I have joked to several colleagues that the old Neat Bumblebee looked like a sci-fi intercom mic (opens in new tab). It was an outlandish design that I respected. And if you know me, I love goofy high-tech (opens in new tab), and with the Bumblebee II microphone, Neat decided to go with a more modest design for its budget microphone and pit it against competitive noise recorders. Given the attractive and quirky design of the original Bumblebee (open in new tab) and King Bee (open in new tab) microphones, it is odd that Neat went with such an understated design. The new look certainly has broader appeal than the old look. However, if you are looking for a flashier look, the new King Bee II may be more to your liking. Neat's Bumblebee II is at the top end of the budget microphone range. As with other microphones in this price range, features are given up in order to maintain good recording quality, and the result is usually a microphone with a mute switch (if you're lucky) and not much else. So you can imagine my surprise that the Bumblebee II has not only a mute button, but also a multi-use button for volume and gain.

Despite its size, the Bumblebee II's sound is on par with the mics on the HyperX Solocast (open in new tab) and the Razer Seiren Mini (open in new tab), which is not a knock. As you will hear below, the quality of my voice is what I would call a "work phone". It is loud and clear enough for everyday use. If you want studio-quality sound, you'll have to pay for it (opens in new tab).

Pronunciation is on the louder side, so you may want to invest in a pop filter. Also, the microphone tends to pick up background noise, so if you are using an expensive, loud AC unit, turn it off while recording. [Other cheap mics like the Seiren Mini and Solocast use a small stand that can be easily packed for recording on the go. They're acceptable if you just want to put it on your desk, but cumbersome to carry in a bag.

The stand itself has a nice-looking circular base, but it is not shock-mounted, so the Bumblebee picks up every slight vibration or shock on the desk; not a big deal for Discord calls, but if you try to record vocals, for example, it will drive you nuts! It would. The quality of the stand is also poor. Literally minutes after using the mic, one of the snap-on screw covers on the hinge that tilts the mic up and down instantly broke. As a result, every time the mic is moved, the cover comes off, exposing the screws and ruining the look of the mic. This is a shame because I liked the ease of attachment to the boom arm.

Another problem is that the USB Type-C port and headphone jack are on the bottom of the microphone. The cable gets pulled or pinched as the microphone is mounted on a stand. The MSRP for the Bumblebee II is $100, but it regularly sells for $50 to $70 most weeks. For the price, it's a decently usable mic and it sounds great. However, every time I see that exposed screw, I am more and more reluctant to recommend it, no matter how cheap it is and how good it sounds. It's a shame, considering how good the sound is compared to other cheap entry-level mics.