Synology BeeDrive: Two-minute review

In a world of commoditized personal storage, Synology’s BeeDrive portable SSD offers something new. When plugging the device into a PC (USB-C cable and USB-A adapter are included), it acts like traditional USB storage, but Synology’s BeeDrive online installer app appears and lets you pair the device to your PC by signing into your Synology account. You’re then presented with three options: Computer Backup, File Sync and Mobile Transfer.

The former acts as expected and can automatically backup files simply by plugging it into your computer (accidentally deleted files and five previous versions can also be preserved). File Sync (one-way or two-way) is designed to ensure you have the latest versions of each file on all your PCs – it’s been designed with an eye on hybrid workers who operate both at home and from an office. I’ve seen many similar hardware-app combos before, but the third is where Synology is focusing its attention.

The Mobile Transfer app enables you to simply send files straight to your PC over your Wi-Fi network. Choosing this option displays a QR code for downloading the mobile app via the Apple and Android app stores. Once opened, it asks you to pair your device with the BeeDrive using the same QR code.

You’re then asked whether you want to back up either all or just new photos, plus which folder you’d like them stored in. If you want to simply send individual photos, you’ll need to choose “Set up later”, which is a little ambiguous.

Once you’ve followed all the prompts, you can activate a one-tap backup or use BeeDrop for more varied sharing options – there are three here. First, you can take a live photo with the app and it will immediately beam to your BeeDrive. I’ve not seen many apps perform this so quickly, efficiently and smoothly. You can’t activate all camera functions or take videos, but you can select which of your device’s cameras to use. 

BeeDrop will also let you wirelessly transfer individual or multiple files and photos across to it. I saw a 350MB movie move to the PC in less than 20 seconds – a very respectable 175Mbps – but performance will obviously depend on your Wi-Fi network. This could be a game changer for content creators who hate having to tether their device and scroll through countless files before dragging and dropping the one they want. This is arguably its killer feature, but it’s a shame it won’t work when out and about.

Indeed, it’s not perfect. You can’t simply send files from your PC to your mobile device without setting up a convoluted backup/sync regimen. Also, none of the files stored on it are encrypted, meaning if you lose the BeeDrive, anyone can access everything. Perhaps we’ll see a BeeDrive Pro with these features in the future?

Beyond that, BeeDrive is a regular, speedy USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 (speeds up to 1050MB/s) storage device and that's available in 1TB and 2TB variants. Both have diminutive, 65mm diameter footprints and weigh less than 50g. Ultimately, despite feeling a bit ‘Gen 1,’ it works well and can usefully offer features not found in competitor's portable SSDs.

Synology BeeDrive review: Price and release date

• $119 / £130 / AU$279 – 1TB version
• $199 / £215 / AU$429 – 2TB version
• Announced on June 7, 2023

The Synology BeeDrive is available in most major markets in both 1TB and 2TB capacities. The 1TB version costs $119 / £130 / AU$279. The 2TB version costs $199 / £215 / AU$429.

These prices aren’t a little dearer than other portable SSDs. Samsung’s similar, speedy and more mature rivals tend to sell for around two-thirds the price. You can also find more expensive portable SSDs with data security features and ruggedisation. However, they don’t have the BeeDrive's file management apps or Wi-Fi capabilities. SanDisk’s rivals are similar to Samsung’s and cost even less.

Alternatively, you can spend as little or as much as you want on a USB thumb drive and use third-party sync solutions.

• Value: 3.5 / 5

Synology BeeDrive review: Specs

Synology BeeDrive review: Design and features

• Slick, intuitive backup and sync software
• Easy mobile-to-PC transfer
• Core feature needs a Wi-Fi network
• No security features

The BeeDrive is a cute little device that will fit comfortably into the palm of most peoples’ hands. Unlike Samsung’s rivals, there are no sharp edges here. However, its sub-50g lightweight nature belies its lack of robustness... you wouldn’t want to drop it or step on it. By only being available in black, I also kept misplacing it in the bottom of my bag or on shadowy areas of my desk.

Installation is generally simple, but there are some caveats. The bundled BeeDrive online installer app requires an internet connection and a Synology account to install, although this does come with the benefit of always having the latest version. The other thing to note is that the software actually needs to be installed on the connect PC for the apps to work. If that sounds silly, remember that if you’re wanting to sync files between home and work PCs (arguably a core selling point of the BeeDrive), few corporate IT departments will countenance this, due to both file and data-security concerns.

Still, when connected with the short USB-C cable that's included in the box (which comes with a USB-A adapter), as a straight USB storage device, the BeeDrive works as expected. It even shows up in Windows with a BeeDrive icon for quick identification. 

BeeDrive's 'smart' functionality revolves around three core apps and they’re mostly slick, simple and intuitive. The Computer Backup app simply involves choosing the folders you want backed up. It then facilitates this manually, or activates automatically when plugged into your PC. Up to five previous file versions can be archived in case of accidental deletion or general computer SNAFUs. You’re told when the latest backup occurred and a log is available to check previous activity.

