Blue Snowball iCE USB Mic for Recording, Streaming

I'm a gamer and video editor and playing PC games with others online and talking to them with this microphone is so much better than my older one, the sound quality is so good that people I regularly play with immediately noticed the difference and asked if I'm using a new microphone. The Blue Snowball is a great device overall and I recommend it if you're looking for something that's reasonably priced and want a decent microphone. Its very simple to use, its a USB plug & play device so just stick it into your PC and its done and works within seconds. The sound quality is much better than a typical headset microphone, it also has a 3 leg stand so it holds up by itself on any flat surface. The big benefit for me about the Snowball is that it seems to pick up sound so pristinely even when placed quite far away. I often have it slightly away from me on my desk and have never been told I am hard to hear. Another great point is that whenever I'm clicking my mouse or typing on my keyboard you can't seem to hear the noise this makes, that's so useful for a video editor such as myself Its odd that such an amazing priced microphone with great quality that it doesn't come with any kind of mute button, if you want to quickly mute the microphone you have to manually unplug it on go into the settings on your PC and mute there, its a minor convenience for me as I don't mind that at all but for others it might be a central issue. Other than that this is a top-notch microphone and recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to spend £100 on a professional microphone.

I had used this mic for years and it offered a superior sound quality over everyone else's. I used it for general gaming/discord use. Perfectly fine for it, better than most general mics used by the majority. Notably, it was very well built and durable, plug and play - 0 stress. Practically 0 adjustment offered.

I bought this to replace my ageing headset microphone and well I like it and then I don't... Here is why. Firstly the mic is like superman, it picks up everything and I mean everything. And this caused problems, many problems. I now go to a counsellor twice a week due to the images planted in my head because of this mic picking up my next door neighbours adult conversations and doings. Not only that when I'm using the mic to talk to friends etc. It picks up the sound of my keyboard and mouse, which are not that loud to be honest, even when I tried software to eliminate the sound it still is there. I do guess that this will go away when we're both in game due to the sound being so faint when using software. I do like the microphone, it looks very cool and is nice and clean, I bought a pop filter with the mic and in fairness it was a wait of money, they mic isn't to bad when breathing near it etc. I do think that it could have a bit more bass to it but what it has got will do for the use of it. I don't think that the stand is really useful as it means that the mic is closer to the keyboard and mouse so a mic arm would be beneficial. It also is very, very short and unless you're 4 foot 5 then this mic might be to low down. I kinder wished I bought the Bluesnowball standard instead of the Ice as I believe the buttons on the back might be beneficial for me. On the good side the mic is rather strong, since I've dropped it 3 times on my wooden desk. It looks very, very nice and that's mainly the reason I bought it, that and I wanted to be able to detect things from miles away like superman... All in all I would recommend this mic as it is reasonably priced and looks awesome, and it reminds me of a pokeball.

As someone who went from a terrible, cheap and nasty desktop microphone, the Blue Snowball is a vast improvement over it. The first time I ever heard the audio quality of the Snowball I was blown away! But that is only in the case of coming from a cheaper microphone. When compared to some of the higher, more top end microphones it's not going to come quite as close to their sound quality, yet it does do a good job. If you have the intention of using this thing for something like your YouTube channel, then you can't really go wrong for your first, solid microphone. Although I do love the Blue Snowball iCE, it does come with a couple of problems. The first being that unlike its counterpart, the regular Blue Snowball, it doesn't have an option to change the type of mode you can set. On the iCE you are only stuck on Cardoid mode, and that can't be changed. The second problem isn't necessarily a problem for all, but the fact is, the Snowball likes to pick up background noise, and that's to do with the way the microphone is designed. It's designed to pick up everything! Unlike some other microphones, where they will only pick up the sound that is directly in front of them, the Snowball will pick up sound from outside your home providing it's loud enough and your volume levels are too high. If you plan on doing Let's Plays, or whatnot with the Snowball, then expect your mouse and keyboard to be picked up as some background noise. Personally, I really like the Blue Snowball iCE. It's a slightly cheaper alternative to the regular Snowball, minus a few features, but keeps the high audio quality. If the background noise isn't too big of a deal, then it's hard to go wrong with a microphone like this. I've had it for over 2 years now, and have had no problems with it whatsoever. All in all, the Blue Snowball is a very resilient microphone, that doesn't tote all that many issues.

I’ve been using the Logitech for Creators Blue Snowball iCE USB mic for a while, and it’s been a reliable go‑to for recording and streaming. Plug‑and‑play setup is super easy — no drivers to fuss with — and the sound quality is surprisingly clear for the price. It picks up vocals nicely for podcasts or game chats, and it’s compact enough to fit on any desk. The build feels solid and looks clean too. Overall, a great affordable USB mic that delivers dependable performance.

