HyperX QuadCast Review | Musician Nerd
Updated on Mar 16, 2022
Table of Contents
The HyperX Quadcast USB Gaming Mic is known for it's signature red design and heavy-duty stature, making it easily one of the coolest looking microphones on the market, with the pro model offering RGB lighting effects, allowing it to fit right in with the gaming community (we all know gamers love RGB Lighting on their gear). I currently have the pro model with my gaming rig & it looks great next to my Razer Raptor 27. This all-inclusive standalone microphone was built for streamers, gamers, and podcasters, with compatibility for the PlayStation, PC, and MacOS, and is as simple to use as any other USB microphones on the modern market.
HyperX Quadcast 2019 Design Award Winner
When you look at a list of the best gaming microphones, there's a pretty good chance you're going to stop at this one and take a closer look. This Discord certified mic screams "gamer" and is jam-packed with features catering to that group. Red is such a signature gaming color, and if you get the pro version, then the control over their RGB feature is so dynamic that you can make it match any gaming rig.
Yes, the aesthetics of this microphone are unparalleled, but that shouldn't be your reason for buying it. It's still a microphone, and here at Musician Nerd, we have some pretty high standards, so we're going to take a look and see whether this gaming mic can justify its price tag, or if it's just another beautiful paperweight.
Why It's Great
The HyperX Quadcast has a lot going for it. With a sensitivity of -36db, this gaming mic falls within the preferred range. It also follows the industry standard for frequency response, with a wide range between 20Hz - 20kHz. When you pair the sensitivity with the freq. response, you get a level of depth and accuracy that reminds us of why studios love using condenser microphones.
HyperX Quadcast Anti-Vibration Shock Mount
The HyperX Quadcast also comes equipped with a built-in anti-vibration shock mount, which protects your audio from handling noises, such as banging on the microphone stand or rattling on your desk. Most USB desktop mics offer this feature, but unlike the Quadcast, many fail to deliver true anti-vibration.
A lot of gamers like to move around, and I know when I was younger, I didn't have a lot of space. The last thing you want is to be banging into your desk (sometimes on purpose.. damn you campers!) or knocking stuff over, and have it disrupt your audio, especially if streaming.
Another great feature we look for in USB gaming microphones is headphone jacks. This allows you to playback your recording without feedback. On top of that, some computers only offer a single output port, and if it's already occupied, then you may be out of luck. Even worse, some computers only offer a dual-purpose port!
Beyond that, the HyperX comes with an internal pop filter. This prevents your audio from spiking on the P's, B's, and other plosive noises. If Shrek thought Donkey's popping sounds from their second movie together were annoying, he should hear them through a microphone without a pop filter.
HyperX Quadcast Headphone Jack & Internal Pop Filter
If you're streaming, you'll have a hard time gaining followers if your audio is riddled with noises, vibrations, or screeching. The quality of your audio recordings is a critical component of your success, and avoiding unwanted noises is even more essential.
HyperX Quadcast Tap-To-Mute Sensors
And sometimes, there are events we can't account for, like your roommates (or parents) barging into your room and asking embarrassing questions, or perhaps your neighbors are having it out on their front lawn. When this happens, it's great to just hit the mute button until the disruption is gone.
However, a simple mute button isn't good enough for HyperX. They added a "tap-to-mute" sensor to the top of their mic, because why not?
While some of these features are common & expected from a USB microphone, the HyperX Quadcast knows its audience and knows how to stand out. At Musician Nerd, we like extra-polish features, so we're taking it all into account!
What It's Good For
Not so surprisingly, the HyperX Quadcast is great for gaming. But it's good for much more than that, so let's discuss how else this versatile microphone could be useful.
HyperX Quadcast Four Directional Polar Patterns
One feature I absolutely love to see in the HyperX Quadcast is the multi-polar pattern mode. Condenser microphones are often highly sensitive, so the flexibility to control where audio can enter is extremely useful. Polar patterns let you block off different sides of the capsule depending on your need.
Stereo modes are great when trying to capture the depth and ambiance of your side of the room. In-studio recording, we would use this feature for recording a guitar or something similar, but for gamers, it could be as simple as your buddies sitting around you.