The Sync app is a little different. You can let BeeDrive create two folders, one on the BeeDrive and one on your PC, and it will keep them synchronized. You can also manually choose multiple folders to sync and (again) keep up to five previous versions of them. Plus, you can choose two-way sync or unidirectional sync – to or from the drive. You can also choose file extensions to exclude.

The Mobile Transfer app lets you send files straight to your PC over Wi-Fi. Just note, this is not a direct, device-to-device connection – both your PC and mobile device need to be on the same network. The first time you choose this option, you’re presented with a QR code for downloading the mobile app for either Apple or Android. You then use the same QR code to pair your device with the BeeDrive.

Next, you’re asked whether and where you want to back up all, or only new, photos. If you want to simply send individual photos, you must choose “Set up later” here, but it’s a minor niggle. You can then activate a one-tap backup or use ‘BeeDrop’ which has three transfer options: Files, Photos or Camera. The last option lets you take a live photo via the app which gets immediately sent to your BeeDrive. It works very quickly, efficiently and smoothly. You aren’t given access to all your camera’s features, though, and it won’t work with video.

Still, if you hate having to tether your camera to a computer, waiting for the thumbnails to organize themselves, scrolling through potentially loads of photos before finding the one you want to drag-and-drop onto your computer, it’s a killer feature. It’s a shame it won’t work without a Wi-Fi network.

Like I said, it’s not perfect. You can't use the unidirectional file transfer without setting up a backup/sync regimen, plus there's no encryption here so you can't afford to lose the BeeDrive.

• Design & features: 4 / 5

Synology BeeDrive review: Performance

• USB 3.2 Gen 2 (1,050MB/S) transfer speeds
• Potentially fast Wi-Fi transfer

File transfer performance to and from the BeeDrive will largely depend on your individual setup. On my Wi-Fi 6 network, my Wi-Fi 6-enabled phone transferred files at a decent 175Mbps. Only huge files might feel slow.

The USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 wired connection – which offers theoretical speeds of 1,050MB/s – managed 1,049MB/s read speeds and 730MB/s write speeds recorded by CrystalDiskMark, which is very impressive. 

Still, it’s worth remembering that the BeeDrive isn’t really about speed: it’s mainly designed to back up and sync stuff in the background, or perform casual file transfers and it does this with aplomb.

• Performance: 5 / 5

Should I buy the Synology BeeDrive?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

If you're not quite sold on the Synology BeeDrive, below are a few other options to consider.

[First reviewed August 2023]

Victrola ME1: Two-minute review

You may have heard of Victrola from its futuristic turntables and record players, devices that blend retro form factors with modern features, and the Victrola ME1 is a hop, skip and a jump from the brand’s previous devices.

The Victrola ME1 is the brand’s first portable Bluetooth speaker. Released alongside the heavier and more static ME2, it abandons the elegant, classy and premium oeuvre of previous Victrola devices for something cheap and cheery.

Unlike many other ostensibly-portable Bluetooth speakers, the Victrola ME1 fits the bill. It’s small, lightweight and durable, so we found it a fitting companion for outdoor excursions, whether that was a trip to the park or a long drive to the beach. The speaker even has a wrist strap, which means you can keep it tethered at all times.

It’s a reasonably inexpensive speaker, too, at the sub-$100/£100 price point, making it well worth considering if you’re looking for an affordable counterpoint to the many high-price rivals on the market.

Unfortunately, there’s a catch – and we’re not talking about the place where you attach the wrist strap to the speaker – and that’s in the audio quality. The Victrola ME1 is fine for its price but it won’t blow audiophiles away, not when you’re trying to listen to a song and encounter more peaks than the Himalayas.

If you want a speaker to pump out some party tunes in a field, this’ll serve you well, but if you want high-quality audio to impress your music-loving fans then the Victrola ME1 will disappoint you.

Oh, and if you’re wondering what the ‘ME’ stands for, it’s ‘Music Edition’ – so if you’re that rare breed who uses a speaker for music, you’re in luck.

Victrola ME1 review: Price and release date

• Released in January 2022
• Officially priced at $99.99 / £99.99

The Victrola ME1 launched in January 2022 priced at $99 / £99 (roughly AU$150), with that double-figure price tag making it one of the more affordable portable Bluetooth speakers that are worth considering.

And that’s before sales prices – during writing this review, we saw the US cost of the speaker come down another $20 on Victrola’s website, so you can likely find a price reduction somewhere if you want.

At that price, the Victrola ME1 rivals the likes of the JBL Flip 6 or Cleer Audio Scene, which both balance pleasing looks with decent audio quality.

Victrola ME1 review: Specs

Victrola ME1 review: Features

• A 12-hour battery life
• USB-C charging but no USB out
• No 3.5mm for aux in

Victrola cites a 12-hour battery life for its ME1 speaker, and while our test period found it came a little short of that, it was only a razor’s margin – expect at least 11 hours of playback on one charge.

There’s no USB out here so you can’t charge other devices with the ME1, but at least it has a USB-C charging port, letting you use the industry standard cable that you likely already have on your phone, tablet or computer.

