Boya BY-PM700 Multipattern USB Microphone

Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first...

The product description and the linked info is all over the place, so what I received was not 100% what I was led to believe.
First, the BY-PM700 is 16 bit sample depth, not 24. The smaller, cheaper BY-PM500 is advertised as 24-bit, so in the absence of any clear info it was logical to assume this model was too, but it is not.

Secondly, it did not arrive with the listed USB-C connection. It has a micro-USB port on the mic, and comes with a micro-USB to USB cable in the box.
I will have to obtain a micro-USB to USB-C cable before I can determine whether this mic can indeed be plugged dire...view more Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first...

The product description and the linked info is all over the place, so what I received was not 100% what I was led to believe.
First, the BY-PM700 is 16 bit sample depth, not 24. The smaller, cheaper BY-PM500 is advertised as 24-bit, so in the absence of any clear info it was logical to assume this model was too, but it is not.

Secondly, it did not arrive with the listed USB-C connection. It has a micro-USB port on the mic, and comes with a micro-USB to USB cable in the box.
I will have to obtain a micro-USB to USB-C cable before I can determine whether this mic can indeed be plugged directly into a modern Android device.

Now the good stuff.

Sound quality is excellent.
I used the mic to record a voice message to a sound engineer, unedited, unfiltered, through Facebook Messenger at 50% and 75% gain, and he assured me it sounded like it had already been compressed and edited.
The timbre of my voice was nice and crisp, and maybe a little more warm and baritone than real life.

The cardioid pattern does a really commendable job of rejecting low-pitched background noise, as determined by test recordings today beside an open window overlooking a busy road.

Weirdly, it was much less impressive at rejecting a particularly horny bird in the garden, whose mating calls were crystal clear in recordings - birdsong is fine in the background of my podcasts, might be more of an issue if you're recording music in an untreated room.
I assume this has something to do with higher pitched sounds getting past the cardioid capsule's dead zones, but the drone of traffic was heavily muted.

This mic has no inbuilt pop filter, but at 50% - 75% gain I was able to speak across the mic rather than directly into it, from a comfortable four to six inches, and avoid plosives with very acceptable recording volumes.

Build quality is also excellent.
It's a heavy, solid piece of kit, nice crisp dials and buttons, finish is free of any visible defects.

I'm not even sure I need to bother with a boom arm; the weight of the mic and desktop stand, coupled with the foam on the base of the stand, when sitting on a large mouse pad/mat, does a really good job of reducing desk bumps and keyboard thumps.
Doesn't eliminate them completely of course, but attenuates them surprisingly well, given the absence of any shock mounting.

I'm a little miffed at the USB/USB-C and 16/24-bit confusion caused by the conflicting information in the product listing and online information - I would guess this unit is older stock, and the USB-C upgrade applies only to a newer version.

However, for the price I paid, I am very happy with the mic I received, and would heartily recommend it to anyone looking for a mic for podcasts, virtual meetings, teleconferences, or entry level music or vocal recording.

This unit punches well above its price point, giving you on-mic gain, mute, latency-free headphone monitoring and headphone volume controls - all features lacking on mics from better known brands within this price point - and delivering better than expected vocal audio quality straight from the box, unedited.

Make the product description clearer and more accurate, and this would be five stars.

Solid microphone for its price (Have had it so far for two days)
- USB-C Connection: The input for the BOYA BY-PM700 microphone (Well, the one I received) is USB-C and the packaging comes with both a USB-C to USB-C and a USB-C to USB-A cable and obviously, the microphone itself.
- Good Sound Quality: Microphone sound quality is perfect and podc-asty, although there is a very faint (and very quiet) static but isn't enough to become a nuisance
- Good Stand and Size: The height and stand for the microphone are good enough as it is and the foam on the stand helps to reduce desk-bump sounds, though the screws on the stand are a bit tight (I'm n...view more Solid microphone for its price (Have had it so far for two days)
- USB-C Connection: The input for the BOYA BY-PM700 microphone (Well, the one I received) is USB-C and the packaging comes with both a USB-C to USB-C and a USB-C to USB-A cable and obviously, the microphone itself.
- Good Sound Quality: Microphone sound quality is perfect and podc-asty, although there is a very faint (and very quiet) static but isn't enough to become a nuisance
- Good Stand and Size: The height and stand for the microphone are good enough as it is and the foam on the stand helps to reduce desk-bump sounds, though the screws on the stand are a bit tight (I'm not strong enough to untighten it lol) but moving the mic's angle around is still very possible, just require a bit more force
- USB wire length is good
- The variety of patterns is really useful, although the cardioid one is the one you'd ideally use if it's just you speaking, especially if you're talking to others on Discord (Though the other patterns are usefulf or other situations e.g ASMR etc.)
- Plug and play: Plug and play is really nice as you don't have to download any software for it to function properly, for the record, I plugged this into my Hyperdrive USB-C dock on my M1 Macbook Air and it works good!
- Packaging: The microphone is boxed really well and safe as it is in between two big pieces of foam.

