This is the review of the comparison between two USB microphones from two different brands. The comparison here is between the Blue Yeti Nano and the Audio-Technica AT2020. There is around fifty dollars difference in their price range and there are also differences in their features and performances. To know which one is good for you to buy, go to the detailed review.

Blue Yeti Nano	Audio-Technica AT2020
BUY NOW	BUY NOW
PROS	PROS
Two capsules provide cardioid or omnidirectional polar patterns. Excellent broadcast sound quality. Illuminated control dial. Plug and play – no installation. Headphone jack with low-latency monitoring.	Good sound on vocals and instruments. Extremely versatile and can be used for just about anything. The authentic dynamic response captures the nuances of a recording.
CONS	CONS
Gain is only adjustable via Sherpa software. Only two polar patterns. No multi-head setup. No pop filter or windscreen.	Noise level slightly higher than average. Only features a cardioid polar pattern.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Detail Review:

INTRODUCTION:

Blue Yeti Nano

The Blue Yeti Nano microphone is a very easy plug-and-play mic, that should get you some really good quality, and a very nice-looking setup. This microphone is retailing for around a hundred dollars which is among the budget-friendly side. This is a USB microphone, it is just a plug and play system, so it becomes very easy to connect it.

Audio-Technica AT2020

The Audio Technica AT2020 is retailing for around a hundred and fifty dollars currently. This microphone is one of the popular USB microphone available in the market. This microphone almost looks almost like the AT3020 microphone from the 3000 series.

DESIGN: 

Blue Yeti Nano

This microphone can swivel up and down, so you can get that perfect angle but also if we do want to pack it up somewhere, you can just swivel it all the way down, so it could be a little bit more protected. On the front of the microphone, you will find a volume knob, and then also you can press in on it to mute the microphone.

On the back of the microphone, you’ll find a button that controls the different pickup patterns, so you can switch between cardioid which is going to be better for if you just sitting straight in front of the microphone, and then also, omnidirectional this is gonna be good if you say have a group of people around the microphone, it will pick up the audio from all around it. This is just really convenient just to be able to switch between the two on-the-fly depending on your situation.

On the bottom, you’ll find a no latency headphone port and also threading to be able to mount this microphone onto a shock mount or onto a boom, and then also you’ll find a micro USB port there. The micro USB port is gonna be your lifeline for this microphone, just one single cable that you need to plug in into your computer whether it’s a PC or a Mac, and then you’re pretty much ready to go ahead and start recording.

Audio-Technica AT2020

As far as the build quality, it actually feels pretty nice, it is all-metal construction, and it has some really nice weight to it. On the front of the microphone, we have a few features the first one is a blue LED light, right on the inside of the grill to let you know this microphone is getting power. We also have a dial to help mix between the microphone’s audio, and your computer’s audio.

The microphone is obviously going to be zero-latency monitoring, and the computer’s audio can be playback from your iTunes, it can be whatever you want on the other side. We just have a straightforward headphone volume control. Then on the back of the microphone, we just have a 3.5-millimeter headphone port.

FEATURES:

Blue Yeti Nano

I do like the finish of this microphone, it has a very nice style and looks to it, and it comes in four total colors, and all of them look to be really good and they have a different color to kind of match your desk setup. Then I think this is the perfect size because the original Yeti, does have a little bit of size to it but this one should be something that’s not going to take up too much space on your desk. If you do want to take it on the road with you, it’s going to be a smaller footprint, so it can fit in your bag better.

It’s gonna be great for any type of setup whether you’re just gonna be streaming on YouTube, or twitch, or you’re trying to record, or podcast, or something like that, or recording a YouTube video. This is also gonna be one of the first microphones from Blue, that’s gonna be able to work with the Blue Sherpa companion app, and this app will give you just more control over the microphone.

In the Blue Sherpa software, you can adjust the gain levels and all that stuff, and also use it to update the firmware from time to time. I think it’s an all-around good mic for the price, and I think that it really just brings everything together for 99 dollars. If you just really look into an upgrade from that built-in microphone that you’re probably using on your laptop or whatever device you’re using, this is something that I think is definitely help you step your game up a little bit.

