HyperX has brought their first XLR microphone to the market just in time to compete with some of the other big names in the space who have been bringing out their own XLR mics after years of USB offerings. The HyperX Procast has something, however, that none of the other new mics have. A sense of familiarity.
Looking nearly identical to the HyperX Quadcast, the Procast has some differences, but not so many to be a departure from what people know. It’s still a condenser microphone, which was lighter than expected but still built solidly, with a cardioid polar pattern, and it still comes attached to a beautiful shockmount, but the Procast also comes with a metal snap-on pop filter that isn’t obtrusive to the look of the microphone. It also looks like the holes in the capsule are slightly bigger and I think that is to show off a pretty beautiful feature hidden inside.
The large, gold-sputtered diaphragm inside that capsule sure catches the eye when it’s in the right light. I almost wish they could have found a way to light the mic internally to feature it more (a pretty tall order for an XLR mic, so no harm). You can certainly hear the advantage of the large diaphragm when speaking into it. You need to be speaking directly into that sweet spot to get the most out of what the mic can do for your voice. Moving your head off to one side or another will see a fairly noticeable dropoff in sound.
While most XLR microphones don’t offer any kind of on-board processing, the HyperX Procast does, in the form of two discrete switches on the back of the mic near the mount for the mic arm. These switches include a -10dB PAD (Passive Attenuation Device), decreasing your audio signal to prevent peaking and a -3dB 80Hz high pass filter to help eliminate room noise. While I have good audio interfaces with a wide range of gain control and a good look at my levels in real time, I don’t have much personal use for the PAD, but can imagine many who would use it for safety when using devices that don’t offer them that confidence.
“Looking nearly identical to the HyperX Quadcast, the Procast has some differences, but not so many to be a departure from what people know.”
The high pass filter, however, is a godsend for those who don’t create content in a sound-treated room. My room is particularly bad with proximity to appliances and my fairly loud PC. It isn’t a complete solution when it comes to noise removal by any means, but the low rumbles in my room all but disappeared. The -55dB to -58dB bouncing audio on my levels disappeared when the high pass filter was enabled. Plus, any processing that can be left off the computer is a help, especially when using the Procast for streaming.
The shock mount is more than just an aesthetic choice; it does help eliminate the rumble from activity on my desk. It can’t protect against me clumsily smacking my mic arm, but we won’t hold that against the mic. I do like the use of the red cord to break up the all-black look of the mic, but I could have used a little more. Perhaps colouring on the logo or something on the pop filter would have been a nice addition.
Sound quality of the Procast was quite nice. It offers that high-frequency presence that is unmatched by a condenser microphone with nice sounding bass and less of that nasally mid-tone sound that usually needs some extra EQ to remove from a typical dynamic mic. The sound can obviously be improved upon with processing.
The HyperX Procast will be released this month at a price of $249.99 USD. It’s a high price for an XLR Microphone, but not the most expensive new XLR mic that is marketed to creators, with Logitech’s Blue Sona coming in at $100 more. The on-board high pass filter and PAD definitely add value to the microphone as do the shock mount and pop filter, both of which sell separately from most microphones. Taking all that into account, the overall value of the microphone begins to make a lot of sense.