Another port missing here, which may irk some audio fans, is a 3.5mm one – you can’t jack in with a cable, making the speaker’s Bluetooth connectivity your main option. There is, however, the ability to pair your phone to multiple speakers for some true surround sound jamming, though we weren’t able to test this due to only having one review speaker.

Pairing your phone is easy too, with no annoying apps you need to download to set your audio preferences – just hold the Bluetooth button on the speaker and connect using your device’s Bluetooth menu. Even compared to some other speakers, pairing on the Victrola was easy.

• Features score: 3.5/5

Victrola ME1 review: Design

• Lightweight and portable
• Durably designed
• Looks like a cheese grater

Victrola tends to use a retro approach to design – other products it sells include speakers that look like boomboxes, radios, jukeboxes. The Music Edition 1 shakes things up by taking its aesthetic inspiration not from gadgets but from a cheese grater. That’s not wholly a joke – the speaker is a rectangular block with shredding holes, and from a glance it really does look like a kitchen implement used to grate cheese.

That is to say, this is a utilitarian design, and the ME1 won’t win any awards for its looks. It’s a monochrome block with scant distinctive features (it comes in gray and black in the US, though many other color options were announced). But that’s okay, because there are two key design elements in its favor.

Firstly, this is an incredibly portable device. Measuring 13.9 x 8.25 x 4.4 cm, it can easily fit in a bag pocket or similar carry space, and weighing 430g it’s easy to carry about too, whether in said bag or in your hand using its wrist carry strap.

Secondly, it’s very durable. The ME1 has a metal frame, which can withstand everyday drops or bumps, and it has an IP67 rating, protecting it against dust and splashes – feel free to leave this on the side at a pool party (but not literally in the pool).

Most of the body of the Victrola ME1 is taken up by its cheese-grating holes but there’s more. Along one edge of the speaker there’s the holder for the wrist strap and USB-C strap as well as the power on, Bluetooth, volume down, pause and volume up buttons. Simple, with no unnecessary extras.

• Design score: 4/5

Victrola ME1 review: Sound quality

The Victrola ME1 has one weak spot, and admittedly it’s a rather severe one given the usual use case of a portable Bluetooth speaker. It’s the speaker quality. Music quality is fine, but ‘fine’ doesn’t get you far in the competitive world of music gadgets, and the ME1 left us feeling a little blue. 

The speaker serves less bass than a vegan restaurant, which is somewhat surprising given Victrola’s use of a passive bass radiator. It’s not totally absent, but don’t expect any soul-shaking reverberations here.

Worse was treble though, with frequent peaking, which gave many songs a ‘crunchy’ quality, as though half the instruments had been replaced with flaky crisps (chips, for you Americans). This was most apparently in drum lines but cropped up frequently in lyrics for certain songs, and certain other instruments.

We can also see some people having trouble with the ME1’s max volume, which was fine for indoor gatherings, but we can imagine that larger groups of people might struggle to hear the thing even at max volume if you’re outdoors.

When you look at Victrola’s online listing for the ME1, it doesn’t go into detail for the speaker’s audio qualities, instead focusing on its design and features. That is to say, even Victrola apparently knows that the selling point of its speaker isn’t the audio quality.

• Sound quality: 3/5

Victrola ME1 review: Value

The Victrola ME1 isn’t a speaker for audiophiles, as its crunchy treble and lacking bass, as well as its omission of some popular features like 3.5mm inputs.

Despite this, we’d actually opt for the Victrola over some better-audio, higher-price and better-scoring speakers for its design features. It’s hard to overstate how great a portable, lightweight and durable speaker is for picnics, barbeques and outdoor parties – if you’re looking for something for these use cases, you could do far worse than the Victrola ME1.

• Value score: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Victrola ME1?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Victrola ME1 review: Also consider

Most popular email clients, such as Gmail and Yahoo Mail, are free. Yet, nothing is really free. In exchange for using these free services, you allow the providers to harvest your data for advertising purposes to make money. “If you’re not paying, then you’re the product” is a popular quote.

Many people aren’t comfortable with handing over their data to third parties, so they seek secure email alternatives. CounterMail is one of the best alternatives offered by a Swedish company. It allows you to send emails securely, with no third party having access to your data. 

Is CounterMail one of the best secure email providers? Read on...

CounterMail: Plans and pricing

CounterMail doesn’t have a free plan, which is a disadvantage. It only offers a one-week free trial with limited storage space.

CounterMail’s premium subscription comes with 4 GB of storage, which is relatively low. You can pay $29 for a six-month plan, $49 for 12 months, or $79 for 24 months. 

4 GB of storage is quite low, but you can expand it for a one-time fee. You can pay $19 for 250 MB, $35 for 500 MB, $59 for 1 GB, or $89 for 1.75 GB. The extra storage options are pretty expensive compared to the competition.

