wireless Lapel Microphone
The Good
- Great sound quality
- Good durability
- Great compatibility (PC, Mac, laptops, android phones, Wii)
- Volume control button
- Able to monitor real time recording
- Inexpensive (for wireless mics)
The Bad
- Weak noise-cancelling tech
- Fragile material
This mic has an OK sound quality, but it compensates for the fact with great compatibility, practicality, and a really affordable price. And of course, you could always connect an external mic to this to improve audio quality. There are no reports of that feature being defective in this product in particular.
The headphone monitoring enables you to monitor the recording without latency, making it perfect for Zoom meetings or even online classes of any kind. The transmitter also has a volume control functionality, allowing you to easily adjust the intensity of your voice, and making your life easier in video calls
This mic comes at a lower price than usual, and it’s not expected to have the longest time of use in full functionality. The material is rather fragile and you should avoid handling it very abruptly if you don’t want to break it.
9. Alvoxcon Wireless Headset Lavalier Microphone System
The Good
- Good sound quality
- Volume control button
- Inexpensive (for wireless mics)
The Bad
- Not compatible with PC or Mac
- Low battery life
Another solid Alvoxcon option for wireless mics, this product has a consistent audio quality for the price, although if your intention is to use it for Zoom meetings exclusively, you should definitely have in mind it’s only compatible with mobile phones.
The mic delivers in multi frequencies and also comes with noise-canceling tech. You can control the frequency and audio volume with a button present on the transmitter.
There are also some complaints about the battery life of the mic being too low and having to be recharged constantly. It wouldn’t be the safest option for people that intend to participate in really long video calls.
10. Bietrun Wireless USB Lavalier Lapel Microphone/Headset
The Good
- Good sound quality
- Able to monitor real time recording
- Very inexpensive
- 1 year warranty
The Bad
- Fragile material
- Only compatible with PC
This mic is a solid choice for those who want a consistent sound quality at an extremely affordable price.
This Bietrun mic has anti-jamming, anti-howling and anti-delay features that offer consistency to your audio. The range between transmitter and receiver can be up to 98 feet (30 meters) while still functional.
The product is also able to monitor the recording in real time without latency, making it extremely suitable for online video conferences.
However, as you expect by the extremely low price, the mic is a bit fragile and should not last as long as other more expensive choices on the market. It’s also not compatible with Mac or mobile phones of any kind.
F.A.Q
Do Wireless Mics Work in Zoom?
Of course! However, most of the wireless microphones appropriate for Zoom/Skype calls out there function through Bluetooth, so it’s best to check if that functionality of your PC, Mac, laptop or mobile phone is working properly before trying to connect the mic you bought.
How Do You Use a Wireless Mic in a Zoom meeting?
- Turn on the Bluetooth on the device you want to connect the wireless mic with. After that, turn on your wireless mic and connect it to the device.
- Some microphones will require you to install a driver to proceed. It should be a simple and quick process.
- After doing that, you can test the audio of the microphone. You can do that by going to the voice recording feature of your device and doing a quick test.
- After making sure everything it’s OK with the mic, go to mic configurations in Zoom. Change the mic configurations so the audio can be captured by the external wireless mic you just connected and not by the internal mic.
- You’re ready to go!
Will has been a full-time content creator since 2014. He’s an audio, video, and tech hobbyist dedicated to reviewing products and giving you the best tips he knows to grow your audience.