I’ve jokingly told some colleagues that the old Neat Bumblebee looks like the microphone of a sci-fi intercom system (opens in new tab). It was an out-there design I respected. Â And if you know me, I do love some goofy-looking tech (opens in new tab). For the Bumblebee II microphone, Neat decided on a more modest design for its budget microphone, pitting against a competitive group of worthy noise recorders.
Considering the charmingly bizarre design of the original Bumblebee (opens in new tab)and King Bee (opens in new tab)microphones, it’s strange to see Neat go for such a modest design. I’m certain the new look has a broader appeal than the old look. But I guess if you want flashy, the new King Bee II is probably more up your alley.
Neat’s Bumblebee II elbows itself on the top end of the budget microphone field. Much like other mics at this price, features were given up to retain good recording quality, which usually ends up with the microphone just having a mute switch (if you’re lucky) and not much else. So you can imagine my surprise that the Bumblebee II has not only a mute button but also a multi-use button that cycles through volume and gain, which is pretty unheard of for mics at this price.Â