CounterMail: Features

CounterMail offers many good features, including: 

End-to-end email encryption

End-to-end encryption is a security protocol that prevents any third party from accessing information while it’s in transit. Your email gets encrypted on CounterMail’s server and decrypted at the recipient’s server. If anyone were to intercept it, the data will be useless to them because they don’t have the decryption keys. Even CounterMail doesn’t have the keys, so they can’t access your data.

CounterMail uses the OpenPGP email encryption standard; this standard is the most popular one email clients use to encrypt emails. The drawback is that you can only send encrypted emails from CounterMail to clients also using the OpenPGP standard.

OpenPGP encrypts your message body and contents but not the subject line because of the way it’s designed. To encrypt the subject line, CounterMail uses additional RSA and AES-CBC encryption.

Secure forms

CounterMail allows you to create encrypted web forms that others can fill out. When the recipient submits and fills out the form, it will end up as an encrypted email inside the creator's inbox. You can also embed the form on your website using custom HTML code.

Custom domains

Many businesses and individuals need emails with a custom domain name because it makes them look more professional. The good thing is that CounterMail allows you to set up emails with your personal domain name. You simply need to adjust your A records and MX records on your registrar to point to CounterMail's servers. Note that there's a one-time $15 set-up fee for each domain.

Notifications

You can set up notifications for your CounterMail using another email address. For instance, the notification could be on your Gmail account. Each time someone sends a message to your CounterMail address, you’ll receive an alert on the other address.

Safebox

CounterMail offers a password manager called SafeBox. This tool gives you a secure place to store your usernames and passwords. All the data in the Safebox is protected by a master password.

Safebox uses OpenPGP encryption separated from your account keys and password. The encryption and decryption process occurs entirely on your computer inside the web browser, so you can be sure no third party is accessing your data. 

Ensure you remember your master password because, without it, you won’t access any data on your Safebox.

Alias email

An alias email address is a forwarding address. Any email sent to an alias automatically gets forwarded to the main address; it's a creative way to interact with people or apps without giving out your main email address.

CounterMail allows you to create multiple aliases. You can create up to 10 such addresses if you have a premium subscription.

USB key encryption

You can use a USB key to protect your CounterMail account in addition to your password. The USB will have a custom key file that's needed to log into your account. Without this 512-bit key file, no one can access your account even if they somehow get hold of your password.

CounterMail: Interface and use

CounterMail doesn’t score high in ease of use. The platform’s interface isn’t as intuitive as what you’d find on many competitors. With a dark background and olive-green and white colors to highlight text, it looks like a tool designed for hackers instead of the everyday user.

Fortunately, signing up isn’t difficult. But the design looks out of date and unsuitable for an average email user. 

CounterMail: Support

CounterMail offers direct support via a ticketing system on its website. You can create a ticket and state your issue, and the company's support staff will respond to your ticket within a few days. There’s also an extensive Knowledge Base and FAQs section you can consult before filing a ticket. 

CounterMail: Competition

Posteo is the main competitor to CounterMail that we’ll like to highlight. It offers basic email encryption features but not significant complementary features, just like CounterMail. 

Posteo is a more affordable tool, costing just $1 per month. However, it doesn’t support custom domains. 

CounterMail: Final verdict

CounterMail is a suitable choice if you’re seeking a basic encrypted email tool to use. However, it doesn’t offer as many complementary features as various competitors. We also consider the platform lacking in customer support and ease of use; there’s no native mobile or desktop app, unlike many competitors. 

We've featured the best email hosting providers.

Sennheiser Profile: Two-minute review

I honestly wanted to give the Sennheiser Profile that coveted five-star rating. This USB mic may not look like much, with its somber solid black style, but it delivers where it matters most – in build quality and audio capture – while keeping the price reasonably accessible to even hobbyist streamers and podcasters.

So, it’s really unfortunate that, for some reason, Sennheiser’s engineers have made weird design decisions, particularly when it comes to its articulations. These are, to be very fair, minor flaws that users can easily adapt to. But I also think that if you’re paying more than $100 / £100 for a USB mic, it should at least have those basics covered.

Coming in two sets – one with just a desk stand and the other offering a boom arm with a C-clamp – the Sennheiser Profile will set you back a lot more than many of the best USB mics on the shelves, with the latter set costing US customers $200. And, it’s kind of hard to look past its design missteps, no matter how small of a deal they are.

The most glaring issue here is the boom arm. Its hinges are so tight it feels like you’re doing an arm workout just to set it up. Granted, those should loosen up over time, and most people will probably have it in a fixed position anyway, but there’s also the fact that the mic itself mounts awkwardly to it. It's as if it’s a third-party budget boom you found on Amazon, instead of something that’s actually made for the mic. Setup, in other words, is tricky, and you really need to spend some time on it to figure out the least awkward position for the mic to be in.

Now, this mic is less than $130 / £110 if you just get the basic set that comes with a standard desk stand. That means you’re paying about $70 / £70 extra for that boom arm if you’re getting the streaming set. And, though it feels very premium and robust, that price is hardly fair if you consider its flaws.

