I have always advocated the benefits of a good microphone. It’s one of those things you don’t think you’ll need until you try it yourself or hear a terrible thing in voice chat and realize what a terrible curse bad audio is on the people who have to listen to you every day.
This year, many microphones crossed our desks, and many of them did not meet the requirements. But a few prized players were head and shoulders ahead of the rest, so we gathered the top three, threw them into the ring and let them bang their little pop filters against each other until there was a clear winner.
First up are two exceptionally good units from Shure, a tried and tested name in the audio world that has made some solemn strides in gaming and streaming microphones this year. The Shure MV6 is a desktop microphone that stands out thanks to its excellent long-distance capture, solid build quality, and a mini mic stand that looks like it came straight from the stage at your local venue.
There’s also the Shure MV7+, an improvement on a classic that leaves almost all other podcast microphones in its wake. However, it is a multi-talented marvel and makes a compelling case for itself as a podcasting microphone, streaming microphone, or really any other voice capture task you can think of. Point it at your target and move, swinging towards the rafters.
But what is it? SteelSeries usurper? Yes, the SteelSeries Alias Pro kit includes a great microphone, but it’s the overall package that makes this a worthy contender for the crown. It has a powerful preamplifier hidden within the Stream Mixer interface, along with programmable knobs and buttons that make capturing and streaming audio really basic.
So who will triumph? Take a look at our rivals below.
Best Microphone 2024: nominees
The winner of the PC Gamer Hardware Award for the best microphone of 2024 will be announced on New Year’s Eve. Sounds like fun, right? Contact us to know the final result.