This microphone is a great choice for a beginner, who doesn't want any complicated setup. You simply plug in the microphone, and it works. In terms of audio quality, it's extremely good. I've not tested it in comparison to the Blue Yeti, but the difference is very small; the Blue Snowball iCE sounds slightly less like a normal sounding person than the Blue Yeti does, but in its own way, it actually has a deeper, more bassy, richer quality. Most people will not hear the difference unless explicitly comparing the two. There are only two parts which did sadden me. The first was the lack of a mute button. This can be extremely useful in some cases; without this, one must resort to muting via software. The second problem is that the stand they provide is pretty small. It will work if you're talking via Skype, and to some extent, via gaming; but it definitely won't come near to your mouth at all. It is probably smaller than what the image looks like. If these two aspects needed, then I'd suggest getting a Blue Snowball (not iCE), which has both a mute button and a taller stand (as well as some other qualities). Overall, for £45, this was a good deal, as it is simply a good microphone that requires no setup. Anything more than £45, then I would instead consider buying a Blue Snowball (not iCE), or maybe even a Blue Nessie, as they both have a mute button. For me, I'll continue using the Blue Snowball iCE, and, if I upgrade, I'll probably get a Blue Yeti, seeing as that has better quality and has more features (such as a mixer). But for £45, the Blue Snowball iCE is arguably the best choice.

This mic was specifically to allow me to play the piano for audiences using webex, zoom et Al. The quality of sound from inboard microphones in a laptop meant the sound envelope was being clipped with the peaks of the attack frequently being lost or buffered making the sound of an instrument not practical. Research for a good quality mic but at an affordable price whilst being usb compatible and easy to set up was the aim. As this was to be used for a church service. It is generally accepted it seems, that blue is a reliable range of products. I choose the snowball without any experience of external mics, just relying on some of the general reviews I could glean. The mic was simple to install by plug and play, setting itself automatically as the default. After a reboot of the laptop I tested it locally recording using audacity and comparing it with playing the same music using the internal mics. The difference was obvious and pleasing for the snowball. I then tested it over zoom and webex with multiple connections for both voice and music with the same results. The music transmission envelope was maintained for recording and streaming and those listening remotely commented very favourably. I would therefore rate this mic as a 5 in all the areas I required, price, setup, sound reproduction and I would be happy to recommend it to anyone with other than a professional requirement that would require spending much more.

Before I get into my review, some people have mentioned that when they plug in their Blue Snowball, it sounds really quiet when recording, along with the background noise they are hearing. Let me reassure you that this is not the microphone, you are actually still recording from your laptop's (or computer) microphone and haven't switched it over in the settings area. I was initially disappointed with the quality, but once I looked through the manual and realised I hadn't changed the sound settings over to record audio from the Snowball, I did a 180. Haha. Absolutely incredible. The audio is so crystal clear; all I hear is my voice, nothing else -- no cackling, no background noise, but my voice. I would recommend you to get a filter with the microphone, just because it makes the audio more clearer when you are recording it, but other than that, you cannot fault this microphone. I was fortunate to pick this up during Black Friday sales for 30 pounds, and wow, this is an absolutely amazing microphone. Podcasts, YouTube, narration -- whatever you are wanting to do with this, this is the right choice for you. Trust me. Just keep in mind what I said in the beginning of the review, make sure you check your sound settings before giving this a bad review or returning it to Amazon. I was so excited to use it, I didn't even consider the idea of checking the settings. Kind Regards. ;)

Je cherchais un micro pas trop cher pour débuter les vidéos youtube et les voix off. Je ne voulais pas dépenser 100 euros pour un premier microphone car je ne maitrise pas encore bien le domaine du son. Mon choix s'est arrêté sur le Microphone Snowball Ice de Blue (qui fait aussi le Yeti, un excellent microphone à 100 euros). J'ai donc commandé et j'ai fais quelques test sur Audacity, Le son est clair et précis, il faut au maximum se tenir à moins d'un mètre pour entendre la voix. Mais avec quelques améliorations via les logiciels de son, on peut cartonner. Son design m'a plus, il est un peu gros, mais je le trouve sympa, et aussi il est livré avec un support, ce n'est pas négligeable pour un micro de ce type. Les finitions sont excellentes et ne font pas "plastoque" comme sur certains microphone, on verra si ça tiendra dans le temps mais apparemment la marque Blue est très fiable. Comme quoi pour débuter il ne faut pas dépenser des sommes folles pour un microphone, si tout va bien, par la suite je m'achèterais le Yéti de Blue. Je recommande cet article.

