Blue Microphones Compass Premium Tube-Style Microphone Broadcast Boom Arm with Internal Springs, Desktop Clamp and Built-in Cable Management for Recording, Gaming, Streaming, Podcasting - Black

The Blue Compass Tube-Style Drive Arm is a solid and reliable choice for anyone needing a high-quality transmission component. It’s built with durability in mind and feels sturdy during use. The design is straightforward but effective, making installation easy and fitting well in various setups. Whether you’re upgrading or replacing parts, this drive arm delivers consistent performance without any fuss. A great product if you want something that just works and lasts!

I originally purchased the Rode PSA1 Swivel Mount Studio Microphone Boom Arm in 2012 and used it with my Blue Yeti microphone. It was very reliable. Earlier this year I was looking for a new boom arm and saw this and decided to try it out. Here is my comparison of both products. I am using the Blue shock mount and a pop filter in addition to my Blue Yeti microphone.InstallationInstallation for both products is very easy and quick in that you just clamp it to the edge of your desk. Between the two I would judge the base of the Blue boom arm to sturdier than the Rode. You screw in the shock mount on end of the boom arm, screw in the Blue Yeti into the shock mount and the clamp the pop filter to edge of the shock mount and twist it until it is in front of the microphone. I was able to attach the Rode boom arm to the back side of my desk so it will be out of the way when not in use. I was not able to do that with the Blue boom arm because I just could not get it to adjust to being in the right position when recording so I had to attach it to the side of my desk. This means it will get in my way when not in use as I move things around on my desk.Overall for installation Rode wins because it is not in the way when not in use.Adjusting PlacementFor Rode, you just grab it and move it where you need to have the mic placed for recording. Once you get it placed you have to let go and hope that it does not automatically start to retract due to the weight. Sometimes I have to position it, wait for it to rise, reposition it and wait for it to rise and reposition it until eventually, it stays in place. For Blue boom arm, it has three joints that you can rotate to move the mic into position. They all have a knob that you twist to loosen for it to move and when you have mic positioned then you twist it to lock it in place. Adjusting these knobs can be a challenge. But once you have the mic in place it will not move. I do 4 hours of podcast recording every Sunday and it stays in place the whole time.Overall for quickly positioning the Rode wins but you have to fidget with it. If you want the positioning to be permanent and stay there then the Blue wins by a wide margin.Cable OrganizationThe Rode boom arm comes with some velcro straps that you can use to gather cables and then put the velcro strap over the boom arm. You get two straps to attach the cable on both halves of the boom arm. Blue, on the other hand, includes a slot built into the boom itself for the cables. Since it is built into the boom itself the cables are completely hidden from view. If you are on air when recording this is an extremely nice feature because the cables do not distract from your image on the screen. For Rode, the cables are very visible on the screen.Overall Blue wins this hands downOverall User ExperienceI had my original Rode boom arm for 5 years. Eventually, it got to the point where it sagged from the weight and I had to purchase a second one in 2017. I have had the Blue arm for less than half a year. I was satisfied with the Rode arm so much that when I needed to replace it I purchased it again and didn't even bother comparing any other product. When I started a new podcast as well as recording training videos I decided to get a new setup so it was consistent in color. (My original Blue yeti mic was silver and shockmount was black). I got a new black Yeti mic, black shock mount and realized they made a boom stand. After reading the reviews I decided to invest in it. I have been beyond pleased with this setup compared to the Rode. Knowing everything that I know now if I had to start over again I would purchase the Blue boom arm over the Rode hands down.

I am writing this cause I am so frustrated with the product, I don't know if I got a faulty one, or if the product is just that bad. Either way this is the most common experience everyone has with this mic arm, its that the mic arm will straighten it self no matter how you tighten the joints. For most people this is fixable by using the tension screw on the bottom to make it accommodate to which ever mic you are using.The part that makes this really frustrating is that the mic arm I had, no matter how I loosened the tension or tighten it, the mic arm kept moving the same way. I find it very overly complicated to have to mess around with a screw for at least an hour just to have it work with your mic. For my mic arm, it bent backwards further than it was supposed to be able to and it snapped the middle joint. Now the middle joint is completely broken not being able to loosen or tighten.As I stated before maybe I just got a defected or bad arm, however no matter if this mic arm worked for me or not. I find it annoying that I had to go searching all over the internet to find out why this mic arm wouldn't work for me. Some people online had the same issues as me and no one could find a solid solution for it. All the answers on the internet are "just mess with it till it works." Which is a horrible way to have a product. There should be clear solutions or instructions that make it clear on how to set the mic arm so it can work for the mic you are using. I do understand that the weight of the mic needs to be taken into account. I did have a much heavier mic which made it easier to adjust the mic arm. However when switching to a much lighter microphone I found it impossible to make any progress towards stopping the mic arm from straightening out.There are a lot of cheaper and better more simples options, I chose this mic arm originally because I heard of the company before, and the reviews were good. I guess I should have done a lot more research into this. If you have a heavy microphone like the Rhode PodMic, this mic arm should suit decently well. However if you are using a lighter microphone I would research more into this product or another product.Overall this mic arm takes a bit of work, and it's not something you can use right out of the box. The build and material feels very fragile from the very beginning, which is a huge deal because of how powerful the tension is. I don't mind products that require a bit of setting up before use. However this had no clear solution nor instruction, just "play with it" which is ridiculous. I did read the paper that came with is and it does tell you about the screw and how it works. But it doesn't give any specifics that I would need to know to help adjust the mic arm to how I need it. Just please do research before purchasing this product.