Elgato Wave DX Review – Taking the Next Step
-
Appearance - 8/10
8/10
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Features - 7.5/10
7.5/10
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Materials - 8/10
8/10
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Performance - 8.3/10
8.3/10
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User Experience - 7.5/10
7.5/10
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Value - 7/10
7/10
Summary
The Elgato Wave DX is an excellent microphone that most people would certainly be happy with. For creators who want more emphasis on vocals without breaking the bank, this is a pretty solid option if you have or are willing to use an XLR mixer / audio interface but it would be overkill if you just need something for online calls.
Overall
7.7/10Pros
+ Great starter for solo creators looking to take audio more seriously
+ Dynamic mic, good sound rejection and full sounding voice
+ Does well without windsock
+ Flexible enough to work with most XLR mixers / audio interfaces
+ Doesn’t need phantom power
+ Doesn’t need a lot of gain to drive it
+ Price
Cons
– No XLR cable included
– No stand included
– Requires more investment than just the mic itself
Unboxing the Elgato Wave DX
Starting off our Elgato Wave DX review with the unboxing, this microphone uses a rather simple, small packaging clad in its signature blue color scheme. You can find some basic features of the microphone around the box. Inside the box, we found the following items:
- Swivel mount
- 3/8″ and 1/4″ Thread Adapters
- Quick start guide
- The Elgato Wave DX microphone itself
Specifications
| Frequency Response | 50Hz to 15KHz |
| Sample Rate | 48 KHz |
| Bitrate | 24-bit |
| Capsules | Dynamic |
| Polar Pattern | Cardioid |
| Impedance | 600Ω |
| Sensitivity | -52 dB (2.5 mV / Pa at 1 kHz) |
| Max SPL | Unknown |
| Dimensions | 53 x 53 x 146 mm |
| Weight | 440g |
| RGB | No |
| Connection Type | 1 x 3-pin XLR (female) |
Mic Test
Above here are two recordings; the first is the Elgato Wave DX which is the microphone we’re reviewing and the second being the Samson Q9U just as a point of reference. With the Elgato Wave DX, there’s certainly an emphasis on vocal clarity, with audio sounding brighter as opposed to the Q9U’s bassy emphasis. The Elgato Wave DX does have good sound rejection for anything that’s coming behind it, but it’s not as good as the Samson Q9U. This isn’t to say that the Elgato Wave DX is bad however as the audio sounds great. It’s more so for me to help set an expectation as it’s noticeably more affordable than the Q9U.
This XLR microphone is tested using the RodeCaster Pro II, just like all the other XLR microphones unless it comes included with its own mixer.
The Good
There are a good number reasons why you should consider the Elgato Wave DX. For starters, it’s a solid microphone to start with and for those looking to step up their audio game without going splurging too much. Many people make the mistake of going for condenser mics to start out as they would realize immediately that it doesn’t sound as good as those professional reviews / use cases since most of the places it’s being used it aren’t treated for audio. In comparison, a dynamic mic can sound good in almost every scenario, even when there’s a decent amount of noise in the environment as it has good sound rejection.
I’m also surprised that it sounds well enough even without a windsock on it. It seems to handle plosives great, which I would attribute to the overall build quality and metal mesh being used to be sufficient. You could still purchase one and put it on if you want to be extra careful but honestly, you’ll be fine using it as is and would be better off spending time tweaking your audio settings instead.
Speaking of tweaking audio, it is an XLR microphone so you will need to have a mixer / audio interface to connect it to. Depending on what you go with, it can change your experience drastically but this is what I believe makes XLR microphones worth the investment as it gives you more control and it makes you less dependent on software. You can go for something simple with just a sensitivity dial like the Elgato Wave XLR or something with more intricate controls like the ever popular RodeCaster Pro II. Since this mic doesn’t need phantom power nor does it need a lot of gain to drive it, it’s quite easy to pair with any mixer.
Lastly, the Elgato Wave DX isn’t cheap but I feel that it’s priced fairly at RM599 and it’s pretty good for what it is. After all, you get simplicity, good noise rejection, and a full sounding voice with it. If you look around enough, you can actually purchase it for cheaper, even less than RM500, which makes it more worthwhile.
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The Bad
Of course, the Elgato Wave DX has its fair share of drawbacks. For starters, I find it odd that it doesn’t come with an XLR cable. Given that a good number of XLR microphones come with it, I expected it to be included even if it’s a shorter one but to not include one makes it feel incomplete. Furthermore, it doesn’t come with any form of a stand, likely because you’re expected to purchase this together with the Elgato Wave Mic Arm, which further adds the cost. Of course, you can always for other, more affordable stands but e prepared to spend a bit more than just the mic alone.
Speaking of spending a bit more, if you’re starting off new or you’re coming from a USB microphone, it’s not just the price of the Elgato Wave DX itself that you have to be concerned about. Depending on the kind of mixer you go for, your expenditure could increase significantly. For instance, the Elgato Wave XLR would cost about RM700 while the RodeCaster Pro II would go for about RM3,200. For budget options, something like the Maonocaster AMC2, which goes for about RM250, would suffice. The point here is that you will need to spend more than just on the mic itself if you don’t have the necessary equipment.
Elgato Wave DX Verdict
The Elgato Wave DX is an excellent microphone that most people would certainly be happy with. For content creators / streamers who want more emphasis on vocals without breaking the bank, this is a pretty solid option if you have or are willing to use an XLR mixer / audio interface. Because of the XLR nature, this would be overkill if you just need something for online calls, which is why I’m hoping we could see something similar to this but with the addition of a USB-C port in the future to make it more attractive for both beginners and those looking to level up their audio game.
At the end of our Elgato Wave DX review, I award this microphone with our Silver Pokdeward.
Big thanks to Corsair for sending us this microphone for the purpose of this review.
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