There's a lot to be said for the simple things in life. For a start, they're often cheap—and hardware doesn't come much cheaper than this Amazon Basics USB condenser microphone. You can pick up one of ...

Fig. 1: Diagrams from Wente’s 1916 patent application show the condenser microphone in cutaway view. Diaphragm (#6), which is grounded, is stretched only 5/10000th of an inch from the backplate (#7), ...

I wasn't expecting a whole lot from the Amazon Basics mic, but I'm pleased to report it's been nothing but a pleasure to test. While you only get the bare minimum of features, it's brilliant at its ...