The quality of this product is undeniable. Also, got this with the promotion so can't be happier :) The quality of this product is undeniable. Also, got this with the promotion so can't be happier :)

By: RyanN656 06/12/21

Verified Owner

I had no idea what to expect of this mic. I had gone to PB Tech to buy a RODE NT-USB Mini because it looked like it would be compact and fit on my desk. There were none in stock - in fact the Boya PM700 was the only usb mic in this category that was in stock - it was marked down to a great price!

I just wanted something to do podcasts which I am new to. No clue as to what is good or not good. So I thought why not - give it a whirl. I purchased it about 3 weeks ago

Well its proved itself! It has a headphone monitor port with volume control for that as well as gain control for the mic. I only use the cardioid configuration.

I have m...view more I had no idea what to expect of this mic. I had gone to PB Tech to buy a RODE NT-USB Mini because it looked like it would be compact and fit on my desk. There were none in stock - in fact the Boya PM700 was the only usb mic in this category that was in stock - it was marked down to a great price!

I just wanted something to do podcasts which I am new to. No clue as to what is good or not good. So I thought why not - give it a whirl. I purchased it about 3 weeks ago

Well its proved itself! It has a headphone monitor port with volume control for that as well as gain control for the mic. I only use the cardioid configuration.

I have made my first podcast using this and I am really impressed at how it has improved the sound of my voice from just using my laptop. Waaaay better. It gives my voice a 'fuller' sound. I use it with my Sony WH1000mx4 headphones. I connect to the mic using the line in plug that came with the headphones. I also use it for my Spanish lessons with my Spanish teacher. She said my voice comes across crystal clear. So, very happy with that too

A couple of things that surprised me

This thing is big and heavy. I didn't expect that. It has a solid aluminium base and the mic itself is ... well ... just big. I guess because I was initially looking at the Rode NT mini I was expecting something smallish. This is neither good nor bad - just surprising but it is solid and sits on the desk really well. It's really sturdy, which I guess was the point of this size.

The other thing that surprised me was that it used a mini usb connection but that way the connection plugs into the bottom of the mic, if you move it around, the movement can 'lever' on the mini usb connection. It has already bent it. I am now very careful about how I move it around.

However, I am really happy with the Boya. No expert on these products but I give it 5 stars for my needs

Absolutely love this Mic - worth the investment Absolutely love this Mic - worth the investment

Bought this for streaming so I could move away from headset quality. Definitely delivers on the quality front, voice is much crisper. However I was hoping that using the cardioid setting that I would not get as much background noises, but the pickup area is still wider than I expected, especially since I have to have the gain dialled up practically to maximum even with it only being ~20cm from my face, but then it picks up a lot of clatter from my keyboard and mouse clicks. Adding an Expander filter to OBS helps but then I have to start making sure to lean in to the mic more than I would have liked. Bought this for streaming so I could move away from headset quality. Definitely delivers on the quality front, voice is much crisper. However I was hoping that using the cardioid setting that I would not get as much background noises, but the pickup area is still wider than I expected, especially since I have to have the gain dialled up practically to maximum even with it only being ~20cm from my face, but then it picks up a lot of clatter from my keyboard and mouse clicks. Adding an Expander filter to OBS helps but then I have to start making sure to lean in to the mic more than I would have liked.

solid build, easy to use and good quality, I use it for Zoom meeting. It's perfect. solid build, easy to use and good quality, I use it for Zoom meeting. It's perfect.

Good value for money. Made a noticeable difference when creating videos and for streaming.
The four polar patterns are the highlight feature - so good! Good value for money. Made a noticeable difference when creating videos and for streaming.
The four polar patterns are the highlight feature - so good!