TechRadar Verdict
The Blue Yeti X "World of Warcraft" Edition microphone is a costly peripheral that is everything a World of Warcraft fan could ever want from a table top mic. From the incredible design and build to the sound quality down to the neat programmable voice effects, this is a must-own microphone for streamers and raiders alike.
Pros
- +
Phenomenal sound quality
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Excellent construction
- +
Gorgeous design
- +
Simple Plug-And-Play Setup
Cons
- -
Expensive
- -
Themed design might turn off non-WoW fans
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Two minute review
Setting up a near-professional microphone has never been easier or better looking than with the Blue Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition microphone – assuming you have the money to spend and you're all in on the World of Warcraft themed design.
The microphone is essentially the Blue Yeti X with some additional World of Warcraft features added in, so already it's starting off as a seriously premium piece of hardware, which you can immediately feel right out of the box.
Weighing nearly three pounds, the build quality is exceptional with a sturdy base and enough weight to absorb any incidental vibrations from bumping a desk.
The design is gorgeous, we'd say damned-near flawless. Gamer peripherals aren't known for subtly to say the least, so the fact that the World of Warcraft branding on this microphone can be described as "classy" speaks volumes. The runes circling the base don't light up like a carnival and the mic level indicator it the only LED on the entire mic, which is as it should be.
The four pickup patterns are accessible from a touch of a button on the back of the mic and the microphone can be muted as easily as clicking the gain control button on the front of the mic.
The only ports you need to worry about are the micro-USB that connects the mic to the computer (and also powers it) and a headphone jack to monitor input, that's it, making it as simple a plug-and-play USB microphone can get.
In short, this is the perfect microphone for WoW players who want to stream their adventures through World of Warcraft: Shadowlands in style or simply use when running raids with their guildies, record podcasts, do video conferencing, you name it.
Price and availability
The Blue Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition microphone is available now and currently retails for $199 / £199 / AU$349, which is about $30 / £30 / AU$50 more than the standard Blue Yeti X model.
This is a bit on the pricier side of the USB microphone spectrum, but it is also a much more premium peripheral, so it's not at all out of line with expectations.
Design
Sample Rate: 48kHz, 24-bit
Capsules: 4x14mm condenser capsules
Polar Patterns: Cardoid, Omnidirectional, Bidirectional, Stereo
Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz
Max SPL: 122dB
Dimensions (WxDxH): 4.33 x 4.8 x 11.38 inches (110 x 112 289 millimeters)
Weight: 2.8 pounds (1.28 kilograms)
Forgive us if we gush a bit about the design of the Blue Yeti X World of Warcraft edition. From the build quality to the branding, this microphone has just the right amount of flair to set it apart from other microphones and make it worth the extra cost but is reserved enough to be a very respectable piece of equipment. This is the sort of microphone that would look perfectly natural in a semi-professional, non-gamer podcast studio.
That said, the World of Warcraft branding and detailing on the microphone do let it stand out from its non-branded Blue Yeti X sibling to appeal to the WoW heads out there. If you're streaming your way through Shadowlands, you're going to want this mic in the shot.
The base is firmly weighted and absorbs the shocks of table bumps with ease while the screws holding the mic to the base are solid but simple to unscrew if you have a boom arm you want to use instead, with the mount threading on the underside ready to attach the mic to a compatible setup.
The gain control on the front and the pattern control on the back are simple to use and easily accessible, while the headphone jack for monitoring input and the micro-USB connector are easily accessible on the bottom of the mic.
The mic itself, when attached to the base, is fairly tall, measuring nearly a foot (11.38 inches to be precise) when fully extended with the circular base taking up about five inches in diameter of desk space.
All in all, it's an incredibly well designed microphone that is both highly functional and a bit of a showpiece to boot.
Performance
The basic foundation for the Blue Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition microphone is right there in the name. The Blue Yeti X is one of the best USB microphones on the market and it's not hard to see why.
The recording/voice input is near professional quality and the four polar patterns - cardioid, omnidirectional, bidirectional, and stereo - make for a versatile mic that can record high-quality audio in several different scenarios such as Twitch streaming, podcast interviews, and ambient recordings.
The gain control on the front is simple to use and the ability to configure the EQ settings via the Logitech G HUB software (Logitech bought Blue back in 2018) makes this a very robust microphone that has plenty for both beginners and advanced users to toy around with.
Software
The Logitech G Hub is where you can control every settings on the microphone, including the input gain and polar pattern.
In addition to the microphone's equalizer where various audio settings can be controlled, there is the voice modulator setting which lets you sound like an orc, a gnome, or the Lich King himself, as well as other World of Warcraft-themed voice effects.
If that's your thing, there's a lot of features there as well as customizable settings to tinker with.
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
