E-Blue Cobra Gaming Headset Review

Today I tested out the E-Blue Professional Gaming Headset which was requested by one of our viewers Mac Cat.

What's in the Box

There was absolutely nothing in this box. It comes with the headphones, and a single 3x4-inch sheet of paper. Half of the paper is the 12-month warranty, the other half of the sheet is the User Guide, which consists of directions like "Plug the headset into your computer". I would be lying if I did not point out how much I love how simple their directions were. However, if you are not technically inclined, and do not know much about computers or computer jacks, this could be a point of contention. On top of this, there was no spec sheet in the box.

Performance / Features

The headphones boast 40mm drivers that reproduce sound from 30Hz - 19KHz (this was determined using frequency sweeps and it is not 100% accurate). The microphone on this is the stand out feature. It sounds great, especially considering that this headset costs only $16. I did notice that at points, there were some pops, but that can be remedied by repositioning the microphone. 

Pros

• The price tag on certain colors of this headset for $15-$16. 
• The microphones good audio quality
• The microphone can articulate, making it easier to get good audio)
• Compatible with Windows & Macs

Cons

• Does not provide full frequency reproduction in the headphones.
• Not that versatile (you will not be able to use this is too many scenarios)
• Cheap plastic construction
• Uncomfortable Ear Cups
• Non-braided Cable

Conclusion

Overall, I think that this is a great deal if you can find it for $16. If you have a podcast guest that's in another city or state, and does not have access to a good microphone, you can just buy them this headset as well as the USB adapter, and ship it directly to them. It comes out to like $22, and the audio quality will be a huge improvement over their internal computer mic, their webcam mic, or a phone call. 

If you have any questions about this headset, leave them in the comments down below or on youtube and I will get back to you ASAP. Thanks for watching & reading.

Buy the Headset: http://amzn.to/1kJ9ONy
Buy the Adapter: http://amzn.to/1KBMRk4

Citizen Four

Have you ever considered that your government is violating your rights? Have you ever thought that governments and corporations around the world were working together to spy on millions upon millions of people? If the answer to either of these questions is no, it's time to watch the documentary Citizen Four. If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then it's also time to watch Citizen Four, because it always feels good to have your suspicions confirmed.

In this film we follow Edward Snowden during his first meet up with the press in a hotel in Hong Kong, through the leak, all the way through him taking asylum in Russia. While watching the doc, we almost feel like another report in the hotel room with Snowden; unable to comprehend the technical jargon he is throwing at us, so we just take notes and nod our head. However, once we start to understand the implications of what we're being told, we stop nodding and we start to get angry. 

Prior to watching this doc, I had not done any research on Snowden, or looked at the leaked documents/information for two reasons. 1) I most likely would not understand a word of the technical documents, and 2) I don't want to be put on some blacklist. That second justification sounds like a joke, but it is not. Google searches are stored, and provided to NSA. Pretty damn unsettling if you ask me.

The film begs the viewer to ask the question, is my privacy really worth giving up for my safety? That's an incredibly valid and scary question to ask, and one that I don't think anyone wants to answer. After all, our privacy is one of our main freedoms and can we truly say that we are free, if we no longer have the ability to have a private conversation?

Do You Even Comic: The Alcoholic

Pick up a glass and cheers or maybe don't as we discuss this month's Do You Even Comic: The Alcoholic by Jonathan Ames. The 2008 Vertigo (sister company to DC) book chronicles the drunken misadventures of Jonathan A.

Jonathan A. is a drunken, coked-up, sexually curious and hopelessly romatic, he is only a coincidentally a warped mirror reflection of the aurthur Jonathan Ames.

The Story

 The intoxicating story we follow is one of hearbreak and relationships, it's about how far a person can fall and deal with tradegy. Starting on August 2001 Jonathan gets drunken with a friend every weekend and we see how he reacts to the events of 9/11 and his delusion of granduer as a writer. Yet continue to endure and find something to keep us going. I found the book to not be HA-HA funny but more a inside laugh funny as you can't help but laugh at the bizzare things that happen to Jonathan A. 

Why this book?

But I think what has me sitting down and writing about this book is the universal message it has for everyone as a person who finds struggles navigating careers, relationships and battling our personal demons. Jonathan Ames and Dean Haspiel capture struggle in a way that hasn't left me.  This was the next slice of life book I read after Essex County. It is books like these that can open your eyes to more amazing stories that aren't superheroes or fantasy.

