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Samson C01U Condenser USB Microphone

The C01U condenser microphone is based on Samson's wildly successful C01. It features a 19mm internal shock mounted diaphragm with a cardioid pick up pattern ensuring pristine studio quality recordings. Learn More...

    • New from $89.95
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Overall User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10

Individual User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10

Feature:
i got the kit that came wid sonar and a boom stand AND it came wid a 10 ft. usb cable!

Quality:
it dropped like a couple of days ago and it still has the perfect sound it came with

Value:
VALUE?????THIS IS LIKE ROBBING A BANK

Desirability:
YES I DO....yes i do.

Sound:
THE SOUND QUALITY????THE BEST YOU CAN ASK FOR A USB CONDENSER MIC!!

Ease of Use:
plug and play

Support:
i bought it frm this website

Overall:
THE BEST IN THE BUESNESS!!

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10

Feature:
I liked this product, surprizingly, for its simplicity. On a mic, you dont really want a bunch of features, however, you want to be able to tweak it to your desire. I gave this an 8 because it comes with a free downloadable applet that is essential in audio editing for this mic.

Quality:
Its been dropped a few times (on carpet) and I cant notice.

Value:
For the price, its worth it. Also, now that they are selling these with Sonar, its definately worth the price.

Desirability:
It looks professional. Nowadays, thats a big part of the music industry.

Sound:
When I first got this item, I was so excited. Being an amature recording artist, all I knew was that this mic was a huge step up from the headset microphone that I had used to use. I learned later on, however, that USB mics differ in quality from their pre-amped counterparts in several ways. Fortunately, if you are willing to spend the time, and have a good software program to record with, you can get a way with the vast diffrence in quality if you can edit the sound well and get a good physical recording. For the money, I would say that you get what you pay for, and thats not entirely a bad thing.

Ease of Use:
I'd prolly give it a 8.5. Its recognizable by severaly audio software programs when plugged in, which is great. However, i can recall more than once when I had to rerecord because the levels were too high when I thought they were set correctly.

Overall:
I say an 8 because even though its true meaning for it is Podcasting, I have recorded over 3 albums and gotten several gigs because of it. If you are a beginner or loooking for an affordable microphone, you wont go wrong getting this. Theres no hidden secrets behind it...it does just what it says it does.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
How many features do you want at this price?? There are 4 digit mics out there,even 5, so you get what you pay for.

Quality:
I've dropped it twice on, on CONCRETE, if theres anyu difference in sound I cn't tell..just a few nics on the casing..nothing major.

Value:
Bang for Buck..that's what it's all about..pound for pound one of the best...

Desirability:
looks cool to me

Sound:
The only reason i give the sound a 9 is because ive heard other condernser mics int this price range with comparable sound quaility, but other than that you can't beat the bamg for the buck...if you want more thna what this mic offers, don't complain, just spend more money...duh

Ease of Use:
doesn't get any easier..true plug and play, just select it in your DAW

Support:
Dont know..havet needed..butthe website is plenty helpful

Overall:
I beleive i may have been the very first person ever with this mic...I just remember the day sam ash posted it on their website i bought it, after searching for a month for a new mic..but anyways..i hav ent looked nack since but do plan on tryin the co3u from zzounds.com

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10

Feature:
the usb cable, bag, and the mount is great. it's the basic stuff most mics come with.

Quality:
it is a solid mic it will be usefull for atleast 16 yrs or so depending on how you take care of it.

Sound:
you get the bang for your buck, it is quick and easy to set up, no modules mixers needed just a computer, music software and you are set to record. the distance you stand from the mic is important. but once you get a feel for it, you will love how great it sounds even without a soundproof room.

Ease of Use:
there is really nothing much to learn, it depends on the software you use.

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Overall:
* * * * . . . . . . 4 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * . . . . . . 4 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10

Sound:
Just OK out of the box, but great when modified. The Samson C01U is one of many Chinese-manufactured condenser mics that suffer from two common problems - it is simultaneously ill-defined in the critical midrange and excessively harsh in the treble range. While the circuit used in the mic is quite clever and fairly well implemented, the sonic deficiencies lie within the condenser capsule and headbasket acoustics. By and large, Chinese-manufactured mics use condenser capsule copied from classic Neumann designs. Unfortunately, these inexact copies fall short of delivering the magnificent midrange accuracy and smooth, sibilance-free top end Neumann capsules are known for. Many of the copied capsules deliver a sound that is often described as harsh, spitty, "eshy", sibilant or screechy. Poor headbasket acoustics compound the problems created by these capsules. The Co1U, like most microphones of its class, uses a multi-layer grille mesh headbasket. These multiple layers of mesh do protect the capsule from spittle and wind blasts - but at a cost. Multiple layer headbaskets have a very small percentage of open area in the grille. This means a great deal of sound is reflected back and forth between the capsule and headbasket. Cup your hands around your mouth or speak into a paper tube to get an exaggerated example of the standing wave artifacts caused by a restrictive headbasket. What to do? One of the great benefits of the S01U and other similarly priced mics is low cost. With a very modest investment in the original microphone, it becomes an excellent platform for a microphone modification. The capsule can be upgraded and headbasket opened up. With a suite of microphone modifications this mic, (aw well as many other Chinese manufactured mics) can really become solid a performer that sounds much more like a professional tool.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Sound:
The sound is as good as it gets for the price, if your recording vocals this will come out with a clean result, like I said, the best you can get for the price.. I am satisfied with it and several people who have heard my recordings with it were impressed I achieved such good quality with a simple usb mic.. worth the money.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10

Feature:
The usb interface removes the need for pricey professional sound cards, and is very convienient. The only problem is the lengthly driver update process, in which I found myself referring to the included help file rather frequently.

