THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULDN'T BUY THE ELGATO WAVE DX!! 

The Elgato Wave DX sounded fine. Based on the video, it's the Blue Sona I'd be having serious questions about.

Interestingly, in this video, with your. voice, in your room, and whatever other variables were in play, the Elgato microphone sounded the best by far. Clear without being thin. It just really fit your voice. The others sounded boomy and muddy, and this coming from a fan of the SM7B. If you were keeping the Elgato in the same input and cycling the other mics through a different input, then perhaps that input had some wonkiness going on.

The Elgato sounds like it's doesn't emphasize the lows and the low mids. For this reason, it sounds clearer and less "full" sounding than some of the other mics. If clarity is what is desired in a mic, The Elgato looks like a good choice. If fullness is what is desired then you'd either have to EQ the Elgato, or get one of the other mics shown here. In the video, he says that the mic is useless for his voice. I disagree. When I first heard his voice in this video, I was immediately impressed with the clarity of the Elgato. It didn't sound like the typical muffled SM7b sound that so many people think sounds cool (but in fact the SM7b is making their voice sound like they are talking through their knit hats.) The SM7b has its place with certain voices, and if you want to sound like the Wizard Of Oz ("I am OZ !!!), that is a big, bassy voice, then it works for you. However, it sounds like clarity is the Elgato's virtue. If you have a shrill voice, this might not be the mic for you. If you have a naturally muffled voice, this might be a good mic for you. It would be interesting to see, at the end of this video, how the Elgato sounds with some EQ boosting the low end. I agree with him that when a RU-vidr is doing a presentation of a mic, and comparing it to other mics, EQing the mic, without telling the audience, is doing a disservice. However, a demonstration of with and without EQ might be informative. Thanks for the well done video. You A B comparisons are great. You did a good job of presenting this mic, without the technical referrence. Julian Krause would be the guy to really put it thought some technical tests, with the resulting parameters. This video has a good sound test, though. (PS: Hillariously the Behringer XM8500 made you sound more nasally. But wait !! There's more !..... the Senhieser made your voice sound more nasally, too. ) Thanks for the demonstration, The El Gato beat most of them for clarity. With a little EQ on the bass, it could sound excellent. The SM7b is over rated. It's a big muffely sounding mic, with a stacatto sound. It's like it has a heavier diaphram with a stiffer suspension. Words sound like the ends of them are being chopped off, just a little bit, with the SM7b.

It's just me that actually preffered the Wave DX over almost every other one? Seriously, the Sona sounded so terrible to me, specially on headphones, and my headphones aren't even base heavy, the SM7B sounded the nicest of them all, but except for it, I would rather have the Wave DX than any one of the others showed

What's hilarious is that you perceive this mic to be hot garbage, yet for the average listener, your voice comes across waaaaayyyy cleaner and more intelligible because that "chesty" bass that muddies most of the mics you test is gone. So, while you may not like it, I can assure you that your listeners appreciate the improved clarity. For $100, I'd take the DX over anything else on the market at that price point.

really??? i was listening to this on a TV and i would say this mic was not bad at all for your voice. The XM8500 was muddy.... the SM58, well was just a little fuller (and i hate this mic for my voice altogether and never use it) .... the e835 is just bliss as i have one and i love it to bits.... the Dynacaster was a little fuller and a little darker.... the Blue Sona was dark as a cup of tea!!! I understand that you don't like it for your voice, but to me the listener, it sounded just fine except for the fact it sort of has a compressed sound that dips in the middle giving slightly lacking sound. I don't want or need one of these, but i think it does it's job albeit not as good as some others but i wouldn't trash it.

I'm not going to lie I do not understand the negative review (I do understand why your upset about other people EQing it though). To me it sounded better than every mic you compared it to except the SM7b and MAYBE the Dynacaster but it and the Dynacaster were close. May just be a difference in opinion of what we like from a mic. Good on you though for not being afraid to put you opinion out! Really enjoyed the comparisons!