I am also embarrassed to admit that I had no idea Jonathan Ames was the writer behind the book Extra Man and Bored to Death both of which have been adapted to the screen.

If this sounded like a book for you then get it here:

Book: The Alcoholic

Afterglow AGU.50 Wired Headset Review / Test

Today I tested out and reviewed the Afterglow AGU.50 Wired Headset.

There were no specs on this headset included in the box, or on the box which really bothers me. I like to know what the company is claiming to provide before I start testing a product out. Unfortunately, they did not provide anything.

The headphones are 50mm drivers and seem to reproduce audio from 20hz - 19.5KHz (Determined using frequency sweeps. Not 100% Accurate). The microphone provides a nice sound for the size, and it isolates the voice relatively well. The headset does have a controller that allows you to adjust the headphone volume and chat volume, and it allows you to mute your microphone. The cable runs splits a USB & 3.5mm jack, so you will need to be able to plug in both (USB = Microphone & 3.5mm = Headphones). In the box you get the headphones, and all the cables you will need to hook it up to your PC or Video Game console (360, PS3, WiiU).

The main selling point of this headset, in my eyes, is the microphone quality. The quality of this mic is pretty good for a $50-$60 gaming headset. However, there are quite a few negatives to this headset. Let's go ahead and compare the two.

Pros:

• Microphone sound quality is pretty good
• Microphone can articulate, making it easier to get good audio
• Interchangeable microphone (need to make sure replacement mic is compatible)
• Universally compatible with X-Box 360 / PS3 / WiiU / PC
• Decent sounding headphones

Cons:

• Headphones wired in both earphones
• Not a braided cable
• Construction feels cheap
• Headphones do not fit snuggly - You can hear room noise

So as you can tell, the majority of pros are for the microphone, and the majority of the cons arise out of the headphones. A good way to determine whether this headset is right for you is by looking at what you will be using the headset for; will you be mainly gaming or will you be using it for skype? If you want good headphone quality for gaming, you can find a better option. If you're just looking for a good microphone, you can find a better stand alone microphone option. But if you're looking for a decent overall package, this will be serve the purpose, and will do so fairly well for the price. 

If you have any questions about this headset, leave them in the comments down below or on youtube and I will get back to you ASAP. Thanks for watching & reading.

How To Record a 3.5mm Mic on an iPhone

Another day, another video. In the first day of my last video, I received a lot of questions about what other mics work on the iPhone 6. So, I tested out the SF-930, SM-58, NW-700, BM-800, & NW-1500. Surprisingly, all the microphones technically worked.

This method consists of plugging the microphone into the Startech 4-pin Splitter, and then plugging the splitter into my iPhone and recording into the stock Voice Memos app. 

Some microphones performed much better than others in this test. However, none of the microphones even came close to their full potential. Every single microphone sounds much better when being recording on a computer in the appropriate fashion.

I have major concerns about this technique. I don't know the iPhones TRRS jack specs, but I don't think it was designed to handle the power needs of a 5v condenser mic. This could possibly damage your battery or damage your TRRS jack. I'm not sure. I would need to consult Apple on this, but I don't have the time. 

I guess, I should just say that I do not recommend using this method. It does not provide good results, and you could potentially damage your phone. The iPhone mic doesn't sound terrible. Just use that in the mean time. I think that the quote from Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park is surprisingly fitting. I was so preoccupied with whether or not I could, that I didn't stop to think if I should.

Can You Record an External Microphone on Your iPhone?

Hey! Special edition of Podcastage! I received quite a few comments asking me "Can you record an external microphone on your iPhone?". The majority of these comments were on my SF-920 review video, so that's the mic I decided to test out. I will walk you through the adapter and app that I used, and some of my warnings and concerns.

The iPhone has a single 3.5mm jack on it. This jack is a TRRS plug, which stands for Tip, Ring, Ring, Sleeve. What this jack allows you to do is transfer audio in and audio out on a single cable. That is all well and good, but if you want to record a different mic than your stupid iPhone headphones mic, then you're out of luck. Until NOW! There is a $7 adapter that splits this jack into two jacks; a headphone out and a microphone in. This allows you to plug in your headphones, and plug in a separate mic!

In this video, I test this out by using the the Voice Memo app on the iPhone. It seemed to work fine, but here are my concerns.

