Hi friend and Welcome!
Before we jump into the Samson Meteor vs. Meteorite comparison, grab a snack, sit back and relax because..
You’ve come to the right place!!
What I will bring you in this review
Of each microphone:
- Ratings/Price
- Specifications
- Summary
- Pros
- Cons
- Video Review
- Sound clips from Stu
- Who this mic benefits?
- What you will need?
- Thoughts from Stu’s notepad
- Consensus/Conclusion
- Similarities & Differences
- Final Word
Now without further ado, let’s get rolling!
Samson Meteor
Ratings/Price
- Check Amazon! | Check Sweetwater! | Check eBay!
Specifications
- Microphone Type: Condenser
- Polar Pattern: Cardioid
- Diapgragm Size: .98″ (25mm)
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
- Max SPL: 120dB. What is SPL?
- Signal to noise ratio: 96dB (A-weighted)
- Color: Silver
- Connector: USB
- Weight: .6 lb.
- Included Accessories: USB Cable, Carry pouch
- Manufacturer Part Number: SAMTR
Summary
I have to say, I love this little mic. As soon as you get it home and whip it out of the case, it just oozes quality. As many reviewers have pointed out, it’s extremely heavy and feels super durable. I think one guy mentioned that it actually doubles as a hammer. Lol. “Don’t you know what a hammer is?” -Hank Hill
The legs on this baby actually fold-out, contributing to its ridiculously compact design. It’s a mic you could carry in your pocket and pull out whenever the f you want.
You’d also be surprised just how good the sound is coming out of this puppy. I actually like the sound over the AT2020, which surprised the heck out of me. Not only is the 2020 more expensive, but it’s also XLR. Interesting. What is XLR? Technically, an XLR mic hooked up to an audio interface is supposed to sound better, but I liked the Meteor more. It looks like a mini spaceship on my desk and makes me feel pretty rad.
Pros
- Nice carrying box and pouch.
- Slick design.
- Compact, easy to use.
- Heavy and durable. Like hammer.
- Phenomenal sound quality for a mic under $100.
Cons
These are well-researched problems that I dug up. I did not have any of these problems except for one. More on that in Stu’s notepad. 🙂
- Red/Amber light of death. Known to quit after anywhere from a few days, to a few weeks, to 6 months, to a year/year and a half. It’s unfortunate, and a byproduct of a sub $100 mic in my opinion.
- Your PC may suddenly stop recognizing it, which is also a drag. It may also suddenly die.
- There have been some reports of soldering issues with the mini USB connector and port, to where the unit essentially comes apart in this area.
- No gain adjustment on the mic.
- Some driver issues may become apparent on Windows OS.
- Picks up a lot of background noise. I did notice this quite a bit after re-listening to my AT2020 samples. The AT2020 rejects noise a lot better. But Acoustic Sound Treatment goes a long way in any case!
Video Review
Sound clips from Stu
Meteor with Pop Filter
No Pop Filter
Who this mic benefits?
I’ve seen it endorsed for:
- Skype
- iChat
- Voice recognition software
- Voice acting
- Video conferencing
- Gaming
- Podcasts/Youtube
- Instruments
Not as good for:
- Vocals. Because it just picks up way too much, and singing into it will prove much too loud.
What you will need?
It is plug and play, but I would highly recommend a pop filter. I used one in my recording and as you can see it greatly reduced the plosives and overall uneven sound.
Thoughts from Stu’s notepad
- The one issue I had was that the first time plugging it in, my CPU did not recognize the device. After rebooting the computer and trying again, it did recognize but took about a minute or two. YOU BETTA RECOGNIZE!
Consensus/Conclusion
Super compact and easy to use the microphone, with a phenomenal sound and durability factor. Be wary of the complaints. With a mic like this, it’s pretty common to get a lemon. It doesn’t mean the mic is bad, just that you will need to exchange it should you get unlucky.
Onto…
Samson Meteorite
Ratings/Price
- Check Amazon! | Check Sweetwater! | Check eBay!
Specifications
- Bit depth: 16-bit. Bit depth vs. Sample Rate
- Sample rate: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz
- Transducer: Condenser
- Diaphragm: 0.55″ (14mm)
- Polar Pattern: Cardioid. What is a cardioid capsule?
- Frequency Range: 20Hz-20kHz
- Maximum SPL: 120 dB
- Power requirements: 5v, Plug-in Power
- Output Connectors: USB
Summary
This thing is tiny first and foremost. It’s a little bigger than a golf ball and sits inside of a convenient magnetic bowl-shaped stand. You can rotate it around in a few different ways, and it actually feels pretty solid for such a small piece.
Pros
- Compact, easy to use.
- Decent sound for a mic under $50.
- Pretty durable in my opinion and feels heavy enough. Not like a toy. The stand has some weight to it.
Cons
- Doesn’t come with a pouch of any sort. Just as is.
