Samson C03U USB MultiPattern Condenser Microphone (Discontinued)

84
GEARANK

84 out of 100. Incorporating 225+ ratings and reviews.

Street Price: 

$100
Samson C03U USB MultiPattern Condenser Microphone
Samson C03U USB MultiPattern Condenser Microphone

The Samson C03U comes with impressive quality and multi-pattern versatility at a price point that's easily accessible. It captures audio at 16-bit resolution with up to 48kHz sampling rate and it comes with dual 19mm internal shockmounted diaphragms with neodymium elements for improved SPL handling.

Adding even more value to this mic is the ability to switch between supercardioid, omnidirectional and bi-directional (figure-8) polar patterns, which make the C03U viable for single and multiple source capturing.

Pros

The quality is so good that there's even a biologist who reviewed this mic and mentioned that he used it to capture the sound of wild animals for analysis, and he continues to get good results from it. And it has become the favorite of many podcasters. I for one have been using a C03U to capture vocals and acoustic guitars for five years now and have nothing but compliments for it.

Cons

There was one who reported encountering driver issues after upgrading to Windows 10. There are a few that had to deal with ambient noise seeping into their recording, but it maybe due to the wrong pattern use.

Overall

Although we used to recommend the Samson C03U, there are now more highly rated options available which you can see in the following guides: