Verdict
The SteelSeries Alias is an excellent USB mike , complete with a fashionable design , sharp and clear pickup and ready to hand software . It ’s well - made with a solid viewpoint and on - board controls , while the associate software makes it easy to tweak the scene . For what you ’re getting though , it is quite expensive liken to the rival .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
More and more peripherals brand are diversifying their intersection kitchen range , and a popular domain at the moment seems to be microphones . A fresh challenger here is SteelSeries , and the SteelSeries Alias is its first ever USB microphone .
Priced at £ 179.99/$179.99 , it ’s one of the more expensive entries into a world filled with established audio brand and rival such as theAudio Technica AT2020USB+ , theRODE XCM-50 , and theLogitech Blue Sona .
To really impress , the SteelSeries Alias is going to have to go above and beyond . I ’ve been using it for the last few weeks and put it through its pace . Let ’s take a cheeseparing look .
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Design
The SteelSeries Alias bucks the vogue when it get along to its design , offering a pill - regulate case for the mike as opposed to the more standard cylindric shape . Its front is all wrap up in fabric textile , while there is a small-scale control panel for housing the headphone gain and touchpad used for muting / unmuting .
When the Alias is in usage , it have immature LED that indicate your mic levels , and when the mike is muted , they light up in a large red cross shape . That ’s helpful and contravene the lack of any tactual feedback from the touchpad above the SteelSeries logo . The bottom of the Alias is also home to an RGB spotlight of sort – it looks cool , but answer no aim .
The Alias also do with a sturdy metallic element and charge card stand , readily assemble out of the box . There ’s no demand to bond the Alias to the stand , and it also comes with an integrate shock mount , too . It ’s tightly wound and keeps the Alias securely in topographic point and destitute from any shaking or interference that could be because of vibrations . It is possible to take the Alias out of its stand by unscrew the knob hold it in place , and you may then climb it on an branch if you so choose . For this purpose , SteelSeries has generously roll up a yarn adapter in the box seat .
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As well as the volume gain thickening and the mic mute touchpad on the front , the Alias also contains useful ascendancy around the back . It ’s there where the microphone gain telephone dial is place , as well as aUSB - Cport for power and a headphone diddley for supervise . The microphone gain telephone dial is quite humble and hard to get at if you ’ve got big hands , collapse its placement in the tightest point of the circular shock mount .
As for its packaging , the Alias comes in a large composition board box with some white cardboard inners , protecting the microphone and its point of view . The big thing here though is that the Alias is wrap in a fictile grip , which is a shame , considering broad move towards more sustainable packaging from other manufacturer .
Performance
Out of the loge , the SteelSeries Alias offer watch crystal - clear pickup , and my voice had plenty of volume and depth , as you ’d perhaps expect with a mic that be as much as this one . My only unfavorable judgment is that it was a footling hushed , but that was easily relieve by flex up the microphone gain from the telephone dial around the back . I did have to wrench that up about three - living quarters of the path , but your gas mileage may vary .
It offers slimly less low - end if we ’re going purely off of frequency answer , with a quoted cooking stove of 50Hz to 20,000Hz , and it immortalize at a sample rate of 24 - bit/48KHz . That frequency response does n’t make much of a perceive difference for mere mortals , but is still perfectly usable for most people .
Its cardioid cartridge pattern makes it ideal for habit for content creator and streamers , and using the Alias in audaciousness for recording some tryout voiceovers demonstrate it to be a sporting performer . The sound is n’t peculiarly geared towards one case of program over another , but its neat and instinctive auditory sensation makes it a various option out of the boxful .
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With that USB link , it is plug - and - play and works absolutely all right , saving any unnecessary hassle compared to a more professional XLR option . There is some additional software , SteelSeries Sonar , which the brand make a lot of , but you do n’t dead need it in fiat for the Alias to perform at its near .
Features
The bounteous thing with the SteelSeries Alias , outdoors of its white sound , is that consolidation with SteelSeries Sonar , the brand ’s latest increase to their GG app which provides you with all manner of options to control the intricacies of the Alias .
However , it does n’t proffer much that ’s young in terminal figure of features , and play it secure with the usual options you ’d find with gaming headsets , including access to a noise gate and compressor .
Interestingly , it provides preset options depending on how you ’ve fuck off the Alias mounted , whether it ’s on the included stand , or you ’ve decided to raise it up with a boom arm . For using it on the screen background stand , that wrench on the compressor and the Clearcast AI noise cancellation , which is excellent . It remove virtually all traces of my keyboard , even when measuredly using an option with loud MX Blues in testing .
There are also two types of noise reduction available in Sonar , although the Impact scope was not as effective at cancel out keystroke interference as the AI noise cancellation . As well as this , Sonar also provides admission to a mass mixer for your entire system , and some EQ preset options , depending on what you desire to get out of the Alias . These are n’t must - have feature by any mean , but they are nice to have .
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Should you buy it?
Where the SteelSeries Alias wins especially is with its left - field and sleek looks that offer a dissimilar look to more traditional mike .
For a USB microphone , it is an expensive pick , with options from other manufacturers costing a lot less .
Final Thoughts
For a first attempt , SteelSeries has mostly got thing right with the Alias . It ’s a well - made USB microphone that ’s easy to employ and offers clear and coherent pick-me-up , make it a upstanding choice for contentedness Maker , pennon and more . The plus of on - board controls and conduce indicator lights are nice touches , as are the sturdy alloy and plastic stand and incorporate electric shock mount .
The cardioid getaway pattern springs no surprisal and makes the Alias an excellent performer overall , with clear and unruffled output signal , while the additional Sonar software put up a few utilitarian options to enhance the experience further , include its AI interference cancellation and compressor .
However , it ’s grueling to cut its high markup . Options from more constituted sound recording brands such as theAudio Technica AT2020+are two - third of the cost of the Alias and offer most of the experience SteelSeries ’ choice does , just without a slick software suite that most people wo n’t employ . You are really devote for the aspect here , as well as some self-colored audio performance , but the Alias ’ RRP is just a little too expensive to make it a no - brainer selection .
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How we test
During each microphone review , we conduct a serial of recording tests that let in sampling sound during idealistic options , with background noise go for and in an outdoor mise en scene ( where possible ) , to give you the best idea of how each gimmick performs in genuine - worldly concern utilization .
FAQs
No , the SteelSeries Alias does n’t call for additional software system to work , but GG can provide some extra mapping and feature including a noise gate and compressor .
Yes , the SteelSeries Alias can run with a boom arm , with its extra screw thread transcriber in the corner . You just need to unscrew the microphone from the point of view and attach it accordingly .
Full Specs
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