Microphone Performance

The AVerMedia Versati Go is equipped with a condenser capsule with a cardioid pickup pattern. AVerMedia doesn't specify the size of the capsule, nor is it visible through the metal mesh. What we do know is that the capsule has a specified frequency response range of 20-20,000 Hz and a sensitivity of -38 dB. It can withstand a maximum sound pressure level of 110 dB, and the built-in ADC (analog-to-digital converter) records audio in up to 24-bit/96 kHz resolution. The microphone uses a USB-C port both for audio recording and power. It needs 5 V/500 mA to operate, meaning it can even be powered from mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.

The cardioid polar pattern means that the capsule picks up the sound in front of it while rejecting (to a certain level) everything coming from the sides and even more from behind. In practice, that means your room noise won't be as audible as with other polar patterns, especially if the microphone is close to your mouth. A cardioid polar pattern is preferred when you're the only one using the microphone; it doesn't work well for interviews or other multiple-people scenarios. The Versati Go is a top-address microphone, so regardless of how you use it, you should always aim its perforated top side toward your mouth.

To examine the performance of the AVerMedia Versati Go, I recorded voice samples in two different scenarios: with the microphone mounted to the supplied tripod mount and sitting on the table between myself and my keyboard, approximately 30 centimeters away from my mouth, and when using the folded tripod to hold the microphone in my hand, roughly 10 centimeters away from my mouth. The samples have been recorded in a reasonably quiet room, with audible traffic from a nearby street, and with the microphone gain set to 80%.




When placed on the table, the Versati Go certainly sounds much better than an ordinary webcam or smartphone microphone – this is something AVerMedia is heavily leaning into on the official product page – but it doesn't stand out in any way. It sounds clearer and more natural than the $60 Movo UM300, but thinner than the $50 Fifine AmpliGame AM8, which would be my preferred choice if I was looking for an affordable USB microphone that would mostly sit on the table.

When the distance to the mouth is cut to around 10 centimeters, the Versati Go sounds significantly fuller and warmer, while maintaining its clarity and natural timbre. From this distance and with the gain set to 80%, it also does a good job of handling plosives, although that's an aspect you have to be mindful of, as plosives do become an issue when the microphone is placed even closer to the mouth. Listen to the following sample to hear for yourself.



As you can hear, at close proximity the capsule isn't capable of properly handling those hard-hitting "P" sounds. Because of that, using the Versati Go in the hand or on a boom arm is a constant search for a fine balance between the capsule gain and distance from the mouth. Should you overdo either, your recordings will have annoying plosive popping. An obvious solution is to move the microphone a bit further away, but not so far that it loses the fullness gained from the proximity effect.

Let's check out how the AVerMedia Versati Go handles background noise.



This is an area where the Versati Go excels. The supplied tripod stand does an outstanding job of protecting the microphone from table tapping. Even though in the recorded sample I'm tapping the area around the microphone vigorously, barely any of that gets picked up by the capsule. Touching the body of the microphone sounds much more muffled than on any other similarly priced USB microphone I ever tested. The same is true for the sound of my mechanical keyboard, positioned directly behind the microphone.