HyperX is not any stranger to the world of gaming microphones. Its HyperX QuadCast at the moment holds the highest spot on our listing of the greatest gaming microphones, and has since launched a number of iterations, just like the QuadCast S and DuoCast. It was solely a matter of time earlier than HyperX tried its hand at an XLR microphone to focus on streamers and content material creators clamoring for a extra skilled audio resolution.
The time has lastly arrived. I’ve spent the final two weeks with the XLR-powered HyperX ProCast, a side-address cardioid condenser microphone designed with extra severe creators in thoughts. It encompasses a wealthy, pure sound, sturdy construct, a built-in high-pass filter and -10dB pad, and helpful equipment like a shock mount and pop filter. It’s an honest microphone, however at $249 it’s a lot too costly to truly suggest shopping for.
HyperX ProCast Specs
| Connectivity | XLR |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz – 20,000Hz |
| Microphone Sort | Condenser |
| Polar Patterns | Cardioid |
| Sensitivity | -38 dbV/Pa |
| Most Enter Sound Degree | 140dB |
| Noise (RMS) | -118 dBV |
| Dynamic Vary | 123dB |
| Sign-to-Noise Ratio | 75dB |
| Dimensions | 5.3 x 4.0 x 8.2 inches |
| Weight (in shock mount) | 0.83 kilos |
Design of the HyperX ProCast
The ProCast is straight away recognizable as a HyperX microphone. Just like the QuadCast and QuadCast S, it encompasses a tall, cylindrical design with a honeycomb grille that takes up most of its higher half. It lacks a number of the visible pizazz of these microphones, missing coloured lighting (which isn’t attainable over XLR) or a lot colour exterior of the crimson suspension bands on the shock mount. It’s a bit boring, truthfully.
The mic feels sturdy within the hand because of its all-metal physique, nevertheless it doesn’t really feel prefer it may survive a fall. At 0.83 kilos (376 grams), it’s surprisingly mild, and even with its steel cage, the capsule inside floats on a slender stem that would simply get broken from a superb bang. It’s designed to go proper on a stand (offered individually) and keep there.
You’re not prone to be doing gymnastics holding your XLR mic, so what actually issues is the know-how inside the chassis. The ProCast is a big diaphragm condenser mic. (The diaphragm is the round disc mounted contained in the grille that truly captures the sound). Giant diaphragms are dearer to fabricate however can even ship higher, richer recordings, which is precisely why they’re present in recording studios world wide. Facet by aspect, the ProCast delivers a noticeably fuller sound than the small-diaphragm Blue Yeti, for instance.
In the case of specs, the capsule is ready to seize the total vary of human listening to: 20Hz to twenty,000Hz. It’s fairly quiet with a sign to noise ratio of 75dB and has a large dynamic vary of 123dB. The utmost sound enter degree is 140dB, loud sufficient the place you’ll want earplugs to stop listening to loss. The sensitivity is -38 dbV/Pa, nevertheless, which implies it can choose up nearly any surrounding noise in your room.
It makes use of a cardioid pick-up sample and is constructed for side-address. Which means you’ll be speaking into its face versus the tip of the cylinder like a conventional broadcast microphone. That polar sample focuses pick-up instantly in entrance of the mic, so sounds coming from the again and sides are quieter and sound thinner. It’s not a superb match for recording interviews or a number of hosts speaking throughout a desk, however is ideal for single-host podcasts and streaming to Twitch or YouTube.
One of many advantages the ProCast provides is its very pure, true-to-life sound. To perform that, it’s tuned to be fairly delicate to surrounding noise. Your keyboard and noisey roommates received’t be as loud as your voice, however they’ll nonetheless be audible and make their means onto your stream or podcast. Most individuals received’t want to fret about sound treating your room with this mic, however when you’ve got a whole lot of reflective surfaces or your recording house is of course echoey, its reflections may nonetheless make their means into the mic.
Across the again of the microphone, HyperX has included a pair of switches that alter the sound and sensitivity of the ProCast’s capsule. One change acts as a -10dB “pad,” which is audio-speak for quantity discount. Flip it on and your loud supply immediately comes by -10dB quieter.
The second change allows an 80Hz high-pass filter, which cuts low frequencies under 80Hz. You probably have a naturally deep voice, it helps to take away a number of the additional boominess chances are you’ll be experiencing. It may well additionally assist filter out any low droning sounds within the background, like an HVAC system, nevertheless it didn’t do something for the followers on my PC.
