I’m a bit of a stickler, when it comes to audio recording. I hate using the mics that come with laptops or the standard desktop mic. Recently, a co-worker asked me about my setup (I record a piano, strictly for my listening pleasure, and NO, MIDI doesn’t count).
I couldn’t find the links for my version of the mic, but here are some equivalents.
USB Mics
MXL .006 USB Mic
MXL .007 USB Mic
Mixers
Berhinger 502
Berhinger 802
Berhinger 1202
Once you start using a condenser mic, and hear the richness of the output, you’ll never want to go back to the crappy on-board mics.