This arm is sooooo much better than the arm that arrived in the “kit” with the Blue Yeti. No comparison. This arm is well made, sturdy, and stays in the position where placed. It does not “drift” after letting go, like the old arm. Also, the 2 segments of the arm are a fair bit longer than the cheap arm. I read somewhere that each segment is 19″. For my setting, this brought the mic closer to my mouth. It has a significantly longer “reach” than the old arm. The clamp on base is secure and easy to use. The screw has a comfortable “ear” to tighten the screw and secures to the work surface nicely.

The only shortcoming is a very, very minor one. The USB cord fits in the “U” shape of the arms, and a plastic piece clips inside the U to hide the usb wire. For my setup, the plastic piece doesn’t secure very well. The wire inside causes the plastic piece to release at the end. Super easy fix with a short segment of double sided velcro wrapped around that part of the arm. Perhaps a thinner USB wire that is more supple would solve the issue? Such a minor issue, I just haven’t bothered experimenting.

Very pleased with this product. Worthy of all stars.

The one issue I have is SM7B specific. As I do standard audio work and video work, I have two setups. I need to the mic to swivel 180 degrees and with the way the knob is that locks the mic attachment into place, it is right in the way of the cord when I try to rotate the mic. This is a minor inconvenience, but it is annoying to have to disconnect the mic cord to rotate the microphone because of this knob placement. As mentioned, this is SM7B specific as it has the mic cord feed on top as a feature of that mic.

I did have a small issue with running the mic cord (Mogami gold) into the track and having the plastic covering staying clipped into place, but I remedied this by simply using some wrap-around velcro strips.

Other than this, it is built like a tank.

Let’s talk about those cheaper ones, shall we? The cheaper ones are mostly copies of each other. The cheaper ones all have external springs, two 15″ boom arm segments, and a cheap table bracket. Some come with the mic holder, some even come with an XLR cable threaded through. The ones that have no cable threaded through, a few offer cable ties for cord management (because you have to run your cord somewhere), and of those that offer cable ties, a few offer a nice hook and loop tape cable management solution.

This Heil boom has INTERNAL CABLE MANAGEMENT with an easy-to-remove track cover, stress relief covers over the corners so your cable doesn’t pinch, INTERNAL SPRINGS, and amazing 20″ boom arm segments! That extra 10″ (5″ extra per segment compared to the cheaper products) makes a HUGE difference in reach and mic placement.

This is perfect for heavy mics like the AT2020USB (which is what I use, plus a windscreen and shockmount) and the Blue Yeti (my backup mic, the AT2020USB is so much better for my voice). This Heil boom is much heavier duty, and can support much heavier mics with ease. The cheaper ones you really have to torque down the nuts at the joints to handle heavy mics and in the process you can damage the screws and handles. You’ll have none of that issue with this boom.

So, back to my earlier statement. I bought this one and a cheapie one just to compare, but having them side by side, I ended up sending the cheaper one back. If I had been smart, I would’ve only bought the cheap one then I wouldn’t have known what I was missing. If you’re just starting out, the cheaper one is perfectly fine. Just don’t make the same mistake I made, because once you try this one out, you’ll be in love.

TL:DR; This boom is perfect for getting my mic off the desk so I can concentrate on my podcast and voiceover work.

Hope this helps!