If you’re keen to get started with streaming or podcasting, the new HyperX Duocast could be your next microphone. It’s a great budget plug-and-play option that’s perfect for beginners.

Design

The HyperX Duocast microphone sits firmly in an elegant, well-thought-out shock absorber. There’s a smart access port built into the spine of the shock mount that allows you to feed your headphone cable and USB-C computer charging cable through to connect to the microphone. The result is a very clean cable management and a stylish and professional appearance.

It has a RGB ring around the mic and the RGB lighting looks slick if you ask me. With HyperX’s Ngenuity software, you can change the color of the LED ring. You can choose lighting effects as well, which make the Duocast visually impressive to look at. When paired with other HyperX devices that are designed to work with Ngenuity, each device can share color and effects settings.

Sound quality and features

The Duocast has a built-in pop filter that helps you tame the plosives in your speech. With the noise reduction design combined with the high pass filter in the Ngenuity software, you will get a clean audio recording of your voice.

I’ve tested the Duocast in a few different scenarios. Through a raw recording on Audacity, while gaming over Discord and in conferense calls over Microsoft Teams. The cardioid mode sounded great in my tests, and it managed to deliver bassy, clear, and crisp audio without any hitches whatsoever without any tinkering with the settings. Just in case you want to switch from a ‘Radio’ sounding voice-over to something that manages to pick up sounds around your room in Omnidirectional mode, you can switch mode on the fly.

I do want to mention that it is a plug-n-play mic, but it might still be worth downloading the Ngenuity software, as you can tweak settings with it. The Ngenuity software download is free and, as you probably understand by now, it adds functionality to the overall experience. I suggest you download it, as it enhances the experience.


Tap to mute is a convenient feature.

The Duocast produces amazing, clear audio for your recording needs, featuring a dynamic range of 24 bits and a sampling rate of 96kHz. The Cardioid polar pattern produces a very full sounding audio capture of the user’s voice while rejecting unwanted noise from the side and rear. It’s the perfect option for those who are recording their own voices for podcasting or streaming.

The Duocast produces amazing, clear audio for your recording needs, featuring a dynamic range of 24 bits and a sampling rate of 96kHz. The Cardioid polar pattern produces a very full sounding audio capture of the user’s voice while rejecting unwanted noise from the side and rear. It’s the perfect option for those who are recording their own voices for podcasting or streaming.

Similarly, the Omni-directional polar pattern also produces a very full sounding audio capture, but the Omni-directional pattern will pick up more ambient noise than the Cardioid pattern (this became very clear during my tests, when my partner was baking in the kitchen next to my office). However, the Duocast’s shock mount and high pass filter both do a good job of mitigating most unwanted noise.

Verdict

If you’re just getting started with streaming, or want to record your own podcast, then the HyperX Duocast is a fantastic entry-level option that will perform brilliantly for most people. However, there are cheaper options out there if you’re looking for the absolute cheapest.


PROS

  • Great sound
  • Plug-n-play
  • Stylish

CONS

  • Not optimized for Mac (Ngenuity won’t work)