Blue Yeti review: a top streaming microphone for gamers

The Blue Yeti has lengthy been the microphone of selection on the planet of streaming. Whereas it’s now a part of the Logitech household, Blue has been a pacesetter within the high-fidelity microphone sphere for nearly 20 years – and is trusted by everybody from recreation streamers and podcasters to sound engineers {and professional} musicians.

Being introduced below the Logitech umbrella instantly put the Yeti on the radar of avid gamers – an viewers who could not in any other case have been aware of Blue’s heritage, and with why this mic has been held in such excessive regard for therefore lengthy. Nicely, apart from a few years just lately when it fell out of favor.

Nevertheless, whereas it’s not the no-brainer selection that it as soon as was, a lot of the naysaying is fairly misplaced – and the Blue Yeti stays the most effective gaming microphones for avid gamers who need to improve their in-game communication, Twitchers, YouTubers, and anybody else who needs to immediately enhance their audio to knowledgeable degree.

Blue Yeti specs

These are the Blue Yeti microphone specs:

Blue Yeti options

The Blue Yeti affords just about every part you possibly can ask for from a microphone. It connects by way of USB, so there may be zero trouble in setting it up – you actually plug and play (nicely, converse when you’re enjoying).

It has 4 pickup patterns, and I’ve discovered these to be versatile choices for just about all my recreation streaming wants. The Cardioid is the one you’ll probably use most frequently, because it picks up a focused ‘cone’ of sound from a single person sitting in entrance of the mic. Bidirectional captures sound instantly in entrance of and behind the microphone, making this the choice for putting it between two folks to seize a dialog.

Omnidirectional information 360° sound from all angles, so this could be the setting for a number of individuals in a roundtable-type dialogue, whereas Stereo isolates audio seize into separate left and proper channels, relying on the place your voice is in relation to the mic, so that you get directional playback.

The physique of the microphone comprises a headphone jack to observe sound, in addition to bodily controls to regulate the headphone quantity, acquire, and pickup sample, together with a mute button with a recording mild. I discover this helps me to all the time know when the mic is on (or off!).

It additionally (except you purchase a pre-Logitech mannequin on the used market) comes with a software program suite known as G Hub, containing Blue Vo!ce, which is successfully a digital board to regulate settings, and likewise comes with some enjoyable filters and vocal results.

Blue Yeti design

The Blue Yeti is without doubt one of the most iconic-looking mics available on the market, with a strikingly basic design that is available in seven colours to go well with totally different streaming setups.

The construct high quality is extremely sturdy and sturdy, too. This can be a weighty and substantial microphone with a satisfying quantity of heft, because of its all-metal development – particularly the rock-solid stand. I’ve by no means discovered it wobbling round my desk, but it’s straightforward to reposition relying on what else I’ve acquired on my desk – be it ring lights or streaming cameras.

It’s been thoughtfully designed from a performance standpoint, with the bodily dials as famous above making it fast and straightforward to make on-the-fly changes. It needs to be famous, nevertheless, that the physique of the mic carries sound – so should you’re within the behavior of tapping, dealing with, or grabbing the microphone, you’ll hear audible thuds out of your fingertips.

Though the stand makes it straightforward to regulate the angle of the microphone, the peak is mounted and can’t be adjusted. I’ve discovered that once I want to boost it, I’ve to prop it up on one thing. That is very totally different from mics just like the Joby Wavy Professional, which may connect to a growth arm.

Blue Yeti efficiency & performance

The Blue Yeti has been the best-selling USB microphone for streamers and content material creators for years, for one easy motive: it’s simply plain good. It additionally simply plain works; merely join it to your setup and begin talking. You don’t even must obtain the software program, because the acquire and pickup patterns are selectable from the mic itself – and the built-in headphone jack retains every part at your fingertips.

Now, to the falling out of favor that we talked about initially of this evaluate: a few years in the past it grew to become very modern for content material creators to bash the Yeti, and the backlash appeared to be twofold.

Firstly, a extra modern (and fairly honest) response got here from trendy streamers balking on the Yeti’s popularity as “the most effective mic available on the market”. Then there was a separate response from a college of creators who merely appeared to be utilizing the microphone mistaken, and getting dangerous outcomes.

To the previous level, sure – occasions have modified because the Yeti first hit the market. In 2009 it was the one USB mic, and the one one providing something resembling skilled audio high quality. So it was the most effective and solely possibility, and that popularity carried with it for years.

Since then, although, the market has caught up, and there are many USB mics – a few of which supply higher audio high quality. Certainly, teardowns of the Yeti reveal that it makes use of very primary capsules – the identical ones it used upon launch in 2009 – however they merely don’t evaluate to the superior capsules in trendy mics.

That doesn’t imply that the Yeti is any much less succesful, although! It isn’t the most effective, however it’s nonetheless superb. And to at the present time, parts however, it delivers audio high quality superior to most mics in its class – and on par with a number of costlier, higher-level choices.

That’s, offered you utilize it accurately! On condition that it is a microphone picked up by newcomers to “correct audio”, many individuals merely don’t know how one can use it (or, certainly, any extra superior mic). For 90% of customers, the most effective recommendation is to set it to Cardioid, flip the Acquire dial to 9 pm, and speak into the entrance of the microphone (with the Blue brand dealing with you) – not the highest or the again! After I just do this, I by no means have any points with readability, quantity, or echoes.

A good criticism is that the connection is a Mini USB A, which is lower than superb. Logitech utterly redesigned the circuit board when it purchased Blue, which might have been a fantastic alternative to replace to USB-C. I take advantage of an adapter with my Blue Yeti, so it’s not a dealbreaker.

The place to purchase the Blue But

The Blue Yeti microphone is offered from main retailers like Amazon, and instantly from Logitech. These are the most effective costs:

Must you purchase the Blue Yeti?

• Sure: The Blue Yeti’s construct and audio are superb
• Sure: The Blue Yeti is reasonably priced and nice worth
• No: The Blue Yeti doesn’t have the most effective audio

How can the Blue Yeti be our favourite streaming microphone if it doesn’t have the “greatest audio high quality”? As a result of it nonetheless delivers superb audio, for a really affordable value, in a fantastically designed bundle that’s constructed to final. I have a Yeti from 2009 that’s nonetheless going robust.

When you’ve by no means used a devoted microphone, and are coming from webcam or headset audio, that is an absolute no-brainer: the leap is night time and day, and can instantly rework the standard of your stream. Though different choices provide superior sound to a delicate ear, that is nonetheless a broadcast-quality mic that may do anyone’s audio proud.

If the Blue Yeti isn’t for you…

If the Blue Yeti isn’t the most effective streaming microphone for you, we’ve additionally listed a number of of our favourite alternate options at totally different value factors.

Learn our record of the most effective gaming headsets and the most effective wi-fi gaming headsets for extra methods to speak along with your fellow avid gamers and viewers.