Audio-Technica AT2020

In the box, you’re gonna get the microphone, you get a USB cable, you get the microphone mount, you get a 5/8 to 3/8 inch microphone stand adapter, you get a desktop microphone stand, you get a padded microphone carrying pouch, you get some documentation and a one-year warranty. This is a USB microphone and they do list that it’s compatible with Windows, and Mac OS X. The bit depth is 16-bit, and the sampling rate is 44.1 or 48 kilohertz. The frequency response is listed as 20 Hertz to 20 kilohertz, and it has a cardioid polar pattern.

As this is a USB microphone, you just need to connect the USB cable to the microphone and connect the other end of the cable to your computer, and you are done, so this is just a plug and play microphone. This microphone has the cardioid polar pattern, so you can use this microphone for voiceovers, streaming, video making, etc. This microphone is really small in size, so it becomes very easy to carry this around. 

PERFORMANCE:

Blue Yeti Nano

I’m not an audiophile not really that into audio but I can appreciate good sound and audio, and this is a very simple setup just with the USB plug and play. I can tell that just the way this one sounds, it sounds very similar to the regular Blue Yeti. So, even though you’re saving some money you’re not really going to be sacrificing on audio quality. This microphone sounds really good and I think for 99 dollars it’s a pretty good microphone that you can get, that’s very easy to use, and it’s gonna get you really good performance.

Audio-Technica AT2020

It’s a pretty nice sounding microphone, it has a nice full frequency response, and I think that led to a really nice sound on the acoustic, the electric, and on voice. The polar pattern did seem fairly wide, and that leads me to think that this would not be a good option for gamers, especially if you’re going to be gaming using a keyboard because it did seem to pick up a lot of keyboard noise, so this is supposed to have a really directional polar pattern. I think this mic would be best for our people who have treated rooms especially for podcasts, and I think it was mainly designed to do really well with music, and pick up a little bit of the ambiance of the room to help with the recording.

WHICH TO BUY?

In my opinion, you should buy the Blue Yeti Nano because it is better than the Audio-Technica AT2020 for a lower price. The Blue Yeti Nano has two polar patterns such as the cardioid polar pattern and the omnidirectional polar pattern while the At2020 has only one polar pattern namely the cardioid pattern. Also, for a lower price the Yeti Nano sound and performs better than the At2020. 

Expert Reviews of Blue Yeti Nano:

By PCMag
The reasonably priced Blue Yeti Nano USB microphone delivers high-quality, crisp audio with two selectable polar patterns and a DSP-free signal chain.

By Laptop Mag
The Blue Yeti Nano combines excellent sound quality and easy setup with a lightweight, premium design.

By Tom’s Hardware
At the expense of a couple of extra polar patterns, the Blue Yeti Nano is a fantastic way to get that clean, refined Yeti sound for less than other mics in the lineup.

By Tech Radar
The Blue Yeti is a great option for anyone who just wants to plug in and play without spending hours tweaking audio settings.

By IGN
Blue continues its dominance of the USB podcasting mic space with the Yeti Nano. The smaller size is generally a bonus, and while there are a few features missing due to its shrinkage, the sound quality…

Expert Reviews of Audio-Technica AT2020:

By Sound On Sound
As a low-cost, general-purpose capacitor microphone, the AT2020 is hard to fault other than on account of its noise level. I particularly liked the well-balanced sound this microphone produced, both on voice and on acoustic…

By old-time music
We don’t need to spend too much time discussing the positive points of the Audio-Technica 2020, because we have already highlighted so many. Also, we have already discussed that at this price point, it represents great value. It may…

By MusicCritic
It is a sensibly priced microphone for a low-budget set-up. It has an airy sound and captures good clean vocal takes. It has a smooth, crisp, and well-balanced dynamic…

By IGN
The AT2020 delivers super audio but requires more parts to get up and running than a dedicated USB mic. This is for people serious about audio quality, but given the limitations of streaming, the…

By Gearank
The Audio-Technica AT2020 is an ideal budget-friendly condenser mic for home studios that are expanding to capture loud sound sources. It is a great supplementary mic if you already have a large-diaphragm condenser, and…