In many cases the issue isn't the microphone but the horrid amount of reflections that the sound produces before reaching it. A quite good microphone can be bui

In many cases the issue isn't the microphone but the horrid amount of reflections that the sound produces before reaching it. A quite good microphone can be built using cheap, yet very clean, capsules like the AOM-5024L-HD-F-R (80 dB s/n) which is ~$3 at Mouser, but room acoustics is a lot more important and also a real pain in the ass when also not a bank account drain if done professionally, although usually carpets, wood furniture, curtains to cover glass and sound panels on concrete walls can be more than enough.