HyperX Quadcast S Review: A Great USB Microphone

For a time, if you were looking for a mic to start a show, stream a show, or even just have better calls, Blue Yeti was the only name you would hear.

Over the past couple of years, a challenger has appeared that has taken over the market. That mic? I have been loving the HyperX Quadcast S.

Convenient design.

I only used the Quadcast S for an hour or two before I thought that whoever designed it must have spent a lot of time with other mics. I was never dissatisfied with my old Blue Yeti. I might have been if I had the HyperX mic first.

There is a touch-sensitive pad on the top of the microphone. If you need to quickly cut your audio while on a livestream, this is the feature you should use. You can get instant feedback that it is safe to talk if you amplify the microphone.

There is a gain knob built into the microphone. It was easy to change the input level on the fly. There is no input level indicator on the microphone itself or in HyperX's software to help position the gain, which is a minor quibble.

This is not a huge problem since apps like OBS usually have them already, but come on HyperX. While the gain knob is being used, turn the mic into a level meter. blink red when I start peaking! Whatever, it is fine.

There is a dial on the back of the microphone that can be used to switch between four polar patterns. If you use a consistent setup and only record yourself, you will probably not need to change the pattern at all. The mic is compatible with the miniusb of the previous Quadcast mic, as well as some competing mics.

It was built to be seen and heard.

The Quadcast S has a lot of lights. HyperX has done a great job with the lighting, even though it is all but legally required. The lights inside the microphone blend into a pleasant gradient that feels more like a subtle accent color and less like a frontal assault from Rainbow Road.

The Quadcast S has a full spectrum of colors, which you can modify with HyperX's Ngenuity software. Waves, which slowly transitions across a spectrum of colors you pick, is the most pleasing option for solid colors, lightning effects, or the most pleasing.