Higher-quality microphones tend to pick up more ambient sound because they're more sensitive and/or have a larger frequency response.
"Worse is better" sometimes applies to mics as well. For example, new podcasters are often advised to use cheap dynamic mics since it forces them to get close to the mic (improving their signal-to-noise ratio) and doesn't pick up audio over 15 kHz (which is not meaningful for voice recording).
"Worse is better" sometimes applies to mics as well. For example, new podcasters are often advised to use cheap dynamic mics since it forces them to get close to the mic (improving their signal-to-noise ratio) and doesn't pick up audio over 15 kHz (which is not meaningful for voice recording).