- Some complained of the short cable.
Video Review
Sound clips from Stu
A meteorite with Pop Filter
No Pop Filter
From Distance
Acoustic Guitar (Shins – New Slang intro). This is a raw recording with the mic pointed at the soundhole. As you can hear, it’s decent but nothing more. I wouldn’t rely on the Meteorite to handle your instrument recordings. This was just for kicks. 🙂
New Slang with no filter
Who this mic benefits?
I would really only use this as a backup mic. It’s extremely portable so you can carry it around, but you’ll have to find something to put it in since it doesn’t come with a case or pouch.
I would also only use it in voice-over situations.
What you will need?
Nothing, it’s plug and play baby!
Thoughts from Stu’s notepad
It took about a minute for my CPU to recognize it as a device. This has been pretty common with these low-budget Samson mics (Go mic, Meteor, Meteorite). Normally when I plug something in it’s recognized right away. Just something to keep in mind.
Consensus/Conclusion
An okay-sounding mic. Convenient. The chord length is an issue for some. Takes longer than I would have liked for it to be recognized.
Similarities/Differences
Similarities
- Both are plug-and-play USB by Samson.
- Both take around a minute or two to be recognized by your CPU.
Differences
- Stand. Both have their own stand, but the Meteors are part of the mic, while the Meteorites are separate.
- Sound. The Meteors sound is light years better in my opinion.
- Durability. The Meteor is rock solid and built Ford tough baby. The Meteorite has a pretty good build, but still feels a tad light.
- Versatility. The Meteor is an all-around more versatile piece, while I would only use the Meteorite for voice-over.
- Size and shape. The Meteorite is a little bigger than a golf ball, while the Meteorite is still small, but shaped like a cool rocket ship. Lol. both come in Chrome or Black, and the Meteorite also comes in white.
Final Word
Like the guy in the video said, I wouldn’t bother with the Meteorite. If you’re going to spend $40 on that, you may as well just save a bit more money and go for the Meteor. It’s just an overall better investment for the reasons above.
If you’re looking for the absolute best USB mic, I would go with the Blue Yeti. It’s the logical next step, and it’s the best USB mic on the market as far as I’m concerned. A best-seller on Amazon, this baby is just solid, reliable, and convenient. It has everything that the two mics above don’t have, and it’s only a bit more dough. Check out the quick scoop:
- Versatility. Does well in a variety of applications. Just don’t purchase it with the intent of solely recording vocals and instruments. It can also be used with the provided stand or with a separate mic stand + shock-mount as well as: a windscreen or pop-filter depending on your preference.
- Convenience. Just plug and play!
- Features. This baby is basically ready to go out of the box. 4 polar patterns, gain switch, zero-latency headphone jack for live monitoring (What is latency?), mute button, great USB cable, and elegant design make it perfect for pod-casters who need everything in one place.
- It’s solid as a rock. It may look like an industrial-sized dildo (or a cool spaceship), but rest assured this beast is strong and durable.
- Well-rounded sound. Does exceptional with an array of voice types.
- Popular. Opinions do vary, but you will find the Yeti at or near the top of many shortlists for the best USB mic.
- An array of colors. Comes in Blackout, Platinum, Silver, Space Grey, and White-out!
SEE IT FOR YOURSELF!!
OR
CHECK OUT MY OFFICIAL BLUE MICROPHONES YETI REVIEW!!
Well, that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you’ve enjoyed this article on the Samson Meteor vs. Meteorite.
Questions? Comments? Requests? Did I miss the mark on something? Please let me know down below or Contact me!!
Are you convinced the Meteor is superior? What do you think about the Yeti? I would love to hear from you. Until next time…
All the best and God bless,
-Stu
Be sure to check out my Reviews and Resources page for more helpful and informative articles!
2 comments
Hello Sir,
Thank you for this nice comparison.
Can I suggest you extend this article (/create a new one) for an option or two more, please?
I cannot currently agree with you saying that another step up is Blue Yeti, simply because: BY is way too tall for a standard user, 29.5cm would protrude in front of a display for pretty much every screen user and installing an arm is not something many people would like to do (it would not fix the problem of that mic being way too large anyways).
If you decide to go ahead with my suggestion, here are some nice mics that could be looked at:
– Blue Yeti Nano USB (the ICE version is a smaller version of the Yeti, height almost cut by a 1/3)
– Rode NT USB
– Blue Snowball
– Blue Snowball ICE
Hey Lukasz!
I think your suggestion is a sound one (haha, no pun intended).
I’ve actually been incorporating more headphone and amp/dac shootouts in my work, so I think it’s a great idea actually. I’ve also been wanting to get my hands on the Nano for some time now.
Can I add you to my email list? That way you’ll get updates on what I’m doing and when the article is ready. My email updates simply include new content and updates to the site. Giveaways are coming soon as well.
Please let me know!!
Warm Regards,
-Stu