Go for the basic set, and you run into another hiccup. The yoke the USB mic is attached to doesn’t offer much in terms of articulation. You can tilt it up more or less 15 degrees, and that’s about it. So you have even fewer physical adjustments available if you just get the desk stand.

The good news is that the mic, like the boom arm, is built like a rock – or rather, a premium rock with a soft satin finish. And while the design is nothing to write home about, especially with that solid black (read: boring and overdone) color, it has all the physical controls you’ll ever need: a mic mute button, a mic gain dial, a mix control dial that allows you to balance audio between the mic and your PC, and a headphone volume control.

There are two LED ring indicators on hand, one around the mic gain dial and the other around the mic mute button. The former, the clipping indicator, turns green when you’re recording at an acceptable volume and orange when you’re in danger of clipping, while the latter turns red when the mic is muted.

Clipping is a very important factor to consider when you’re speaking to a mic. Exceed its recording volume range, and your audio will distort and have artifacts. So, most mics’ indicators have three colors to let you know if you’re at an acceptable volume, in danger of clipping, and already clipping. Unfortunately, this one only has two, which means you really can't risk recording at a higher volume because it’ll never tell you when your audio is indeed clipping.

Design blues aside, there are things to love here: the cable management on the boom arm is a nice touch, the USB-C cable included is pretty lengthy, and the C-clamp mounting bracket does a great job of keeping the mic stable and in place.

The Sennheiser Profile also delivers on performance. The audio recordings I’ve made on it are incredible – as good as you can expect from USB mics. The sound is neutral, and even when I get really close, my voice still comes through clear and not overly boomy. And with the mic gain turned all the way, it still produces a clear, full sound without signs of distortion.

This mic will pick up some background noise, like when someone’s typing on a keyboard or talking a few feet away, but not to the point that it’s distracting. Sibilance is very minimal, while plosives are beautifully non-existent.

The one thing I really love about this is that despite its design flaws, the solid metal boom arm does an amazing job of minimizing vibrations. No matter how hard I tap on or shake the desk it’s mounted on or tap on the boom itself, the mic only picks up the tapping audio and never the vibrations themselves. 

Focus on its performance, and the Sennheiser Profile is a pretty darn impressive USB mic. Heck, if you can look past its design flaws, it’s an absolute ace.

Sennheiser Profile: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? From $129 / £108 / AU$199
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

This is one of the most expensive USB mics I’ve tested, setting you back $129 / £108 / AU$239, and that’s just for the basic set, which comes with a desk stand. If you want the boom arm, you’re looking at a $199 / £176 / AU$349 splurge. Is it a little more than most people would want to pay for a USB mic? Maybe, but you’re getting your money’s worth in performance and build.

Still, if you’re looking for a cheap USB mic, you probably should look elsewhere. A good alternative, if you’re on a super tight budget, is the HyperX QuadCast S, which will cost you about half the Sennheiser Profile. If your budget has some flexibility, I highly recommend taking a look at the AKG Ara instead.

• Value: 4 / 5

Sennheiser Profile: Specs

Should you buy the Sennheiser Profile?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Sennheiser Profile: Also consider

How I tested the [Product]

• Tested the USB mic for a few days
• Did several audio recordings with it
• Recorded at different distances and mic settings

To test the Sennheiser Profile, I used it for several days recording my voice at different settings and distances, pushing it to its limits to see how it handled things like plosives, sibilance, background noise, and vibrations.

Since I’m not a streamer or a podcaster, I utilized Windows’ Sound Recorder app to record my voice and listen to playbacks.

I have, however, tested a few USB mics for several months now, and have taken an unofficial crash course on mics so I can better understand the inner workings and give you guys fair reviews of the products that come to my desk.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed May 2023

Chances are you’ve come across the name Audio-Technica if you’re at all familiar with audio equipment. The brand has been making some of the best headphones for decades. This latest USB microphone, the AT2020USB-X, builds on the foundations laid by the previous entries in the AT2020 models to deliver on the promise of one of the best microphones for streaming and one of the best USB microphones around. 

If you want to get involved in game streaming, then the Audio-Technica AT2020USB-X provides an excellent high-quality starting point for online creation. You’re not getting the full range of XLR dynamics here, but for its size and price, there’s little to fault with this punchy little performer. 

Price and Availability

The Audio-Technica AT2020USB-X was released in August and is currently available for $149 / £116 / AU$209 in the US, the UK, and Australia, respectively. As a point of comparison, that’s roughly $20 / £20 / AU$30, more expensive than what you can currently find a Blue Yeti for. It’s not terribly expensive as far as enthusiast-level streaming microphones go, but it doesn’t undercut some of the more established names either.  

Design and Features

There’s nothing extraordinary about the design of the Audio-Technica AT2020USB-X upon first inspection. While it’s pleasing to the eye, with its all-metal construction and black color scheme, things are kept simple and straightforward in its visual language until you plug it in. Once powered up, you’ll notice the bright blue LED from behind the grill, indicating that the microphone is on and ready for audio delivery. 

