Got this for online meetings during the pandemic--the mic on my laptop is pretty crappy and besides I wanted something that can still pick up my voice clearly from a short distance away. Especially given how much time virtual meetings are taking up these days, before this it was exhausting to yell loudly into the stupid laptop to even be heard properly every time. This mic solved all those issues beautifully--I can sit at an arm's distance from the desk and speak freely. Here's a quick breakdown of why an external mic is usually a better choice:***Built-in mics (laptop/tablet)***Regardless of how good (or bad) the quality, most built-in microphones on laptops and tablets pick up ambient sound pretty indiscriminately--granted that's OK for occasional and short-duration needs, such as Skype calls and the like as most built-in mics are specially tuned to pick up the human voice among all the noise. That word noise is key--as these general purpose microphones (whether "unidirectional" or "omnidirectional") don't do as well if you're in a place with other potential sound sources. How acceptable the audio quality then depends on your specific case and needs--for example, my online meetings happen in a living room where I have a ceiling fan running. The laptop mic picks up the fan noise, but does ok capturing my voice too--provided I speak loudly and towards the front of the screen.***External mics***In contrast, external mics provide more control: many (and K678 too) are cardioid in pattern, meaning they are great at picking up sound directly in front of the mic (your voice) while mostly discarding sounds from behind. For example, as I'm not an audio pro and my meetings happen in a real room and not a sound studio, the cardioid pattern is perfect for me. The external mic picks up my voice well, and if I set it up right (more on this below) there's no trace of the ceiling fan noise in the audio as well. You could go all pro on this too of course with higher-end models, but USB mics are a good entry-level option. So although most audio pros would scoff at a "mere USB mic" the advantages are many: not just the price, but also more importantly super simple to set up (directly hook up to your computer, no "interface" needed unlike many higher-end pro models).***Mic setup/positioning, gain levels, K678 vs 669B***As the pattern is cardioid, the mic works best if positioned in front of you, tilted up slightly so that the front (with the LED button) is towards your mouth/throat. Note that unlike a stage performer who speaks/sings into the rounded end of a handheld microphone, you'd want to speak not to the rounded end nor the back but instead into the front of this USB mic like a classic radio personality/broadcaster. I find it works fine even when more than a foot or so away from me on the desk. On the back, you have the two control knobs--for adjusting the mic gain and headphone output levels. Crucially, I found out that keeping the mic gain level low is essential for eliminating background noise—I sometimes like to turn it down all the way to zero, but it still picks up my voice while cutting out ambient noise. Note that gain level is not the volume - in normal situations if you’re 6-8 inches away you shouldn’t need any “gain.” But you might want to experiment with different levels depending on your situation.Fifine has two USB mics that are equally worth considering--669B and 678 (the latest). I went with 678 mainly because it looked more compact to me. K678 is pretty much all metal in construction (and hence has a solid, hefty feel to it)--and also boasts a very good quality headphone jack output. I use this to hook up an external speaker (in fact, online videos sound markedly superior via this outlet compared to the one I was getting via my laptop's headphone jack). 669B lacks this output jack, which is a crucial factor for me, an added reason why I chose the K678. So while K678 is clearly the newer and superior quality version and both are budget models, 669B seems even kinder to the pocket though--choice up to you depending on your requirements.***A word about Fifine, the company***The name of the company ("Fifine"--pronounced f'EYE-fine, which sounds pretty weird to me). Like most electronic stuff these days though, note that this is made in China--but neither the weird name nor the China connection should stop you necessarily. Why? Because the sad reality is that from wires to chargers to tablets/computers and even smart phones, it's pretty damn hard if not nearly impossible to escape the China link really (even when we're told explicitly something is made elsewhere, chances are key components came from China). I actively try to avoid Chinese-made stuff whenever possible but clearly this policy of mine has only limited effect in practical terms (for example, my IPad--American company and bought in the US, but if you look in the back, made in China). Maybe in the old days China primarily made imitation products of inferior quality based on European or American brands. Some inferior quality stuff still comes out of China surely, but if you choose carefully it's surprising how good the quality can sometimes be. Fifine actually seems to do some innovation on its own. While K678 is clearly based on the American BLUE Yeti, also a USB mic--but instead of a copy, Fifine actually made a genuinely great microphone at half the price of the Yeti. (By the way, while the company BLUE is indeed American, no matter what they tell you chances are the main parts of the Blue Yeti, if not the whole thing, is also sourced from China.)