• You cannot change the microphones input gain on the phone. Therefore, you will need to monitor the input closely and change your distance to the microphone accordingly. You can also use a microphone that has a gain control on it, like the SF-920.
• I do not know what kind of voltage the TRRS plug provides, so I cannot guarantee that all microphones will work using this method. I can almost guarantee that the most condenser microphones will not work using this method. 

That's what I found on my first test of this method. I hope you learned something or found the video and article helpful. If you did, go ahead and give us a thumbs up and subscribe on youtube. If you have any more questions leave them in the comments down below. Talk to y'all next time.

Harmontown

In this 1 hour 40 minute documentary we follow Dan Harmon and crew on their journey across the country on the first Harmontown (podcast) tour. There are funny parts, there are parts where you genuinely feel worry, but the overarching feeling you get from this documentary is hope. That hope comes from Spencer; the dungeon master for harmon town.

Spencer started out as an audience member at harmontown and one day got pulled on stage to run a D&D campaign. A few years later, he's still a part of Harmontown and he has become something of a celebrity. It's through Spencer that we are able to relate to the behind the scenes world of Harmontown in this documentary. He is one of us, thrown into this world, forced to come to terms with this new reality. However, throughout this journey he struggles, just like any of us would. That's what's so engaging about his story, and this documentary as a whole. Everyone in it is so human. Except for Jeff Davis...I think he's a robot.

With a name like Harmontown, you may think that this documentary would be about Dan Harmon. That couldn't be farther from the truth. This documentary is about everyone. It's about the underdog. It's about the people who don't fit in or feel like they belong. More importantly this documentary shows us that the unpopular, anti social, depressed, anxious, freaks that we are, are people too.

A Brief History of Root Beer

On this episode of I Am Vlog, I very shortly go over the history of Root Beer.

If I am being honest, I didn't know what to cover and I needed something to talk about so I went with what I was currently drinking. One of the few things that I find joy out of. Delicious. Ice Cold. Root Beer. I didn't realize that it was an elixir to start off, or that there is alcoholic root beers. 

Well I hope you enjoy this edition of I Am Vlog. I need to make a trip somewhere for Monday's Vlog! See ya then!

Tonor USB Professional Condenser Sound Podcast Studio Microphone Review

It's Tuesday and that means it's time for another Podcastage Mic Review. Today I am testing out the Tonor USB Professional Condenser Microphone. From my understanding, this is the SF-666 but upgraded to include a USB cable instead of the 3.5mm cable. We also hear a very different tonality.

This microphone runs about $25 on Amazon, and what you're going to get for that is the Microphone and a mic stand. That's it. The box that it came in is much nicer than the packaging of the SF-666, so it will be a little bit more protected during shipping. There was no spec sheet, which bothers me, but all the information was on amazon.

The frequency response on this mic is 50Hz - 16KHz, so you're going to get the majority of audible frequencies. Amazon states that the microphone also isolates sound, but through my tests, I determined that it is an Omni-Directional microphone, so it will be picking up noise from all directions. That means that you will need to be aware of your surroundings and what is causing noise because chances are, it will be picked up by this microphone. There is also a notice to make sure you do not place the microphone near or towards the wall or power source, as this action will cause buzzing in the microphone.

Pros: This microphone is very cheap at $25. It is also a USB microphone which makes it incredibly easy to set up (if it works). It comes with everything you need. You'll be off the ground and recording once you get it. 

Cons: It is a USB mic. I am personally not a fan of USB microphones. I have had one too many bad experiences with these plug and play USB mics that I try to avoid them. However, this mic didn't exhibit any obvious problems. This microphone seemed to lack some of the presence of previous Tonor Mics. There was a slight buzz at certain times. Feels like poor construction.

So overall, I think it's a decent microphone. It's not anything that you'll see in a professional studio, and I don't think it provides audio at a high enough quality when you put it next to it's competitors. For $26 or $27, you can get the Neewer NW-700 and sound a LOT better (you will need a USB audio adapter and a Microphone Stand for this, so it's a bit more expensive, but the sound quality is MUCH better). If you are on a budget, another option would be The SF-920 and a USB Audio Adapter, which will set you back about $20 and you'll get the same, if not better audio quality. 

I think that this is a valiant effort by Tonor to improve their microphones, but this one just does not provide enough of a boost in performance to justify the quality. 

