I've always been curious about higher-end USB microphones (the Rode is ~$230) compared with a potentially more upgradable XLR setup like: - Behringer UM2 USB A

I've always been curious about higher-end USB microphones (the Rode is ~$230) compared with a potentially more upgradable XLR setup like: - Behringer UM2 USB Audio Interface - Behringer Ultravoice XM8500 Dynamic Cardioid mic This would give the upgradability of an XLR audio interface and a seemingly decent mic for about $125. I imagine once everything is plugged together, it similarly comes down to just plugging in a USB, and I'd be surprised if it wasn't plug-n-play on Linux. I don't know how well the audio quality would compare, though. I'd be interested to hear more about the challenges of getting a working setup with XLR audio gear that are alluded to in the post.