At a decent price of around £50, the Tonor Orca 001 is one of Tonor’s USB microphones. We take a look to see if the Orca 001 is a viable option or whether it should be avoided.
First Impressions
Straight out the box, the first thing that I noticed about the Tonor Orca 001 was that the whole microphone was already put together and ready to go. A USB-C to USB-A lead, which can transform into a USB-A to USB-A for Android mobile use, plugs into the back of the mic is the only wire required, which is a big plus as you don’t have a forest of wires that get all intertwined and tangled.
The plug-in-and-play style is welcomed, as you don’t waste any tedious time fiddling about with different parts and pieces to get going with your microphone. This is similar to other Tonor mics like the TC30, so credit to Tonor for making it easy to set up and use microphones.
Specifications:
- Product dimensions: 24x 13 x 13 cm
- Colour: Black
- Connector type: USB-C, USB
- Platform: PC hardware, console, MAC, Mobile
- Power supply type: with cable
- Item Weight: 650g
- Plug and Play
- Signal format: 90 dB
Design
With every component of the microphone being black, the Tonor Orca 001 strikes a very premium appearance when propped up on the table by the very suave-looking circular base and strong metal stalk. Combine this with a completely metal dress down, you have a very solid and sturdy set-up that exudes class and high quality.
This sturdiness is also backed up by the heavy weight of the whole mic, with very little chance of slight wobbles and mishaps disrupting your recording. The actual microphone sits comfortably in its designated slot, not moving in the slightest, meaning the assembly of the set-up is one of pretty good quality. The mic is supported by red elastic bands which secure the mic even more into its holdings.
The Tonor Orca 001, unfortunately, doesn’t have a pop filter, which is odd to me as the Tonor TC30 that I mentioned earlier has a pop filter, but the mic is half the price at £30, so I’m not sure why the Orca doesn’t have a pop filter.
Aesthetically, the Orca 001 has RGB lights which are controlled by a long double button on the bottom half of the microphone, with each half of the button cycling through the colours.
This button also changes the volume gain of the microphone between 11 levels, which are colour coded based on how much the percentage of the volume gain is. There’s a single button below this long button for noise cancellation has a LED light built-in too to indicate on and off state.
Finally, there is a touch-sensitive button at the top of the mic that allows you to mute the mic quickly and easily, by a simple tap. The long light will turn off when muted and will stay on when it isn’t muted, making it clear and easy to know when the mic is muted or not. A neat addition that gives an extra sprinkle of ingenuity.
Sound Quality
The performance of the Tonor Orca 001’s sound quality is one that had more pros than cons, with strong, organic and pure audio, excelling in bass and vocals. This is a big sign that the Orca 001 is a good option for podcasts, streamers or any other recording that uses vocals.
The Tonor Orca 001 is a condenser microphone that adopts a cardioid pick-up pattern. A cardioid pick-up pattern concentrates mostly on the very front of the microphone, with the highest sensitivity to sound coming in directly from the front.
This means there’s essentially no sensitivity to sound coming directly from behind and a reduced sensitivity to sound coming in from the sides, meaning you won’t be picking up background noises from around the mic.
Its cardioid pickup pattern can be limiting at times, but it’s a good choice for mics like the Tonor Orca 001. It sounds pretty good by default, making it work well for comms in gaming or as an entry-level mic for people who are getting into streaming.
Additionally, the Orca 001 has a high signal-to-noise ratio of 95dB, meaning the microphone signal level much higher than the noise level. Relating to what I said earlier about this mic being good for streaming, this feature means the Tonor Orca 001 is a highly sensitive mic, which is great for streaming or podcasting, as you can speak into the microphone without the need to be loud or close to the mic.
This is also useful for someone with a quiet voice, when recording quiet sounds or simply if you don’t want to disturb others, making the Orca 001 quite a good all-round option.
On the other hand, the Orca 001 does not exceed in recording the louder types of sounds because it has a low sound-pressure level 110dB, meaning when the source sound is louder than 110dB, the recording will be most likely distorted.
This limits the Orca 001 mainly to quieter sounds as opposed to louder sounds, which is one area that could use improvement in order to reach a more well-rounded type of microphone. This is also what knocks it down from a 4.5/5 to a 4/5 as I feel microphones should be able to handle multiple ranges of volume.
Compatibility
The Tonor Orca 001 is compatible with PS4, Mac computers and Android phones with an adjustable USB data port that can be either USB-C or USB-A and a 3.5mm headphone jack. This makes life easy as you will not have the awkward moment where the mic doesn’t work on your specific device and your headphones will more than likely be compatible.
This along with the simple plug-n-play functionality adds to the ongoing feeling that I get with this mic that it is very good for people who don’t want to dilly-dally with loads of leads, wires, and switches. The buttons are simple and easy to grasp, the setup takes no effort or time at all, and it only requires one or two wires.
On the contrary, this means the Orca 001 is relatively simple in terms of it wouldn’t suit any situation which requires a high amount of professional technology, both for this simple compatibility and set-up, but also for the podcast suiting audio quality.
Final Thoughts
All in all, the Tonor Orca 001 is a very solid low to a mid-range microphone. When you factor in the price of around £60, the simplicity of the set-up, the solid build using premium feeling materials and its generally strong performance in the audio quality department, the Tonor Orca 001 has definitely put in a good showing.
It isn’t exactly flawless, with some quality lacking in the audio department, along with no pop filter, not much flexibility of build and slightly basic controls, which is why I haven’t given it a 5 out of 5.
To summarize, the Tonor Orca 001, at around £50, would definitely be a top option for content creators like podcasters and streamers, with it performing well in the areas that suit vocals and talking close to and directly into the mic.
Product Rating:
Design: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars
Sound Quality: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars
Compatibility: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars
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