Quality:
Standard quality construction as other condenser mics of equal performance.

Value:
A condenser mic for 89.99, and it's bundled with Sonar LE. Come on, for anyone looking to get a basic production package for music, this is it. Provided you know your stuff. Besides typical condenser mics start anywhere from $150.00 and go all the way to over $500. This is a steal!

Sound:
After a complicated update for the drivers, the mic picked up beautifully. Any problem with vocal delay(latency) can be corrected within the DAW program itself, and IS NOT A MIC ISSUE. Provided your system can handle the lower latency settings, it isn't a major problem, if not, an upgraded sound card is needed. In order to achieve optimum performance of the mic, I highly recommend installing the softpre app, if not the sound card's mixer doesn't appropriate gain controls correctly resulting in very low vocal audio volume during recording.

Ease of Use:
After the updates, no problem what so-ever, but after you install the updated driver, any further updating will roll it back to the initial driver.

Support:
Updating the driver is a complicated and lengthly process, but the end result is far worth it.

Overall:
I plan to keep this mic in my studio for a long time to come.

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Overall:
* * * . . . . . . . 3 out of 10
Features:
* * . . . . . . . . 2 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10

Feature:
This mic came with nothing but a USB cord, I had to download an applet myself to try to get some extra functions from it. As soon as you waste your time doing that, everything stops working. Then back to removing the useless softeware you just downloaded.

Quality:
Seems strong enough so far, I have only had it for a couple of weeks and my band tosses things around pretty good sometimes. Nothing is broken on it yet.

Value:
Depends on what you want it for. If you never need to hear your voice thru headphones, it's good for a cheap mic.

Sound:
The sound is decent, it is a condenser mic so you can expect it to pick up everything in the room. You need a room with good acoustics to get a good good sound.

Ease of Use:
Plug and play, it did come on right away.

Support:
Lots of FAQs on the website, I haven't tried to get ahold them yet some I'll rate them right down the middle for not addressing the latency issues clear enough,

Overall:
I guess I should have done my research first, latency is a huge issue for me. If you put headphones on and talk into the mic, your voice comes back 2 secs later. If they can fix this, or at least put some warnings on the packaging as to what you can't use it for I would give it a better rating.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * . . . . . . . . 2 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
It came with what it needed. The manual and the mic its self.

Quality:
Its heavy for a mic and has a really hard metal casing. I've nver dropped it but, I think it could take some blows to the floor from an accidental fall.

Value:
A condenser mic that plugs into a pc. You'd would exspect the price to be throught the roof but its not. You get a lot of bang for you buck.

Desirability:
It looks like every other studio condenser mic. It give artist confidence in you.

Sound:
As a hip-hop producer the vocals in my mixes are very important. This make gives a smooth clean flat response which is what you need for any genre of music .

Ease of Use:
Its plug n play how much easier can it get

Support:
Their website answers many questions.

Overall:
Im going to be using this mic until it or I die from old age.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
I actually purchased th e Podcasting Pak which included the Spider Shock Mount, a stand and a nice silver case to transport it all. A great package!

Quality:
Appears to be made with high quality die cast materials.

Value:
A USB condenser microphone that does what it's supposed to for under $100...great value!

Desirability:
I like the look of this mic although it is more practical than sexy...and that's how it should be!

Sound:
The sound quality is very good. It basically reproduces the sound of what it's presented with, without coloring it...which I believe is what you want from a good microphone...you can then add filters etc. to get the sound you're looking for.

Ease of Use:
I am using the C01U with my Intel iMac. I suggest you download the UB version of Samson's SoftPre driver which gives you more control over the microphones levels and sound quality in the Mac domain. Once you read the manual and understand how to setup the mic as your input device for each DAW application it is simply simple!

Support:
Phone support not needed yet...however I think Samson's website has a good amount of information...all that I have needed so far.

Overall:
So far, I am very happy with my purchase and expect the Samson C01U to be my one and only mic used with my iMAC for years to come.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Quality:
I've had it for a few months now and have yet to have any complaints. i've evend dropped it a couple times and i still get the same sound quality when recording with it.

Value:
Well worth the price. so inexpensive, yet you'll get the same sound quality as with a pricier model.

Sound:
I was truly impressed with the sound quality of the vocals i recorded using this mic!! i used to own a behringer b-1 and i honestly NEVER got the sound quality i did with that as i did using this special little mic.

Ease of Use:
Just plug it into your usb port and your basically set.

Overall:
If your looking for a great mic for a low price look no other place than here.

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Overall:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Value:
* * * * . . . . . . 4 out of 10
I Want It:
* . . . . . . . . . 1 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Support:
* * . . . . . . . . 2 out of 10

Feature:
It included the swivel mount to connect to a stand and you can download an applet from Samson's official site though i've heard numerous of times it's useless and adds noise.

Quality:
I accidentally dropped it and it created a small dent but nothing noticeable.

Value:
No, it should be less expensive.

Desirability:
Honest to God, it is butt ugly.

Sound:
The sound is okay and has a little bit of a fuzzy noise. Usually condensor mics compliment the high end or the low end of a voice but the sound this mic gives is bland. It's alright at most for a budget mic but I would suggest a 100 dollar preamp and a 100 studio mic over this.

Ease of Use:
Well I'll give it to Samson for making it so easy to use, plug and play.

Support:
I contacted their audio support numerous of times but I got the same reply: "Please call customer service (insert phone number here)." They get a 2 for at least responding.

Overall:
I plan on selling this thing because I need an upgrade. It was good to use for about 3-5 months but after that problems just started coming up like random noise with the applet adding on to it. Get it as a last resort.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* . . . . .