Turtle Beach USB Stream Mic Review / Test / Explained
Today I am reviewing a relatively unique microphone. The Turtle Beach USB Stream Mic. What's special about this microphone is that it is universally compatible, meaning it can work on Windows, OSX, Xbox One and PS4.
If you are interested in this microphone, it will set you back $100 on Amazon
What's In the Box
Microphone
Microphone Mount
Mic Stand Adapter (5/8")
Desktop Stand
USB Cable
Documentation
Specifications
Frequency Response: Not Listed
Polar Pattern: Cardioid / Bi-directional / Hyper-cardioid / Omnidirectional
Max SPL: Not Listed
Bit Depth: Not Listed
Sampling Rate: Not Listed
Performance / Features
The build quality of this mic is lacking. The body of the microphone is all plastic and feels very cheap. The other components feel slightly better, but nothing feels like it will handle long term use.
The front of the mic has a single microphone mute button which is surrounded by an LED light which will indicate the polar pattern being used, when the microphone is muted, and when the microphone is clipping.
The back of the microphone has a 3.5mm headphone jack that provides latency free monitoring as well as computer playback. There is a headphone volume control that only controls the computer's audio playback. In order to adjust your monitoring level, you must download Turtle Beach's audio hub. Next there is a single button to switch between the polar patterns, and lastly there is a switch to select whether you are connected to an XBOX or PS4/PC.
As you can tell from the video, the audio from this microphone is subpar across all tests. Even when the microphone is not shown to be clipping, the audio sounds distorted. The audio seems to lack fullness for voice, and it seems to pick up a bit of background noise.
Pros
Universally compatible
Multiple polar patterns
Cons
Poor build quality
Distorted audio when not clipping
Line noise louder than preferred
App required to adjust monitoring level
Picks up a bit of background noise
Conclusion
I cannot recommend this microphone. It feels like it is built poorly and simply put, the audio does not sound good. I do not understand the reason that a gaming microphone has a bi-directional setting or omni-directional setting. It seems like while gaming, you want to avoid background noise which would mean cardioid polar patterns are the only usable settings.
If you have any additional questions about this microphone, leave them on the youtube video, and I will try to reply ASAP.
Buy it on Amazon
US: http://amzn.to/2fCaMIw
UK: http://amzn.to/2fpifj1