What are the best professional 18-inch gooseneck microphones on the market? First and foremost, what exactly is a gooseneck microphone? A gooseneck microphone is essentially a mini mic attached to a thin like adjustable stand. The gooseneck stand itself ranges anywhere between 5″ to 24″.
Most gooseneck microphones are generally somewhere in the middle. For a good reason, 18-inch gooseneck microphones are one of the highest demands. They’re usually the perfect size for most podiums in a professional.
For the most part, you will find a gooseneck microphone on a podium for live speeches, conferences, seminars, classrooms, government institutions, etc. Considering 18-inch gooseneck microphones are primarily used for professional applications, they must produce exceptional sound quality, hold a reliable connection, and able to last a very long time without breaking.
That’s why we decided to gather the best 18-inch gooseneck microphones that will live up to your expectations. After extensive research, testing, and the help of a few sound engineers from churches; We narrowed it down to the top 6 18-inch gooseneck microphones for the price.
In Short, Here Are The Top 6 Professional 18-inch Gooseneck Microphones
- Shure CVG18-B/C
- Sound Tech GN-USB-2
- Audio Technica U859QL
- Senal MXGN-18C
- Shure MX418/S
- Electro-Voice PC-18
1. Shure CVG18-B/C
First up, the Shure CVG18-B/C is a fantastic 18-inch gooseneck microphone that’s easily able to be used in professional settings. With a cardioid polar, it picks up the voice very clearly while minimizing unwanted background noise. It has outstanding sound quality, as well. Not only that, but you’ll be highly satisfied with the pickup sensitivity.
Your mouth doesn’t need to directly over it at all times. With a great balance between the lows, mids, and highs; It has amazing voice articulation that’s very clear and professional sounding. Many people use it for churches, government buildings, conferences, corporate events, or seminars of any size. Shure specifically optimized the frequency response to pick up your voice in just about any environment.
Not only will you enjoy its incredible audio quality, but this gooseneck is also has a robust build quality, as well. The gooseneck is easily adjustable while maintaining its reliable durability. Many people rave about its overall lifespan. With the microphone’s CommShield Technology, it safely protected against unwanted RF interference.
The Shure CVG18-B/C is the highest-rated and most popular gooseneck microphone at 18 inches. Let alone, it’s possibly the highest rated unit on the market, as well. Overall, the Shure CVG18-B/C is an incredibly reliable mic that will leave you satisfied. It’s durable, well built, has excellent sound quality, clear and reliable reception, and a great bang for the buck. We highly recommend it!
Details & Tech Specs
- Cardioid polar pattern
- CommShield Technology
- 18-inch
- Great at rejecting off-axis and unwanted background noise
- Does not come with a base
- Does not require batteries
- Uses phantom power
2. Sound Tech GN-USB-2
Next up, the Sound Tech GN-USB-2 is one of the higher-rated 18-inch gooseneck microphones with a USB. It’s currently running below $100 and highly-rated. This mic is 18 inches tall with a red mute button on the metal base. There are two separate areas where the gooseneck bends. Recording in stereo, this microphone provides stunning sound quality.
It has a hypercardioid polar pattern providing exceptional off-axis rejection. Considering the incredible background noise rejection with its noise-cancelling abilities, it’s best to speak about 1-inch from the mic.
The only downside I noticed with the Sound Tech GN-USB-2 is the fact that there is no on/off switch. Unfortunately, there are times when the mute button can automatically unmute itself. If you don’t want the microphone to unmute itself at times randomly, it’s best to unplug the mic when it’s not in use. Overall, this USB 18-inch gooseneck microphone provides stunning sound quality, durability, ease of use, and convenience.
Details & Tech Specs
- Base
- 18-inch
- Uni-directional
- Stereo
- Voice recognition
- Noise-cancelling abilities
- Recommended use: At home desktop use such as Youtube videos, small conference room, gaming, video conference, Skype, Podcast, etc
3. Audio Technica U859QL
The Audio Technica U859QL is one of the top-tier 18-inch gooseneck microphones. With its electret condenser, it picks up your speech in a very detailed and articulate fashion. The cardioid polar pattern, along with its frequency response, it’s customized for accentuating your voice while minimizing unwanted noise.