On the front of the controls is a touch-sensitive panel which mutes the mic completely silently, which means that broadcasts and recordings won’t suffer from any interference. The blue light shifts to a dark red, an obvious indicator that no sound will be transmitted. As audio shorthand does, it’s a great touch that helps separate the Audio-Technica AT2020USB-X from its contemporaries. It’s powered by USB-C but connects to your computer, laptop, or console through a more standardized USB-A. 

On the technical side of things, there’s a 24-Bit/96 kHz sampling rate and 20-20,000 Hz frequency response, which aligns with many modern USB microphones as opposed to the older 16-Bit/48 kHz, which were common a few years ago. The dedicated 3.5mm audio jack and volume scroll specifically dedicated to microphone monitoring when broadcasting is nice to have. However, there’s no on-board gain control, as you’ll find on the Rode X XDM-100. It’s unlikely to be a massive hindrance, but something that deserves mentioning all the same. 

Performance

Using the Audio-Technica AT2020USB-X as my daily microphone for work has been well-above average. Whether I was taking part in video conferencing meetings with my colleagues or conducting interviews, the sonic reproduction of this model has been genuinely surprising. At first, the lack of a gain dial left me feeling at an impasse, but I quickly became accustomed to this by testing how far I needed to be away from the pickup itself. 

Audio-Technica AT2020USB-X can pick up my voice with a level of clarity that I’ve not seen from USB-A microphones in this price range. It sounds significantly better fresh out of the box than the tried-and-true Blue Yeti and Blue Snowball that I’ve had knocking around my house for years. Things are noticeably stripped-back with the Audio-Technica AT2020USB-X as there are no options for different pickup patterns for capturing a single voice instead of several, as you’ll find with Blue’s offerings. That means this is made for side-address, is all about putting you front and center, and does a faithful job of making you sound the part, too. 

The small footprint of the stand and the compact size of the microphone’s body is something that I can really appreciate as someone who frequently flexes between office and remote working. The Audio-Technica AT2020USB-X is small enough to fit comfortably in my bag and is built sturdy to the point where I’m not worrying about it during commutes. If you have a cramped gaming or office desk, then you won’t have to worry about the stand taking up that much room. Just be warned that it could sit slightly lower than where your mouth may align. It’s nothing that had a significant impact on me, as the Cardioid condenser has a decent range to it, but it’s something to bear in mind. 

Should you buy the Audio-Technica AT2020USB-X microphone?

Buy it if…  

You’re after a compact but capable USB microphone for streaming

While it may be no-frills in design and approach, the AT2020USB-X does everything it sets out to do with a powerful condenser pickup making for high-quality, distinctive audio playback. 

You have limited space in your setup 

The AT2020USB-X won’t take up much room at all with its considered footprint and small build size. This means it’s perfect as a replacement for the otherwise unwieldy boom arm stands and thicker USB microphones on the market.  

Don’t buy it if…  

You want to record in noisier environments

The lack of a gain dial and the sensitive nature of the AT2020USB-X means that it will not be the best at battling through a room that’s got some ambience to it. You’re better off finding a microphone with some passive noise reduction, such as the Rode X XDM-100. 

• A beginner's guide to setting up a home studio for voice recording

Ruark MR1 MkII: Two-minute review

If we’re cutting to the chase here (and why not?) then we’ll just go ahead and say the Ruark MR1 MkII is basically all gain, no pain. It’s small enough to sit happily on any remotely tidy desk, it’s built and finished to a standard that belies its fairly modest asking price (so pride of ownership is more-or-less guaranteed) and it sounds very accomplished indeed.

Choose between walnut veneer or ‘soft’ grey lacquer. Choose between the integrated control dial or the tidy little remote control. Choose Bluetooth 5.0, digital optical (with 24bit/192kHz compatibility) or analogue inputs. Attach a subwoofer if you need some grunt. And then simply enjoy the robust, detailed and entertaining sound the Ruark serves up via its high-quality Class A/B amplification.

Naturally enough, the Ruark MR1 MkII does its best work when given some content of a decent standard to work with – but it doesn’t give up the ghost if asked to play some free Spotify stuff from the headphone socket of a standard laptop. In every circumstance, it’s an enjoyable listen that that beats out the best stereo speakers at this small size and price.

Ruark MR1 MkII review: Price & release date

• Originally released in 2017
• Officially priced at $379 / £349 / AU$749

The Ruark MR1 MkII is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it sells for around £349. In the United States it’s yours for $379 or thereabouts, while in Australia you’ll need to find AU$749 (or maybe a little less if you shop around.

You’re not short of choice when it comes to powered (or active) stereo speakers with lesser or greater streaming capability. But when it comes to combining affordability and small dimensions that are great for a desktop or small shelf, the MR1 MkII isn’t what you’d call overrun with competition.

Ruark MR1 MkII review: Features

• Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX for high-quality wireless audio
• Class A/B amplification
• Crying out for a USB input

There’s a definite pecking order here. Both speakers feature a 20mm silk dome tweeter above a 75mm polypropylene mid/bass driver, both have a bass reflex port at the bottom of their cabinet – but after that it’s the right-hand speaker that is in charge. 

