I get asked for audio recommendations a lot, here's what I recommend. Audio is subjective, but every device on this list is objectively good, and will absolutely get you to having high-quality sound without much effort. Everything with a ! in front of it, I use personally, and every device on this list I have touched at least once.
Note: This guide is directed at streaming / content creation.
Audio Setups for streaming / content creation
Headphones:
Closed-Back (Good for everyday use, along with at-home use, has less of a stereo image)
https://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/dt-770-pro.html
($130)
!Open-Back (Good for at-home use, has a much bigger soundstage, but leaks a bit of sound so others around you can hear your audio)
https://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/dt-990-pro.html
($130)
Note that both of these headphones have a 250ohm and 80ohm version. I recommend the 250ohm if you are plugging into something like a scarlett / other audio amp. If you are plugging into a computer / phone the 80ohm may be the better option for you. Prices fluctuate as they go on sale often.
I don't use or really recommend wireless headphones, sorry. Here's the only pair I have heard good things about lol.
https://www.sony.com/lr/electronics/headband-headphones/wh-1000xm4
($270)
Earbuds:
!iPhone / Mac use (controversial but airpods are arguably the best wireless earbuds on the market, and 100% have the best noise cancellation.):
https://www.apple.com/airpods-pro/
($250)
Android / PC use (I think these are close to on-par with apple's offering):
https://www.sony.com/lr/headphones/products/wf-1000xm4
($250)
Gaming Headsets:
I dont really recommend anything on the market, as they have amps built into the headphone, meaning less control / cheaper hardware. Instead attatching a modmic to headphones listed above would work absolute best.
https://antlionaudio.com/collections/microphones
($60 - $140 Wireless vs Wired)
Antlion actually sells a bundle of modmic + dt990, which i think is personally the best "gaming headset" you can buy. https://antlionaudio.com/products/dt990-pro-bundle?variant=36566835691679 ($259 Bundle)
Audio cards / DACs:
!I really only can vouch for the Focusrite Scarlett series, I have been using them for 10 years without issue.
https://focusrite.com/en/scarlett
($99-$200 depending on model, solo has 1 input, 2i2 has 2)
If you want to try something higher-end look into the new UAD volt interfaces, theyre honestly like the same cost, but they are a much more "renowned" company known for making really high-end gear. This is their first real step into the consumer market. I haven't personally used them but I have heard very good things.
https://www.uaudio.com/audio-interfaces/volt.html
($140)
Lastly, I know this company to be on-par, if not better than UAD, they are known for building large-format studio consoles. Probably one of my favourite consoles I've worked on. I tested this interface briefly once at a convention, but don't know much about it.
https://www.solidstatelogic.com/products/ssl2
($199)
Last thing I want to mention is the Go-XLR, I know a lot of streamers rely on this so I can't ignore it. However, I don't feel too great about it. It's a lot of shit placed into one box, so the components are going to be cheaper and you are going to get a less-than-average sound, there is no way around it. If you rely on a Go-XLR, I recommend some sort of mic-preamp to go with it, as the preamps in it are generally not going to be great. The ART Tube MP is good for condensers and the Cloudlifter for an SM7B will help a ton. You are paying for the features, and not for audio quality. It is made by TC-Helicon who is known for having really good plate reverbs in studios back in the 70s-90s.
https://www.tc-helicon.com/product.html?modelCode=P0CQK
($140-$500)
If you rely on something like this, but want better audio, something like one of the interfaces above + a streamdeck or another macro device would work much better.
Microphones
Theres a few different levels you can choose here:
Low-End
!These microphones you can find on amazon / ebay for $20-$40 dollars, they come in bundles usually with a bunch of shit like microphone arms, etc. They're called the BM-800 and have a very similar to the Neumann U87, which is the most popular, and one of the best sounding microphones ever made. If you've heard any studio-recorded track in the past 40 years, it was probably recorded using this mic. The BM-800 is very similar, but stupid cheap, you can also do a few mods to it easily to make it sound extremely close to the U87.
https://www.amazon.com/ZINGYOU-Microphone-BM-800-Double-layer-Broadcasting/dp/B0756V2B6R/
($30)
Low-Mid-Range
The AT2020 is a decent choice, although I personally don't like the sound of it much, it can be used as a good voice microphone.
https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/at2020
($99)
High-Mid-Range
The Rhode NT-1 is really nice for the price, it will get you a decent sound with little effort. Honestly, I would just move up to the SM7B at this price.
https://rode.com/en/microphones/studio-condenser/nt1
($300)
High-End (You really dont need anything more than this.)
!SM7B is the most used microphone when speech clarity is important. Most podcast sets use it, and most talk shows, this is just because of it's frequency response. It does a good job capturing around 2k (voice range), and gets some of that boomy low-end that you hear in podcasts and the like.
https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/microphones/sm7b
($400)
!If you are using the SM7B I HIGHLY recommend getting a Cloud Lifter. A Cloud Lifter is an in-line mic preamp that brings the noisefloor of the microphone down (volume at which you start to hear noise), while boosting the mic +25db. Basically this will get the really nice sound you want out of an SM7B. We use this in every application where we use an SM7B in the studio.
https://www.cloudmicrophones.com/cloudlifter-cl-1
($99)