This microphone is really value for money, for 3 reasons - 1) the sound quality is excellent (I use it to record presentations and media content as well as for zoom meetings, 2) so easy to set up - literally plug it in and immediately use - nothing to download, no settings to toggle with, everything is automatically detected and the mic can be used in all programs. No need for changes to any settings, 3) good build quality - the device is solid and feels like it will last a long time. My friend who recommended this to me has been using hers for 2 years without a single hitch

ネット配信用に購入しました。 組み立てると結構デカイですが、 スタンドが付いているので喋るのが楽でした。 音質は抜群です！ 設定も難しい所はなくUSB端子に刺すだけで セットアップは完了です。

Good voice quality, huge durability.

Blue Microphones tiene un interesante micrófono de diseño circular, del que se nota cierto peso al sostenerlo en las manos, y que, a título personal, me ha dejado bien satisfecha tras evaluar su sensibilidad en los registros de sonido en varias situaciones: Snowball iCE es un producto muy a tener en cuenta para los que necesiten un micrófono con buenas prestaciones. DISEÑO Este micrófono de Blue MIcrophones cuenta con un formato circular, algo más grande que una pelota de Béisbol, de construcción mayormente en plástico. Entre el área frontal y trasera se reparten 13 oberturas de diferente tamaño, en rejilla metálica, a través de las cuales entrará el sonido que pretendemos grabar. En el frontal también encontramos un LED rojo, que indica que el micrófono está operativo. En la zona trasera del dispositivo verás la conexión para cable USB (se incluye un cable de unos 8 palmos de largo). En la base del Snowball iCE veremos un punto de anclaje metálico para el trípode que acompaña al micrófono: el trípode, con tres patas y puntos de apoyo terminados en goma, es de plástico a pesar de su apariencia metálica. La primera vez que enroscamos el trípode al micrófono conviene hacerlo sin forzar, para evitar se desgaste el punto de anclaje plástico del trípode. El Snowball iCE tiene un buen peso, no es precisamente un dispositivo ligero. INSTALACIÓN El Snowball iCE, conectado a un PC Windows o PC MacOSX por USB, no requiere de software para su instalación y uso. En ordenadores Apple convendrá abrir la aplicación de grabación tras haber conectado el micrófono, para que lo detecte bien: las pruebas de sonido se han realizado con Audacity (software libre y gratuito) y con QuickTime Player. RENDIMIENTO Y CALIDAD DE AUDIO Para la prueba de sonido he realizado el mismo tipo de grabación con el Snowball iCE y el micrófono integrado de un MacBook Pro, y utilizando Audacity y QuickTime Player como software de grabación. Para contrastar la calidad de audio registrado he preparado tres tipos de escenario: 1) sonido procedente de un receptor A/V, reproduciendo una película con sonido Dolby 5.1; 2) sonido sonido procedente de un receptor A/V, reproduciendo música con sonido en 4 canales; 3) grabación de voz y 4) sonido procedente de un piano. Para registrar el sonido he probado primero QuickTime Player, que almacena los archivos en formato .mov, dando la opción de calidad estándar y máxima calidad (esta última, la escogida): curiosamente, el peso en MB de los archivos ha sido mucho mayor con el micrófono integrado del MacBook Pro. Por otro lado, y con el fin de obtener el espectro de sonido, me he decantado finalmente por el software libre y gratuito “Audacity” (audacity.sourceforge.net), que deja almacenar las grabaciones en varios formatos de audio posibles, entre ellos .OGG/MP3/FLAC. El micrófono de Blue Microphones ofrece una considerable mejor calidad que el micro integrado en el MacBook Pro, mayor sensibilidad al recoger las frecuencias , sin apreciarse ruido y ahogamiento del sonido, volumen más alto, reducción de estridencias y timbres metálicos, mayor claridad y estabilidad del audio, y sin distorsiones. CONCLUSIONES La conclusión más evidente que uno puede extraer tras las pruebas de producto en diferentes escenarios es que el Snowball iCE tiene cualidades evidentes para registrar sonidos con un amplio rango de frecuencias: un dispositivo que ofrece sensibilidad y un comportamiento intachable, siendo un compañero eficaz para utilizar con software como Audacity. Snowball iCE de Blue Micrphones es un producto recomendado para PC/Mac, para los usuarios exigentes que necesiten grabar sonidos o mantener conversaciones por Skype.