At $249, it’s an costly gaming microphone, however HyperX does improve worth by offering a shock mount and pop filter proper within the field. The shock mount is screwed on to the microphone, however works fairly properly at isolating the mic from minor vibrations and bumps. The pop filter is an easy steel mesh but additionally works fairly properly to dam plosives.
The ProCast doesn’t include any sort of stand like HyperX’s different microphones, so that you’ll have to buy one individually. The shock mount comes with 5/8-inch threading however doesn’t embrace a 5/8-to-3/8-inch adapter and should not work with all stands. Since most aftermarket mounts embrace one within the field, it shouldn’t be a difficulty, however you’ll positively wish to double examine earlier than ordering a desk stand or growth arm to verify it can match.
And, like all XLR microphones, you’ll want an audio interface in an effort to join it to your PC. For my functions, I used the Elgato Wave XLR nevertheless it additionally labored positive with my RodeCaster Professional 2 and Presonus Studio 26c. The mic requires 48V of phantom energy to run however isn’t achieve hungry, so even budget-friendly audio interfaces ought to work properly with it.
Sound High quality on the HyperX ProCast
The sound on the ProCast is the star of the present. HyperX’s microphones have at all times impressed with their recording high quality and that continues to be the case right here. Over the 2 weeks I spent with it, I examined it with every part from remoted take a look at recordings in Audacity, to gaming with buddies, calls over Discord, digital convention calls, and even recording acoustic guitar. The ProCast managed to sound good by all of it.
The massive diaphragm did an excellent job of selecting up on the decrease frequencies in my voice. I don’t have a pure radio voice and infrequently have to talk very near it to get sufficient bass presence. Right here, I used to be capable of sit again a number of inches and nonetheless have the identical full, pure sound I want for recording work. After I did lean in, the microphone didn’t change into boomy with an excessive amount of proximity impact.
I used to be shocked to search out that the high-pass filter had an audible impact on my voice with out additionally making it sound skinny. It minimize out a number of the lows however left the recording sounding a bit extra “clear” as an alternative of anemic.
The pad, alternatively, I didn’t discover a lot use for. In a standard recording setting for streaming, I simply didn’t discover a lot use for it. Merely adjusting the quantity on my interface was sufficient and made the pad an pointless additional. It really works: testing in Audacity made it clear. So, for those who do wish to mic a guitar cupboard or drum set, it’s a pleasant value-add.
I used to be additionally impressed by simply how quiet the mic was. Setting my ranges to seize my voice at a normal -12dB, there was hardly any audible noise coming by. That low noise ground makes it simpler to listen to tiny particulars and to create extra true-to-life, high-resolution recordings.
What wasn’t so nice is off-axis noise rejection. The cardioid sample tries to isolate sounds coming from instantly in entrance of the microphone (and a really small window behind it resulting from how the know-how works). Sounds coming from the again and sides are thinner and a bit quieter however nonetheless come by very simply.
That design is usually a good factor for those who don’t need the mic instantly in entrance of your mouth. For streaming, being just a little off-position is widespread and the ProCast is forgiving of that. On the similar time, each click on of my mouse and clack of my keyboard made their means by into my recordings. The identical was true of my case followers, particularly when the CPU cooler would kick into excessive gear whereas benchmarking.
The ProCast is a good sounding microphone nevertheless it works greatest in very quiet environments.
Sound Pattern for the HyperX ProCast
Have a hearken to the way it sounds under.
The HyperX ProCast doesn’t lose factors for sound high quality. There, like the unique QuadCast, it impresses. The issue is that it’s simply not good sufficient to justify its $249 price of entry. On the present MSRP, it faces stiff competitors from gadgets that additionally provide nice recording high quality, typically for a lot much less.
The primary mic that got here to thoughts conducting this evaluate was the Neat King Bee II. At $170, it provides even higher sound high quality, extra strong development, and a way more distinctive look. The Blue Spark SL (opens in new tab) is well on par with the ProCast in sound high quality, feels extra premium, and prices $50 much less. In the event you don’t thoughts swapping to a dynamic microphone (which might be higher for many dwelling streamers anyway), the Shure MV7 (opens in new tab) is one other glorious different that provides far extra options: USB or XLR connectivity, contact controls, automated achieve sensing, app help, and significantly better noise rejection.
With all of that in thoughts, it’s not that the HyperX ProCast is unhealthy, it’s only a bit bland, feels too mild within the hand, and calls for a premium as a result of… properly, I’m not precisely positive why. At $150 and even $180, this microphone can be price contemplating. At $250, it’s simply not.
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