 So immediately following the publication of our video on the Razer Siren, the comments were full of people asking, why we didn't review microphone X, Y, or Z, or other microphone that was their personal favorite. And the answer was that we simply didn't have them. But the good news is that the solution to that problem was simple. Go freaking get them. So in today's video, we'll be checking out two mics from Blue Microphones. The Yeti Blackout, which is exactly like the Yeti, but... Well, you get the point. And the Yeti Pro, a premium Yeti with better recording quality and XLR support. Oh, and for those of you asking, which appears to be literally everyone, Scrapyard Wars 1B is coming out Saturday night, so get some popcorn and plant your butt on the edge of your seat, because it's gonna be a wild ride. First, this video though. Save on select Intel Core i7 processors and 730 series SSDs with instant rebates during Valentine's week, February 14th to 21st, 2015. Click now to learn more. The physical tour of these microphones is one of the reasons I opted to do them both together as a single video. They look almost like exactly the same thing with a different paint job. So we'll focus on the Blackout to start. The stand base uses foam to reduce unwanted noise caused by vibrations from desk movements, and features a satisfyingly solid, professional-feeling metal construction with a cable management hole through the bottom, and a shape that cups the top of the microphone if you rotate it 180 degrees for travel. The arms have plastic, wish they were rubber, spacers in between, and thumb nuts that let you lock the microphone in at the desired angle. At the bottom of the unit itself is a mini-B USB connector, a standard threaded hole for use with third-party microphone mounts, and a headphone jack that allows a real-time audio monitoring, something that is a must-have. For podcasters, game streamers, or really anyone who wants to hear their own voice for the assurance that nothing is wrong with the recording, but who can't stand the delay that comes along with software solutions. So pretty much everyone who does those things. While we're down here, the main physical difference between the Pro and the non-Pro is that the Pro has this 5-pin socket down here that with the use of the included XLR left and right adapter can be used with external recording equipment, so Pro users aren't chained to a PC, Mac, or Linux computer for audio capture. On the front of the mic is a headphone volume knob and power indicator LED that doubles as a mute button, so it flashes when it's muted. Then around the back is the gain knob for mic pickup and the pattern switch that allows for any of the four different pickup patterns to be selected. So there's a tri-capsule array of condenser modules inside the little mesh-covered dome at the top that enables that feature. So mode number one, stereo. I hit the wrong dial. There we go. Is for if you want the listener to be able to isolate the source of individual sounds in a recording. Omni-directional is for conference calls or if you have some other reason why you'd want to compromise how nice the recording sounds for the sake of having a lot of background or ambient noise. Cardioid, the mode I'd expect most users of a mic like this to use is for getting up close and personal with your mic for that deeply satisfying AM radio sound for podcasts, voiceovers or other vocal recordings. And finally, bidirectional is for if you had two sources on opposite sides of the mic, like in an interview or something, but you wanted to cut out some background noise from around the sides. I mean, I can think of a thousand better audio setups for an interview than this, but I guess it's hard to argue with it for the price. And with the ease of use, it's not wonder folks are so fond of their Yetis. The microphone is completely driverless. Just plug it in with the included cable, select the appropriate audio device in your control panel, and you are ready to rock unless you pick up the pro actually. Blue does have a driver for this one on their website, but I guess that's because it supports up to 192 kilohertz, 24 bit recording, something that might be useful for artists who want to get the best possible results. Although Blue's quick start guide, which has a lot of excellent information in it for both mics, by the way, seriously, one of the best manuals I've seen in all my years of doing this, has some great tips about choosing the right sample rate for the final destination of your recording versus just choosing the highest one. So like, for example, you want a multiple of 44 kilohertz if your audio is destined for CD. But of course, once again, Linus gets over four minutes into a microphone video without actually doing any fracking sound quality comparisons. I hate that guy. You're right, and I'm a terrible person. So here we go. I'll begin with each microphone in its ideal configuration and cardioid mode right in front of me with a dual layer pop filter. The Razer Siren will be my main point of comparison because its specs, as someone on the internet mistakenly interpreted to mean it's a rebrand, are so similar to the Yeti and its price is in between the two, leaning a little closer to the pro. Next up is the Blue Yeti Blackout. Compared to the Siren, I find from a reasonable distance, it gives my voice a perhaps slightly less natural but more pleasing radio-like quality and does a significantly better job of blocking out background noise of computer fans in the room and the sound of typing on a keyboard behind it. The Yeti Pro picks up even less of the typing and less of the low hum in the room, although the difference is less pronounced than what we saw between the Siren and the regular Yeti. But as impressive as that is, the main thing that makes it stand apart from the other microphones today is the sound of my voice through it. The best way I can describe it is that it delivers sort of the best of both of the other mics in this roundup, but then again I guess it should since it is the most expensive. So for my next trick, starting with the Siren, I'll run through each of the three microphones in a more convenient, off-to-the-side-of-my-monitor recording location. This is where I would expect anyone who isn't concerned with the most professional possible vocal recordings to position his or her microphone since it gets it out of the way. Switching to the Yeti, I hear a difference in the sound of my voice recording that makes it seem like even though all the microphones are still set to cardioid, the Siren handles the distance a little better in that respect. At least that would be the case if its background hum wasn't so noticeable compared to the lower priced Yeti. And finally, switching to the Yeti Pro, we once again see why this mic is so well respected. It doesn't sound like it's sitting in the next room over and still does a great job of managing background noise. This thing is definitely worth a few bucks extra compared to the Siren. And I guess that's pretty much the conclusion of this video. The Siren, from the conclusion of our review on it, is still a very good microphone. It's just a very good microphone with competitors that are also very good and priced quite a bit lower and with noticeably better recording quality and XLR support at only a slightly higher price point. The Yeti and especially the Yeti Pro deserve all the love they get from their users. Both come highly recommended at this point. By the way, guys, if you want to compare these mics against every other mic I've ever tested, there's a SoundCloud link in the video description. Speaking of links in the video description, there's a link to our sponsor, Crunchyroll, in the video description. If you're a fan of anime and you haven't signed up for Crunchyroll Premium yet, you should definitely check them out. They offer the most current episodes of new shows straight from Japan, like Parasite, The Maxon, and Fairy Tail, as well as a large collection of the most popular anime series like One Piece and Trinity Seven. And all of the content on their site is professionally subtitled. So if you head over to crunchyroll.com slash Linus, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial of Crunchyroll Premium, which gives you a whole month of free anime completely ad-free. And if you enjoy the many benefits of premium, like 1080p streaming, getting new episodes of shows straight from Japan within an hour of their premiere, and being able to stream anywhere, anytime from a variety of devices like your phone, tablet, or heck, even your Wii U, you can continue your premium membership to Crunchyroll for only $6.95 per month. So head over to crunchyroll.com slash Linus and check them out. Thanks to Crunchyroll for sponsoring this episode. Thanks to you guys for watching. Like this video if you liked it, dislike it if you thought it sucked, also check out the other link in the video description where you can support us. You can give us monthly contribution, buy a cool t-shirt like this one, or change your Amazon bookmark to one with our affiliate code so we get a small kickback whenever you buy things like, oh, I don't know, microphones. Hello. This microphone is calling to you. Okay, that probably wasn't a great sales pitch. My, uh... My seductive voice is not very seductive. Well, I think we're done here. Don't forget to subscribe as always.