Verdict
The HyperX SoloCast is an admirable little performing artist , mainly when you factor in its low price - peak . You wo n’t find many bells or whistles , but decent outspoken performance in the right situations make this a valid pick for new or budget - raw streamers and creators .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The smallest microphone in the HyperX range with an equally small-scale monetary value tag to match , the HyperX SoloCast will be a tempting suggestion for anyone looking to startle their journeying in cyclosis or content creation on a budget .
The HyperX range of gaming geartrain is a broad one , dabble in everything from monitors to mousepad so it ’s no surprise to see the HP - owned blade reckon to leap into your streaming setup too . The SoloCast is HyperX ’s entering - level selection in a five mic lineup , less than a fifth of the Mary Leontyne Price of the fitly named premium option , the ProCast .
The streaming microphone market place is a crowded place to set up stall however . Gamers are typically brand truehearted and HyperX is yet to really make its gull . A £ 49.99/$59.99 Leontyne Price point is centre - catching , but it will take more than that for the SoloCast to take centre stage .
Design
Compared to the residue of the line - up , HyperX has play it dependable with the design of the SoloCast . It ’s about as unproblematic as microphone get ; a stubby black pill with aUSB - Cconnector on the back and an index number LED on the front . The sporty RGB lighting that makes the eternal sleep of the range stand out is notably absent here . This is a no - gimcrackery selection where restraint in the name of cost preservation is the order of the twenty-four hours .
The expectedly pliant racing shell feels thin , but a alloy skeleton that wrap up down from the all metal radiator grille brings a free weight and solidness that keeps the HyperX SoloCast from feeling toy - like . The matte texture on the charge plate is a cagy choice , as from across the desk you ’d be forgiven for thinking it was all gunpowder - coated metal – it also gratefully stops the HyperX SoloCast from becoming a fingermark magnet .
The mike itself consider just 258 GiB , so will essay no match for even the cheapest of mike arms . The SoloCast is compatible with most third - party stand thanks to a smashing built - in mount connector that includes both the received 3/8 - inch and 5/8 - column inch togs without the motive for an extra adapter . It ’s a great solution and one I ’d like to see become the norm across the manufacture .
If the budget wo n’t elongate to a mic subdivision yet , the HyperX SoloCast comes with a desktop stand in the boxful . Again it ’s almost all matte disastrous credit card , though this sentence feels cheap and fragile than the mike itself . I ’m hesitant to complain too much however , because I ’d rather see a chea- feeling stand than no included tie-up at all .
It ’s a primitive solution as the SoloCast simply stick into it rather than via any form of electrical shock saddle horse , but it support the mic steady in any position . There ’s around 45 degrees of tilt back and forth , and two rotary motion points each way at 45 and 90 level pace ; they combine for a nice amount of tractableness when it comes to finding a position that work on around reminder and other desktop clutter .
Performance
With such a budget price point , arithmetic mean should be tempered when it arrive to the form of seizure timbre you ’ll be capable to get out of the HyperX SoloCast . At its best , I found it delivered decently clear vocals that fathom well than you ’d look for a £ 50/$60 mic . At its worst , the SoloCast ’s shortcomings really start to stack up .
It does n’t take much to get going with the HyperX SoloCast : just plug away it in and you ’re away . It is technically compatible with the HyperX Ngenuity app , but this only unlocks firmware update and the power to mute the mic , so it ’s really not deserving the download . It does claim to let management of gain tier , but this is but a reskin of the default Windows wakeless gadget volume so you ’re not benefiting from anything new .
In an ideal environment , I contend to get sound out of the HyperX SoloCast that I was in reality pretty happy with . Mounted on a mic arm and directly in front of some acoustical froth my vocalism was sharp and unmortgaged , albeit a small flat and miss in punchy astuteness . Getting closer to the capsule grille did make full out the audio more , but introduced deformation and peaking even without major changes in volume . There ’s no papa - filter integrated , included or even available as a standalone accessory , so there ’s no defence against plosives and this became a problem even at a normal distance by .
When cradle in the included stand the SoloCast was still capable of a good service line speech sound , but this was often spoiled by intruder . The microphone sits particularly low to the desk which introduced noticeable capaciousness and reverb as auditory sensation recoil off my desk and monitor and back into the mic . Knocks and protrusion are also a major issue , as the SoloCast wedges tight against the tie-up with no protective cover from a jar - mount , meaning every little vibration gets sent direct to the capsule – not good .
The cardioid diametrical pattern should help fight off - mic dissonance , but I find it still find fault up undesirable sounds from all angle . Condenser microphones are always more susceptible to this , but the HyperX SoloCast struggled to focalise on my voice in a fashion more expensive condenser options like theRode X XCM-50did . Keyboard and mouse clicking wanted to be a co - master of ceremonies of my watercourse , and even strumming my finger gently on my mouse mat became a surprise guest .
It ’s crucial to put these issue into perspective though . I ’ll keep saying it : this is a £ 50 gaming microphone , and for that form of money it is more than up to . I ’m actively looking ( and listening ) for things that are n’t as dear as they could be and comparing it with options three times the price , but at a base tier the SoloCast will be hunky-dory for newcomers . This is a considerable upgrade from a headset or build - in laptop mike , just do n’t expect studio character sound .
Features
Unsurprisingly , the feature rig of the HyperX SoloCast is thin . When you ’re looking for ways to save , luxury feature like RGB lighting , onboard EQ ascendence or real - time monitoring are unlikely to make the cut .
There is one insurance premium character - of - life touch on the SoloCast though : a capacitive mute button on the top of the mic . It ’s big enough to find without bet , but set back far enough from the edge to ward off accidental touches , and in testing I find it was responsive without generating double or mistaps . It also deal to avoid the pitfall a band of onboard mute button fall into and not post a shock of speech sound out when activating , which was a welcome surprisal yield how susceptible the SoloCast is to other bumps .
The scarlet LED index light on the front of the microphone is light up when your mic is on and work off entirely when muted . I ’d have liked to have ensure a color change here rather than on or off , particularly collapse a red light is usually associated with muffled audio , so it feels a small backward . It ’s better than no indicator at all though , and I got used to it pretty quickly .
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Should you buy it?
:
It ’s voiceless to indicate with a £ 50 price point and the SoloCast is a step up from headset or laptop mic sound .
microphone are a character of get what you pay for so it ’s worth save a trivial more if you ’re give chase top calibre sound .
Final Thoughts
How good the HyperX SoloCast is will be strictly specify by which colour tinted glasses you look at it through . Objectively as a mike , it ’s capable of deliver clean and crisp vocals for streaming but only in controlled , optimal environments . In more naturalistic scenarios it digest from a telephone number of drawbacks and distractions that spoil the overall experience .
However , when you birth in nous the £ 49/$59.99 starting price , which can often be find even trashy in sales , the HyperX SoloCast starts to front better and safe . No , it ’s not going to wow anyone and those weakness still exist no matter how much you ’ve paid . But in budget - limited consideration for young creators , or as an upgrade from a headset mic , it ’s an option worth explore .
Trusted Score
How we test
During each microphone review , we conduct a series of transcription test that include sampling audio during ideal options , with background noise applied and in an outdoor setting ( where potential ) , to give you the good estimate of how each gimmick performs in real - humanity use .
FAQs
Yes , the SoloCast use a single USB - A to USB - C cable .
Aim to keep your mouth 6 - 8 inches from the mike .
The included base features no shock protection so is prone to blow . A universal shock mount may help .
Full Specs
