I’ve made no secret that I’m a big fan of Blue microphones. They are the microphone company to look at when purchasing a microphone for podcasting. When they released their newest microphone, I knew I had to review the Blue Yeti Nano. Updated April 2019.
I was super excited when Blue announced a smaller version of their excellent Yeti. It’s appropriately called the Yeti Nano, as it offers similar features as the original Yeti, but in a portable package.
This makes my podcasting heart sing! I love the Yeti and I have high hopes for this new baby one https://t.co/Z2ePhocjHz
— Andrew Sims aka The Sims (@sims) August 28, 2018
I was so excited about Blue’s Yeti Nano that I ordered it immediately. Amazon’s free 1-day shipping got it to me nice and quick. I had it in hand the day after it was announced, and started podcasting with it shortly thereafter. So, how is it?
Blue Yeti Nano Review
Yes, Blue’s Yeti Nano lives up to the high bar that the company has set for themselves. The Yeti Nano is a smaller, simpler, yet just-as-powerful version of its older brother, the Yeti.
Blue’s Yeti versus Yeti Nano
What’s so good about either Yeti? It’ll give you excellent sound quality for a reasonable price. The “Big Yeti” costs $129 while the Yeti Nano is priced at $79, as of April 2019. I took the latter for a test spin earlier in the week and I can confirm it sounds just as good as the bigger guy.
The Yeti Nano comes with two recording settings: The first setting is designed for a single person talking into the mic, while the other setting is designed for recording an entire room. There’s a built-in mute button (though I recommend using a digital mute switch) and a headphone jack. What more do you need? Answer: Nothing.
The one complaint I’ve seen about the Nano is that it doesn’t use USB-C, which is the new-ish USB standard that seems to be replacing the USB format you know and love. USB-C took a big leap forward when Apple started adding it to their laptops over the past couple years. It would’ve been nice for Blue’s latest to be up-to-date with the latest computer technology, so I agree with this complaint. If you have a laptop that only has USB-C ports, you can always buy an adapter.
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Here’s how the Blue’s Raspberry, Yeti Nano, and Yeti stack up. (I have the Yeti mounted on a mic stand)
What I like most about the Yeti Nano is that it gives you Yeti-quality sound in a smaller format. Because of this, it’s going to become my new travel mic.
I previously wrote about Blue’s second newest microphone, the Blue Raspberry. The problem with the Raspberry is your voice comes off a little hollow while using it, which makes me just okay with using it for recording. What I love about the Raspberry is that it’s very small, allowing it to fit perfectly into a pocket of my travel book bag. However, the price of the thing is $160! That’s ridiculous since the Yeti and Yeti Nano are both less expensive, yet way better in quality.
I’ll take my Yeti Nano on my next trip, but instead of placing it in my book bag it’ll have to go in my suitcase. While not as convenient as the Raspberry, the Nano will give me better sound on the go. Plus it has a mount that’ll raise the mic closer to my face. Whenever I use the Raspberry I have to stack it on books… or snacks.
One last thing: Blue also has a microphone called the Snowball. It’s been around for a few years and includes a mic stand, but I’ve never been blown away by the sound quality. If you can’t afford either of the Yetis, the Snowball is a great place to start.
At the end of the day, the choice here is simple: Buy Blue’s Yeti Nano. Whether you’re using it at home or on the road, you won’t be disappointed.