I don't know anything about mics but in my honest opinion the wave DX sounds way more clear and better then the others you compared it to. The other mics have like some bass into it and with the wave DX I can hear your actual voice. and the last mic you used sounded good too that's the only one id pick over the Elgato wave XD

Like most mics, I think this might come down to voice? I bought this as a backup to my SM7B, and love it. Clear, natural, warm tone. I compared to my RE320 and AT2040, since I'm selling those, and it's a very comparable mic. Running initially through my MOTU M2, then Vocaster One, and sounds excellent both times. There seems to be a bit of sibilance in the video, curious as whether that's the gain volume causing that (I run my DX at about 11 o'clock on the Vocaster).

My main takeaway was that the Blue Sona sounded borderline faulty to me 😮

Digging how you did the comparisons. They all sound good honestly and ai understand one can change the sound a good deal using processing?

5:27 listen with you eyes closed 👍🏾 Compared to the SM7B, the #WaveDX held its own for $99 IMHO😎

Two questions please if you may have the time The 8500 s seems to have a little bit of a better lower and then the 8500. Have you tested both of them by chance? The other thing I really look for in the mic is" the vocal recognition" it's a fancy way of saying, how clean do your words come through the mic? Are there any muddy or sibilant frequencies? The reason I love condenser microphones so much is because, anything over $200 will usually sound very clean and it usually be eq'd to sound voiceover Worthy. Please let me know if this microphone has any chance of being eq'd to sound well , or if there is Mudd and no hope I think the reason the leaders of the Free World choose the sm57 is because of its extreme clarity as it was engineered to pick up any instrument frequency and does great on vocals for that reason. I usually compare most dynamic microphones to that one

"Developed by a computer and peripherals company" Not completely, it's co-developed with Lewitt Audio, who in fact does know a thing or two about audio. So is the Wave 3 and Wave 1 microphones.

The wave dx through the podtrak p4 actually sounds really good.

idk why but i think it sounds good. i like that its clear compared to all the other once (the only problem i have with dynamic mics compared to condenser mics is that they are way more bassy)

Great commentary, many good points. I was convinced by those "other" reviewers you mention, to give this one a try, and I wish I had seen your review first. It definitely needs some help with EQ, which is clearly one reason Elgato gave all those reviewers a Wave XLR interface, packaged with the Wave DX mic. In fact, watching those reviews, it's hard to tell that in fact the Wave DX mic will NOT work with Wave Link software or Elgato Audio Effects, unless you also have the Wave XLR interface (or the Wave 3 USB mic, which CAN use the software, and lets you add other mics as inputs). Only positives I can mention are that (1) it's a harmless enough sound (faint praise), on my voice, to use as a starting point for EQ; and (2) actually I'm finding it better for low-quality audio situations, like MS Teams or Zoom meetings, compared to the SM7B because it's brightness cuts through the general murkiness and chaos of those environments. Also, as you said, it's not really sibilant (as the Podmic is). But overall, the sound is just thin.

Really like how the video was laid out. Appreciate the review!

Thank you for being honest. PS. Don't make the outro music so loud, it's painful after your normal talk. Just to give it some justice, I think you sounded really well on that mic. It isn't so bad.

Nice and profesional review. Keep up the good work.

I'm thinking about upgrading from my blue yeti to an xlr microphone. Should I stick with my yeti or what should I buy?

But the Wave DX has great noice canceling (in Wave Link Software). What about that? Do u get that kind of noice canceling in for example in a SM7B?

Great video thanks for the information!

The 1/4” adapter allows the mic to be used with a camera tripod, readily available in desktop stands.

In Poland Elgato mic costs around 300 PLN and Sure costs between 450 - 600 PLN , so the price is doubled. I do not hear any real difference between Elgato and Sure mic to be honest. The question is to what device did you connect all mics. Elgato has wave xlr device to which the elgato mic is connected and this console costs 700-800 PLN. Is there something better than elgato wave xlr console? Any advise?

The mic sounds decent, but it all depends on which sound quality you are going for. If you want that bassy, 'radio host' type of sound, I can see why someone wouldn't like this mic. They would be better served by the SM7b. I don't really like that overly bassy sound, so it must be why I don't think this microphone sounds bad.

