Samson C01U Studio Condenser Microphone Review

Last week I was given the Samson C01U Desktop USB Studio Condenser Microphone for creating better video reviews and voice overs.

Product Links: Samson C01U, Samson MD5 Desktop Mic Stand, Samson SP01 Shock Mount

Presentation / Look: 7 / 10

This microphone looks very nice sitting on a computer desk. It definitely gives the ‘expensive mic’ presentation and looks great in front of you and others around you. It is meant to be mounted on a tripod or spider mount which limits its portability. It feels very weird holding it since that is beyond its purpose. It could use some color however. It looks like a boring metal pickle. No patterns or other shades of gray are visible other than the green LED light in the front.

Quality 9 / 10:

The voice quality is great in terms of close up audio recording. I found that being between 6 inches and 1 foot is the perfect distance to get quality sound. For online voice calls such as Skype, I have it about 1.5 feet away and it still sounds great to those listening. When further than 2 feet, some background noise starts to enter in the microphone and the quality sounds like a regular USB microphone.

Features 7/10:

If you want this microphone solely for basic audio capture, then it does the job perfectly. However, compared to other great recording devices, Samson could have done a better job by including a headphone jack for listening while recording. The LED in the front does nothing other than indicate that the product is on, unlike their Go Mic which lights up red when you are getting too loud.

Specifications / Features:

• Plug in and start recording. No extra gear needed.
• 19mm diaphragm
• Cardioid pickup pattern
• 16-bit, 44.1/48kHz resolution
• Smooth, flat frequency response
• Bundled with Cakewalk® Sonar LE music production software
• Frequency Response: 20 – 18000 HZ
• Polar pattern: Hyper cardioid
• Element type: Electret condenser type
• Diaphragm thickness: 3 microns
• SPL: 136 dB Max.
• Dimensions (H x W x D): 7 x 2.125 x 2.125 inches (180 x 54 x 54 mm)
• Weight: 1.06 lbs. (.48 kg)

Pros:

• Simple to setup. Just plug in and record.
• Great sound quality for standard recording range (~1 foot).
• Inexpensive
• Comes with Samson SoftPre and Cakewalk Sonar LE
• Uses standard USB Printer Port.

Conclusion 8 / 10

After testing this product with Skype calls and doing voice-over commentaries, the Samson C01U has fulfilled my needs for a good quality audio recording device. All of the basic necessities were accomplished and it produces great audio. I wish it had additional features, such as an LED indicator when you were too loud or a headphone jack for listening, but overall it’s a great microphone for the price.