This is the speaker where the MR1 MkII keeps its amplification. There’s a total of 20 watts (which is nothing special), and it’s of the Class A/B type (which most certainly is) – virtually every alternative to the Ruark uses Class D amplification, and the use of Class A/B here let’s you know Ruark is deadly serious where sound quality is concerned.

All physical and wireless connectivity is handled by the right-hand speaker, too. It uses Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless streaming, and there’s compatibility with SBC, AAC and aptX codecs. Physical inputs consist of a 3.5mm analogue socket and a digital optical socket – not only does the digital input mean the MR1 MkII can work as speakers for your TV (as long as it has an optical output, of course), but it’s also equipped to deal with digital audio files up to 24bit/192kHz resolution. So the Ruark is a hi-res system… but not over USB, sadly, because there's the only major connection we really miss here, though it would be nice if it supported Wi-Fi and Apple AirPlay 2 and Chromecast, of course.

There’s a pre-out for a subwoofer on the rear of the cabinet, a power connection, and an output for the braided cable that’s in the packaging to join the right speaker to its left-hand partner. If you don’t make that connection, though, the Ruark will automatically switch to single-speaker mono operation. And if you fancy taking your single MR1 MkII speaker out and about with you, there’s an optional ‘backpack’ battery that attaches to the rear of the speaker cabinet and should be good for 12 hours or so of playback as long as you’re not going for it in terms of volume – but that's a separate purchase.

The circular turn-and-click dial that’s been a feature of numerous Ruark products makes an appearance here, and it’s a welcome appearance, because it’s a useful and actually quite satisfying way of controlling the MR1 MkII. A press powers up the system, and Bluetooth pairing begins immediately – further presses allow you to scroll through your input options, a long press powers the system down again. And, of course, turning the dial adjusts volume.

If you’re using Bluetooth to stream music, of course, then control is available via your smartphone and/or your music streaming service’s control app. Nevertheless, Ruark provides a small, slim remote control of the clicky type that covers every eventuality.

The right-hand speaker needs to be reasonably close to power, of course, and the speakers can’t be further apart than the 2m length of the cable that connects them. That will be long enough for the vast majority of people, but it will be a limitation for some, and so is one of the few potential downsides here.

• Features score: 4.5/5

Ruark MR1 MkII review: Sound quality

• Open and well-defined soundstage
• Impressive detail retrieval
• Surprising punch and muscularity

Don’t let the Ruark’s size fool you – the MR1 MkII is all business. It sounds fuller, more open and more convincing than seems remotely likely.

No matter if you’re listening to Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion streamed via aptX, or a Netflix stream of The Power of the Dog using the optical input via a TV, or sending The Smile’s A Light for Attracting Attention into the analogue socket using the output from a MacBook Pro, the MR1 MkII (broadly speaking) maintains its sonic characteristics. 

Naturally, it prefers a digital signal on which it can bring its Cirrus 24-bit DAC to bear rather than the rather humdrum output of a laptop’s headphone socket – but it doesn’t get picky. It simply rolls its sleeves up and makes the best of things.

And given a fighting chance with some digital audio over Bluetooth or optical, ‘the best of things’ turns out to be very listenable indeed. The Ruark creates an open, quite spacious soundstage, with plenty of detail handed over and a very agreeable sense of clarity to its overall presentation. ‘Musical’ might seem a redundant term when describing a pair of speakers when they’re playing music, but there are some alternatives that don’t sound anything like as musical as the MR1 MkII – it’s a revealing, confident and entertaining listen.

Low frequencies are gratifyingly deep, punchy without becoming overblown or musclebound, and properly controlled, so the Ruark has no trouble motoring through recordings and expressing rhythms with confidence. There’s a degree of crunch and shine to the opposite end of the frequency range, but the sound never threatens to get unruly or in any way abrasive – overall tonality, in fact, it’s just slightly on the ‘warm’ side of neutral. And in a system of this type, that’s almost certainly a positive almost all the time.

There’s the same sort of solidity, the same level of detail retrieval and the same sense of completeness to the way the Ruark hands over the midrange, too. No matter if it’s a vocalist in a band or an actor in a movie, the MR1 MkII is distinct, positive and eloquent when it comes to the human voice. 

Despite the unspectacular power rating, the Ruark is capable of decent outright levels of volume and has a fair degree of dynamic potency when it comes to shifting from ‘quiet’ to ‘loud’. And it is similarly adept when it comes to the more subtle, but no less significant, dynamic variations apparent in voices and instruments too.

• Sound quality score: 5/5

Ruark MR1 MkII review: Design

• 185 x 130 x 145mm (HxWxD) per speaker
• Walnut veneer or ‘soft’ grey lacquer
• Impressively built and finished

You either enjoy a retro look or you don’t – but in any event, Ruark has contrived to keep you happy. The MR1 MkII is of desk-friendly proportions at a mere 185 x 130 x 145mm (7.3 x 5.1 x 5.7 inches) per speaker, and its elegantly curved, beautifully finished cabinet are available in either a walnut veneer or ‘soft’ grey lacquer. 

