HyperX DuoCast review

The HyperX Duocast is a great entry-level USB microphone that sounds great and has a lot of personality. It's rugged, well-made, delivers great sound quality, has intuitive controls, is versatile in polar pattern, and has high-resolution 24-bit depth, etc.

The HyperX Duocast USB microphone is the mid-range offering in HyperX’s latest line of popular USB microphones. It is designed to meet the needs of streamers, gamers and content creators who are looking for plug-and-play devices that are easy to use and can provide professional-grade recording quality that meets the demands of a demanding online audience. The Duocast is a small but great-sounding microphone that includes many features for its price, and anyone interested in finding one of the best USB microphones should consider it.

Duocast features excellent audio fidelity, noise-reducing construction and attractive RGB lighting technology. The microphone features a 3.5 mm headphone output and a gain control knob. This gain control knob also allows for enabling or disabling microphone monitoring. As if that was not enough, there is a touch-sensitive mute button on the top of the microphone. The Duocast USB microphone comes with a shock mount, a desktop microphone stand, and a boom mount that supports ⅜” and ⅝” threads.

HyperX seems to have built the Duocast with the intention that you can change almost every aspect of the recording experience from the microphone itself, which is incredibly convenient. Once you hit “Record” in your DAW, whether it’s Logic, Garage band or Audacity, you have complete control over your audio source, directly from the controls on the mic itself.

Design

The HyperX Duocast USB microphone sits securely in a slim, carefully designed shockproof stand. Integrated into the back of the stand is a smart connector that allows you to connect your headset cable and your computer’s USB-C charging cable to the microphone. The result is neat cable management and a professional look.

The stand and base are made from a combination of metal and plastic, but the plastic is durable and nonconductive. This helps eliminate any noise from electrical current trying to creep into the recording. The Duocast has a built-in pop filter that will help tame the plosives in your speech. Thanks to the noise-reducing structure and the Ngenuity software’s high-pass filter, you will get a clean recording of your own voice or that of anyone else speaking into the Duocast.

The multifunction button on the back of the microphone is easy to reach. The sensitive microphone mute/removal pad, located on the top of the microphone itself, is cleverly positioned. It is easy to activate, yet at the same time away from prying eyes. The LED ring indicates whether the microphone is muted or not, so you have a visual clue to know when the microphone is “hot.”

Features

The HyperX Duocast can switch between “cardioid” and “omnidirectional” polar patterns with a simple touch of the multifunction button on the back of the microphone. These are two of most popular polar patterns, and it was a wise decision to include them as options for the Duocast. The aforementioned multifunction button can also adjust the microphone gain and turn off the microphone monitoring function.

On the top of the microphone is a “tap-to-mute” sensor, which is very useful. RGB lighting is controlled by the Ingenuity software. This is more of a visual function, but as we said before, if your microphone session has a video component, the RGB function could be very interesting.

It is important to note that the Duocast rarely conflicts with the microphone of any worn headset. It is best to use wired headphones connected to the headphone output of Duocast. In particular, when using a headset microphone and Duocast at the same time. You can choose Duocast as an input quite easily from the input settings of your computer or DAW.

Connectivity

The HyperX DuoCast connects very easily using the included USB-C to USB-A cable. It has no additional support for XLR or other USB standards (you need a USB-A to USB-C adapter to connect it to that port). The microphone also includes a 3.5 mm jack on the back side, next to the USB-C port, to monitor the input and listen to the output of the device to which it is connected. This 3.5 mm jack is useful, but the amplifier is not particularly powerful (on par with a cheaper smartphone). Also missing is the ability to adjust the sidetone (the relative level of the microphones in the screen mix) during use.

Audio Quality

The DuoCast is a beautifully packaged USB microphone with excellent features and performance. Installation was a breeze, as both my PC and Mac immediately recognized the microphone, allowing me to plug it in and start recording. we plugged a pair of headphones into the 3.5mm audio monitoring jack and got started.

You need to control the volume of the headphone monitoring audio through the HyperX Ngenuity app. If you are using the PC or Mac, you will need to use the system volume controls, but don’t worry, everything is plugged in and ready to go. The DuoCast also has two polar models to choose from. The cardioid focuses on recording the sound produced directly in front of the microphone when using it alone.

It works best when you are alone creating a stream, podcast, Google Meet, or recording a voiceover. The cardioid pattern prevailed when we recorded a test podcast while sitting in front of the device. The DuoCast picked up our voices and played them back clearly during the recording, even when we were sitting upside down. There was a little more noise in the background, and although it was to be expected, the results were excellent. Switching from one polar pattern to another is easy, thanks to the gain control knob that can be changed by pressing it.

Performance

The HyperX Duocast USB microphone produces stunning, clear sound for your recording needs, with a 24-bit dynamic range and 96kHz sampling rate. This is a powerful audio recording for the price. The cardioid polar pattern produces a very complete recording of the user’s voice while rejecting unwanted noise from the side and rear.

Similarly, the omnidirectional polar pattern also produces a very full sound recording. The omnidirectional pattern absorbs more ambient noise than the cardioid pattern, but Duocast anti-vibration base and high-frequency filter do an excellent job of mitigating most unwanted noise.

When using the polar omnidirectional pattern, you should make sure you place the microphone in a quiet environment, as the polar omnidirectional pattern will pick up sound from every direction, although this is a disadvantage of the polar pattern rather than the microphone. Once the input and output are set up correctly, the Omnidirectional pattern is an excellent choice for roundtable discussions as well as interviews.

Price and availability

The DuoCast features simple yet elegant gaming/streaming microphone design that combines functionality, gaming elements, and plug-and-play capabilities. The HyperX DuoCast USB microphone is priced at $99 and is now available from HyperX. For comparison, the MSI GV60 costs $129 and the JLab Talk Pro costs $107.

Conclusion

The HyperX DuoCast is an excellent USB microphone with solid to excellent audio performance for gaming and streaming thanks to the two polar pattern choices. Its total $99 value is great due to its build quality, features, and Ngenuity software. It’s a great option for gamers on a budget who have mastered thumb sports and are willing to stream video. If you desire a straightforward, plug-and-play microphone with attractive design and useful functions. But its the biggest shortcoming is the lack of a background noise filter that works well.

John Brister
John Brister
Meet John Brister, the prolific content writer renowned for his perceptive comparison articles on Bollyinside. Specializing in topics ranging from TVs to headphones and other accessories, John's knack for breaking down intricate details into reader-friendly insights has garnered him a dedicated following. Beyond his literary pursuits, John is an avid swimmer and equally passionate about tracking, often exploring new trails and routes, feeding his sense of adventure.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related Articles

Hubspot Service Hub review 2024: a comprehensive platform

When it comes to customer support operations, HubSpot Service Hub is an all-encompassing customer service platform that is meant to...
Read more
When players on Windows 11 or 10 try to log in to Steam, they may get the error code E87....
Users of Windows 11 or 10 may find it frustrating to deal with the error number 147-0 in Microsoft Office....
The Microsoft Store is an important part of the Windows operating system because it gives users a single place to...
It can be hard to find the right balance between usefulness, durability, and cost when it comes to kitchen storage....
Both AirDroid and Vysor are well-known tools that help Android users control their devices and mirror them. One of the...
The HyperX DuoCast is an excellent USB microphone with solid to excellent audio performance for gaming and streaming thanks to the two selectable polar patterns.HyperX DuoCast review