Audio Technica AT2020USBPLUS Deluxe USB Cardioid Condenser Microphone

• Condenser microphone with USB output for digital recording
• High quality A/D converter with 16 bit, 44.1/48 kHz sampling rate for superb audio
• Headphone jack with volume control allows you to monitor the microphone signal with no delay
• Mix control allows you to blend your microphone signal and pre-recorded audio
• High-output internal headphone amplifier delivers superior clarity and musical detail as well as more volume overall

The AT2020 USB (not this item, the Plus) was the USB microphone I recommended, and installed for clients, for years and it was great for both beginning VO students as well as established talent. I used it for almost a decade on the road and in my classes, and the AT2020, the studio version of the mic, was a staple for me as well when I was plugging into my ProTools rig. The quality of this really inexpensive line of microphones far outstrips their street prices.

Other USB microphones sounded amateurish next to the AT2020 USB, as it uses a more expensive analog-to-digital conversion circuit in the body of the mic, giving you a much better sound than, say, the Snowball or the Yeti from Blue Microphones (Blue makes some great mics, but these two aren't among them and because Apple stores sell the Blue line of cheap USB mics, people get suckered into buying them).

At the same time, when using any mic, monitoring your VO reads with headphones, in real time as you're voicing your copy, is essential to understanding how your voice is being picked up by your microphone. It allows you to adjust your addressing of the mic, it lets you know if you're achieving the sound you want, and it can be a first warning that you're overdriving the pickup of your mic and distorting the sound. And the Yeti included a very convenient and useful headphone jack.

But, as a VO talent and teacher here in LA, as my clients and students can confirm for you, I was moaning for years that for a great mic, the AT2020 USB (also still available) was losing sales to the far inferior Snowball and Yeti because it didn't have that essential headphone jack. So, you had to make a sad decision: go for a great mic with a great sound, or go for a mediocre mic that would give you the option to hear how mediocre your sound was.

Happily, with the AT2020-USB Plus, now you can have both great quality and real-time monitoring.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an AT2020-USB Plus microphone shortly after it was introduced at NAMM in 2013. It was so new that the user manual inside was still for the AT2020 USB.

Unpacking the box was a familiar task: the mic, the paperwork (a registration form and a user manual in lots of different languages), and a pouch containing the mounting bracket, a stand and the USB cable.

(By the way, the included stand, as with the AT2020 USB, is almost useless if you do try to use it, your mic will constantly be in danger of falling over, especially with a headphone cable dangling out of the mic. Do yourself a favor and get any other stand, like the On-Stage desk stand (On Stage DS7200B Adjustable Desk Microphone Stand, Black), or floor stand (On Stage Stands MS7701 Tripod Boom Microphone Stand) or whatever you prefer. Use a quarter to remove the threaded adapter from the bracket to use it with any stand you buy.)

That minor annoyance aside, the rest of the equipment is as satisfying to use as the original AT2020 USB. The color is the same, the pickup is the same, the sound is the same but there's one big difference.

The headphone jack.

The glorious headphone jack.

Plugging a stereo mini plug-laden set of earbuds or headphones into that jack lets you hear your voice, pre-encoding, with no latency or delay whatsoever.

You can easily control how loud your headphones are with the thumbwheel-dialed volume control. There's also a mix dial between sound that can be fed back from your computer into the mic and your voice, which might be useful for speaking over a bed or an effect, but for the most part, I'd keep the control all the way over to purely letting you hear your voice.

The sound I get from the Plus is exactly the same as I got from its predecessor: the frequency response, the warmth, the forgiveness at higher or lower volumes and the bass proximity effect which is all really good news. audio-technica had released a mic last year that was a toy compared to the AT2020 series (the AT2500), where they cheaped out on every part of the mic, but added a headphone jack. That was a swing and a miss, but this new AT2020 USB Plus is a solid home run.

I'd love to hear what you all think I'm a fan. And I'm installing the AT2020 USB Plus in every new installation of home equipment I perform.

David H. Lawrence XVII

Buy Audio Technica AT2020USBPLUS Deluxe USB Cardioid Condenser Microphone Now

I read many reviews on Amazon before I decided on the newer at2020usb+ "Plus" model and I must say it was well worth every penny. I posted a Unboxing and Review on YouTube for all to see how the Mic comes. As always with Amazon...order was packaged well and arrived quickly.

YouTube "Audio Technica AT2020USB+ Plus Condenser Microphone Amazon Unboxing & Review Using Samsung Galaxy S3"

Hope this helps everyone with their decision : ) Well done Audio Technica.

p.s. Um yea the headphone jack is amazing. Zero Delay.

Read Best Reviews of Audio Technica AT2020USBPLUS Deluxe USB Cardioid Condenser Microphone Here

I owned the Blue Snowball, but like many people was having trouble getting Windows 7 to recognize it. I would have to plug it in and unplug it multiple times to get windows to recognize it.

Well I got fed up, and decided i would get a new mic this mic. GLAD I DID.

First, the setup was extremely easy. I plugged it in once. Windows 7 recognized it immediately and there was no compatibility issues. I will point out that Audiotechnica says on their website that this mic is compatible with Windows 7. IT DOES NOT SAY THIS FOR the AT2020 ONLY the AT2020+. Since I don't own the AT2020, I can't say for sure if it is Windows 7 compatible, but people on the Internet have had problems. I will say that on a fresh installation of Windows 7, all the features of the AT2020+ worked perfectly on the first attempt.

The mic itself is fantastic. Great sound capture, reproduction through Audacity sounds tremendous. The headphone jack allows you to listen to yourself in realtime. I can find out if I am sounding flat when I sing etc... You can also set the headphone jack on the mic as the audio out for your computer. That way if you want to play a song and record you voice to that song, you can do that as well.

I know this mic is expensive relative to the Blue Snowball, but you are gettting so much more. Most importantly, a guarantee that it will work. Blue for whatever reason does guarantee their mics will work unless you are a certain model number or higher.

This one works, plain and simple. I would DEFINITELY buy again.