Buy it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1jhJhGT

A Brief History of Battlestar Galactica

If you are anything like me, Battlestar Galactica was an important and integral part of your life. The 2003 reimagining is to this day one of my favorite pieces of television to ever be created. 

This series is one of those rare occurrences where every single person involved is firing on all cylinders. Writers, great. Directors, great. Actors, great. Crew, Great. Music, PERFECT! Everything was just so great. I figured that I may as well do some research into the history of BSG and share it with all of you.

Yes I know that BSG is based in Mormon mythology, as Glen A. Larson, was a mormon. I mean...12 colonies of Kobol..There's something in the mormon mythology known as Kolob. I know that much. But I don't care about any of that. All that can be said is that BSG is a great story and I loved almost every second of it with a few exceptions of subpar episodes. I hope you enjoy the Vlog. SO SAY WE ALL!

Can You Record Music With a Cheap Mic?

I have received comment after comments asking me if the mics that I test out are capable of recording music and sounding good. Rather than testing all the microphones I have tested, I selected 3 to test out. The SF-920, the NW-700, and the SM48. All of these mics are $30 or less and I did a couple tests on them.

1. I recorded an overdriven guitar with the mics (I should note that the amps volume is not very loud).
2. I recorded a clean guitar with the mics to show you more of what the mic is capable of doing on an amp.
3. Lastly, I recorded a Ukulele to show you how this thing functions with acoustic instruments.

To sum up, I believe that the Neewer NW-700 performed the best on the clean guitar and acoustic instrument, and the SM48 performed the best on the overdriven guitar. However, if either of these mics are out of your price range, you will probably be okay picking up the SF-920. So the answer to "Can You Record Music With a Cheap Mic?" is YES!

Can You podcast With a Google Chromebook

The first extra video that I am releasing on the podcastage Channel is a video that I made just for myself and my curiosity. I had a Chromebook lying around and I wanted to know if you can podcast on it. This would provide an extremely low and cheap entry point for podcasters.

I found that it is possible to do, but you will not have the best sound quality, and you won't have that much power. The best way to go about it is using a Xenyx 302usb (a usb mixer). This will provide you with Phantom Power, live monitoring of what you're recording, and a basic EQ. The service that I tested out www.twistedwave.com only allows you five minutes of recording time for free on a single track. The pricing breakdown is as follows

• Free = 5 Minutes
• $5/month = 20 minute files & 1 track
• $10/month = 60 minute files & 1 track
• $20/month = unlimited minute & unlimited tracks

So in all honesty, I don't know how viable of an option this is. But it's the best way I was able to find. I have a few other things I will test out later and report back to you on. For now that's all I got. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below (or on youtube) and I will get back to you ASAP. Thanks for watching/reading.

Life Itself

Life Itself is a documentary where we explore Roger Ebert's life. The events that make up his life do not seem extraordinary, however, he took a seemingly regular life and turned it into a voice that could affect an entire industry. 

What is most amazing about this documentary is the realization of how much (some) film makers loved this man. That is a side of the story you never hear. I have always heard about a critic giving a film a bad review and in turn the director hates that critic. You rarely hear about how a film critic believes in a film so much that they insist on reviewing it three times on national television; helping establish a filmmakers career. You never hear how a world renowned film critic answers a young film makers request to come watch his movie at Sundance. You would never read about how an honor given from two film critics helped save a great director's life and pull him out of addiction. We get to experience all these great things within this film, and it is heart warming.

Unfortunately, with the good comes the bad. We also get to experience the deterioration of Roger Ebert. It can be difficult at times to comprehend what Roger was going through, but you always see him with a sense of determination and motivation that is astounding. I like to think that it was his love for movies (and his family) that kept him going through all the hard times. I just hope that we can all find something that we love as much as this one man loved films in order to keep us going when it seems like we don't have the will.

When watching Life Itself, I realize that talking about movies can be so much more than a pretentious over analyzation of a piece of art. It can create friendships, it can change perspectives, but most importantly it can show us what it means to be human. That's what we learned from Roger Ebert. See you at the movies Roger.

Each G2000 3.5mm Stereo Gaming Headset Review/Test

Alright ladies and gentleman. Time for another Mic test video. The search for an all in one gaming headset for podcasting is still underway, but I think I have found the current front runner.

