I picked up this Blue Spark Digital microphone for Xtreme Retro Gaming, and I have to say I’m rather disappointed with it. For something that cost me around $250, the construction of this particular microphone leaves quite a lot to be desired!

The first problem is the connector. It looks like a rather strange combination of USB and a 3.5 mm audio connection, and the whole assembly feels loose. Move the cable slightly to one side and the microphone loses its connection to the computer. That’s not particularly useful when you’re trying to record something.

Then there’s the stand. The threads on the microphone and the supplied mounting arrangement don’t seem to match properly, so I can’t get it to sit the way it appears in the product photographs. I can make it stay together by assembling the parts differently, but that hardly inspires confidence.

So naturally, I’ve pulled the microphone apart to see what’s going on inside. There are some rather questionable little details on the circuit board, including a screw that doesn’t appear to be seated correctly and some additional wiring or rework that looks rather messy.

Perhaps that work was a legitimate production modification made before a later PCB revision. I don’t know. It just seems a little unusual to find this sort of thing inside something that was sold as a finished product.

I’ve also noticed some dirt or residue around the internal controls, including the area underneath one of the wheels. Along with the loose connector, that isn’t making this particular microphone look terribly healthy.

The circuitry itself is reasonably compact, with plenty of surface-mounted components, but some of the mechanical assembly seems poorly thought out. I’m going to put it back together and see whether I can improve the connection and mounting arrangement.

It’s a shame, because the microphone itself looks rather nice, and the audio quality seemed promising when it was behaving. Unfortunately, that doesn’t help much when moving the cable causes it to disconnect.

I ended up ordering a Blue Yeti microphone instead. Hopefully that’ll be a little more impressive!