JLab - TALK PRO Professional Plug & Play USB Microphone

I was really looking forward to using this as my first professional microphone, but FOUR of my Windows PCs could not recognize it as a device!! They are all running Windows 10 pro. As soon as I plug in, I get the “USB not recognized” notification (which is also reflected in the Device Manager “USB controllers” section). The Jlab doesn’t show up at all, in the Sound devices in either Device manager, or the Sound control panel. I’ve searched online for device drivers for the Jlab Talk Pro, and they simply do not exist because apparently it is supposed to be “plug and play” (yeah, right!). The packaging was clearly new, never opened, so I don’t think I received a damaged unit. I also don’t think it’s a defective unit either, don’t see the point of replacing it with another, because there are users who’ve pointed out similar issues. Full disclosure - I haven’t talked to Jlab Tech support. However, I’m an IT professional, pretty technical, so I’m not sure what they would tell me that I haven’t already tried. A plug-and-play device is not supposed to need tech support to plug it in!! I’ll simply return it and get a different brand. If anyone is curious, I’ve tried it on a laptop with USB 3.0 ports only (Surface Book 3), one with USB 2.0 ports only (Thinkpad X200), two others with a combination of both (HP brands), and I also tried using a USB hub as well. Nothing worked!!! Relevant pictures attached.

Purchased this microphone because I needed a separate microphone for my PC while I play console games. Works amazingly well, and have received compliments on how clear and professionally clear my voice comes through. Low profile, USB C connectivity quick mute button, and has headphone jack on the microphone. I love it.

Great RGB microphone! Sound quality has to be adjusted in Windows, to get the best performance. No complaints! Works fantastic with the yeticaster arm.

Great mic for androids!! Clear and easy to use with usbc. Having an audio jack and gain is really nice.

Overall I like this mic, more professional than other mics I’ve used before. Go for it you won’t regret it.

Was not happy at all. Bought this item and as soon as I brought it home, could not get it to connect to any of our laptops (tried 3). While checking connections the back plastic cover where you plug into for connection, popped off. Poorly built, very unhappy with the product and currently packing the device up to go back to the store and switch products. Been on hold waiting for support from Best Buy for 45 mins now and not once answer or telling me how long until I will receive help. Very in happy, if I could give 0 stars I would.