Please help!! im so stuck what dynamic mic to get right now! i have a goxlr mini but stuck

It's an okay mic. I can't deny its okay-ness. I just can't stand the shills who call it "The last $100 mic you'll ever need." Even the ZDM-1 can give it a run for its money at, on occasions, about half the price.

Another thing is, because this is marketed at streamer, the average buyer will be coming from a side-address microphone, and may think this is one, too

Love the video, I thought it sound good against the big boys. It just doesn't have a lot of bass or low end. Your voice is very clear and present. Also it has its on mic pre amp that makes it sound better. That's probably what the other reviewers had. Elgato Wave XLR which converts it to a usb mic via the pre amp. So you can get a analog warmth and feel naturally from the mic with no processing.

The honesty of your opinion is spectacular. I always have trusted you for the straight dope. Thanks.

0:15 I thought this too but it's also worth mentioning that Elgato only really designed the outside of it and it was really LEWITT that designed the capsule for it! Elgato on the outside, LEWITT on the inside!

The close captioning is really good. Thank you.

I think the audience/user should also be considered. I think that the people who lean Elgato (myself included) tend to be heavily invested in their ecosystem as gamers/streamers. I think if you're a pure audiophile doing podcasting or music related streams there are better options. But if you're a gamer and need flexible range because of other sounds during your stream, the Elgato software is amazing and gives a ton of flexibility. I'm a new streamer, so I'm not at the SM7B type money just yet, but the Wave DX w/ the Wave XLR is something I can do and be close enough in stream from an audio quality standpoint to compete with everyone else. It's also worth noting that I'm new enough to not know better. But between the capture card, the stream deck, the mics, etc all their stuff just works well together.

ok I get it but when using equalizer how good can it sound? :)

Very VERY interesting review and you convinced me to order this mic as a replacement for a Streamer I help manage. They are using a GoXLR microphone, but the software keeps becoming problematic. They came from the Rode Pod, which has been their favorite mic; before the Rode, they used the SM7B, and they hated it. These is young women and they like bright "colorful" sound for the market, most microphones out of the box do not boost in that direction. They focus on the lows. I think you honestly have sold me on this Mic.

Hello. I started a journey as a podcaster reading Spanish Books. And I got some of the microphones you show on this video. My honest point about the El Gato Wave DX. So far I have been recording 4 chapter from a book I’m reading and Mic Sounds good, decent and made the job done. Obviously If your eq the mic that’s of course. So I’m just giving a chance to see how good will be when I finish the recording process with it. I’m Not planing used this mic for long. But it’s ok. Love my Rode PodMic and planing to used it back. In the meanwhile for stream I would always used my Shure SM7B

I definitely agree. Luckily I get a nice sound no EQ on my voice. Great point you make on the video.

Not sure if anyone mentioned this in comments but when you mention the DX made by a peripheral only company you forgot to mention that it is a product CO designed by Lewitt who is an award winning microphone audio company just an FYI.

Thanks for the review

Great video! I really appreciate how concise it is and I love the way you have snappy transitions through your comparisons. No fluff commentary. Just good raw data. Well done

what about if im not using it for streaming or videos an just for discord and things like that??

which one is better Elgato Wave Dx vs Fifine - K688

I don’t know why, I really like the sound of the mic. Matter fact, I think it sounded better than most of the expensive mics he also reviewed.

maybe its because i have my headset heavily EQed but it sounded great to me. it sounded almost EXACTLY the same as the e835 for me wich you were calling your favorite. all the others i could hear at least a slight difference usually just more bassy.

I knew I liked you. I followed you because your honest, as well as funny!

