Blue Yeti Nano

Good thing, small package

$99.99 From Blue, bluedesigns.com Features 24-bit/48kHz sample rate recording

A major player in the world of microphones, Blue’s latest is a shrunk–down version of the Yeti.

Audio quality is excellent: crisp and clear with no hint of fuzz. In our side–by–side comparison with the Yeti, the Nano performed very well indeed, with audio actually sounding just a touch crisper than its larger cousin.

However, you’ll need to mount it on a boom arm — its small frame puts it further from your mouth, affecting recording volume. The Yeti, in contrast, is the ideal height to talk into when seated. On the other hand, the compact size of the Nano is better for travel (but the difference in box sizes isn’t much).

While we’re on the subject, there are some other trade–offs compared to the Yeti, but not many. The Nano has two condenser capsules versus the Yeti’s three, but records in a higher bit–rate (24–bit compared to the Yeti’s 16–bit).

The Nano also only has two recording patterns: cardioid (from directly in front) and omnidirectional (from all around the mic). That’s fine for general use, but you lose the Yeti’s stereo (which captures front, left and right channels) and bidirectional (front and back) modes.

The Nano looks great and is very impressive for its size, but you’ll need a USB–A to USB–C adapter if you want to use it with a Thunderbolt 3 MacBook. the bottom line. The Nano improves on the popular Yeti, but may not be for everyone.