Most podcasts start on a laptop microphone or a cheap USB mic, and the first upgrade makes the biggest difference. A good gift for a podcaster is that upgrade: a dynamic microphone that ignores the room, a second one for guests, closed headphones, or an all-in-one podcast studio for a show that's growing. Every pick comes from our rankings, with tonight's Thomann price. Our podcast setup guide explains how it all connects.
Gifts for podcasters under $150
Rode NT-USB Mini, $96
A compact USB microphone with a headphone output, a clear step up from a laptop or headset mic. #3 of 26 USB / podcast microphones.
Audio-Technica AT2040, $106
A hypercardioid dynamic broadcast mic with a built-in windscreen and shock mount, very good at rejecting room noise. #4 of 21 broadcast microphones.
Focusrite Vocaster Two, $77
A two-microphone podcast interface with auto gain, mute buttons and a phone input for remote guests. #42 of 206 USB audio interfaces.
Audio-Technica ATH-M40X, $120
Closed headphones for monitoring without leaking into the mics. #4 of 106 studio headphones.
Gifts for podcasters under $300
Rode PodMic USB White, $223
A dynamic podcast mic with both USB-C and XLR, so it works now with a laptop and later with an interface. #1 of 26 USB / podcast microphones.
Shure MV7X, $218
A dynamic XLR podcast microphone for a host who already has an interface. #2 of 21 broadcast microphones.
A bigger gift
Rode Rodecaster Duo, $473
An all-in-one podcast studio with preamps, sound pads, recording and a wireless receiver, for recording without a computer. #7 of 17 multitrack compact studios.
Questions
What is the best gift for a new podcaster?
A dynamic USB/XLR microphone like the Rode PodMic USB ($223): it sounds better in normal rooms and grows with the show.
What do you get a podcaster who has everything?
An all-in-one studio like the Rodecaster Duo, or a second matching microphone for guests.
How we picked. Every product comes from an AudioFu ranking, scored on demand, price, specs and brand. Prices are Thomann's, converted from euros at the European Central Bank rate and updated every night, as are the ranks.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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