This is a generic  headset that seems to be sold under a bunch of different company names on Amazon. But it works well for what I'm looking for and it runs between $22 & $25 on amazon.

The build quality is flimsy plastic, which feels cheap, but it does have nice ear piece and head piece padding to keep it comfortable. It also has a braided cable that leads into (2) 3.5mm Cables (Headphone / Microphone) and a USB cable (whose purpose I could not determine). It does have a small control dongle in the middle of the headphone wire that allows you to mute your microphone and adjust your headphone volume.

The headphones provide a frequency response of 20Hz - 20kHz, but they do not fit snuggly to your head, so if you are playing games in a loud environment, you will be able to hear everything going on around you. I tested the Freq Response on AudioCheck.net and the stated response seemed to be pretty accurate. I will blame the small discrepancy on my own hearing loss.

The mic is another thing that blew me away. It is a dang good sounding mic, but there is no listed frequency response, and I haven't developed an accurate way of testing that yet. The microphone is omni directional, which  for a gaming headset seems a bit strange to me. So if you are going to be gaming in a loud area, this may not be the best headset. Another thing that I was not a fan of, is the mic is not articulating, meaning, I cannot position the mic closer or farther away from my face. It only moves on one axis. 

A HUGE problem I have is with the way it was shipped. It came in an amazon box, and the headphones were inside, but only in bubble wrap. No directions, or spec sheets, or proper packaging were included. That makes the company seem pretty crappy, and it would make me hesitant to want to test out any more of their equipment, if this mic didn't sound so good for $20! 

Overall I would recommend this mic if you are going to be in a quiet room designated for gaming, or if you are going to be podcasting. If you are in competitions, or play with the sound on your TV or Computer turned up, this may not work well for you. Really cool headset though, and I'm glad that our viewer Cobra Gaming requested this device.

Buy it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1ja3Ip8

Superhero Sunday: The Question

You need to stop accepting answers and question everything you've been told because in this edition of Superhero Sunday we are covering The Question.

The History

Yes, this is the superhero who inspired Alan Moore's Rorschach  in Watchmen. Created in 1967 by artist/writer Steve Ditko and seen in Charlton Comic's Blue Beetle #1 . Of course I didn't know who the question was until the amazing 2004 animated TV series Justice League United (JLU) in which The Question is a paranoid conspiracy theoirst. 

The Character

The mantle of The Question has been taken up by more than one person but the first and current person is Charles Victor Sage (Vic Sage). Vic Sage is an outspoken investigative journalist who discovers that his old professor, Aristolte Rodor, is working on a new fake skin, Psuedoderm, for treating wounds. Vic also discovers the Psuedoderm is toxic for many people and must not be released to the public. Rodor disregards this and sells it to third world countries anyway(dick move). In order to sneak around and find Rodor, Vic takes some psuedoderm and makes a mask that is faceless. Vic stops Rodor and then decides to keep this alternate persona to continue to stop crime.

A few years later DC acquired the Charlton Comics line. The Question (Written by Dennis O'Neil) still had the same origin but was aimed at unpinning the political corruption of his home; Hub City . This origin is once again revamped in DC's New 52 where he gains the mask from a Batman villain "Noface." Still Vic Sage is The Question, bent on stopping political conspiracy. 

This brings us to Renee Montoya, the successor to Vic Sage. Renee Montoya a latina Gotham City police officer who is featured prominently in "Gotham Central" and other stories. She was created in Batman: the animated series and remains a popular character working along side Batwoman. In "52" (DC's weekly series in 2006) once Sage learns he has cancer he trains Renee. Sage thought she matched his objectivism and would be the right one for the mask. 

Why this hero?

Montoya is also my favorite version of The Question. She meets Vic Sage who helps her investigate a potential attack on Gotham, after that, they continue to work together. Sage reveals he has cancer and throughout several issues they work toward stopping crimes of corruption. At one point she is portrayed as a recovering alcoholic. She has guilt of criminals she has killed in the past and says she won't kill again. Throughout these cases with Sage, she is built back up and comes to accept her fate of becoming The Question. 

No matter what version of The Question you might encounter, you'll be in for a good time. I am partial to Montoya and the Justice League United versions. Plus who doesnt like an objectivist, zen shaman who can rock a fedora and trench coat(totally owns it).

