With the continued popularity of streaming, remote-working and voice chat in general, it’s no surprise that so many manufacturers are focussing their efforts on creating great microphones, and this year we’ve had quite a few cross our desks. But when it comes to the best of the best, these three candidates stand out as top contenders for our best microphone award 2023.
We’ve all been subjected to less than ideal audio quality, whether it’s from someone using the built-in mic in their webcam to headset users with crackly headset units placed far too close to their mouths, the results are pretty horrible to listen to. However, each of the candidates here are designed to capture and deliver fantastic, warm and crisp vocal sound to caress your earholes, and would make worthy additions to any audio setup.
However, beyond sound quality and accurate vocal capture what we’re really looking for in a great mic is thoughtful design, solid build quality and great compatibility. Each of the microphones below really ticked these boxes in different ways, so it’s a tight competition for who takes the top spot.
The Sennheiser Profile Streaming Set makes a compelling case for itself as an all-in-one platform for anyone looking to get into professional sounding audio, with a professional look to match. Meanwhile the Audio-Technica AT2020+ delivers great audio quality for a surprisingly reasonable price, and as for our last pick, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS StreamSet, well, we even included a headset in the mix. Yep, the mic was that good.
Any of these microphones seems destined for the top spot, so without further ado, here’s our breakdown of this year’s contenders.
Best microphone 2023: the nominees
The winner of the PC Gamer Hardware Award for the best microphone of 2023 will be announced on New Year’s Eve. Sound good? Sorry. Make sure you check in with us then to find out the eventual result.