This microphone is less expensive than some of its near competitors, as it promises having three “studio-quality condensers” plus the convenience of being a plug-and-play USB Microphone. However, whether the standard is maintained or not is what matters most. We have been very impressed with this microphone thus far. Although we are generally a little wary of both USB Mics and Condensers, the speech that was recorded was undoubtedly of the highest caliber. It was unexpected that no drivers were needed, which effectively turns this microphone into a plug-and-play device.
JLab Talk review: Design
The JLab Talk is a short-lived knockoff of the JLab Talk Pro that we previously examined. The device has a partially metal, partially plastic construction and a distinctive metal grill. Like the Pro, the plastic doesn’t feel flimsy or breakable. I began to doubt its plastic composition. The device is cylindrical in shape and has a neon-blue accent circle above the grill. There is a sizable knob that is enclosed in an indication ring light on the mic’s center. ..
The light on the microphone changes color when you change the volume or select polar patterns. ..
The JLab Talk is a small, lightweight laptop computer stand that weighs just 0.4 pounds without the stand and is slightly less than a pound when it is. It is smaller and lighter than the Blue Yeti Nano, which weighs 1.3 pounds and has dimensions of 4.3 x 3.7 x 8.3 inches. The partial plastic construction of the Talk Pro makes it vulnerable to damage, so be careful not to drop or mishandle it. A braided USB-C to USB-A cable measuring 9 feet is included with the JLab Talk Pro.
Easy to use
The Talk is a great mic for streaming. It’s compatible with both Windows and Mac, and it includes VO!CE, a program that lets you fine-tune the low, middle, and high frequencies. The top-of-the-line Blue Yeti X mic comes with dedicated software, but the mic doesn’t require any additional software to use. ..
The Talk has a few controls directly on it. The huge dial on the front can be used to adjust the recording mode. Omnidirectional, Bidirectional, Cardioid, and Stereo are your options. The microphone is muted by pressing the dial. Switching between “Volume” and “Gain” settings requires pressing the smaller dial located below the main dial. Gain is the level at which you record, whereas volume is what you hear on your monitor mix. The large dial has a blue and green LED ring around it that changes color to show which of the two levels you are adjusting. Blue denotes volume and green denotes gain.
Although the dials are labeled, the labels are not very visible. You’ll need to commit the dial locations to muscle memory if you live stream games in poor light, which might be a problem. While the LED light makes it simple to remember the difference between gain and volume, you’ll need to pay close attention to the labels for the four recording modes. Here, an LED indicator system would have been more practical.
JLab Talk review: Sound quality
The second type is omni, which captures sound from all directions around the microphone. This pattern is great for capturing a large area of sound, like a live band. However, it can also be used for recording people talking on the phone or in a noisy environment. The Talk did an excellent job of capturing all the sounds in our conversation without any distortion or noise. The only downside to this setting is that it doesn’t capture as much audio as the cardioid setting. The third type is stereo, which captures sound from both left and right channels. This pattern is great for recording two people talking at the same time or for capturing music in stereo. However, it can also be used to record voices that are coming from different directions or for recording speech that is coming from multiple sources at once. The Talk did an excellent job of capturing all the sounds in our conversation without any distortion or noise. The only downside to this setting is that it doesn’t capture as much audio as the stereo setting. The fourth type is monaural, which captures sound only from one channel and does not capture any other sounds. This setting was best suited for people who want to record their own voice and do not want to use a microphone with another person in it. With this pattern, we were barely audible and could barely hear ourselves over the Talk’s high-pitched whine. It’s not perfect by any means, but it was better than nothing."
The omnidirectional pattern, a 360-degree recording mode designed for group podcasts, is the following option. Although this is to be expected when recording speech from a greater distance, there is an immediate decrease in warmth and an increase in reverb. The three-condenser array really performs admirably under more difficult circumstances, maintaining tone consistency when recording from any angle.
The Talk can record in both a bidirectional and an omnidirectional mode. The bidirectional mode records what is directly in front of and behind the Talk, while the omnidirectional mode records face-to-face interactions between two individuals. However, the person speaking into the back of the microphone sounds hollower and flatter than the person speaking into the front. It’s difficult to explain because the Talk can record consistently in multiple directions when in omnidirectional mode, but at least you now have a good backup option for podcasts. ..
JLab Talk review: Software
The Talk is a simple, plug-and-play audio recorder that works with Mac and Windows 10 computers. Simply plug it into the USB port on your laptop after mounting it to your desk or attaching it to a boom arm. You can then start recording by going to settings and choosing the unit in your audio and locations. The Talk is compatible with any audio recording app you own, so you can easily capture your voice and music recordings anywhere in the world.
Performance
We found that the Talk was easy to use and provided clear audio quality. The telescopic mike stand made it easier to use, and the space under the stand for our headphone plug was an issue but we resolved it by keeping the Talk at an angle. ..
The Talk stereo directional microphone produced the highest-quality sound during all of my testing. However, in order to produce a consistently nice sound, we must keep the gain almost all the way up. Although the quick mute button on the Talk occasionally comes in handy, we don’t find ourselves switching the dials very frequently. Even with the gain turned all the way up, the quality of the Talk’s microphone is still superior to that of our laptop and our office headset. ..
The Talk is a great microphone for podcasting, video and audio chat. It has good quality for both stereo and mono recordings. However, the gain problem can make it difficult to record simple audio tracks.
Price and availability
The JLab Talk is a powerful microphone that is affordable and easy to use. It is on par with the Blue Yeti Nano and less expensive than the flagship Blue Yeti microphone.
Walmart is currently offering the Talk for $80, but it will only last for a limited time. You can purchase it directly from JLab, or you can check out our article on JLab Talk review.
Conclusion
The JLab Audio Talk USB Microphone is a great option for anyone looking to start podcasting or home office work. With its high quality microphone and tripod, the cost is really reasonable. We were a little let down by the mic’s low gain and had to keep the volume very high to use it properly.
Despite its flaws, the Talk $99 laptop microphone is a great replacement for my laptop’s microphone for video chats and podcasting. However, because of the lower audio quality, we won’t be able to use Talk for any music applications.