Recommended Reading:

• Question: Five Books of Blood
• Gotham Central Book 1
• DC's "52"

Q&A 001: Shock Mounts, Singing, & Pop Filters

Greetings Earthlings, I am back with my very first Q&A video for you. On the first Q&A for podcastage, I answer three questions:

1) Will the BM700 shock mount stop my computers vibrations?
2) What's the difference between a Metal & Nylon Popfilter?
3) Is the BM-700 / NW-1500 good for singing?

I hope that you enjoyed the video, and that I sufficiently answered the questions you had. If you have any additional questions you want answered on the next Q&A video, leave them in the comments down below (on geeks rising or youtube). 

The Martian

Ladies and Gentleman. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh mai gawd! If you have been hiding under a rock and don't know what The Martian is, let me tell you. It is a movie (and a book) about an astronaut that gets left behind on mars, who has to survive until he can find a way to get rescued. Unlucky for Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon), this planet is dangerous, and one wrong step can kill him.

Matt Damon really shines in this film. He perfectly embodies the Mark Watney we know and love from the book. He is a funny, sarcastic, and scared Botanist that is put in a horrible situation. However, at no point does the deadpan of Watney take you out of the story; you realize that his constant joking is his way of fighting off the crippling realization that "i'll probably die here". The remainder of the large cast did an amazing job as well, but my personal favorite was Donald Glover's portrayal of Rich Purnell. 

When I wasn't laughing at Watney, I forgot that I was even in a movie theater. That is because the cinematography is absolutely breathtaking. There have been plenty of films set on Mars but none have made you feel like you're there; until now. 

The real story of this film is not on Mars, it's on Earth. We see the entire world forget about it's wars, and hatred for one another. We see Humans all across this planet converge and work together on a single problem (in this case, save Mark Watney's ass). It shows what we could accomplish as a species if we all had a common goal. I think that's what we should take away from this film. 

Overall, this film was a great achievement that I would recommend to anyone. It's also a very refreshing take on sci-fi where there aren't anti-matter Rays, dark matter drives, or alpha centaurians invading. There is still the subtextual social commentary for those pretentious viewers like me. 

Now go watch The Martian, and/or Buy the Book: Buy it on Amazon

A Planet of Robots: A Brief History of Mars Exploration

Greetings Martians! On this edition of I Am Vlog, I briefly tell you about mars and then tell you a bit about the history of mars exploration. I mainly focus on the Phoenix Mission because I was at the landing party for that because I went to University of Arizona, and the University of Arizona is awesome like that! Go Wildcats! Anyways. I hope you learn something, or I pique your interest and push you to do a little bit of reading/research on mars yourself! Cheers folks. See ya on Mars!

Podcastage Ep. 82: Water on Mars, X-Files, & The Daily Show

Greetings. Podcastage isn't dead yet so that means that there's another new episode. On this episode I do a brief introduction that is nonsense, and then get into the NASA announcement from Monday that there is water on mars (note: to the right of this is the video discussed in the podcast of my reaction to the announcement).

Following that awesome discussion, I briefly talk about how I relate to the x-files and then explore a possible reason why the X-files initially gained it's popularity, and why it is still relevant 20 years later. Finally, I end the podcast discussing Trevor Noah taking over The Daily Show, and certain people's reactions to this! Hope you enjoy.

CAD U1 USB Dynamic Microphone Review/Test

Ladies and Gentleman. I do not like to badmouth a microphone or a company, but in this case I don't think I have any other choice. I tested out the Cad U37, and had an issue with the microphone being too hot (too loud). I assumed that this was a manufacturing error. I got a request from a viewer to test out the CAD U1, and I jumped at the opportunity because it has such good ratings for a $20 microphone.

I ran into the exact same problem as the CAD U37. The microphone is too hot. I set my microphone input gain at 1% and I was still clipping at 3 feet away from the microphone. On top of that, this microphone has no shielding, so you will be picking up radio waves and all sorts of noise. I have even seen people wrapping it with wire to ground it and eliminate a buzz. 

I understand. This is only a $20 microphone, so you can't expect amazing quality, but this is just absurd. Call me crazy, but if you're selling a microphone, regardless of the price, it should be useable. I should note that I have tested these mics out on Mac computers (which it says it is compatible with) and I think that may be a big issue. If I ever get a PC, I will revisit this microphones, but as of right now, I cannot tell you enough: DO NOT BUY A CAD USB MICROPHONE!