From Monoprice, a major name in professional audio, comes a new microphone with its very own branding aimed specifically at the content creator. They have introduced the Dark Matter Sentry Streaming Microphone, a USB Condenser Microphone with the look of a video game robot and a spectacular value.
In the box, you get the Dark Matter Sentry, a stand with attachment screw, USB-C cable and instructions. The stand is static, meaning that you can’t make minor adjustments to the mic while mounted in the stand aside from moving the whole stand around. So, while it looks cool sitting on a desk, there are limitations beyond my usual advice to never use a desk stand and get your mic up on an arm.
The Dark Matter Streaming Sentry Microphone has a beautiful look. Its all-metal build is sturdy and has some good weight to it. The front is the location of the microphone gain and headphone volume, as well as the headphone jack for zero-latency monitoring. This means that there is nothing on the back sticking out for your viewers to see, which is a big win. On the bottom, is a thread to mount the mic either to the stand or an arm, the USB-C port and a button that controls the colour on the microphone.
So now is as good a time as any to discuss the colour on the microphone. It’s a beautiful design and it originates from underneath the Dark Matter Sentry’s… outer shell for a lack of a better term. The light (one of six available colours) shines upon the capsule in a very subtle way. In addition, the same colour is present on the top of the mic where its polar pattern controls are located. From here, the lights actually indicate from what directions the microphone is capturing audio, be it cardioid (front only), bi-directional (front/back or left/right) and omni-directional (all directions). The visual cue ensures that you are using the correct pattern for your content and audience.
“For a condenser mic under $100, the Dark Matter Sentry does a great job keeping out ambient noise.”
The Dark Matter Sentry Streaming Microphone is a plug-and-play mic. It requires no software or drivers. Just plug it in and you are good to go. When you have done that, you are going to hear a beautifully natural microphone. While not specifically rich in low or high frequency, the overall quality is crisp. If you are more of an audiophile, I’d recommend a little bit of a boost in the low end and raise the high-end presence on your voice. The mid-tones aren’t too muddy, so you don’t have to worry about that nasally sound that some mics deliver.
For a condenser mic under $100, the Dark Matter Sentry does a great job keeping out ambient noise. With the right accompanying audio like music or gaming audio, it’s fair to say that you don’t need any kind of noise removal. A pop filter is in order for the microphone if you are going to use it, though. The plosives are pronounced and, not only is that a sentence that would prove the need for a pop filter, but can also be a distraction to people listening to you and, if you are listening on headphones, can be a painful experience. The good news is that the addition of a pop filter would still make this microphone a lot cheaper than other mics of similar quality.
I mentioned that the Dark Matter Sentry Streaming Microphone is under $100. The MSRP is $99.99 USD but has consistently been on sale since its release. As of this writing, it currently sits at $64.99 USD, which puts it among the top of my list for the best value for a plug and play microphone. My only knock is that the stand needed some mechanism to better aim the microphone at your mouth from its position. Not everyone is going to want to put their mic on an arm, so the stand needs to be as functional as possible (and we don’t count the fact that it is built to lean back a bit).
