Microphones Ranked by Quality

Why is good audio important?

First, when I come across content with poor audio quality, I stop listening to it. You as the creator may feel that your content is unique and valuable, but to listeners, it’s just one among an infinite set of choices.

Second, if you’re targeting a global audience, your accent may already make it hard for them to understand you, so don’t make it worse with poor audio quality.

Third, a study found that people with clearer audio were judged to be more knowledgeable and insightful! So if you’re in the business of building trust (and who isn’t?), improve your audio quality.

Rankings

With this in mind, I’ve ranked the various microphones I have in decreasing order of quality:

1. Sony ECM-LV1 lavalier mic¹

2. iPhone 15

3. Macbook Pro (16-inch, M1)

4. Bose QuietComfort SC

5. AirPods Pro (1st gen)

6. Google Pixel 1 XL

7. Sony MDR-770BN

The smartphones were held a few inches away from my mouth.

Learnings

1. Microphone distance is more important than microphone quality. Even the built-in microphone of an iPhone works well in this situation.

2. Bluetooth headphones are always worse than wired ones (which includes built-in microphones)

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Here are some test recordings. They have different audio levels, so please be prepared.

Sony ECM-LV1:

iPhone 15:

Macbook:

AirPods:

Pixel:

Sony:

1. with the ATR-2x USB adapter, plugged in to my Macbook.