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Audio quality comparison: AirPods vs embedded mic vs USB mic

June 25, 2021
Audio quality comparison:  AirPods vs embedded mic vs USB mic

"Sorry - John - I can't hear you. Can you get closer to the mic? Nope - that didn't fix it. Can you switch to a different microphone?"

Don't be John.

Audio quality, believe it or not, is MORE important than video quality.

Think about it like this. If video quality is bad - the meeting continues. If the audio drops or is intermittent - the meeting ends.

3 common microphones used in video calls are Apple AirPods, microphones embedded in laptops (or desktops) and external USB microphones. Here is a quick video where you can hear the differences.

Quality ranking:

  1. MOVO USB Conference mic:  LINK
  2. Embedded mic
  3. Apple AirPods

Conclusion

Audio quality is more important than video. So despite the numerous articles out there focusing on video quality - ensure your audio setup is great first.

USB microphones are a cheap and easy way to create podcast-like audio. Definitely recommend.