PROs: - Simple setup with included bracket, collapsing tripod stand, and 10 foot (whoa!) braided USB-C to USB-A cable...screw the tripod into the bottom of the bracket, hook up the cable to the USB-C port on the mic and an open USB-A port on your PC or hub and you're off to the races--totally plug-and-play on a Windows PC - 4 controls to operate the mic are easy to reach and actuate--the volume and gain rotary adjustment knobs (helpfully labeled 'G' & 'V' in easy-to-see white lettering) are on the back while a quick-mute button and a recording directional pattern selector button are on the front...there's actually a small push-button at the bottom for LED ring on/off/color selection, but that's really just for show and in practice is a slightly a weird design choice anyway (more on that later) - If you're dishing out the bank for a prosumer-level microphone like this, you probably don't need the quick-start guide, but the one that's included is simply written, easy-to-follow, with some very helpful illustrations to get you going inside of a few seconds - Definitely has some modern "cool factor" to the design if you're creating video content where the mic will be in the shot--the blue accents peeking out through the grill-work under the top half of the microphone is a neat effect; the LEDs that remain lit during operation (green or red LED icon for mic-mute status, blue LED for directional pattern indicator, and the bottom multi-color ring if you've got it engaged) have are pretty unobtrusive when lit...the segmented LED display for the volume (blue) or gain (green) level only stay illuminated for about 15 seconds after adjustment before going blank again - Amazing hardware (almost overkill) bit-depth (24-bit) and sampling rate (192 kHz) means this mic is a great choice to make incredibly detailed, high-resolution recordings where software interpolation isn’t necessary to achieve original, master-quality/archival audio files - Seems fairly solid and well-built yet still relatively light-weight—even on the collapsible stand, the whole setup is a travel-friendly 1.7 lbs, about 1/2 the weight of the Talk PRO’s most obvious competition (Blue Yeti Pro) which tips the scales at 3.3 lbs on the stand - 4 selectable recording patterns (cardioid, omnidirectional, stereo, and bidirectional) allow the mic to optimize sensitivity for: solo/studio recording when it’s just you sitting in front of the mic; a round-table style performance with participants seated all around the mic; musical-style (stereo) recordings with a sound field that images properly left, right and center (L+R); and interview-style bidirectional recordings with participants seated in front and back of the microphone - Standard 5/8” screw mount on the bottom of the mic AND the mic stand as well as adjustable/removable pivot screws in the mount give you multiple options for mounting the entire setup (or just the main mic unit) to tripods, booms, and other mounting points with maximum flexibility in placement and pivot/positioning - Seemed to do well at handling noisy backgrounds while still providing clear vocal recordings—I created several sample tracks via Adobe Audition CC using the mic while sitting next to my relatively loud PC with a small USB fan running and it was only after cranking up the gain (or adjusting the recording pattern to something other than cardioid) that I could start to make out the background hum of the PC and fan in the recordings themselves—MS Teams and Adobe Connect call quality under these conditions was exceptional according to my office mates and students - The mic also serves as an external USB soundcard with a 3.5mm headphone/aux output at the bottom to provide you a real-time monitor of what your listeners/audience will be hearing with no processing delay. Just plug your headphones into the jack at the bottom of the mic and chose ‘JLAB TALK PRO MICROPHONE’ as the current Windows playback device…the separate rotary dials on the back of the mic allow you to adjust the volume of the headphone output without having to change the gain of the input signal from the microphone itself—it’s a great way to provide you real-time control/auditing of what your audience is actually hearing CONs: - The collapsible tripod will kind of hold its shape if the legs aren’t extended fully, but not very securely—at anything but full extension, the tripod legs will shift and start to collapse under even slight pressure or movement. For maximum stability, you obviously need to fold the legs all the way out, but then that eats up quite a bit of desk real-estate. The fully-extended tripod footprint requires nearly 8” of space between each leg…because the entire setup is pretty lightweight already, some friction locks on the legs to hold the stand in place with a slightly smaller footprint would have been appreciated - Like so many PC accessories these days, the bottom LED ring offers a few interesting color choices (red, light green, purple, light blue, dark blue, dark green, and orange) and lighting effects (1-color static, 1-color breathing, 1-color chasing fade, rainbow chasing fade, and multi-color cycle). It’s fun at first, but the design of the mic is such that proper orientation is to speak into the sides, not into the top (this is covered in the quick-start guide). This means the mic itself will almost always be oriented perpendicular to the tabletop, or at least, perpendicular to the user’s eyes/face. Therefore, the LED lighting effects running around the bottom ring will almost always be pointed down and away from the speakers! - Speaking of the bottom of the mic, there isn’t a lot of clearance between the headphone jack and the inside base of the mic’s support frame. If your headphone cable has a particularly large shell or long bit of strain relief behind the 3.5mm plug, or the cable itself is rather heavy or inflexible, you may have some *minor* difficulty maneuvering the cable, plug, mic, and mic stand around, especially if the mic is oriented perfectly vertical without any pivot forward or rearward. JLab obviously realized this issue during design because the supplied USB cable includes a right-angle connector at the USB-C end so you’re not fighting against the stand and USB cable—a short right-angle 3.5mm adapter might have been a nice inclusion in the box to mitigate the same issue for the headphone jack - Despite the reassuring feel of the mic’s build quality in general, the grillwork around the top half of the mic seems far more fragile and less tolerant of travel, frequent handling, or mishaps than the rest of the setup. I’m sure this is out of necessity given the design choice (long, vertical fins rather than a metal basket-weave style covering), but I applied some VERY gentle pressure to the fins and noted some flex and bend in the metal which makes me wonder whether it would survive even a small topple off the stand without a permanent dent or two. Now, granted, this is a prosumer level microphone that most people will probably use in a studio rather than just pitching it carelessly into an overnight bag or backpack--so this isn’t a major knock to be sure. But if you care about keeping your gear pristine, some extra caution is definitely suggested for storage or when moving this unit about - Maybe it’s just me, but the mute button setup on the front of the mic feels just a tad clumsy. Specifically, the mic is sensitive enough that I picked up the sound of my fingers rustling against the shell as I reached for and operated the mute button. And because the microphone is so light, you can’t just push the mute button in with your fingertip; you need to grasp/balance the entire microphone to steady it before you can press the button inward. Sure, I could mute the mic with various and sundry Windows controls or simply edit out the offending sounds in Audition, but a small remote cable with a mute button/switch, or better still a remote Bluetooth or RF mute dongle, would have elevated this setup BEYOND the competition Summary review: The JLab Talk PRO was obviously designed as direct competitor to the Blue Yeti Pro—it’s right in their marketing materials and all of the features JLab touts are matched literally point-for-point, spec-for-spec, against Yeti’s Pro mic. In that respect, you really do get a tremendous amount of performance and capability that comes in a full $100 cheaper than the competition. Sadly, I don’t have a Yeti Pro against which to compare sound quality, though I do have several high-quality gaming headsets (Logitech, Corsair, Audeze, Sennheiser) with some fairly well-regarded mic setups of their own against which to compare the Talk PRO’s results. In all cases, the JLab provided a much more detailed, clear, and certainly more natural voice quality for my recordings as captured via Adobe Audition CC; and even in relatively mundane settings like MS Teams or Zoom virtual meetings, the JLab Talk PRO delivered the fullest and most natural sounding vocals of the bunch without needing a boom mic in my face to do it…no more headphones for telework! If you were already contemplating the price of admission for a prosumer level microphone, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with the results the JLab provides, or with saving quite a bit of cash over the purchase price of the most obvious direct competitor. Sure, it’s certainly possible to get even higher quality results, but you’ll definitely pay more to get there—and I should think the question of diminishing returns then starts to figure into the equation. The multiple recording patterns and 24/192 recording resolution is actually pretty amazing at this price point; so if you’re a budget-conscious content creator, you can still rest easily knowing you’ll be operating near the summit of attainable recording quality and capabilities with the JLab Talk PRO.

