You don't always need an expensive microphone. But a pop filter can make a much bigger impact than you would believe. Honestly the thing I see a lot of YouTubers using often that seems to work out quite well are lavalier mics. Not the traditional desktop microphones.

A lavalier microphone attached to a collar or lapel. Is generally outside of the direct path of your voice. So the need for pop filtering Etc is reduced. Though many of them do provide filters for it. Further since they are generally clipped to you the distance between you and them doesn't change much. Meaning that your levels stay much more consistent and even. No leaning away from mic and then back in. And they sometimes have a few less issues with assonance.

That's not even touching the headaches that can be simply capturing footage or streaming in obs. That rabbit hole goes deep. It's also a lot of fun with a lot of opportunity to be creative.

And as I said in my other post I just don't tend to listen to many podcasts at all. I have listened to behind the bastards a little bit in the past, Pod save America a couple times. Even the Retro hour a few times with RMC. But it's just never been something that I have a lot of time available to focus on or desire to. Though I might give it a try.