This is unlike the Omnidirectional mode, which is meant to capture the whole room, like when sitting at a conference table.
The more commonly used modes are Cardioid, which is best for a single person, and Bidirectional, which is great for 1 on 1 discussions.
HyperX Quadcast Gain Control Adjustment
Adjustable gain control is another essential feature. The ability to change your condenser microphone's sensitivity levels is one of my favorite things about USB microphones, and if you have a loud voice, this is going to b great. The advantage it can offer is to capture less noise from the room and more from your voice.
If you talk quietly, however, you may get more background and hissing than you'd like. This is why the directional pattern modes are great.
Even more, the HyperX Quadcast can be attached to a boom stand like this one from innogear that clips right to your desk, so you can put the microphone right up to your mouth. Many use the desktop stand, but I love suspending my mics in front of my face.
There's no shortage of features, and the versatility of this microphone is more than one may expect from a gaming mic.
The Downsides
The HyperX Quadcast has a lot going for it, but it's far from perfect. One factor we look at closely is the resolution. The two sides of that are the Sample Rate & the Bit Depth. The sample rate is the number of samples. measured in kHz, that your audio carries, while the bit depth refers to the number of bits each sample contains.
A quality condenser microphone will have a minimum sample rate of 96kHz with a 24 bit-depth. The HyperX Quadcast falls short, with only 48kHz/16-bits, similar to what we find in low-end condenser microphones.
Now can we shame them for this? No way! I mean, under $200, you're not likely to find 96kHz/24-bi. There are definitely some <$200 microphones with that resolution out there, but usually at the sacrifice of another important feature, like the sensitivity.
Overall, this is primarily a gaming microphone, and so it makes sense to put less effort into the resolution.
HyperX Quadcast Pros & Cons
Pros
- RGB Lighting (Unqiue)
- Feature-heavy
- Durable
Cons
- Low Resolution
Best Used For
- Gaming Mic
- Streaming / YouTube / Twitch
- Video Conferances
- Interviews & Reports
Alternatives
The HyperX Quadcast is a great microphone, without a doubt, but not the cheapest. If this is just for hobby, maybe gaming with a few friends online, then don't break the bank over it. There are microphones at a lower price point that still do better than the every day headset mic.
JLab Audio Talk USB With Box Contents
The JLab Audio Talk series comes in a few models, ranging from $49 to $149. For someone on a budget, we would recommend either their base model or their more affordable "Go" model.
At the time of writing, these microphones are less than 6 months old and have already built a name for themselves. They boast superior resolution compared to others in the same price range, though as we learned in our article JLab Talk vs Blue Yeti, the lack of sensitivity results in lower depth from your audio.
If you're interested in one of those microphones, you can get a live price check here. You may also be interested in reading our review of the base model.
However some of us, like myself, are not going to settle for anything less than the best. And if you're doing something like a Podcast, where you have a large audience listening in regularly, of course you'll want to sound as professional as possible.
Blue Yeti X With Box Contents
If that's the case, Blue Yeti offers two models that we absolutely love, but the price can vary so we won't bother listing them here. The Blue Yeti X offers the superior sound quality, similar to what we get from affordable studio condensers. The Blue Yeti Pro goes even further.
There's not too much to point out here other than the quality far exceeds what you get from the HyperX Quadcast. That's not a dig at this mic though, they're just built for different purposes. If you want to learn more, we've written a review on the base model.
So as you can see, there are definitely good choices out there depending on what you're willing to spend. While they won't offer the same aesthetics as the HyperX Quadcast, they're still beautiful microphones to look at.
Summary
Overall, the HyperX Quadcast is an awesome microphone, perfect for almost every gamer out there. Maybe you just bought a new gaming PC bundle and need something to match. They pull you in with the looks, but more importantly, keep you with the quality. They did an excellent job from a technical perspective building out both the expected features from a USB microphone, but even polishing it up with some nice-to-haves.
We were very impressed over here at Musician Nerd, and hope that you were able to find the perfect microphone for your needs.
Posted on Sep 26, 2020
Gaming Streaming
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