Why has no one compared this to the Rode PodMic I have the Podmic and I love it and I was wondering if this would be an upgrade a downgrade or same

Honestly, this mic sounds really good to me. I don't know what else you've done to it, you sound pretty good anyway. :-)

Thanks for the review. One thing i wanted to point out. And I skimmed the comments to see if anyone else mentioned it but... The Wave DX is enticing because of the whole package Elgato provide for what i believe to be a fairly reasonable price. The DX, the XLR, the mic arm, the XLR cable and Wave link software... all designed towards gamers who just want a dynamic mic to isolate their keyboard and computer fan noise with additional software / stream deck hardware designed towards streamers and online content creators. If you are a sound engineer / enthusiast then maybe the DX isn't up to par but the package is the key in my opinion and whilst I agree with you that some mic did sound better. My biggest take away as a long time PC enthusiast, who appreciates good audio but is no where near educated enough (hence watching your video and others like it) is that the other mics aren't good enough to justify the cost and if you are someone with a full XLR setup already, you were never looking at the DX in the first place.

Fantastic review!

Great review, tho, ahem, the endtro music is a gagillion dB above the rest of the audio making it OUCHIE when wearing headphones. Great review, tho. Saved me some headache for sure.

I must be tone def, because i didnt notice a difference in any of those side by side comparisons

Great Video!

What am I'm not hearing? I thought the Wave DX sounded good! Love the channel, disagree with this conclusion. the only place I've heard the Wave DX is from this channel. Maybe it's the RU-vid compression or whatever, but that's how I always listen to mic reviews. It's a headscratcher for me.

Would love a comparison between the Podmic and Wave DX, as I almost bought the Wave today (75 bucks, so it felt like a steal). That said, I like the sound of the Wave DX, it seems way clearer in the midrange than many of the other mics, but I dont even like the characteristics of the SM7B, so I might be a total weirdo.

Bro, I recognize those Peter McKinnon transitions and titles everywhere lol!

Actually with the headphones on the DX sounded really good. The other ones sound very bass heavy. I wonder how it would sound like with a female voice. I find that my deep loud voice sounds good on some mics, but thin voices sound good on others.

The Blue Sona sounds notably worse than the Elgato DX

In the end after compression on the yt and then on phone nearly no difference

Thanks for the straight scoop based on your experience with the mic. There are precious few reviewers who will give an "honest and fair review" as they say when a company has provided them with the mic free of charge. While spending your own money for mics gets expensive, I trust reviews far more when reviewers purchase the mics they review. Thanks for your great reviews. They're always helpful and valued.

You sound great with the Wave.

I liked the sound of the Wave DX. I'm so tired of the mid heavy mics and the muddiness. The frequency response is 50-15000Hz as per Elgato's website. Good review.

I am assuming no one hears any difference between any of these mics? Presumably the RU-vid compression or some such? It may well be you hear any difference at all only as you are not experiencing it the same way we are? Again it may be a problem of those doing these reviews, of experts or experienced ears, finding things no one normal does. Or the music orientated, of which I could not care less, only looking for a voice suited mic for voiceovers. As a craftsman making fine goods, when I still worked, I noticed how things that bothered good craftsmen about an item were completely unseen by every customer. An amusing example. A workmate was employed to go in once a week as an expert to a college/university that ran a course in the craft. A student showed him an item they thought finished. 'It is not square' he told them. They go off and use gauges etc. and come back and say it is only 3 thou out can you see that? Well obviously he could see it was not square. lol Few would though.

holy i thought the wave sounded best in this video 😀 i got it and it's a bit silent, couldn'T find a fix so far

Idk if there was any audio treatment during the rendering of the video... but honestly, all mics sounded the same.

They look like they’ll be really expensive and not in the same ballpark as the Sona and Wave DX, but I’m still looking forward to the UA mics still coming out supposedly this fall, too.

i love how your very harsh on all mics love it and love your vids and i just found you

i couldn't tell a difference listening on my iphone. tbh thats something im trying to focus on. we as audiophiles tend to want the best sounding microphone for all scenarios or at least for what we use to consume audio. which is usually big powerful wide range bass receiving headphones. 99% of users use their phone speaker or $10 earbuds. In which case all of these mics sound great and very hard to tell any difference. which means the cheapest is the best. when buying, focus on your listener. they will NEVER care about how you sound as much as you do. so buy a solid mic that you can afford and start using it. with that being said, I am here for a reason as I am trying to find the best mic for my voice in my price range and that's definitely something you should try to do. However, I found a yeticaster bundle on facebook marketplace for $60 and it sounds unbelievably better than I thought it would. So don't feel like you have to go crazy to get good sound. Trust today's technology of EQ'ing a mic and good mic positioning and spend that extra budget on hardware for your PC or camera/lighting if you're going that route.

