Having only ever owned RØDE or Shure microphones before (but I have used cheaper brands from time to time when not using my own equipment, and I have also tested a couple of unknown brands too), I was keen to see what this Boya BY-DM500 Dynamic Microphone would be like to use. I do podcasting as part of my work, but I am also a hobbyist musician, and I have a basic recording studio set up at home.On arrival, the BY-DM500 comes in a nicely presented box and has plenty of protective foam to keep the mic safe when not in use. On taking it out, you just get the microphone and a basic instructions leaflet. There are no XLR leads or mounting tripods or boom arms, so you will need to take that into consideration when making the purchase.When taking it out of the box, you instantly get a feel of the quality, this is no lightweight plasticky microphone, it is predominately metal including the yoke mount, which is really solid and holds the microphone in the exact position you want it to be in.My XLR cable (purchased separately) fitted perfectly, and once set up, I was able to start using it straight away. I have used this BY-DM500 twice now, with a total of 160 minutes of unedited recording time. I have used it in my M-Audio M-Track Solo pre-amp and my MacBook Pro.I have a couple of minor criticisms that I will get out of the way first. One is that the foam windscreen could be a little bit better; whilst it does help keep the microphone clean, it did still let through the occasional plosive, but I am being really fussy with that point. As most windshields come in a standard size, you should be able to replace this one, and still get a decent mic setup at a reasonable cost.The second minor issue is that I found is that it can pick up on unwanted mouth sounds if you are a) not used to podcasting or b) (like me) you sometimes forget how close to the mic you are. However, it is easy to clean the audio if you have decent software.The thing that I love about this BY-DM500 is that the depth of sound is amazing for such a budget mic. It does give a good studio-quality sound to my voice, and I found it didn't pick up any background noise which is always an added bonus for home use where soundproofing may not be best.This really is a great microphone, and given that the current price is £75.00 (at the time of review), I can wholeheartedly recommend this to you.