Regardless of the finish you prefer, the speakers feature gray acoustic cloth grilles. The look is understatedly classy and actually quite sophisticated – certainly I felt compelled to tidy my desk up a bit during the course of this test to house them. 

Build quality is well up to standard, too – the Ruark speakers feel both as good as they look and ready to last the long haul. It’s not always an easy trick to pull off when a product is necessarily small, but the MR1 MkII looks and feels the part.

• Design score: 5/5

Ruark MR1 MkII review: Value

• Best-in-class for the size and price
• No USB input is the only major flaw

There are bigger-sounding desktop audio systems – but, without exception, they’re bigger or more expensive or, most usually, both. So the Ruark MR1 MkII represents great value for those who take desktop or bookshelf listening serious, but can't devote much space to it. 

It looks and feels more expensive than it is, and it sounds that way too – as long as you don’t just hook it to the headphone socket of your laptop, anyway. As it stands, the Mr1 MkII is without meaningful competition when you keep the price/size/sound quality ratio uppermost in your mind.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Should I buy the Ruark MR1 MkII?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Ruark MR1 MkII review: Also consider

• First reviewed: April 2023
• Read more about how we test

AKG Lyra USB Microphone: Two-minute review

The AKG Lyra USB microphone is a phenomenal USB microphone for a variety of uses. Whether you’re podcasting, conducting an interview, or recording music, the Lyra USB captures incredible audio regardless of the situation. If you’re interested in a budget-friendly USB condenser microphone from a company with a reputation for excellence, you can't go wrong with the Lyra USB.

AKG has been building microphones for decades, and its products are highly sought after and very respected in recording studios all over the world. With more users recording at home than ever before, AKG decided to offer their professional expertise to more casual users. 

The AKG Lyra features four microphone polar patterns, zero-latency headphone monitoring, adjustable mic gain, and a mute switch. The four mic capsules, utilizing the circuitry within the Lyra, can capture sound at a bit depth and sample rate of 24 bits and 192 kHz. This is absolutely pristine-quality audio, and way better than what you'd get with something like the Blue Yeti. The frequency response of the Lyra spans 20hz to 20kHz, which is the full spectrum of human hearing. 

Don’t let the technical jargon scare you, though, as the Lyra may sound amazing but it is extremely simple to use right out of the box. The Lyra’s plug-and-play functionality makes it easy to start recording right away since there's no need to download drivers to use the microphone in my tests. I simply connected the USB-A to USC-C cable (included with the mic) to a few of my computers, opened up my audio software and started recording. 

The microphone is immediately recognized in Logic, Garageband, or any standard digital audio workstation (DAW) of your choice. The AKG Lyra even comes with a free copy of Ableton Live 10 Lite if you don’t have any recording software installed.

The microphone sits on a detachable desk stand that is included with the mic, which is simple to use and well-constructed. It provides a tremendous amount of maneuverability, but if you’d rather connect the microphone to a boom arm, you have the option of utilizing the ⅜” inch adapter connection included with the mic. 

While we can highly recommend the AKG Lyra USB microphone, it is important to note the sensitive nature of the Lyra’s condenser microphone properties. It's incredibly sensitive to sound. Typically, condenser microphones are used in conjunction with sound-dampening equipment such as diffusers and soundproof booths, so care must be taken if recording in areas with lots of ambient noise like lawnmowers or traffic.

If you utilize the Lyra in the same way as you utilize a dynamic microphone (like the Shure SM7B), you might pick up a lot of ambient noise in your recordings, so the AKG Lyra USB Microphone may actually be too sensitive for users who are unfamiliar with condenser microphones. However, if you know how (or are willing to learn how) to take advantage of the Lyra’s strengths, this microphone will give you near-professional results at a fantastic price.

AKG Lyra USB Microphone: Price & availability

• How much does it cost?: $149.00 / £149.99 / AU$ 269.00
• When is it out? It is available now through AKG.com and major retailers
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

The AKG Lyra USB Microphone has an MSRP of $149 / £149.99 / AU$ 269, but there are often sales that can bring this price even lower. This is a great price for this microphone, especially for the quality. 

The closest competitor to the AKG Lyra would be the exceptional Blue Yeti USB microphone. Both the Lyra and the Yeti feature almost the same button/dial layout, and the Yeti is a good bit cheaper with an MSRP of $129.99 / £119.99 / AU$199.95. 

While the Yeti is cheaper, the Lyra features a larger sample rate and bit depth than the Yeti (192 kHz/24 bit as opposed to 48 kHz/16 bit). Having tested both, there isn’t much discernible difference between the two. You’d have to be a serious audiophile to hear the difference. For what it’s worth, the AKG Lyra does seem to perform better when recording instruments, so the higher sample rate seems to make a big difference here.

AKG Lyra USB Microphone: Specs

Should you buy the AKG Lyra USB Microphone?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

AKG Lyra USB Microphone: Also consider

First reviewed March 2023