How We Score Gear

Five metrics per category, each scored out of 10, averaged to one decimal. Published in full so you can disagree with a specific number rather than with a vibe.

What the score is

Every product on this site carries five metric scores and an overall figure that is the arithmetic mean of them, rounded to one decimal place. The overall score is never entered by hand — it is derived from the five, in code, so it cannot drift away from its own components.

The metrics differ by category, because the thing that makes a microphone good is not the thing that makes a boom arm good. Within a category they are identical across every product, so the comparison is like for like.

What the score is not

It is not a measurement. We have not tested these products. There is no anechoic chamber behind this site, no measurement microphone, no shelf of review units. The score is a structured editorial reading of published specifications and category experience, and we would rather say that plainly than imply a lab we do not have.

It is also not a review rating in the structured data sense. We deliberately do not emit our scores as Review or AggregateRating markup, because marking an editorial judgment up as a product review rating would contradict the paragraph above.

The rubrics

Microphones

Scoring metrics for Microphones and what each one measures.
Metric	What it measures
Output level	Published sensitivity in dBV/Pa, and what it demands of a preamp. A quiet capsule scores lower here even when it is the better microphone.
Tone for voice	How the published response and voicing controls suit spoken and sung word. Editorial.
Room rejection	How much of an untreated room the capsule keeps out — the property that matters most in a home studio.
Build and mounting	Shockmounting, yoke design, weight relative to what will hold it.
Value at its tier	What it costs relative to what else does the same job, including anything extra it forces you to buy.

Audio interfaces and preamps

Scoring metrics for Audio interfaces and preamps and what each one measures.
Metric	What it measures
Clean gain available	Published maximum mic gain. Weighted first, because it decides which microphones the box can drive.
Converter performance	Published dynamic range and EIN where available. Noted as unpublished where it is.
I/O for the price	Mic inputs, headphone outputs, MIDI, line outs — counted against the price.
Monitoring and routing	Metering, per-channel phantom, monitor switching, loopback.
Value at its tier	Total cost including any booster the gain figure forces on you.

Studio monitors

Scoring metrics for Studio monitors and what each one measures.
Metric	What it measures
Honest low end	The published +/-3 dB figure, not the generous -10 dB one. A modest, honest rolloff scores well in a small room.
Midrange accuracy	How flat and unflattering the vocal range is. Flat beats impressive.
Small-room tolerance	How it behaves against room modes and wall proximity, including boundary EQ controls.
Build and controls	Amplification headroom, cabinet, placement controls.
Value at its tier	Against what else does the job at the price.

Headphones

Scoring metrics for Headphones and what each one measures.
Metric	What it measures
Tonal neutrality	Published or independently measured response, and whether it flatters.
Long-session comfort	Weight, clamping force, pad material.
Easy to drive	Published impedance and sensitivity — whether a normal interface can drive it properly.
Build and parts	Whether wear parts are user-replaceable, and for how long.
Value at its tier	Including the cost of an amplifier if it needs one.

Acoustic treatment

Scoring metrics for Acoustic treatment and what each one measures.
Metric	What it measures
Low-mid absorption	Published absorption at 125 Hz where available, and thickness where it is not. Weighted first, because NRC excludes this band.
Published test data	Whether a lab and a standard are named. Independent third-party testing scores highest.
Mounting and fit	How it hangs, whether it stands off the wall, whether it needs a frame.
Finish and durability	Edge treatment, fabric, fire rating.
Value at its tier	Against DIY at the same absorption.

Accessories

Scoring metrics for Accessories and what each one measures.
Metric	What it measures
Load and reach	Published load rating and reach. An unpublished load rating costs points, because you cannot plan around it.
Mechanical quietness	Damping, sleeving, cable routing — whether the mount contributes noise to the recording.
Build	Materials and the likelihood of a buy-once purchase.
Compatibility	Threads, clamp ranges, fit lists.
Value at its tier	Including whether it is a consumable or a one-off.

Where the specifications come from

Every product record in our registry requires a source URL for its decisive specification before it can exist — that is enforced by the type system, not by good intentions. All 57 products currently on the site carry one, and the source link is rendered next to the figure in every spec table so you can check it without leaving the page.

Where a manufacturer does not publish a figure, we say so rather than estimating. You will see “Not published” in several tables on this site, and in at least one case a product is described qualitatively because we could not verify its sensitivity from a manufacturer source. That is deliberate.

How prices work

Prices are never written into an article. They render only from a live price data layer, keyed per product, and they expire automatically after 48 hours — so a figure you see here was verified within the last two days or it is not shown at all. Where no verified price exists, the button reads “Check price on Amazon”.

At the time of writing, live pricing is not yet enabled on this site, so every button reads “Check price on Amazon”. That is the honest state rather than a placeholder, and it will change without any article being rewritten.

About the images

Product imagery on this site is licensed stock photography of the relevant category of equipment — a dynamic microphone, an audio interface, a pair of monitors. It is not manufacturer product photography and it is not a photograph of the specific model named beside it. Alt text describes what is actually in the frame.

We would rather use honest illustrative photography than re-host a manufacturer's product shots, and rather that than ship a page with empty image slots.

Refresh cadence

Quarterly, and whenever a product in a table is discontinued or replaced. Every page shows its real last-updated date, and we do not bump a date without changing something. Competitor pages in this category are routinely titled with the current year while carrying an update stamp from several years earlier; we would rather show you an honest older date than a dishonest recent one.

Corrections

If a figure here is wrong, send it to contact@micandmix.com with a source and we will correct it and note that we did. The editorial policy sets out how corrections are handled.

Questions about our scoring

Did you actually test these products?

No. There is no test lab behind this site and we state that on every page. The scores are a structured reading of published specifications against the rubrics above.

Why does a cheaper product sometimes score higher?

Because value is one of the five metrics, and because some specifications that look worse on paper are better in a real home studio — a monitor with a modest, honest low-frequency rolloff is genuinely more useful in an untreated room than one that reaches deeper.

How do you weight the metrics?

Equally, as a plain arithmetic mean, and the overall figure is computed in code rather than entered by hand. Where a metric matters more than the others in a category, we say so in the rubric text rather than hiding it in a weighting.

Why do you not use star ratings in your structured data?

Because marking our editorial score up as a product review rating would contradict our own statement that we have not tested these products. The number on the page is content; it does not belong in the machine-readable graph as a review.

Does commission affect the ranking?

No, and several pages here recommend the cheaper product, or recommend buying nothing in that category at all. See the editorial policy for how that separation is maintained.