With clean, pronounced, and rich sound quality, this gooseneck will certainly leave you satisfied with your investment. It uses UniGuard shielding technology to eradicate RF interference. This will clarify a reliable connection without any interruptions.
Not only does it produce clean and reliable sound, but this mic also has a very unique feature that many other gooseneck’s don’t offer. It uses a UniSteep Filter feature, which significantly reduces the proximity effect and muddy low-frequencies. This feature definitely comes in handy during professional applications where quality speech is required.
Although it comes with a cardioid polar pattern, the capsules are interchangeable, as well. A hypercardioid or omnidirectional capsule is available separately if you prefer a different polar pattern.
If you’re going to be speaking in a very noisy environment, I recommend using the hypercardioid capsule. However, the overwhelming majority of this microphone’s users are entirely satisfied with how it comes. With its high SPL of 140dB, you will also enjoy its ability to handle loud noises without distortion.
Lastly, it is designed very well with a tough build quality. Longevity does not seem to be an issue in the foreseeable future. Overall, the Audio Technica U859QL is a professional 18-inch gooseneck microphone. It’s undoubtedly one of the more reliable units on the market for just about any application. We highly recommend it.
Details & Tech Specs
- 18-inch
- Cardioid
- Max SPL: 140dB
- Electret Condenser
- UniGuard shielding
- Dynamic range: 111 dB
- Requires phantom power
- UniSteep Filter
- Quick Mount Connection
- High pass filter: 80 Hz, 18dB Octave
- Output Connectors: XLR 3-Pin
4. Senal MXGN-18C
If you’re looking for a professional 18-inch gooseneck microphone with a base and built-in silent touchpad, the Senal MXGN-18C may be the one for you. First and foremost, it provides excellent sound quality with its articulate electret condenser.
It also has a cardioid polar pattern which works exceptionally well at reducing off-axis noise. With a wide frequency response of 50Hz to 18kHz, it picks up all of the frequencies of your voice. You will also appreciate its decent SPL of 120db, enabling loud voices without distortion. The overall, sound quality is clear and will leave you satisfied.
One of the unique features this mic offers is its silent touchpad. Basically, you’re able to mute or unmute the microphone by tapping on the front of the base labeled touchpad. This certainly comes in handy for most speakers since it’s effortless. The LED ring indicator under the capsule shows whether the microphone is muted or not. With its XLR balanced output, this unit is excellent at rejecting RF interference.
Another handy feature the Senal MXGN-18C offers is its lowcut filter. If you’re in a situation where you need to reduce some of the unwanted lower frequencies, you can use the lowcut filter, which reduces 100HZ by 20dB. This mic is certainly built to last. With its all-metal build, it’s incredibly durable and able to withstand harsh traveling conditions.
Below the base is some non-slip padding, which ensures stability on the podium. Overall, the Senal MXGN-18C is one of the two 18-inch gooseneck microphones with a base that can be used for professional applications. This mic has a great build, features, excellent sound quality, and a unique silent touchpad.
Details & Tech Specs
- Cardioid polar pattern
- All metal build
- Electret Condenser
- Balanced XLR output
- Frequency response: 50Hz- 18kHz
- Low-cut filter: 20 dB at 100 Hz
- Silent Touch Pad
- Base with non-slip padding
- Max SPL: 120dB
5. Shure MX418/S
Next up, the Shure MX418/S is one of the highest-quality 18-inch gooseneck microphones on the market. Although it may be one of the most professional gooseneck microphones, it does come with a price being the second most expensive on this list. However, the vast majority of users claim it’s worth every penny and more.
It produces fantastic sound quality for many reasons. For one, it has a vast frequency response of 50Hz – 17kHz and an excellent dynamic range of 96.2 dB. Both of those tech specs combined significantly boost its very accurate sound reproduction. In other words, the mic makes your voice sounds like your voice. Some of the cheaper gooseneck microphones may thin out a speaker’s voice without EQ.
You can either get this microphone with a polar pattern of cardioid or supercardioid. Cardioid microphones are the more standard polar pattern that you see with the majority of microphones. It provides decent off-axis rejection and helps reduce background noise.
However, microphones with a supercardioid polar pattern even further help minimize off-axis rejection and background noise. In general, you will most likely get a cleaner and more pronounced sound with a supercardioid microphone. Thus, we linked the Shure MX418/S directly to its supercardioid version.
