SoundBounty’s “specification rating” is a score for comparing gear and plug-ins using only the specifications the manufacturers publish. Reviews of gear the operator has actually used are planned for the future.
Disclosure: This site takes part in affiliate programs. Advertising never changes our scores or ranks.
How scores and ranks are decided
- For each category we choose five criteria that relate to performance, and give each criterion 1 to 5 points.
- The rank is decided from the average of the five criteria. S: 4.2 or more / A: 3.4 or more / B: 2.6 or more / C: under 2.6
- The thresholds (the boundaries for each score) are set by collecting the numbers of the main models in each category and looking at their distribution. We set them so that models in the middle score around 3.
- Ranks are compared only within the same category. An S microphone and an S pair of headphones cannot be compared.
What is not part of the score
- Price: price is not part of the score. Prices appear only in roundup and buying-guide articles and in sale articles, with the date checked and the store. In product articles, check the price on the store page behind the buy button.
- Accessories: we compare only the performance of the product itself, so included cables and software are not counted.
- Reputation: reviews from stores and trade magazines are sometimes introduced in the text of an article for reference, but they are not part of the score. We do not use Amazon customer reviews.
How we choose the criteria
We choose criteria that meet two conditions: what readers actually want to know, and what almost all manufacturers publish. We found what readers want to know from words that are searched often (“can I use it for streaming?”, “do I need a preamp?”, “can I record guitar?” and so on). Numbers that only some manufacturers publish are shown in the table for reference, not in the score.
Criteria with no published number
If a manufacturer does not publish a number, we do not score that criterion and show “Not disclosed”. The average is calculated from the remaining criteria only. Numbers that come without a unit or measuring condition are also not scored, because they cannot be compared with other models under the same conditions. We check numbers not only on product pages but also in manuals and datasheets that manufacturers publish.
Criteria by category
Condenser microphones
How we score (Microphones)
| Criterion | Basis | 5 pt | 4 pt | 3 pt | 2 pt | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quietness | Self-noise | ≤7 | ≤12 | ≤16 | ≤20 | >20 |
| Sensitivity | Sensitivity | ≥25 | ≥20 | ≥15 | ≥10 | <10 |
| Handling of loud sound | Maximum SPL (without the pad) | ≥148 | ≥144 | ≥140 | ≥135 | <135 |
| Features | Pad, low-cut and pickup-pattern switch | All 3 | 2 | 1 | — | None |
| Lightness | Weight | ≤300 | ≤350 | ≤400 | ≤450 | >450 |
Scored only on the body specifications published by the manufacturer. Price and accessories are not part of the score. Items that are not disclosed are not scored, and the rank is based on the average of the remaining items. Where a model publishes only the signal-to-noise ratio and not the self-noise, the self-noise is converted as "94 minus the signal-to-noise ratio".
Dynamic microphones
How we score (Dynamic microphones)
| Criterion | Basis | 5 pt | 4 pt | 3 pt | 2 pt | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of getting enough gain | Sensitivity at the XLR output (USB models have a built-in preamp and get full marks) | ≥2.5 | ≥2 | ≥1.6 | ≥1.3 | <1.3 |
| High-frequency range | Upper limit of the frequency response | ≥20000 | ≥18000 | ≥16000 | ≥15000 | <15000 |
| Rejection of surrounding sound | Pickup pattern | Supercardioid / hypercardioid | — | Cardioid (unidirectional) | — | — |
| Features | USB, XLR, low-cut, presence, headphone jack | 4 to 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | None |
Scored only on the body specifications published by the manufacturer. Price and accessories are not part of the score. "Ease of getting enough gain" answers the common question "do I need a preamp (booster)?". Over XLR, the higher the sensitivity (mV/Pa), the less you need to turn up the gain on the audio interface. Models that can also connect by USB have a preamp inside the microphone, so there is no worry about running short of gain and they get 5 points. Rejection of surrounding sound is decided by the pickup pattern: supercardioid and hypercardioid, which pick up little from outside the front, score highest. Weight is shown in the table for reference.
USB microphones
How we score (USB microphones)
| Criterion | Basis | 5 pt | 4 pt | 3 pt | 2 pt | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recording detail | Highest supported sampling rate | 192 kHz | 96 kHz | 48 kHz | 44.1 kHz | Lower |
| Switchable pickup patterns | Number of selectable pickup patterns | 4 or more | 3 | 2 | — | 1 (no switching) |
| Controls at hand | Mute, gain knob, headphone jack, headphone volume, mix control | 4 to 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | None |
| Range of connections | XLR output and smartphone (iOS / Android) support | 2 | — | 1 | — | None |
Scored only on the specifications published by the manufacturer. Price and accessories are not part of the score. USB microphones often do not publish the sensitivity or self-noise that ordinary microphones do, so they are compared on the things that make a difference when you plug straight into a computer: recording detail, switchable pickup patterns, controls at hand and range of connections. Smartphone support counts only where the manufacturer states iOS or Android compatibility. Weight is shown in the table for reference.
