HyperX QuadCast S - Review 2022

Gamers who desire to stream or record commentary tin can make do using a good gaming headset with a solid smash microphone. But if you're serious about putting your vocalism on the net, yous should seriously consider a USB microphone. The clarity and richness yous tin can get from a decent USB mic outshines even the best headset boom mic, and that'southward worth your attention for content creation. The HyperX QuadCast S is a gaming-focused USB microphone designed for streamers, Let's Players, podcasters, and anyone who might be putting themselves out on YouTube or Twitch. The $159.99 mic comes loaded with useful features, like four recording patterns, on-mic headphone monitoring, a stupor mount, and even the gaming peripheral staple of programmable RGB lighting. It sounds first-class and offers enough of flexibility, making it an ideal microphone for streamers, and earning our Editors' Pick.

Design

The QuadCast is an viii-inch cylinder measuring 2.2 inches across, with soft-impact condom caps on the peak and bottom. The top one-half of the cylinder'south sides are metallic grilles over translucent foam (an internal pop filter), through which the microphone's RGB lighting glows. The lower one-half of the cylinder is opaque, with a white HyperX logo near the bottom. The top cap doubles as a mute button, which too turns off the RGB lighting when the mic is muted. The bottom cap is a large proceeds bicycle.

In addition to the mute button and gain adjustment, the QuadCast features a four-position style dial, located on the back just beneath the grille. The dial lets you choose betwixt cardioid, omnidirectional, stereo, and bidirectional configurations. A USB-C port sits below the dial, along with a three.5mm headphone jack for monitoring.

The QuadCast Due south comes mounted on a stand with a built-in shock mount. The base of operations of the stand up is a nice, heavy chunk of metallic with a circular foot that keeps the microphone steady. However, the stupor mountain, along with the short arm that connects to the base, is plastic. This is disappointing, since both the microphone itself and the base of operations are so sturdy, making the stupor mount feel a scrap inexpensive in contrast. The microphone likewise comes with a mount adapter that works with 3/8- and 5/8-inch thread sizes, though you'll still be using the plastic shock mountain with it.

Lighting

Past default, the mic's lights rotate in a rainbow of colors, flowing between the pinnacle and bottom lights to course a gradient in the eye. You lot tin can customize the lights using the HyperX Ngenuity software. Information technology lets you gear up unlike color effects, like solid light, blinking light, the entire microphone cycling betwixt colors, colors flowing between the height and bottom, and flashing like lightning. Yous can choose information technology to switch between your favorite colors, though but the "wave" flowing consequence shows 2 colors at once; the other effects show a single colour across the microphone. Of course, you can also plow the lights off, or dim them. Just be sure to save your preferences to the microphone itself; otherwise you'll need to proceed the app open for the lighting to stay customized.

The HyperX Ngenuity app besides lets you set the mic's book and monitoring levels, and the book of whatsoever headphones plugged into the jack. That'southward it for sound effects, though; you won't find whatever customizable filters in the app.

Performance

The QuadCast South features 3 14mm condensers for its adjustable microphone patterns, with a frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz. It's sensitive to -36dB, and samples at 48Hz with a 16-scrap bitrate. If you want higher sampling or bitrates in this price range, you should expect toward the Blue Yeti Nano (24-bit), the Rode NT-USB Mini (24-bit), or the Elgato Moving ridge:three (up to 96kHz at 24 bits).

The multiple microphone patterns worked well in testing, and setting the different capsule configurations accurately captured sound from their set directions while blocking most outside noise from other directions. The bidirectional setting, for example, picked up my vocalisation from the front and the back of the microphone, making it ideal for interviews. This is a notable boon for a sub-$200 microphone; the $100 Bluish Yeti Nano has cardioid and omnidirectional patterns, but for the total selection of iv patterns, you need to look at a $200-plus microphone like the Bluish Yeti X.

The QuadCast Due south sounds excellent for spoken words. Test recordings were clear and crisp, all the same lack any noticeable sibilance thanks to the internal pop filter. The recording quality far exceeds even the best gaming headset nail mics we've tested, like the Razer BlackShark V2. The microphone provides a make clean signal, suitable for serious content creation, though musicians might prefer a 24-bit model.

I could get test recordings to prune fairly easily with the gain turned upward. Fortunately, the proceeds knob on the bottom of the mic lets yous arrange sensitivity on the fly, so if you keep an eye on your recording, you can adjust rapidly if you showtime to get too loud. Just don't expect the mic to do all the work for you.

The Best Mic for Streamers

The HyperX QuadCast Due south sounds excellent, has multiple capsule configurations, features onboard gain aligning and headphone monitoring, and comes with a shock mount. Even looking at the colored lighting as an reconsideration, this is a compelling packet for $160. For similar options, yous'd need to expect to a $200-plus mics like the Bluish Yeti Ten.

If flexibility isn't as important to you as elementary recording quality, the Blue Yeti Nano and Rode NT-USB Mini are splendid mics for $100, and if yous actually want to save money, the Blue Snowball Water ice provides good recording for just $50. The HyperX QuadCast S is an excellent mic for the price, though, and should satisfy whatsoever streamer looking to start seriously recording. Information technology earns our Editors' Choice for microphones for gamers and streamers, though it isn't necessarily a recommendation for musicians; the more expensive Apogee HypeMIC fills that role.

Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/review/39279/hyperx-quadcast-s

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