The wave DX sounds like you would if I was talking to you in person, whereas the other booms your voice to be deeper. Depends on whether you want true sound or one that "sounds" better. I think it is subjective at best.

Can I scream into it without it clipping, though?

Hmm, hard to say. I'm dig'n the noise cancelling demo I watched for the Wave DX (I forgot where, sorry) . Being in a 'noisy' household, and being a 'new' rising podcaster, I'm thinking the $99 Wave DX is a good mic for me. Sure, I may have to use the Wave DX EQ, but so what? Not sure about everyone else, but I don't have $360 laying around doing nothing to get a SM7B and all then all the extra power equipment needed to run it. Yeah, I get it, reviews are tough to do since everyone has different budgets and uses. Thanks for the vid.

I’m gonna be honest, I’m a simple man. These all sound the same to me. I picked up a bit more bass on the blue sona, but other than that, I just keep hearing the same voice in the same way.

plosives rejection good off axis rejection mediocre sounds thin (baked in roll off) adapters - good choice build solid gain decent looks - boxey handling/knock noise - poor overall sound - it's clear, no need to roll off bass as they have already done it ( sound is thin though for singing would be okay i think to fit in a mix)

i dont get it. I really liked the sound of the DX over all the other Mic's. I use a Beacn Mic, cause i falled for the early RU-vid videos where it was praised to the heavens as THE new best microphone, and I was so disappointed when I used it and asked myself why I spent €300 on the beacn mic. i really love the natural sound of the DX and iam gonna buy it ASAP. good video!

you're a breath of fresh air in the tech review space. please don't change when there sending you free stuff

i personnaly gor with the se dynacaster, is sound is so good, the sm7b sound to dark and too muddy compare to dynacaster. The dynacaster is as if you had mixed the sound of the re20 with that of the sm7

excellent video

"I haven't seen a 1/4" mount in a long time," he says as he's using the incredible PSA1+ which has both sizing options on it. I use one myself for my SM57 and occasionally my NT1. I'm not knocking it. I just think it's hilarious. Yeah, I have noticed Elgato's been making a lot of XLR mic gear for the past year albeit streamer-oriented.

My honest opinion is that if you are an audiophile you may notice some difference. But I notice very, very slight differences comparing the big difference in prices.

What is great about the elgato mic is not the mic it self but the super versatile and easy to use wave link mixer that come with it, when used together it sound super great. But here we are talking about the mic it self only without any mixer and i have to agree with you that this mic is a bit disappointed.

Really not a fan of how the Blue Sona and Dynacaster sound. My favourites were actually the Wave DX and the e835. The SM7B sounds good for a dynamic mic but has gotta be one of the most overhyped mics in existance.

nah ok i will stick with my novox nc1 a little more, but i thinking about xlr mic because ive steinberg ur22c

The Wave DX sounds thin and nasally, really irritating to listen to, thanks for the review, saved me considering it!

Well.....on more sound sources....I feel it is super similar to the e835 ...which you like a lot. It's not as bad as I thought....but it's still just OK

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that anyone should hate any microphone. What I would say is that which microphone you use is a whole lot less important than the content you are providing. As long as the voice is intelligible and the background noise is not overshadowing it really shouldn’t make much difference. The human brain is quite capable of adjusting. Even singing is pretty much a matter of taste as evidenced by the wide variety of microphones used for videos and live performances.

The microphone is by Lewitt. Elgato didn't just try to start engineering audio devices from scratch. That's like saying Logitech, a computer peripherals company, made the Blue Sona. On another note, I think EposVox's review is probably trustworthy here, given that he was willing to make such a big stink about Beacn? Also don't think he's using EQ on the sound comparison.

