HyperX SoloCast review: an affordable USB mic for podcasting
The HyperX SoloCast is an affordable mic, but it's slim on features
The HyperX SoloCast is slim on features, which is not surprising considering its affordable price label, but it picks up sound easily, offers a decent quantum of background noise rejection, and is easy for a freshman to use. It’s a cardioid mic, but it picks up sound from both in front and before, which could be profitable for some users.
Pros
- +Affordable
- +Audio is fairly clear and clean
- +Plug and play
- +Travel-friendly
Cons
- -Setup a little tricky sometimes
- -Picks up vibrations very easily
- -Picks up from the back, only a little muffled
HYPERX SOLOCAST: ONE-MINUTE REVIEW
HYPERX SOLOCAST: PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
- How much does it cost? $69.99 / £64.99 / AU$109
- Where can you get it? Available now in the US, UK and Australia
Polar pattern: Cardioid pattern
Sample rate: 24-bit/96 kHz
Connection type: USB
Weight: 0.57lb (mic only)
The HyperX SoloCast has a list price of$69.99/£64.99/AU$ 109, putting it nearly in the low- to-mid-price range. still, because it was released in late 2020 it’s possible to pick it up for lower – at the time of jotting, for illustration, you can find it for$39.99 in the US and£ 49 in the UK.
There are other options, still, if you ’re looking for commodity around the same price or indeed cheaper. The well regarded Samson Meteorite is presently priced as low as$29.99 in the US andAU$ 50 in Australia( it’s a analogous price to the SoloCast in the UK), while the Jlab Go Talk, which we are in the process of reviewing, is$ 39 in the US and£ 50 in the UK.
- Value: 4 / 5
HYPERX SOLOCAST: DESIGN AND FEATURES
- Tricky setup
- One-button control
- Articulating stand that turns 90 degrees to the left/right
The HyperX SoloCast is a draw- and- play mic, which means it should be fairly easy for a neophyte to use. still, our test unit proved to be a little tricky to set up. The first time we plugged it into our laptop and used it with GarageBand, it was easily picking up audio, but there was no affair. We had to close the software and open it back over for the mic to start working.
While it was not clear if the issue was with the mic or the software, we tested other USB mics at the same time with the same software, and we did n’t have that problem. Once we got the SoloCast working, still, we did n’t encounter any farther problems.
At6.85 x3.82 x3.07 elevation(17.4 x9.7 x7.8 cm), the HyperX SoloCast is a compact mic, which makes it veritably travel-friendly. Of course, a design this small also has its downsides, and the physical controls are limited to just one a valve- to-mute button at the top of the mic. When this is pressed, the light above the HyperX totem on the front of the mic blinks sluggishly.
The mic comes with an articulating stage, which rotates 90 degrees to the left and right and tilts back about 140 degrees. That should give you enough angles for introductory recording, but if you ’re looking to mount it advanced or in a different exposure, the stage is removable, and the mic itself has two different womanish vestments( 3/ 8- inch and 5/ 8- inch) so you can mount it on a further protean stage or smash arm.
While the mic has a USB-C port, the included cable still needs a USB 2.0 port, which might discourage some Ultrabook users.
- Design: 4 / 5
HYPERX SOLOCAST: PERFORMANCE
- Cardioid mic but bi-directional pick-up
- Clear and clean sound
- Picks up vibrations pretty easily
As with all mics, you will witness the propinquity effect when recording too close to the HyperX SoloCast. still, during testing, we set up that a bottom is the ideal distance for it to pick up your voice easily while minimizing the variation. So, you do n’t need a lot of space to be using this USB mic.
It’s being retailed as a cardioid mic, which means it should pick up sound substantially from the direction in which it’s facing. But, for better or worse, our experience with it has been different – it picks up sound both from in front and from before, making it morebi-directional in practice. The sound it picks up from before, in fact, is just as loud as the sound it picks up from in front, albeit more muffled.
still, you might be turned off by that, If you absolutely need a cardioid mic. still, if you ’re not veritably picky, or if you need commodity for your podcast or your streaming vids in which you ’re drooling with another speaker, this might actually be a good thing.
Though it’s on the cheaper end, the HyperX SoloCast offers high- res 24- bit recording, and picks up sound easily and fairly – especially, as mentioned, from in front. And, that’s really all that matters if you ’re looking for commodity to meet your introductory recording requirements. What’s more, it also has decent background noise rejection. We had our old, enough loud AC unit running during testing, and while it did pick up its humming, the sound was n’t prominent enough to distract you from the important content.
Perhaps the biggest downside here is that it picks up vibrations pretty easily when on its included stand. Even light tapping on the desk it’s on will ruin your otherwise clean audio, so we would mount this on a proper stand for better results.
- Performance: 4 / 5
SHOULD I BUY THE HYPERX SOLOCAST?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
