Blue Yeti vs Samson Q2U
Amazon links in this article are affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Blue Yeti (left) and Samson Q2U.
Overview
Build Quality
Performance
Verdict
Overview
Blue Yeti
Blue Yeti Blackout color.
The Blue Yeti is a condenser USB microphone. It is highly sensitive to sounds all around the room, and it picks up lots of detail in vocals and instruments. The Blue Yeti is side-address - you speak into the side rather than the top. It can record in 4 polar patterns by turning the dial on the back: cardioid, stereo, bidirectional, and omnidirectional.
I bought my Blue Yeti for $130. Here is its Amazon listing.
Samson Q2U
The Samson Q2U is a cardioid dynamic microphone than can be connected to a computer using a USB 2.0 port or an audio interface with the included XLR cable. Having a dynamic capsule, it is less sensitive than the Blue Yeti, blocking out significant background noise and it mainly picks up sound directly in front of it. The Q2U is top-address, meaning you speak into the top of the mic.
I bought my Samson Q2U for $70. Here is its Amazon listing.
| Blue Yeti | Samson Q2U |
|---|---|
| Condenser | Dynamic |
| USB | USB + XLR |
| 20Hz-20kHz | 50Hz–15kHz |
| Cardioid, stereo, bidirectional, omnidirectional | Cardioid |
| Headphone jack | Headphone jack |
| Headphone gain knob | Headphone gain buttons |
| Mute button | Mute switch |
| Mic gain knob | |
| Peaking indicator light |
Build Quality
Body and wire
The Samson Q2U is 8 inches tall without the included stand and gets up to 13.5 inches tall with it. Realistically, the Q2U will be a lot shorter than that with the stand when you angle it towards you. Its body is made of metal.
The stand is a lightweight mix of plastic and metal, but it’s not very sturdy. It’s very easy to tip over the mic with a slight bump, and the wide length of the legs makes it awkward to place on a desk. The Q2U comes with a wind guard to shield the mic against bursts of air when speaking.
The included USB cable is 88 inches long (2.5m) with a ferrite core. The XLR cable is 118 inches (3m).
Blue Yeti unboxed.
Samson Q2U unboxed.
The Blue Yeti is 7.5 inches without the included stand and 11.75 inches with it. The body is metal and quite heavy, so it won’t move even if accidentally nudged on a desk. The included USB cable is 81 inches long.
Mounting options
The Q2U does best with its wind guard on and a pop filter.
Both the Blue Yeti and Samson Q2U can be attached to boom arms or other mic stands which is where they perform their best.
The Blue Yeti can be unscrewed from its included stand and screwed onto a boom arm with 5/8th inch threading.
There is no threading on the Q2U itself, but its handheld form factor lets it slip into microphone clips easily. The included microphone clip can be angled up or down, and it has 5/8th inch threading that can screw onto the included stand or a boom arm.
Performance
In this section I’ll demonstrate how each microphone performs in categories such as:
tone
proximity effect and distance test
plosives
background noise
music
At the end, I’ll summarize the sound of each device.
Tone
The Blue Yeti and Samson Q2U both have a pretty flat frequency response curve. There’s not much difference in the tone of the mics from about 3-4 inches away. However, the Blue Yeti sounds much more distant because of how much echo it picks up from this range.
Proximity effect and distance test
The Samson Q2U and Blue Yeti have similar increases in bass response when used 1-2 inches away. It’s not as powerful as mics such as the Shure SM7B or Razer Seiren Elite, but it’s still enough to make use of.
Unfortunately, up close the Blue Yeti’s high frequencies become piercing when it comes to sibilance (“s” and soft “c” sounds). Sibilance is much less of a problem with the Q2U.
Neither mic is ideal when used farther than about 6 inches, but the Blue Yeti’s sound becomes almost unusable about a foot away due to the bass drop off and ambient sounds that leak into the recording.
The Q2U can be used comfortably 3-6 inches away without background noise concerns.
Plosive Rejection
The Blue Yeti has impressive resistance against plosives (bursts of air from “b” and “p” sounds). The Q2U requires the included wind guard to get almost as much plosive rejection as the Blue Yeti. Both devices are still better used with a pop filter.
Background Noise
The Blue Yeti is especially sensitive to background noise, even for a condenser microphone. Hums from a computer and even slight shifts in one’s seat can be heard clearly with this device. Even when used on a boom arm, keyboard strokes will overpower your voice.
The Samson Q2U rejects much more sound from around the room compared to the Blue Yeti, and when used on a boom arm, typing on a keyboard is very quiet and can be hard to notice without headphones. This is especially helpful for video conferencing as to not distract others in the meeting. Just make sure the back of the Q2U is pointed towards the keyboard.
Music
I much prefer the Blue Yeti for music over the Q2U. It retains detail through the full range of sound - low to high. This is most apparent when listening back to the ukelele. The Q2U has the higher pitched strumming, but it doesn’t have as deep and full of a sound in the low end as the Blue Yeti. For vocals, this was much less noticeable.
Overall sound
Back of Blue Yeti and Samson Q2U.
The Blue Yeti reproduces sound clearly and accurately, picking up lots of detail with crisp, high frequencies and a tame bass. In other words, it sounds natural. Unfortunately, because the mic is so sensitive to background sound it’s best used around 3-5 inches away in a soundproof booth so it does not pick up any echoes or background sounds.
The Samson Q2U has a similar tone to the Blue Yeti, but its superior background noise rejection and reduced sensitivity to quieter sounds makes it far better for everyday use.
Verdict
For most users, I recommend getting the Samson Q2U and buying a boom arm to go with it. This will let you get the device closer to your face to improve the sound and further silence typing from your keyboard. The Q2U plus a boom arm can generally be found for considerably cheaper than the Blue Yeti by itself.
The Blue Yeti can sound excellent in the right studio environment and for music where it may be preferred over the Q2U because of how much nuance of your voice and instruments it picks up. Outside of that scenario, there are better and cheaper options for home use.
Amazon Listings
Samson Q2U: https://amzn.to/3srmNql
Blue Yeti https://amzn.to/33gwcpD
Luling Arts Boom Arm: https://amzn.to/2RhkxBa