I don't personally think you sound at all bad with the Wave DX, but do agree that even the Behringer sounded better (and although I don't hate this microphone with your voice, I have watched other videos where I found it to be quite an offensive sound). Disappointing. I thought their USB microphones were genuinely impressive and serve a genuine role and purpose at a very fair price point, but this product just feels like it only really exists because they already had an XLR interface on the market and felt like they should also offer an XLR microphone to go with it. At the same price point as an SM58? I know what I'm going with every single time if that's my budget.

9:05 I’ve had mine for over 30 years…. With the original pouch 😎

Just exported my review so now I can watch reviews....bro....WTF! We ended up at the same conclusion. I point out that the U87 sounded like I was talking through a blanket in comparison. HA!

The wave dx sound The best with their interface I agree with you 💯

I can't speak for everyone else but Rode's logo is gaudy and on full display. If Rode had a symbol for their company that wasn't just a word I'd feel otherwise. This is situational. if they just had a large "R" for a logo that's also gaudy but if it was a crossed out "O" that'd actually be very aesthetically pleasing and not too showy. Elgato's symbol is a very elegant solution in my opinion.

I can see why you prefer the other microphones. But you don't sound horrible in this unit.

weird that you hated it, the Wave DX sounded the best of all the mics you tried. If curious I'm listening on a pair of bookshelf SVS Ultras.

My hearing must be shot cuz I can't hear a difference between any of them up to the halfway point.

There was a really good Predator: Prey trailer shown before you video.

I see your point, but from a consumer standpoint, the DX is a complete steal. It brings a radio bass compression effect to pretty much anyone speaking into it, and it's clear. I have mine hooked up to my GoXLR so it's nice and EQ'd but the price tag is the real takeaway. I tried buying a Shure Super 55 to replace my CAD E100S (I bought an E100SX but it was far too sensitive to be used in my unsoundproofed bedroom so I was looking for something with good background noise rejection) and the Super 55 sounded like complete trash, no bass at all. I suppose that's what I get for expecting a live stage mic to come close to a studio mic. As a casual viewer, I can tell you really care about your mics and would estimate you have at least 100 different ones. But as a voice actor / youtuber who cares about clarity and warmth, you have to realize the DX is a simple, inexpensive, and effective option in an OCEAN of overpriced $200+ mics that NEED EQ and a good mixer with compression, de-esser, noisegate, etc. to sound close to what the DX can get you straight out of the box. Listening to this with Sony 1000XM4s, the DX sounds on-par with every single mic, minus the Logitech one. I'd chalk up this take to you being super opinionated and maybe a bit punk rock. I can understand how frustrating it is when you've spent a lot of your life harnessing your knowledge on audio equipment and a company comes out with an amazing product for next to nothing price-wise that allows absolute newbies to sound about as good as an experienced person's sound system, but this video comes across a little on the side of "old man yells at cloud." I don't know if you have extreme audiophile headphones that make these differences stand out dramatically but from where I'm sitting this video just confusingly sold me on the DX more than I was initially. I bought one to use for my desk for VC during gaming sessions and I'll probably buy one for my girlfriend once we get her desk setup, because the asking price is just so reasonable for the performance you're getting. I just thought I'd leave a comment explaining why you're getting the response you are - I'm sure it's underwhelming in terms of what a more rich mic can accomplish, but for kids looking to make RU-vid videos on a budget, it's basically the holy grail.

The wave dx sounds a lot better than all the other mics

The other reviews I've heard have the WaveDX sounding decent. But this mic doesn't like you even more than you don't like it. Bandrew Scott is dropping his review tomorrow (10/11/22).

What's crazy is I preferred the way the DX sounded over even the prized meta sm7b. 100% will get this mic mostly due to this review. I love the crispness of the mic in this video.

Elgato Wave 3 and Wave DX sound meh in comparison to other more prestige mic brands. However their competitive price point and the Wavelink software makes both very competitive for streamers to use. People who stream video games aren’t too concerned about their voice quality and clarity since they’re not recording music. And a lot of streamers that start out, barely knew anything about audio. That’s where Elgato comes in.