Audio interfaces
How we score (Audio interfaces)
| Criterion | Basis | 5 pt | 4 pt | 3 pt | 2 pt | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microphone input quality | Quietness (EIN), gain range and dynamic range | Average 4.5 or more | 3.5 or more | 2.5 or more | 1.5 or more | Under 1.5 |
| Ease of streaming | Loopback (send the computer's sound together with the microphone for streaming or recording) | Yes | — | — | — | No |
| Ease of recording guitar and other instruments | Number of inputs that take a guitar or bass directly (Hi-Z) | 3 or more | 2 | 1 | — | None |
| Number of inputs and outputs | Analog inputs plus outputs (headphones excluded) | ≥8 | ≥6 | ≥4 | ≥3 | <3 |
| Features for production | Built-in DSP, MIDI ports and digital I/O | All 3 | 2 | 1 | — | None |
Scored only on the body specifications published by the manufacturer and the functions listed on the product page. Price and bundled software are not part of the score. "Microphone input quality" is the average of three scores: quietness (EIN: 5 points at -130 dBu or lower, 4 at -129, 3 at -128, 2 at -127), gain range (5 at 72 dB or more, 4 at 65, 3 at 57, 2 at 54) and dynamic range (5 at 118 dB or more, 4 at 116, 3 at 112, 2 at 108). It is scored when two or more numbers are published. "Ease of streaming" depends on whether the interface has loopback, which sends the BGM or game sound playing on the computer to the streaming software together with your voice.
Monitor headphones
How we score (Monitor headphones)
| Criterion | Basis | 5 pt | 4 pt | 3 pt | 2 pt | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of driving | Impedance (the lower it is, the easier to reach a good volume from a small amplifier) | ≤32 | ≤40 | ≤55 | ≤100 | >100 |
| Low-frequency range | Lower limit of the frequency response | ≤5 | ≤8 | ≤15 | ≤20 | >20 |
| High-frequency range | Upper limit of the frequency response | ≥40000 | ≥30000 | ≥25000 | ≥22000 | <22000 |
| Lightness | Weight (cable excluded) | ≤200 | ≤220 | ≤250 | ≤290 | >290 |
| Suitability for recording (sound leakage) | Closed-back or open-back (closed-back keeps sound out of the microphone while you sing) | Closed-back | — | — | — | Open-back |
Scored only on the body specifications published by the manufacturer. Price and accessories are not part of the score. Ease of driving is compared by impedance (Ω), which every manufacturer publishes. The lower the number, the easier it is to reach a good volume from the headphone jack of an audio interface or a smartphone, so a headphone amplifier is less likely to be needed (sensitivity is shown in the table for reference). "Suitability for recording" scores closed-back headphones higher because the sound is less likely to leak into the microphone while you sing. If you choose open-back headphones for mixing, you can ignore this item.
Monitor speakers
How we score (Monitor speakers)
| Criterion | Basis | 5 pt | 4 pt | 3 pt | 2 pt | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Room for low frequencies | Woofer size | ≥8 | ≥6.5 | ≥5 | ≥4 | <4 |
| Adjusting to the room | High and low frequency controls, DSP or app adjustment | All 3 | 2 | 1 | — | None |
| Ease of connecting | Types of input and output jacks | 5 to 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 or fewer |
| Ease of placement | Width (one speaker) | ≤140 | ≤160 | ≤190 | ≤220 | >220 |
Scored only on the body specifications published by the manufacturer. Price is not part of the score. Manufacturers measure low-frequency response under different conditions (-3 dB, -6 dB, -10 dB and so on), so it is hard to compare side by side. The score therefore uses the size of the woofer (the speaker for low sounds), and the published low-frequency limit is shown in the table together with its condition. Amplifier power is also written differently (rated, RMS and so on), so treat it as a rough guide; it is shown in the table for reference and is not part of the score. Ease of placement is decided by width, with a desktop in mind.
Plug-ins and software instruments
Plug-ins are compared not by the number of features but by how well each one serves its purpose, against other plug-ins with the same purpose. For each category we decide the purpose (for pitch correction, for example, “naturally fixing the vocal of a cover song”), and for each criterion that matters to that purpose we write in words what a product must offer to earn 5 points, then score by those conditions. The criterion that matters most counts double in the average that decides the rank.
The basis is official manufacturer information. We do not measure sound quality or CPU load (how heavy a plug-in is for the computer), so they are not part of the score; instead we introduce the main points of reviews from overseas trade magazines such as Sound On Sound in the articles, for reference. The conditions for each category are shown on its comparison page.
Comparison tables also have columns, separate from the score, for “Free” and “Free version available” (a free version exists in the same series), and, for compressors, EQs, de-essers, limiters and noise reduction, “OBS (streaming)”. “OBS (streaming)” shows whether the official page lists the VST2 format, which works in the streaming software OBS Studio (OBS does not support VST3). Neither is part of the score.
When we change the criteria
If we change the criteria, we update this page and the scores on the comparison pages and in the articles at the same time, and write the date of the change on this page.
Last updated: September 26, 2026 (added “streaming and real-time” to noise reduction and “usable for bass” to guitar amps; added “Free” and “OBS (streaming)” columns to comparison tables; reviewed the gear criteria based on what readers want to know and what manufacturers publish; split USB microphones into a separate comparison and added “ease of streaming” and “ease of recording guitar and other instruments” to audio interfaces)
September 25, 2026: changed the plug-in rating method to compare how well each product serves its purpose