Coming with the purchase, you receive a windscreen and a shock mount, and a flange mount. Attached to the microphone is a built-in XLR preamp. You will also appreciate this microphone’s low-self noise. Due to its balanced, transformerless output, it helps reduce RF interference and electric hums by a significant degree. Something else you may appreciate is its shock mount that decreases overall surface vibration.
Lastly, it has excellent durability and build quality. Your investment must last you a long time without any issues. This mic has remarkable longevity and reliability, which will leave you satisfied. Overall, the Shure MX418/S is a near-flawless 18-inch gooseneck microphone for professional use. We highly recommend it for houses of worship, seminars, conference, classrooms, and government institutions of just about any size.
Details & Tech Specs
- Attached XLR Preamp
- Dynamic Range: 96.2 dB
- Polar pattern option: Either supercardioid or cardioid
- Shockmount
- Frequency response: 50Hz – 17kHz
- Shockmount: 20 dB isolation from surface vibration noise
6. Electro-Voice PC-18
Last but certainly not least, the Electro-Voice PC-18 is the most expensive 18-inch gooseneck microphone on our list. However, its hefty price tag certainly not for nothing. The sound quality is about the best a gooseneck microphone can get. It’s extremely rich, clean, and accurate.
The electret condenser does a fantastic job of capturing the nuance of your voice while adding authority to it. Of all the units on this list, this microphone provides the widest frequency response of 50Hz to 20kHz. Regardless of your gender, it captures every frequency of your voice with crisp articulation. You will also appreciate the high 135dB SPL. Overall, you will be more than satisfied with its sound quality for any application.
The utterly remarkable feature this microphone offers is its switchable polar patterns. You can switch it between omnidirectional, cardioid, supercardioid, or hypercardioid, making it the most versatile gooseneck we’ve seen on the current market. Keep in mind; only one capsule is able to switch between all of the polar patterns. An omnidirectional polar pattern picks up sound all around the entire microphone. A cardioid polar pattern picks up what’s directly in front of it while a supercardioid picks up what’s in front of the mic at a tighter range.
Nevertheless, the tightest polar pattern of all is the hypercardioid. Hypercardioid polar pattern is the very best at rejecting off-axis noise and dramatically decreases unwanted background noise. Due to its versatility, we highly recommend this microphone for anyone using it at different venues consistently. A specific polar pattern may be more beneficial depending on the venue.
Like others on the list, this mic has a high pass filter to reduce muddy frequencies, as well. You also get an external preamplifier that provides phantom power to the mic. Lastly, the build quality is top-notch. It’s robust and built to last for years. This microphone can withstand vigorous traveling conditions for extended periods of time. Overall, the Electro-Voice PC-18 is a fantastic 18-inch gooseneck microphone. We highly recommend it for anyone in need of a mic for traveling.
Details & Tech Specs
- 4 switchable polar patterns: Omnidirectional, Cardioid, Supercardioid, and Hypercardioid
- Max SPL: 135dB
- Frequency response: 50Hz – 20kHz
- High pass filter capabilities
- 3-pin XLR-male
- Impedance: 200 Ohms
- 10-foot of microphone cord
Quick Recap
Here Are The Top 6 Best 18-inch Gooseneck Microphones
- Shure CVG18-B/C
- Sound Tech GN-USB-2
- Audio Technica U859QL
- Senal MXGN-18C
- Shure MX418/S
- Electro-Voice PC-18
What’s a gooseneck microphone?
A gooseneck microphone has a long and flexible neck. Constructed to capture vocals at close proximity without being too noticeable, most people use them for live speeches.
What are gooseneck microphones used for?
While gooseneck microphones are optimized for live speeches in a seminar or conference situation, there are many gooseneck microphones with a base designed to hook up to your laptop or computer.
How much does a gooseneck microphone cost?
Gooseneck microphones come,e in a vast price margin. With a few exceptions, you can generally get a gooseneck microphone anywhere between $8 all the way up to $290. Keep in mind, most of the more affordable gooseneck microphones are USB and designed for at-home use rather than live speeches.
What are the advantages of a gooseneck microphone?
A few benefits that a gooseneck microphone offers is its flexible neck for added convenience, thin design making it hardly noticeable during a live speech, and ability to capture clear vocals with such a low-profile construction.
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