Quality:……9

Back in 2017, when i decided to start ”my career” in streaming, i realised soon enough that in order to properly communicate with my audience i had to invest on a good quality microphone. My headset’s integrated microphone was decent however in the streaming business you have to invest in something better in order to separate yourself from the crowd, since quality truly matters.

After some research on the Internet, I found out that in order to afford a decent USB microphone, you had to squander around 110 Euros for the Blue Yeti (i did not like the design of the Blue Snowball at all) which was an amount of money way above the one I had in my disposal.

The best alternative solution I found is the combination of ”tools” i mention in the caption. The Behringer Euphoria UM-2 is a sound interface that can be connected via USB to your PC and permits the user to use any XLR microphone he wants (XLR cables are the most common type of cables used in the audio industry). It has 3 knobs on top of it that let you regulate the input and output sound of your microphone. Furthermore, it has a switch that ”feeds” condenser microphones with the necessary DC voltage, thus enabling you to use them as well. The device itself is made of quality plastic and it is very light.

The XM 8500 microphone is a dynamic cardioid microphone that is considered one of the best microphones around especially considering its low price tag. It is made of metal, therefore it is a bit on the heavy side and feels like you are using a professional microphone. It can be connected to the interface via an XLR cable.

Since i am using solely OBS for streaming, after enabling some filters to negate environmental noise and regulate the sensitivity of the microphone, i loved the end result. My voice sounded crisp and crystal clear and as a result i got a lot of flattering compliments from the viewers watching the content created.

Ergonomy/ Ease of use:….6

While the sound interface and the microphone are pretty much ”plug and play” as far as connectivity is concerned, you have to have a lot of patience in order to make it work properly.

Initially, you have to download a program known as ASIO 4 ALL and tweak a lot of parameters both on this program and OBS itself  to achieve a desired result. There is a lot of trial and error here, so be prepared.

In addition, the microphone’s package is lacking in content, since it does not contain neither an XLR cable nor a table tripod to place it on, which means that you have to buy them separately.

Value for money:…..10

The Behringer UM – 2 sound interface costs around 40 Euros and the Behringer XM 8500 microphone costs surprisingly only 18 Euros, thus meaning that with 65 Euros (counting the cost of the tripod and the cable as well) you get the best possible accessory  for your streaming career at this price range. For me,  it is a definite purchase for new streamers, as well as SKYPE and DISCORD users.

SCORE:….8.3, ”Great”.