Microphone Wars: Blue Yeti vs Audio-Technica AT2020

Whether you are someone who is streaming on a platform, or you are just someone who plays a lot of games online, having a good microphone is definitely a plus point if you have a complete gaming setup. More often than not, you get a microphone with your headset and most people make do with that. However, the thing is that when it comes to having a good built-in microphone, it is not as common as you might think.

This is in the case when having a good external microphone with you can save you a lot of hassle. Not only do your teammates get to hear you properly, but your voice is transmitted properly with little to no background noise. Additionally, having a good microphone also gives you the ability to record or do voiceovers. Plus, if your microphone uses a 3.5mm audio jack, you can connect it to your other equipment like your camera, or even your smartphone for recording videos.

However, you might get confused because two of the best options happen to be the AudioTechnica AT 2020 USB and the Blue Yeti; these are among the most popular microphones not just among the gamers but also for the professionals.

We are going to compare them both and see which one is the winner. This will certainly help consumers make the right choice.

Design

You might not pay attention to the design on a microphone because it is all the use, and not about how it is designed, but believe it or not, a good design can actually change your experience about how you are using a product, the same formula applies to microphones that are available in the market.

The design on the Blue Yeti is simple yet elegant, especially if you are going with the blackout version. It is all black, and really stealthy. If it weren’t for the red light indicator, you might not even notice that it is sitting on the desk. The construction is solid, and you can actually adjust the height of the microphones, too. The base is solid, but Blue dies allow you to remove the base altogether and use the microphone with a proper stand and a pop filter, which certainly is a great thing if you are looking to have the best possible experience.

The AT2020, on the other hand, has a solid design, too. Not all the design aspects are similar to the Blue Yeti but that is a good thing because it gives you something to distinguish between both. Keeping that in mind, the AT2020 does not have the proper height adjustment of the Blue Yeti, and it does not stand as tall as the Yeti does, either. Therefore, that is one of the most important factors that you need to keep in mind. Additionally, during my time with both, I felt that the Blue Yeti is a bit solid in its overall build quality, wherein, it does not feel flimsy thanks to its all-solid metal construction.

If you are looking for a microphone that has a solid construction and coherent design as well without any weird quirks, then going for the Blue Yeti is a no brainer as it does give you the full package.

Winner: Blue Yeti.

Performance

You might be thinking that the performance of a microphone is irrelevant especially when you are only looking to game on it, but in reality, that is not the case. You see, when you have good equipment, you automatically start thinking about all the ways you can use it to make your overall experience better.

Keeping that in mind, performance is an important factor and that is not something that can be contested. The sound quality on the ATH 2020 is amazing, despite being an entry-level microphone, it works really, really well. The frequency response happens to be amazing too. However, the one place where it starts lacking is when we are looking at the polar patterns. For starters, the ATH2020 only comes with support for Cardioid pattern, and there is no support any other pattern.

Looking at the Yeti, you have 4 polar patterns in total. This is definitely an important aspect that you need to keep in mind. You get cardioid, stereo, omnidirectional, as well as bi-directional. These polar patterns only make this microphone a lot more diverse and allow you to record pretty much in whatever situation you want to. The recordings sound natural throughout regardless of the pattern you are using, and the clarity is great across all frequencies, too. Most importantly, many artists use it for recording music, too. Which is a great feature to have. We would suggest you add a pop filter to reduce any hissing or booming sounds.

Overall, the performance is definitely better on the Yeti. Not only it comes with extra polar patterns, but the fact that it handles all of them so well is great.

Winner: Blue Yeti.

Features

What would you consider a “Feature” when you look at a microphone? This is the first thing that came to my mind when I looked at the microphones. However, after spending time with both the AT2020 and the Yeti, I realized just how important features can be in this regard.

For starters, the one feature I love about the Yeti is the mute button; I don’t have to go into Discord in order to mute myself, or press the mute button on Skype. The Yeti also gives you adjustment knobs for volume and gain control. You can do direct headphone monitoring by plugging in the headphones, too.

On the AT2020, you do not get any such options. It is a simple, plug and play microphone that you can use. However, the company does sell a Plus version for a higher cost that does give you direct headphone monitoring but spending more money for just one single feature is simply not enough.

The winner here is Blue Yeti all over again.

Winner: Blue Yeti.

Conclusion

At this point, we really do not think that there is a disparity that could shift the win in one side or another. The Blue Yeti is inherently better than the AudioTechnica AT2020 USB. Even though it costs just a little higher than the AT2020, it makes up for it by offering you more features that a lot of people can benefit from. However we do recommend getting the AT2035, it even beats the Yeti in some cases. So while you’re at it, don’t forget to give it a chance.

Anyways, coming back to our main focus; for anyone who is looking for an all-rounder microphone that offers the most value for money, going for the Blue Yeti is a no brainer as it does pose a great value for money, and has all the necessary features that you might need.