This microphone is a condenser mic and needs to use 48V phantom power. It also has a narrow audio pick up beam, which does a great job picking up the subject you point at rather than all the background sounds.
I have compared this mic to some of the favorite mics I use almost every day like the Heil PR40, the Audio Technica ATR 2100 and my Audio Technica Pro 70 lapel mic.
Using the Shotgun mic is pretty easy, you plug into a mixer or a device that can supply phantom power the mic, you point the mic at your subject and hit record or broadcast. Don't have phantom power? You can always buy an adaptor, which I will be revising soon.
The sound quality is very solid and crisp if you need a quality pro-grade shotgun mic that's a little less than 7 inches and is under 200 dollars, then this is the shotgun mic for you. The Audio Technica AT875R comes with a carrying bag, pop filter and a mic stand with a adaptor. I would toss the mic stand and grab a shock mount, I should have a review of one that fits multiple stand types very soon.
I can totally recommend this mic and will be using it for my YouTube videos moving forward. I wish I would have had this mic from get go. I will not be using this mic for podcasting. You can use it for that but I prefer a dynamic mic for podcasting. Thank you for watching my video and/or reading my review. This has to be one of the best shotgun mics for this price point, easily being worth twice the current price.