BOYA’s K9 & K3 USB Mics: Blue Yeti, or New Yeti?

A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed the BOYA Mini, an excellent wee smartphone recording kit alternative to the Rode Wireless Micro.

BOYA seemed enthusiastic about showing us more of their offerings and suggested we take a look at their K9. It took everything in my power not to make a dog-walking joke, and even now, I sort of am.

In any case, the K9 might not be man’s best friend, but it certainly could be a podcaster’s pal. The K9 and K3 are a USB mic duo that make up BOYA’s ‘K’ series, which BOYA kindly posted out to us, free of charge, for review purposes.

So, let’s fulfil our end of the bargain now and get to know them a wee bit more.

The BOYA K9

With its multiple polar pattern options and built-in desk stand, the K9 gives a wink and a nod to the most popular mic in podcasting, the Blue Yeti.

However, while the K9 and Yeti’s multiple polar patterns look good on paper, I don’t think they are all that useful. Sharing a mic is never optimal for audio quality, and I’d only recommend it if you have absolutely no other option.

With the K9, you can opt for bidirectional (two-person use) or omnidirectional (roundtable), but solo-person use on the supercardioid setting will give you the best results here.

During my testing, the K9 sounded pretty decent, though I did find the odd plosive slipping through the wee metal pop filter.

The K9 has a gain dial to control your input recording volume and a monitor dial to set your output headphone volume. I found both to be a little noisy, so going forward, I’d try to set them before I start recording, and never during.

The BOYA K3

The K3 only has one (supercardioid) polar pattern, which is fine by me.

The K3’s USP is its Noise Reduction, which you can activate by tapping the button atop the mic. However, this turns out to be a rather aggressive-sounding noise gate, and I wouldn’t recommend it. Either move away from the noise you’re trying to cut or do some noise reduction in post-production instead.

The K3 has a gain dial, though, like the K9, trying to adjust it during a podcasting session might be noisy enough to be picked up in the recording.

BOYA K3 Vs K9

Both mics have a Frequency Response of 20 Hz – 20 kHz, which is fairly typical.

The K3 has a higher sensitivity (-39 dB), giving it a clearer, more detailed sound, while the K9’s lower sensitivity (-46 dB) makes it warmer with more bass. I did notice that in my testing.

The K9 has a tiny bit more gain (0–27 dB vs. 0–26 dB), but this is marginal.

The K3 has a Noise Reduction feature, whilst the K9 has extra polar patterns, but I wouldn’t use any of these settings. I much prefer them both in their “ordinary” form.

Both mics have LED RGB lighting, which might make them attractive to YouTubers or video podcasters. Personally, LED lighting on audio gear is a bugbear of mine. As someone who’s hopelessly colourblind, I’m always paranoid that it’s trying to convey important information to me (hey, you’re on mute, chump!), and I’ll simply have no way of getting the memo.

Summary: The BOYA K3 & K9 USB Mics

You can get the BOYA K3 for a mere $30, which is as cheap as I’ve seen for a brand-new mic. The K9 costs $65, which, although double the price, still puts it in the budget category. It costs about $30 less than its idol, The Blue Yeti.

Curiously, you can’t buy the K3 or K9 on Amazon (at least at the time of writing). I’m not sure what the thought process is here or whether or not they will eventually be available there. BOYA literally has a “store” on Amazon, so it seems like a no-brainer…

In summary, would I use one of these to podcast? For sure, but only in its cardioid setting (the K9) and definitely without the noise reduction turned on (K3).

Would I buy one as a beginner ahead of something like the Samson Q2U or ATR2100x? No, I don’t think so. That’s no slight on the K3 or K9, but the other two mics can also be used in XLR form, and that gives me the freedom to upgrade to an audio interface or digital recorder further down the line.

Still, BOYA has added a couple of solid options to the starter mic market here, even if they’re not particularly straightforward to find and buy!

The Best Podcast Microphones for All Abilities and Budgets

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