The JLAB TalkPro USB Microphone is a great addition to my desktop. With the advent of COVID-19 and a Work From Home attitude, it was necessary to upgrade the quality of my microphone, from the tiny one on my bluetooth headset, to a substantial microphone with great sound quality. And the JBL TalkPro delivers just that! In the sleek corporate blue packaging, you get a sturdy microphone, half aluminum (the speaker grill) and half plastic (the body). It has a nice weight to it, especially when you add the 5/8" screw in stand. The stand is cylindrical, so you could use it to hold the mic if you wanted to, but splays out with 3 legs to provide a nice solid base for it. The microphone comes with the stand, and a 4ft braided USB to USB-C power cable. Minimal instructions because this microphone is 100% plug and play. I am using it on a Mac, simply plugged it in the back and I was ready to go. There are separate volume and gain control knobs on the back of the microphone, and an LED display on the front of the microphone, that lights up green for the gain adjustment, and blue for the volume adjustment. The lights dissipate when set, so as not to distract. There are no drivers required at all, on either PC or Mac to get the microphone set up, allowing you to get recording quickly. In the center of the mic is a mute button, that is green when unmuted and red when muted. Nice and easy to get to, especially in the middle of a meeting. Right there in front of you. Below the LED panel is a JLAB button, that toggles between the 4 different pattern modes. You have: Cardioid: suitable for meetings, streaming, voice overs, podcasting etc - basically picking up all the sound directly from your mouth to the mic. Omni: suitable for group calls, multi-person podcasting and group music recording - essentially picking up sound from all sides of the microphone. Stereo: Ideal for music recording - picking up sound from the left and right side of the mic. Bidirectional: Two person interviews, voice over, streaming and duet music recording - receives sound from two directions, in front and behind the mic as you look at it. The microphone records at professional-quality resolution of 192kHz/24BIT, a sound quality that you can hear. During one of my meetings, I switched from my regular headphone mic, to the new JLAB TalkPro and my colleagues were very impressed with the level of sound quality as I rejoined the meeting. I haven't stopped using it since! There is a slightly more 'gimmicky' LED color ring on the bottom of the mic. It has many different modes, from fading, circling, rainbow and individual colors, but as the user, you don't see the ring from your view point, and neither does a person sat opposite you. It sets off a nice glow at night, in the dark, but aside from that it isn't adding a huge amount to the microphone. I did have two issues with the microphone, initially the braided cable that came with my microphone was causing the mute state to fluctuate on and off on it's own, intermittently, and also with any volume adjustment on my Mac. Secondly, the JLAB button below the LED has to be given a firm press in order to change between states. If you just tap on the button, you'll get a click, but it may not change states. JLAB customer service was impeccable and they exchanged the microphone for me very quickly indeed. Great customer service JLAB! PROS: • Great quality recording - 192kHZ/24BIT recording sample rate • Well built - aluminum and high quality plastics • Intuitive - plug and play, easy to set up • Attractive design CONS: • There is no 'off' button - you have to unplug the mic • Microphone adjustment side screws are slippery • JLAB sound mode button needs to be pressed 'firmly' to act Overall, very pleased with the JLAB TalkPro Professional Grade USB Microphone, delivers great recording quality in an easy to use, plug and play device. It's good looking on the desk and unobtrusive.