I’ve been podcasting and making YouTube videos since 2005. When I started creating content online we didn’t have a lot of options.

You either had a ton of great gear or you went down to RadioShack to pick up some cheap microphone or webcam and hoped it lasted 3 months until something better showed up.

If you’re thinking about podcasting or starting some kind of streaming channel, one of the most daunting tasks is choosing the right microphone.

Over the years, a lot of people have asked me what microphone I recommend for someone who’s thinking about starting a podcast. For the last five years, I’ve recommended the ATR2100.

I’m going to start recommending this the Fifine K683A to most people.

When you’re starting out you don’t want to have to deal with a ton of gear and mess with all kinds of setting so you need a USB microphone you can just plug in and start creating content.

That’s where the Fifine K683A comes in.

They reached out to me last month and asked me to review their newest microphone and after I saw the specs, I couldn’t say no.

Specifications

The Fifine K683A USB microphone is a fully plug-and-play microphone that works with PCs, Macs, PS4s, and even Linux! Sorry Xbox owners. This mic isn’t for you.

It’s got a 16mm capsule with a cardioid pick-up pattern that provides a frequency range of 50-17kHz.

It’s got a signal-to-noise ratio of 70db which is pretty good.

There’s a mute button, gain control, USB A & C connectors, and a low-latency 3.5mm headphone jack for monitoring.

When you compare the K683A to the ATR2100 which I usually recommend to new podcasters, it stacks up pretty well.

It lacks an XLR jack so anyone who wants to eventually move on to more advanced podcasting setups would need to buy a new microphone but at around $60, you’re not losing a lot of money.

Final Thoughts

Despite the lack of an XLR jack, I’m still going to recommend the Fifine K683A to podcasters who are just starting, Twitch streamers, or people who want to live stream on Facebook or do talking head videos.

If you’re an experienced podcaster and you want a mic you can just grab and plugin for an interview or online meeting, this is a great mic to have standing by.