The Audio-Technica Creator Pack combines a great USB microphone, good pair of headphones, microphone boom arm, and desktop tripod stand into a bundle that will cover all of your home recording and streaming needs. The official website calls it a "perfect podcasting starter kit," which is almost selling it short as many of its users will never feel the need to upgrade to something better. In terms of price to performance, it's a well-balanced bundle well worth the money ($200/€200).

The star of the Audio-Technica Creator Pack is the ATR2500x-USB microphone. It's a nicely made, professional-looking, great-sounding, side-address condenser microphone capable of 24-bit/192 kHz recording, and has direct monitoring feature and two mounting options. You can either place it on a desktop tripod stand or a boom arm. The tripod stand is a bit on the flimsy side, but foldable, which makes it a practical solution for on-the-go use; for example, when you want to take the ATR2500x USB microphone on a trip, which is when you definitely won't be bringing along the boom arm. The boom arm is stiff but easily and completely adjustable. Audio-Technica even included four clips for easy cable management. The only thing missing is a foam pop filter; you'll have to buy it separately should you feel the need for one.

The ATH-M20x studio monitor headphones, also included in the bundle, have been one of best choices for $50 pretty much since they came out. They sound way better than you'd dare to hope at this price, handle equalization terrifically, and are comfortable to wear, although some heat can and will build up over time and force you to take short breaks. The ATH-M20x offers excellent value for the money, so it isn't surprising that Audio-Technica decided to use them in the Creator Pack.

If you want to seriously up your home or office voice recording, streaming, or podcasting game, but don't want to spend a heap of money or go through the painful process of researching and mixing and matching microphones, headphones, boom arms, and, possibly, audio interfaces, the Audio-Technica Creator Pack is exactly what you're looking for. It's a complete, nicely balanced, 100% plug and play solution that won't cost an insane amount of money, but will give you a lot in return.