Røde’s refreshed NT-USB+ mic is easy for all kinds of audio

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The Røde NT-USB+ on a desk. The NT-USB+ is a great professional microphone for your Mac out of the box.
The NT-USB+ is a great professional microphone for your Mac out of the box.
Photo: Røde

Røde’s new NT-USB+ microphone brings exciting new features to the company’s well-reviewed NT-USB from 2014.

Like its predecessor, the NT-USB+ is an all-in-one microphone for streaming, capturing vocals, playing instruments and recording podcasts. The refreshed version adds higher bit depth, a built-in low noise/high gain preamp and a high-powered headphone jack to the classic model. Plus, it connects over USB-C at both ends.

Røde NT-USB+: Everything you need in one box

The NT-USB+ with attached pop filter and stand.
The NT-USB+ also comes with a pop filter and stand.
Photo: Røde

Røde is well-known as a designer and manufacturer of high-end microphones and audio equipment, and its original NT-USB became a favorite with podcasters. While there’s no upper limit to how much you can spend on audio equipment — stuff like amplifiers, boom arms, ring mounts, filters and more — the new NT-USB+ offers everything you need for capturing high-quality audio. And it packs it all into a compact package with an appealing $169 price tag.

It captures audio at 24-bit depth up to 48kHz, which exceeds the 16-bit industry standard for high-resolution sound. Released this week, it’s available today on Røde’s website. It is not yet listed on Amazon.

The NT-USB+ comes with a built-in pre-amp that helps eliminate most background noise and boost your voice. (Some people are already criticizing the fact that it doesn’t have a physical dial for adjusting pre-amp levels.)

A great USB-C mic for recording voices, instruments and more

Musician using the NT-USB+ on a studio arm to record acoustic guitar.
The NT-USB+ works well for recording voices and instruments alike.
Photo: Røde

The NT-USB+ headphone jack will pass through audio from your computer along with the microphone’s audio with no noticeable delay. Its powerful output supports high-impedance studio headphones.

In the box, it arrives with Røde’s pop filter already attached and a desk stand you can screw on. It’s a nice stand that can be tilted backward and forward. If you can afford one other item after the microphone, I highly recommend a boom arm — Røde sells one of its own — but in a pinch, the desk stand will suffice.

The device has excellent build quality with premium-feeling materials and dials. The NT-USB+ can easily be identified from the old model by its bright blue internal mesh.

Initial impressions of Røde NT-USB+

I’ve had the NT-USB+ for a few days now.

In my limited testing, I’ve found the pre-amp very effective at reducing background noise. It doesn’t completely cancel out the loudly blaring whirlwind fans of my aging MacBook Pro, but it’s nothing that Logic Pro can’t solve with a little work. (By the way, if like me you don’t have any USB-C ports, the NT-USB+ works with a USB-C to USB-A cable.)

The pop filter is very nice. I quickly realized that with my old microphone, I subconsciously trained myself out of putting a lot of air behind my P- and T-sounds. I don’t need to be so careful with the NT-USB+.

I’ll have a full video review of the NT-USB+ alongside the new Røde X microphones and some of the company’s accessories later.

Buy from: Røde

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