AVerMedia AM310 review: A great USB microphone for streamers

A good stream is mostly about the streamer, but having a strong set up at your disposal certainly doesn't hurt. AVerMedia is one of our favorite companies for streaming gear, with some of the absolute best capture cards on the market accompanied by headsets, webcams, and even a USB microphone.

The last of those is what I have here, the AM310 USB microphone. It's a no-nonsense affair, and it's a great place to start for streamers in particular.

AVerMedia AM310 tech specs

• Type: Uni-directional condenser microphone
• Polar pattern: Cardioid
• Sample rate: 48 kHz
• Bit rate: 16-bit
• Power required: USB (5V DC)
• Sensitivity: -60 ± 5 dB (at 1 kHz, 0 dB = 1 V/u bar)
• Frequency response: 20–20,000 Hz
• Dimensions (mic) (W x D x H): 90 x 130 x 270 mm
• Weight (mic): 468 g ± 5 g (1.03 lb ± 0.17 oz)

What you'll like about the AVerMedia AM310

If you're a gamer or a streamer, or both, then you'll love the AM310. That's precisely who AVerMedia targets this product towards, not least indicated by the combo pack this review unit came in with a webcam and a capture card. For the type of user who just wants a microphone that sounds good, doesn't cost a ton and doesn't bury itself in endless features, the AM310 fits the bill perfectly.

And it really is just a simple, good sounding microphone. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. When targeting gamers it's all too easy to shotgun a bunch of things people don't really need at a product, but AVerMedia has been very restrained, instead just concentrating on making it a good product.

The AM310 is built like a tank and has an associated, reassuring heft to it. The microphone body is pretty chunky, but it's dressed in a sleek gunmetal finish and adorned with only a single control on the front. The dial adjusts volume, or you press it in to mute and unmute. That's it.

Around back there's a single 3.5mm headphone jack with a switch to change between PC audio or mic monitoring. I like that AVerMedia included a control for this on the microphone very much, as it's not something my own regular mic has. You don't always want to hear your own voice while you're listening to your PC audio, and vice-versa.

There's not a lot else to the hardware. You get a stand included which is, well, it's a stand. It's sturdy enough so that the microphone won't topple over at the slightest touch, and the screw thread on the bottom allows you to mount to an arm if you wish, though additional accessories may be required depending on the arm you have.

Also, it sounds pretty good. You don't have to have it an inch from your mouth, either, to get a nice sound from it. Considering it's designed to be used on a desk, that's good to see.

What you'll dislike about the AVerMedia AM310

There's not a lot to dislike about this excellent microphone, but there are some things it would have been nice to see included just to complete the package. For one, you don't get a shock mount or a pop filter. The latter is an easy fix with a cheap accessory, but for a microphone that's designed to be used on a desk, it would have been nice to see some way to negate the impact of knocks.

It isn't the end of the world, but when you compare to another streamer focused microphone, the Razer Seiren X, which features an internal shock mount, it's something that it would have been good to see AVerMedia provide some kind of solution for.

Perhaps the most important omission for anyone hoping to use this other than in gaming and streaming scenarios is that there's only a single recording mode. The AM310 picks up sound directly in front of it, which is fine for streaming and may even help eliminate the noise of you clacking on a keyboard while you broadcast. But for podcasters or musicians, for example, may rue the lack of bidirectional or omnidirectional recording modes.

Should you buy the AVerMedia AM310?

Whether this is the microphone for you or not ultimately lies with what you intend to do with it. If you're a gamer or a streamer, then absolutely, you're getting a good package. It doesn't cost a lot, the sound quality is excellent, and it's so well built that should it get tossed across your room during a rage quit, it will easily live to play another day.

Musicians or podcasters may want to look elsewhere thanks to the limitation on recording modes, but apart from that, there's very little to complain about. A shock mount in the box would have been good, still.

Essentially, for streaming, this is a perfect microphone. It doesn't hide behind fluff or useless features, instead just doing one job and doing it very well.

In Europe, the AM310 is available through Amazon for £70.