It’s hard to be making for a standout microphone these days. The basics of audio capture haven’t changed much in decades, and the biggest differentiating factor is cost. If you have a lot to spend, there’s already a perfect mic, but getting the best sound for a lower price can be harder. That’s where the King Bee II, from Neat Microphones, excels.
The King Bee II features a relatively large 34mm condenser driver, which captures low frequencies much better than many condenser mics in its price range. Combined with great hardware and super low noise levels, you get impressively clear, accurate, and rich sound for under $200.
Bee-utiful
The last time I felt satisfied when I pulled the microphone out of the box was the first time I opened the box a blue Yeti. Many people might find the King Bee II unnecessarily heavy, and that’s hard to argue with — especially if your mic grip can’t bear the weight — but I like it.
The microphone has a tapered cylindrical body subtly reminiscent of a bee, with a lollipop-like circular diaphragm (sound detection diaphragm) protruding from the top. This second-generation model is an improvement over the company’s previous design, unsubtly like a bee, with clear black and yellow stripes. The King Bee II may be less visually striking, but I can think of very few instances where the best design choice might be thick and yellow. For me, the new body is a welcome change.
The tapered design means it needs a custom shock mount, to go with it. In my experience, the shock mount works well, only occasional bumps. I mainly use my microphone for voice recording, which allows for multiples, but I still feel comfortable using it in a live broadcast situation. However, the need for custom mounts means that most third-party mounts won’t work as well, which is something to consider.
It comes with a built-in pop filter, which is great when you don’t have to worry about buying it separately. In another subtle touch to the bee branding, the filter features a honeycomb shape. In my experience, the pop filter is effective at reducing some noise (think loud “P”), but it’s not a miracle worker. If you have more serious problems with pop-ups, you may need a third-party filter or step back from the microphone.
The sound of silence
One of the most beautiful features of the King Bee II is its low noise level. I’ve used the AudioTechnica AT2020 in the past—an entry-level XLR mic that’s good enough if you’re just getting started with dubbing or dubbing. However, the AT2020 has a relatively high noise level of 20 dBA.
The result is a hiss on every recording, no matter how quiet I make my recording space. Current flowing through any electronic device produces a small amount of noise, so to a certain extent this is unavoidable, but the King Bee II brought that noise down to just 6 dBA . This alone is important enough that if I bought it today, I’d spend an extra $70 (or $50 when it discount) for King Bee II. Not only is it a lot easier to get a clear signal, but my voice sounds richer coming through this microphone, simply because it’s not disturbed by the noise the microphone itself is creating.
Experience alone
While it excels in many of the basics you’d expect from an all-in-one mic, the King Bee II has some surprising limitations that could rule out some use cases. The biggest limitation is that it only has a single cardioid polar pattern. This means it will only be really good at capturing audio directly in front of the microphone. If you’re hoping for a microphone to record an interview between two subjects, you’ll need to look elsewhere or get two microphones.
Also, while this won’t happen for a studio-focused microphone like the King Bee II, you’ll need an audio interface that can provide phantom power to use it. Check out our guide to How to upgrade your home recording studio for more information on this type of device, if you haven’t already.
The King Bee II’s relatively low price for its quality puts it in a unique position where it feels like it should be right next to a USB mic like the Blue Yeti. However, it is quite a studio-focused mic, and if you don’t already have the interface and associated equipment to record better audio, the entry price is higher than that of a mic. Expect to spend at least a hundred dollars on a good theme.
On the other hand, if you already have that device and are looking for an affordable microphone for single source recording, the King Bee II is hard to beat. It captures impressive, accurate sound while being far less noisy (and noisy) than other mics it competes with. At the very least, it convinced me that I could do better with the voice recording setup I had for the same amount of money.
